Me and my boyfriend stayed at the Chich Khan Hotel for two weeks at the beginning of July. We arrived early morning on Thursday and were initially placed in a disabled room on the ground floor. As my boyfriend is very tall this was inconvenient so we asked to move rooms. This was done immediately. We later found out we were placed in the disabled room because of the deal we got on the Thomas Cook website - so nothing to do with the hotel! The second room we had was excellent - very comfortable and very clean.

The pool area was fantastic, very clean and neither of us saw a single leaf or fly in the pool in the whole two weeks. We found sunbeds very easily at around 10am - there was always a shady spot. However, this became harder as the two weeks progressed as the hotel was fully booked towards the end of our stay, however we still managed to find shade.

The entertainment was fantastic, the entertainment team really try and get you involved in the activities, but as soon as you say "no" they will let you be. The only thing negative about the daytime entertainment (but not a problem for us) was that you need to be 18 to take part in certain activities such as water polo and water volleyball. However this was only minor and did not affect us.
The evening entertainment was good - not the best I have seen but you can see they really put in a huge amount of effort as you can see the entertainment team practising throughout the day. There is a good variety of entertainment, a comedy night (funny because it shouldnt be funny) and also irish dancing (don't expect riverdance - its only the entertainment team).

The food was excellent, it was always hot and fresh and there was a good variety for those picky eaters (such as me). There is also an area where pasta is made to serve for those people who really cant find anything. There were a couple of reports of bad stomachs but these were from people who had been on the trips and had eaten in different hotels. The restaurants that need booking are very good, we only booked the Mexican (Chich Khan Hotel) and the Italian (Iberostar Averroes). The Mexican was good - the food was hot. It was fairly simple but a nice change from the main restaurant. The Italian was not as impressive, we waited 10 minutes in between each course and even got brought the same course twice. However, this was in the Iberostar Averroes, so nothing to do with the Chich Khan.

As we were quite short on money during our stay we only booked one trip- the "Sahara Explorer". I would absolutely reccommend this to anyone as it was a two day trip where you got to see most of the country. However this trip would not be good for families with small children as you spend a lot of the time on the bus - no more than 1 1/2 hours at a time, however it can get very tiring, and the early starts (4am) are quite draining. However the sights you see absolutely make up for this as they are breathtaking.

The staff around the hotel are very friendly and the service is fantastic. Around the pool area the waiters only collect empty glasses, however if you give them a small tip they will bring you drinks. We did not do this as it is only a very short walk to the pool bar and the staff there are very friendly. The staff in reception and the bars were very helpful and friendly, they do their best to try and help with whatever you need. Waiters in the restaurant are brilliant. In certain places in the restaurant, such as near the entrance, the service is not as good as you are not in their eyesight or their area, but if you sit in the main section then the service is excellent. We tipped our waiter as he was very efficient in bringing drinks and after this he prepared our table as soon as he saw us entering the restaurant and we had drinks as soon as we sat down, as he already knew what we would order. He topped up the drinks before they were even empty so we never had to wait for a drink. However, the staff were not permanently hovering around your table, they managed to keep an eye on 20 tables at a time so everyone had a good service.

Overall a very good holiday and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of going to the Chich Khan. It deserves a 5* rating as there is nothing wrong with any part of the hotel and is in fact better than some 5* hotels i have stayed in in the past.

Returned yesterday from our 10 day stay at the Chich Khan and I must say how impressed we were by this hotel and it's staff. At first glance it doesn't appear as 'plush' as other Iberostar hotels we've stayed in, but this is because of it's Moorish styling which actually makes it much more individual and exciting. The impressive reception and central atrium area is very spacious and eye-catching, looking down to the indoor garden and secluded seating areas.

The bedrooms are light and very spacious, as was our balcony area. The bathroom was very generous in size and had a separate toilet. The bedroom furnishings are not the expected standard hotel furnishings but are again taken from a Moorish styling with wrought iron effect to the bedstead, chairs and table. Very nice! We were a party of 6 in 3 rooms and unfortunately one of our rooms was found to be damp, smelly and generally not nice but a quick word with the reception staff and this was changed immediately with no hassle.

There was a vast selection of food on offer in the restaurant daily which was always of a good quality and very tasty. Spaghetti and pizza would be cooked to order as were omelettes and fried eggs at breakfast. The serveries were all kept very clean and any spilt food was immediately cleaned up by one of the many kitchen staff on hand. The waiters were excellent; friendly, helpful and so willing to do whatever they could to make mealtimes pleasurable. I might add that we did not tip our waiter until our last meal so it wasn't a question of him only being helpful if there was a reward at the end of every meal. Ours took great delight in decorating our table with flowers and foliage and showing off his impressive napkin folding - he was a joy!

The pool area was also kept very clean and the water was tested each morning without fail. To be honest I think the pool was probably a little too large at the expense of the surrounding area left available for sunbeds as the grounds are not particularly large. This was not a problem in early July and we could always find 6 sunbeds for our party at 9:30am but I think things might be a bit different in August.

The pool snackbar was again very clean and efficiently run and offered a good selection of food at lunchtimes should you not wish to eat in the main restaurant. Pancakes and waffles are available here at 4:00pm each day, cooked to order, so beware of the queues!

The entertainment team did a fantastic job with the daytime activities and were not at all pushy in expecting everyone to join in. They were always willing to just have a chat if you didn't wish to join in. They were very enthusiastic and tried their best during the evening entertainment but the shows they put on were hampered by them having to announce everything in 4 or 5 different languages, but unless you have young children it's far nicer to find a quiet spot in one of the bars or secluded seating areas and just chill out or go outside for entertainment. The hotel does have it's own disco on the lower ground floor area which begins at 11:00pm and finishes at 1:00am sharp.

All in all a very nice hotel which is not too large and not too small and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who likes good standards, polite and friendly staff and not too much hustle and bustle.

the service at this hotel was second to none, you can be sitting by the pool and without asking the waiter, he would bring you a drink to your sunbed. the lunch and dinner service was just as good, without asking soon after sitting we would get a bottle of wine on the table. the food choice was good, from breakfast in the morning, to late breakfast in one of the bars(10-12), to the lunch by the pool bar or in the restaurant. you can even get pancakes and waffles in-between lunch and dinner. the points I would like to see improved are the sunlounger quantity, the evening entertainment finished at around 10.45 each evening and was always carried out by the animation team (no outside entertainment!), and the air conditioning in our room wasn't very good, i complained twice and nothing was done. despite this i would definately look to return to the chich khan.

lee, burton-on-trent
returned 6 july 2008

Having just returned from a 2 week stay at this wonderful hotel, I would like to return tomorrow! The staff couldnt do enough for you and it was always service with a smile. The rooms were excellent-large, airey and very clean. Food was first class with a wide variety (even pleasing the hard to please). We were pleasantly surprised to find the Hotel had its own private section of beach with a beach bar serving drinks and a choice of food at lunch time. Hotel is ideally situated, close to shops, bars and the Medina. The Hotel photographer can sometimes be a little trying, following you around and getting you to pose but I guess he is there to make a dinar or two for himself. The only downside that we found to this hotel was, as mentioned in previous reviews, the severe lack of space and sunbeds around the pool but to be honest it was far too hot and sticky to sit by the pool. It was better by the sea as there was a beautiful breeze.

All in all...a somewhat great holiday.