Hotel Meninx

The sea was warm, but frequent waves stirred up sand and often left the water cloudy. On the beach, people with horses and camels kept approaching us to sell rides or souvenirs. The animators were pushy as well, coming over repeatedly to insist we join games when we wanted to relax. Inside, the food was disappointing. The cooks seemed inexperienced, vegetables weren't fresh, and many dishes were either overcooked or undercooked, mixed together without much flavor. At check-in, luggage was left unsecured in the lobby where anyone could reach it. While we waited for our room keys, the toilets were filthy, had no toilet paper, and their doors wouldn't close. The cleaners seemed to go through the motions, but things stayed dirty and uncomfortable. Our air conditioner leaked from the ceiling. The receptionist promised to move us the next day when we asked for another room, but it never happened, and the unit wasn't repaired. Rooms were swept with a broom, yet sand remained all over the floor. The hotel left a very unpleasant impression because of the poor cleanliness and service. It doesn't live up to its advertised standard, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who cares about cleanliness, comfort, and peace on holiday.

The restaurant team, animation staff, and pool staff were lovely and so friendly. Even my 17-month-old loved them. The room itself was clean apart from the bathroom, where mould and grime had built up. The cleaning staff were lovely too. The hotel is beautiful, and the staff really looked out for my baby. But reception was very rude and brushed off the problems we reported. There was no air conditioning, and the room was so hot and sweaty that my baby kept waking in pools of sweat. The bathroom floor stayed wet from a leak. My son slipped there and cut the back of his head, one of the issues we raised, but reception didn't care. My sister also cut her foot on broken grids around the pool. The lights and electrics kept switching off at random, so we couldn't keep our phones charged for days out. We also couldn't get into the slides and pools mentioned in the booking. Someone told us the slides we could see weren't part of the hotel.

The staff made a big difference for our family. The animation team were funny and pleasant, our kids made friends with them, and people were always up for a high five. Our cleaning lady was wonderful too. She didn't speak English, but we managed to communicate. The staff are clearly trying to improve the hotel. We had a very good time and felt comfortable most of the stay. Last year we went to a five-star hotel in Turkey, but I'd choose Djerba again for the people and the overall impression. Our rooms were clean, though a bit old, and we didn't mind that. We even got new mattresses during our stay. There was a cockroach in the bathroom on the first day, but I don't think it was due to dirt, there are cockroaches in Djerba. Outside the hotels, though, there's a lot of rubbish. The pools were clean and warm. Pool bathrooms were dirtier, sometimes wouldn't flush, and often had no toilet paper. There weren't any bathrooms by the slide pool, which meant walking back and forth with the kids. Our section, Club, was being renovated. I actually liked that the shows and parties were in the main building, far away, so it was quiet in the evenings. Club had a second dining room that wasn't open yet, so the one in Riadh was very crowded. Sometimes we couldn't find a table, and the lines were long. There was lots of good food to choose from, but not much fruit. I wanted fruit as a daytime snack, but that wasn't available. Snacks in the afternoon were limited to pizza or sandwiches. The beach is beautiful, and the water was warm and usually clean. A few days had seaweed, less than I expected. But the beach itself had camel and horse droppings and some plastic rubbish. The men with the animals were annoying, and we minded the droppings a lot. I understand it's a business, but I wish the hotel would clean the beach or keep the animals to one side, away from the loungers. The kids didn't like building sandcastles near poop.

They turned off the water and electricity in the middle of the day, and nobody came to look at my TV problem for two days. I also felt guests were treated differently. I paid for all-inclusive, told reception, and they confirmed that I'd paid, but still wouldn't let me have drinks. The aqua gym was another issue. I'm sad about tourism in Tunisia. I won't come back or recommend this place to anyone.