Nour Palace Thalasso & Spa - All Inclusive

You may get a decent room or a really bad one. Apparently, you can ask to switch, with a tip or without. Mine had a door connecting to the next room, so every sound from there came through. For a five-star hotel, the rooms are really poor. There are activities for kids and adults during the day, mostly loud music while you follow the animators and dance. The evening show runs from 20-23, with the same children’s techno style music every night. Even a sea-view room faces the stage. The food isn’t bad, but it was the same throughout my 14 days. For a beach spot with a lounger, you’ll need to get up before 7 am. Staff expect tips, and if you don’t leave one, they may not bring towels or toilet paper.

It’s a long transfer, about 2.5 hours from the airport. The staff are friendly, and the spa is good. Food was okay, but only warm, never hot. Rooms are old, with hair all over, especially in the bathroom. Definitely not five-star, I’d give it three.

The incident with the manager is why I’d tell people to stay away. I’ve worked in hospitality for over 25 years and rarely complain, even when things aren’t perfect. My wife and I are good guests and tip well. We have a three-year-old boy who’s usually very well behaved, apart from when he’s tired. We’d flown overnight and arrived at 2 in the morning, so he was cranky and we spent the day trying to keep him calm. At around six in the evening, we were having coffee in the lobby when he had a tantrum. It lasted about two minutes. A man came over and started yelling harshly at us. At first, I thought it was some act to scare our son into calming down, and I nearly thanked him, but he was completely serious. He insisted the crying had to stop immediately, as if our child had an off switch. He threatened to throw us out and call the police, saying it was his hotel and not a children’s hotel. I tried explaining that our boy was small and couldn’t understand what he was doing, but the man kept shouting and even swore at me, my wife and our child. I was so angry that if we weren’t abroad with our young child, I might have fought him there. He was the hotel’s head manager. I’ve seen managers and staff chiefs on power trips over the years, but nothing like this. I was mortified as the other guests watched. We left and called our agency to ask for a different hotel. They couldn’t find one and said they’d try in the morning. I skipped dinner, while my wife and child cried all night. I was furious and still can’t believe it happened. The next morning, a guest came up at breakfast and said he’d seen everything and recorded it on his phone. I was relieved to have proof, so we decided to stay instead of ruining the rest of the holiday. Nothing came of it. We saw the man once in the hallway, and he gave me a prison-like stare. I laughed, since I had the whole thing on video. I’m thinking about suing him, but I don’t have the time or money for that sort of thing. The manager is the man in white pants in the few seconds of video I have. I’m not lying. He’s a sad, evil man. The hotel itself isn’t five-star either. Every four-star hotel feels luxurious by comparison. Don’t go there. It got its five-star rating in 1972, when it opened, and I guess they haven’t bought new towels or sheets since. I could tell you plenty more, but this is enough.

The pools and beach were the only highlights. They’re nice, but there weren’t many loungers on the beach. We were there at the beginning of October, and I expect it’s worse in high season. Our room had old furniture and wobbly tables, with black stains on the towels and sheets. The children’s playground was broken, old and poorly maintained. Food options and organization in the main restaurant were poor. The snack bar before and after noon was practically hidden away and just had leftovers from breakfast or lunch. Staff were mostly rude unless tipped. We had to chase them for clean napkins, and got just one small paper napkin in the end. Don’t expect to take food from the restaurant for later, like fruit for a child. They treated it as stealing and sent us to the snack bar leftovers. On our first day, our child was crying in the hall. We knew he was disturbing other guests and hadn’t even had time to take him away when the manager came over yelling and threatening to kick us out. The crying lasted maybe two minutes. He was three years old. Is he the first child ever to cry in that hotel? The stay was nowhere near five-star.