Me, my hubby and 2 kids aged 11 & 2 stayed here from 18th July to 1st August and let me just say to you all reading this.....wot a fantastic time we all had!!!!!!! I had my reservations before going but the people are the friendliest we have ever met, they couldn't do enough for you. We arrived at 4.30 in the morning to be greeted by the receptionist and a porter who carried all our bags in one go!!! We needed to change our room, which was sorted 2 days later for a fantastic room with a view over the front of the hotel. We stayed half board and had our own dedicated waiter for the whole 2 weeks and he was great!!! Yes, I appreciate some people say the food was not up top much, but we found it great and the huge cakes are to die for!!!! As the saying goes when in Rome do as the Romans do. The Tunisian people really appreciate it if you can learn some of their language even if it is only hello (aslemma)!!!

The animation team do a good job but a bit more activity would be good. Moumou and the clan are all great with both adults and kids (we got on well with moumou as he is a huge man city fan!!!!). Also if you want decent jewellery, see Jo whose stand is always round by the Salem pool. His stuff is very reasonably priced and he won't rip you off!!!! beware.....Freddy who the my travel rep will introduce to you at you welcome meeting. He offers to take you on a free sightseeing trip for 2 hours when in fact he takes you to a carpet and rug place and you get the hard sell!!!!! He sold me and my son silver necklaces (which he reckons he makes himself) and spelt mine wrong but argued about it!!! i did get it sorted though. He will also try to get anything footbal related off you, especially England tops and caps. he even wanted my 2 yr olds man city kit for his kid!!!! Cheeky sod!!!


We spent our days around the blue star pool which is a sister hotel on site and has its own slides. Only drawback was the pool is freah seawater and could be a bit much on the eyes. We made friends with Sam, Kaiz & Fiesel the lifeguards who look after you whenever you need a sunbed (they were great fun and I miss my chats every day with them)!!!!

Weather gets very hot so be warned!!! One of our days it was touching 47 degrees!!! But hey I got a great tan as a result.

The hotel itself is a wow factor, the maids clean the room spotless!!! The head chef made us a cake for our weedding anniversary and it didn't cost us a penny and it was delicious. The waiter even brought it up to our room as I wasn't feeling too good that day. I did suffer from 'delly belly' but I wasn't under any illusion that it wouldn't happen. You are in a Africa and things are not like they are here!!!!

Only negative for me was that when we arrived there were hardly any English people there. This changed our 2nd week. But I was appalled at the the rude behaviour of some of the other nationalities!!!! My hubby nearly had a run in with someone one day because he barged in front of him in the restaurant and told him to move!!!!

Our holiday was made even better as we had already arranged to meet our friends there for a week (they stayed in the Salem on site and have done 4 times now). There are plenty of activities to do if you check the board in the Royal. the animation guys do water polo, volleyball on the beach and aqua aerobics (which was a laugh in the pool)!!!

All in all this was my best holiday by far and was really sad to say goodbye to all the lovely staff that had helped to make our stay wonderful. Can't wait to go back next year (or maybe in October this year if I can persuade the hubby)!!!!!

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Royal Salem in April 2007. The hotel was gorgeous! Sparkling clean, marble floors and indoor water fountains, the lifts were all round modern glass so we could see through to ever floor - fabulous. Our room was lovely, spacious and had both a sea view and pool view from our large balcony. Very clean and bright, clean linen and towels every day and room cleaned every day. The food both at breakfast and evening meal was buffet style, outstanding choice, hot and cold foods available, something for everyone. We were given our own table every day with our name on it. We were served in the evenings by the same waiter who brought us the wine list to choose from, (about the same price as home)and professionally presented. The hotel had a large beach area just a few minutes walk, white fine clean sand, and beautiful warm blue sea, heaven! The pool was a little cold in April but spotlessly clean with plenty of sunshades and sunbeds.

The entertainment was more suitable for the locals, but we enjoyed it all the same, we were in Tunisia after all. The sister hotel close by was a 3 star and the entertainment catered more to the British, we had a couple of nights there.

The staff were very nice and polite but didn't understand much English which was a shame but we made ourselves understood I think....

Only one niggle. - Beware of the trip organisers who pretend they are working for the hotel but have their own little scams going with organised shopping trips! I also bought a ring from them with our names in Arabic, the ring I saw and ordered was not the ring I paid in advance for and I got on our last day! Ver disappointing.

The other organised trips were wonderful. Worth every penny and we saw everything we wanted to see, El Jem, Monastir, and a few other trips all made wonderful memories for us. Again, at the end of the trips - the organised shopping, they take you to a 'government shop' to persuade you to buy.

