"Beautiful hotel, but the service left a lot to be desired
The Royal Azur is a physically gorgeous hotel and, overall, the property itself is very clean and well maintained. The pool area is lovely, and the rooms are beautiful, spacious and have huge, incredibly comfortable beds.
Unfortunately, our experience with some members of staff took away from what could have been an excellent 5-star holiday.
The tipping culture
The biggest issue for us was the attitude of some staff when it came to tipping. I completely understand that wages in Tunisia can be relatively low and that tips may be an important part of some employees’ income. I am normally more than happy to tip and would usually do so towards the end of my holiday, once I have experienced the service.
However, during our stay, we found that a few staff members were extremely helpful and friendly until they realised they weren’t getting a tip. In those instances, their demeanour seemed to change noticeably, becoming rude, dismissive or unhelpful.
Tunisia uses a closed currency, and we simply didn’t have access to cash during the first couple of days while we were arranging our money. Unfortunately, we felt that this may have affected how some individuals treated us.
The bar staff around the pool were particularly noticeable in this respect. At times, it felt as though the level of service depended on whether they expected to receive a tip.
The older gentleman working as a lifeguard was another concern. We found him particularly rude and felt that he may have been reserving sunbeds for guests who were tipping him, which made it difficult to get one. On one occasion, my husband and I managed to get a couple of sunbeds we wanted. My husband was still in the room, so I was sitting on my own when the lifeguard pointed towards our sunbeds and spoke about us in German to another family. I found this extremely uncomfortable and felt very awkward sitting there alone.
The younger lifeguards were completely different. They were much more relaxed, friendly and helpful. If they saw you struggling to put up an umbrella, for example, they would come over and help without hesitation.
Food
The food was probably another disappointment. There was very little variation from day to day, and the meal selection was largely the same throughout our stay.
For a 5-star all-inclusive resort, I would have expected more variety.
We were also disappointed that there wasn’t really an option to visit another speciality restaurant as part of the all-inclusive package. The only alternative we were offered was an Italian restaurant at an additional charge. In my experience, many 5-star all-inclusive resorts offer a choice of different cuisines without an extra fee.
One positive was the restaurant staff, who were lovely, friendly and genuinely helpful. They were some of the nicest staff we encountered during our stay.
Entertainment
There is very little entertainment at the Royal Azur itself. There is usually a French singer on most evenings, and while there was a synchronised swimming performance during our stay, that was probably the highlight.
If you book through TUI, however, you can access the sister hotel next door, which does have more entertainment options. This is definitely worth knowing before booking.
Overall service
Some of the bar and service staff came across as though they were reluctant to serve guests, particularly when ordering cocktails. At times, it felt as though we were inconveniencing them by asking for something.
I appreciate that cultural differences and different expectations around tipping can play a part, and I genuinely understand that tips may be important to many workers. However, I don’t believe kindness and basic good service should depend on whether someone has cash in their hand at that particular moment.
I would have happily tipped the staff who provided good service. In fact, I normally do tip. But when you feel that you are being treated poorly because you haven’t tipped yet, it actually makes you less inclined to tip.
Our experience outside the hotel
We also visited the marina during our stay, but unfortunately we found the experience quite uncomfortable and didn’t feel particularly safe. This was our personal impression during that visit, and we ended up having some food and returning to the hotel.
Overall, while the Royal Azur itself is a beautiful, clean and impressive hotel, the service issues we experienced, the lack of food variety and the limited entertainment meant that it didn’t live up to the 5-star experience we were expecting.
I understand that some staff may be working for relatively low wages and that tips can be important to them. However, we had spent around £2,000 on our holiday, and I don’t think guests should feel that they have to continually pay extra in order to receive basic friendliness and good service.
The people we encountered were often lovely — but, in some cases, the service seemed closely tied to tipping.
Sadly, based on our overall experience, I wouldn’t return to Tunisia. This reflects our personal experience of the trip rather than a judgement about everyone in the country. The hotel itself is beautiful, but the attitude of some individuals we encountered really affected our holiday.
I would happily tip people for genuinely good service — but I shouldn’t have to pay for kindness."
