Stayed at this hotel three times last visit was from 07/05/08 room
201. The staff are the best better than any luxury 5 star hotel that you find in hammamet. That goes from the management downwards. As hammamet is going through a face lift you will never find a finer family run hotel. The staff cant do enough for you, I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone staying in hamamet in the future or thinking of going. The big welcome you receive from the staff makes you know your in for a great holiday.

Well my greatest compliments to the staff looking forward to the next holiday .

Accomodation

We arrived at our Hotel late on sunday evening to discover the communal bar/drinking area full of locals who were loud but friendly. However, first impressions we hated it. But by morning, once the traveling nerves had calmed, we observed this hotel in a different light and from then on the hotel never ceased to amaze us. The staff were extremely friendly (some more than others) the rooms were massive for a 2* hotel and so clean and fresh smelling. The cleaners worked none stop, and always had a fantastic smile, we could not help but tip them most days. This may i add is the first forgein hotel i had stayed at where the sheets and towels were changed daily without fail! The outside of the building in comparision to some run down buildings surrounding the hotel was superb, fresh, clean and looks brand new. The food within the hotel has a good selection for the local traditional delicacies, i.e Tuna, Bread and Eggs. The pool within the hotel was very clean, fresh and was very refreshing after long stints in the hot Tunisian sun.

The Beach

The beach was a short distance and again like previously stated in other reviews, it was a short walk through an alley way, which initailly could be daunting, however was totally safe. The dogs that were previously mentioned in other reviews actually belong to 'Rambo'. The beach was exactly how you see it in the brouchure and exactly how you would imagine a Tunisian beach to be. Golden sand and crisp blue/green water....Super!
We were a little unfortunate to have two cloudy days, however that did not take away how nice the beach was. The beach hand 'Rambo' (although i got confused and kept calling him Rocky) was really nice, and kept the beach clean from seaweed and any litter that the sea may throw. Oh my god, Parasailing is an absolute MUST! This will set you back 30dt for one person or 60dt for two but is worth its weight in gold.

Hammamet

In general hammamet was a nice resort for people who are seeking sun, sand and to explore. The excurtions that the reps offered did involve a lot of traveling which did not really appeal to us. We went on this holiday 'with an open mind' as we had read good reviews from the hotel however were warned about the potential to be 'ripped off' by locals. Hammamet, did not have a great deal do do, however Yasmine Hammamet is said to be the place to be for your disco's and partying. May i also add that Yasmine Hammamet was also beautiful. We visited 'Old' Hammamet Medina on our second day and hated it, constant hassel, 'cheap as chips' and 'Asda price' was non-stop. We generally enjoy soaking up local markets and exploring what goods the locals have on offer, but we can safely say we did not look at anything other than the floor. And do not let them touch you or shake your hand, as this is merely an attempt to wrestle you into their shops. Be carefull, as this experience could hinder your view of Tunisia. Yasmine, is much more laid back and is much better on the eye.

Overall. Tunisia is an interesting country, which i would actually like to experience again (not just yet though, so much more of the world to see). One of the most amazing things that we truly are gratefull for is the amount of fantastic people we met while we were there. We were welcomed not only by local Tunisian people but by the follwoing....Lizzie & Eric (The Bambury Crew) Jane and Elaine who so should be in a sitcom and other fab folks who has previously visited Hammamet and knew the resort well. Thanks Guys, you made our holiday, and keep in touch!

With Love
TS1

When I saw the hotel on the brochure looked like heaven, the reality is different. Most people write good reviews and i read them all before i left to Hammamet.

We traveled by night so we arrived at 6.30 in the morning, tired, hungry and in need of showers. The Panorama rep was there , quite helpul but he was there at 10.00. At this stage I haven't slept in more than 28 hours. As we were hungry and we had B&B booked with Citroniers, we headed for the dining room only to find complete and utter shock. They offered bread, butter jam and croissants. THATS IT !!! Some watered down cheap coffee, some sqaush with water that they passed on as orange juice hot milk and cocoa powder, which turned to be out lifesaver as the kids drank that every day of our stay. My kids ate bread and butter for breakfast for the whole stay, which was such a dissapointment.

The restaurant

The hotel's restaurant on the other hand was the best food we had in Hammamet , good clean retaurant with friendly staff. Menu was varied and you could pick from fish to pork, any meat you want. They dont do bacon or sausages but they offer other pork alternatives. We mostly ate chicken which was the best. Average meal costs between 8TD - 13 TD. (which is under 10€)

The rooms

They were clean and tidy, big and spacious, but because its a 2 star hotel , there is no mini fridge, the TV is paid per day (4TD/day) , the safety box is paid per week (7TD/week). I found that quite unreasonable as most hotels offer these things in the price of the rooms not as extras. The hotel is exactly 2 stars and do not expect more, worn down building, with worn down towels and bath tubs that we used only for showers as I wouldn't lie in them.


