Dar Ismail Tabarka

The hotel looks huge and beautiful from outside, but it doesn’t feel like a five-star place. Service was average, the food was below mediocre, and the pool was dirty. There was no air conditioning in 30° heat. A big flop 👎

Worst hotel on the planet. The rooms are very old, the staff were rude, and there was no real service at all. No slippers, no water, and they wouldn’t let us bring in water from outside, so they could charge triple inside. Nothing in the room worked, including the phone and hair dryer, and there was no WiFi. They call this a five-star hotel? It doesn’t deserve even one. I’ve never been so disappointed and disgusted by the service. It ruined my holiday.

The beach is great and the swimming pool is really big, so it wasn’t all bad. But there’s no WiFi except at reception, and there isn’t much to keep you entertained, especially if you’re with family. The food was average, nearly bad, and some rooms looked out over garbage or a creepy empty house. Our room supposedly slept four, but it was three beds and a bench, so three of us had to share two beds. The bathrooms were bad too, you can’t even fill a bathtub properly. Some staff were rude, and a few tried flirting and calling me nicknames, which disturbed my holiday.

The location is fantastic, near the city with a great sea view, and the staff were warm and hospitable, in keeping with the town’s hospitality. They seemed understaffed, though. One receptionist was alone, managing a long line and doing everything manually, which made check-in and checkout take ages. At first, an upgrade wasn’t possible either. The rooms are very old but clean, and housekeeping did a good job inside them. Food was good, though breakfast could use more options. Cleanliness in shared areas and facilities was a big question mark. Parking is limited, and some rooms look onto an ugly, sad abandoned building across the street. For a five-star hotel, I’d expect a system to handle check-in and checkout. WiFi was only available at reception, which wasn’t ideal.