Zad Elmosafer Guest House

The fresh breakfast was served in a pleasant outdoor area, and the setting is lovely, with a lush green landscape and a prime spot in Tunis village. But the rooms are tiny, the bedding is old and uncomfortable, and there’s no mini-bar to keep food or water, no kettle, and nowhere to sit. It could suit campers, families, or travellers who are fine with basic accommodation. With toddlers, or if you want to relax in your room, it’s difficult. A stray cat in the garden bit me while I was eating. The only help was a hotel receptionist accompanying us to the nearest clinic. The cat wasn’t vaccinated, which makes this a high risk.

We loved our stay and hope to come back to Fayoum someday. The room was spacious, the pool clean, and the garden beautiful. From the top, the view was amazing, and the staff were kind and helpful. The food was tasty and came in big portions. It’s a beautiful guest house at a very affordable price.

We liked the village style of the place, but if you want a modern hotel, this isn’t for you. Its location is handy for pottery lessons, horseback riding, buggy rides, restaurants and cafes, and Qaroun lake, where you can take a boat trip. The center for ready-made pottery is very close too. Don’t miss booking a safari trip. We spent one night in the rooms and found them clean, moderately furnished, with OK toilets. They provided clean towels and an electric, liquid mosquito repellent. There’s a clean swimming pool, ping pong table and bats, a billiard table, and lots of nice garden seating. It’s good for families with kids. The food was OK and moderately priced. The Standard Villa was below my expectations, though it has a lot of potential. It’s spacious, with several sitting areas and a garden with a big swing, but it’s gotten old and needs renovations. We needed more pillows and none were available, and the mosquito repellent was missing or out of fluid. They’re building an indoor swimming pool, which was still under construction, and have a renovation plan coming soon. After that, it could be a very nice option for a big family like ours. The restaurant had fewer staff than its capacity needed, perhaps because it was the EID holiday. The kitchen equipment could also be improved to make it more modern and help the kitchen serve faster.

People working there sometimes looked at the girls in our group in a bad way and made comments. The staff also didn’t seem properly trained in hospitality or cleanliness. Their response was to deduct money from some workers, which won’t improve the service in the future. We were 14 women with a confirmed, paid booking for one night, yet no receptionist was available at check-in because they were doing something else. We waited nearly an hour. When we finally got into the villa, it hadn’t been prepared and was very unclean and untidy. The floors and desks were dusty, as if they hadn’t been cleaned for at least a week, and the pool wasn’t clear. The food portions were too small to fill us. We’d asked in advance for a vegan meal, and they confirmed it three times, but they prepared everything except that meal. The only option was spaghetti. This was one of the worst experiences I’ve had.