Sousse Palace Hotel & Spa

"We have just spent 5 days at Sousse Palace and I think a review needs to be split into 2 categories, the hotel itself and the staff. The hotel itself claims to be 5 stars but by UK standards, it is more like a 3 star. The hotel is beautiful in places but very dated. There are sections in need of repair. We had a room facing the sea, which I believed was one of the better rooms. Our room had plug sockets falling out of the wall, a small fridge which couldn’t be plugged in as the cable was not long enough to reach a socket. The top of the kettle could not be opened so water had to be poured in through the spout. Staff had cleaned our room one day but had forgotten to leave us any toilet paper (good job there were tissues)! The TV did not work. The wi-fi signal was not strong enough to reach our room so could only be used in the main reception area. We came out onto the balcony on the last day to find a patch of plaster which had fallen off the ceiling of our balcony onto the floor. I know we could have complained, however, from talking to other guests, we seemed to have the only room in the hotel with working air-con, so we were still winning. On the positive side, we would happily give the staff 10 stars! We were 2 hours early for check in, but the lovely lady on the reception desk gave us our all-inclusive wristband and encouraged us to go to the restaurant, have lunch and use all the facilities until the room was ready. We were then met by Madji who ran the entertainment. He is so friendly and helpful and does a very good job, considering he is the only entertainment in the whole hotel. We then met Maya who was fabulous. You must book a massage /spa package with her while you are there. We are not the only people who went back more than once. You get so much for your money. The whole beauty team are so friendly. Esme books excursions for the guests and found us a very busy 12 hour guided tour, packed with lots of sights which was perfect for us. One of our favourite people in the hotel was Foued in the restaurant. Every day, he looked after us, having our table ready for every meal, remembering and preparing our preferred drinks. We loved the food and the huge choice of dishes. Finally, we need to mention the best 2 barmen, who made the holiday extra special. Jamel and Mohamed. Amazing!! These two were always genuinely happy to see people, creating some great cocktails. 5 steps out the back of the hotel is the beach, where a lounger will be provided for you, wherever you would like it to be! In summary, changes need to be made to the rooms, but the staff here are kind, helpful, fun and very friendly. For us, that is more important."

"We returned from a wonderful week spent in Sousse Palace Hotel; the hotel has a unique location close to the Sousse medina and, in the same time, just on a (private) lovely beach. Good services, tastefully food and very nice people (from the reception to the housekipping, entertainment and restaurant staff) made us an wonderful stay in this hotel. A very big 'Sukran' to all of them. We highly recommend the hotel."

"Let's be honest: a 5* hotel in Tunisia is equivalent, at best, to a 3* in France. The Sousse Palace hotel is very well located in the city, with proximity to the beach. For the positive points, I note the staff's welcome, the quality general facilities (gym and spa), and a renewal in the quality of the food offered. For the negative points, I would say that the hotel is aging and the rooms deserve some renovation, the wifi is also slow at times, and the pools are poorly located. In summary, it's a pleasant hotel if you are staying in Sousse!"