Carthage Thalasso Resort

The pool is big and clean, though the salty water makes it less relaxing to swim in. There are cafés and restaurants inside the traditionally Arabic-style lobby, and the food is reasonably good. The beach is about a five-minute walk away, beside a café run by an outside contractor. The staff there weren’t very welcoming, and I think the hotel should manage its private beach directly. Most rooms share a terrace with five or six other rooms, and those spaces were quite dirty. The public areas weren’t clean either, and many rooms aren’t standard. The architecture gives the property a distinctive character, and it seems to have had some renovation to freshen it up. For the rates, it feels reasonably priced, but service needs serious improvement. It’s an average hotel, not really five-star, though it may suit travelers looking for a budget option with nearly standard facilities.

We came to use the beach and pool, and had a wonderful time. The staff were kind and professional, took care of every request, and made us feel very welcome. A lovely place to relax.

The staff were helpful and nice, and the bathroom in our room was decent. But there was a sewage-like smell around the hotel, especially noticeable in the corridors, and it varied in strength. The WiFi was terrible, weak in the rooms and absent at the beach. The dinner buffet was closed the whole time we were there, while the restaurant food was expensive and not very good. We visited in early June, and I don’t know whether that was out of season, but the resort felt empty, dull and boring. The beach wasn’t really private: only part of the sand was, and the water was open to people from nearby beaches. I doubt I’ll return. It was a mediocre resort, about 2.5 stars.

Room 1089, 8/7 to 12/7. The good part was breakfast, which was acceptable, with more menu choices added during the three days I stayed. The bad started after my 17-hour flight: they gave me the wrong room card, and the room was far away, so I had to walk back to reception. There was no complimentary mineral water. Mosquitoes kept me from sleeping well for all three days. I reported it to the duty manager, but nothing was done in that time. Only on 11/7 did I hear forging outside my room early in the morning. The room smelled bad, so I had to run the air conditioning at full blast.