The pool

There is only one pool with depth from 1.10m - 2.6 m and as we went in May the weather was not very hot therefore the pool water was freazing cold. The cleaned it everyday and changed the water and all, but we only used it once.


The staff

Very friendly but some more than others. Appearantly its run by a family so everyone is related, to me this doesnt matter that much as long as they are doing their job.If you have children they do not offer any special treatment for parents so if you have any crying babies or starving toddlers they wouldnt make sure that you get your food faster. But all and all the staff was the hotel's best asset.


The beach

As promised the beach was very close, but you have to go through some alleys and there are dogs roaming around and sometimes I was terrified they would bite us. There are messy alleys but the beach is nice and you get some chairs free as hotel guest or rent a lounger for 2 TD a day. The water was cold but acceptable. There is a snack bar belonging to the hotel on the beach and you can have perfectly good food there, as the hotel the food was the best value and taste.


Excursions & Trips

The rep offered us a good choice of trips but being with children we were limited on what to do.

African Dreams -60TD /person 30TD /child

Departure from hotel at 15.00 and spend about another 30-40 min collecting from all hotels in Hammamet and Yasmine Hammamtet area.The trip takes about 30 min to Friga Park where you see all sorts of animals including lions, tigers, elephants and so on. Then you are offered an entertainment night with good food and drinks (all included) and the best show I have ever seen in Tunisia. Zulu Dancers were very good and entertaining. The Tunisian dancers were lovely as well and the belly dancing made me get up from my chair and move that extra ring of belly around my waist.

Aqua Palace 40TD/adult 20TD/child

The weather was not on our side as it was cold and we could hardly enjoy the rides, it was a long trip to Kantaoui - leaving at 10 am we made it there at 11 am , we had an hour browsing around Kantaoui, beautiful city the best i have seen in Tunisia, clean and marina was lovely. The Aqua Palace was only 3 hours to the kids dissapointment as I thought it's gonna be a whole day excursion.



Hammamet area

It is the poorest city i have ever been in, buildings that seem to collapse, cats and dogs everywhere, my son was scratched by a cat and we spent half a day in the hospital fo a tetanus shot where we had to pay as they wouldnt accept our travel insurance.(51 €). If it rains or its cold there is nothing to do in Hammamet. Taxis are 3TD to the medina or Hammamet Centre from the hotel, and 5 TD to Yasmine Hammamet where is a beautiful amusement park Carthage Land, where we had good fun and camel rides., train rides, boat rides with splashing water.


The medina

Complete horror, if you do not want to buy something in particular, do not go. They hassle you and invite you and litteraly put necklaces, bracelets , rings on you and then they ask you for money. " Good price madam!!!" this is what they all say, they are robbers.
If you decide to see the medina which is like a big market , a bazaar more so, there is good quality leather but they are pumping up the prices, so beware, the most you should pay on a medium sized leather bag (ladies bag) is perhaps 30-35 TD. Ther sell silver but be aware that in Tunisa silver is sold by object rather than being weighed and sold by Grams, so bargain. I was offered a silver stone engagement ring with 90 TD and in the end I bought it with 20TD.
Also gold has a a Tunisian stamp rather that the normal numerical european stamp. Be aware of that stamp some are fakes, the average by gram is 30-35 TD and in jewlery you pay even 41 TD/gram - but at least its genuine.

There is also lovely pottery and ceramics , bargain as much as you can because the keep telling you is hand made and all that crap and they try to push it down your neck at enourmous prices.
Also my daughter wanted a belly dance costume and a seller told me 120TD when in fact I bought it with 20TD and I found out its only worth 15-16TD. So they really are the most crafted lying sellers I have ever met.

Conclusion


If asked if I will ever returned to Tunisia I said without a beat _ NO .
I visited Tunisia as I thought its was a nice arabic country much safer that Algeria or Libya but definetly will not return there.

My boyfriend and I stayed in Les Citronniers last year, on a last minute cheap deal sun holiday. Having read other reviews here, on trip advisor, I knew it was going to be basic but good. The staff were friendly (family run hotel) and made you feel welcome. It was nice to chill out at the pool - with bar during the day or just head to the beach where you can lounge some more. Despite the heat (48degrees - late august) we had such a relaxing time and would definitely return.