All in all we had a fantastic time.

I would recommend this hotel again and again.

What a fantastic Holiday !

The flight over was very painless. We flew from Nottingham East Mids Airport and found it much

We were initially allocated a room in the annexe - the Royal Salem Blue Star, but were moved after enduring 3 nights of loud music and partying by some Eastern European guests next to us. We then got a room in the main hotel, which was more to our liking.

The Blue Star is an informal hotel, very attractive, but unusual in that there are no public areas apart from the dining room. Good buffet food, but you were given a different table each night, tables were a bit small, glass topped, with wipe clean mats instead of tablecloths and/or placemats. One of the receptionists told us the place was designed for the Northern European market, but we were much happier in the main hotel.

Again, very good food, but this time the dining room was more what we expected, and we preferred having the same table at every meal. Didn't like our waiter so much though, never came with a receipt for our drinks, and he certainly overcharged a bit, but we just tipped him less.

Rooms - lovely new rooms in the Blue Star, but we were more than happy with our new room in the main hotel, slightly tatty round the edges, but everything worked, and rooms were more luxuriously furnished.

Hotel staff lovely, didn't participate in the entertainment, but noticed that even at the "tail end" of the season there was plenty on offer.

We would stay in this hotel again, but would request a room in the main building.

Arrived at 11pm and given a warm welcome. Having been to Tunisia four times I was ahppy with everything - it is a foreign country.

The room was good and room service satisfactory. Meals were first class, but the Russians must have starved before arriving.

Not too many Germans so beach sun beds were available. The pool attendant for 1 dinar will provide sun bed and mattress every day and in your favorite spot.

Pool side enmtertainment was fun (to watch) and entertaining. Two on site restaurants (beach and pool side) were great and the evening entertainment was acceptable.

The waiter bought me a bottle of wine after giving him sold cast off clothing - hint for others to help the local staff.

I found the entire holiday relaxing, stimulating and well arranged by Thomas Cooks.

The locals were keen to help - for a price but not too demanding if you accept their ways and realise you are the rich foreigners.(by their standards).

Leather goods are a must and can be tailor made in 24hrs made to measure. I got a lovely soft leather jacket.

All in all a fabulous holiday and I have already booked for next summer (September - no kids) Try the Camel ride, the rara sailing, the feast night is great and the staff show is stupendous.

If you go on the Sahara desert trip take your own toilet paper and some sweets. Best of all enjoy yourself - you have paid for it.

If you want fun and games day and night go to Spain or Blackpool. If you enjoy different cultures you will enjoy local people.

We spent a thoroughly enjoyable week at this hotel in mid February.

The food and service in the dining room and bar was excellent.

Our room was comfortable, clean, spacious,with a good view from the balcony, excellent storage space, working hair dryer and a toilet are which could be separated off from the bathroom area.

I had noted previous comments on the mustiness of the towels and prepared for this however it was not a problem.

I think the idiosyncratic smell was because they had applied a herbal fabric conditioner during the wash process!

The staff were both frienly and helpful and we were grateful for the fact that the bar entertainment finished at 10 otherwise the sound travelling up the atrium would have been more than intrusive in the bedrooms.

The indoor pool was excellent, however, the outside space, gardens and pool were disappointing.

Our first trip to Tunisia, more for want of a change than anything else.

The hotel itself was very clean with a spacious entrance to a lounge bar area with two glass lifts to all floors.Our room was very spacious for three and included the usual en-suite with shower over bath.

The staff were very friendly, you could always have a laugh and a joke, something which I am sure they appreciated. The food was very good, fresh pancakes and omelettes, forget bacon and sausage but go for everything else all in all we were very pleased with the food quality.

The hotel is approximatley 250yards from the beach, it has its own beach area with its own security who just move on the local sellers for melon and small palm trees to take home. There is a bank and supermarket nearby, local bus route is cheap, taxis are for those who don`t mind to haggle. Entertainment is hit and miss but we didn`t go for the evening entertainment or the two 24hour news channels and business channel supplied, we were their to chill and chill we did.

However the hotel is now participating in a deal with Russian tour operators offering all inclusive deals at a considerably cheaper price than we paid.

One evening a waiter serving behind the bar was grabbed by the throat by an irate Russian guest, I witnessed the head waiter trying to stop two Russian guests from taking plate loads of cakes from the restaurant, one of the guests then made a threatening gesture by drawing his index finger across his throat towards the waiter.

I wrote a letter to the hotel manager re the incidents and the next day he saw me and we discussed my complaints at length. To cut a long story short, he would not eject a Russian guest for fear that they would go home and complain to their tour operator, as Russia is an untapped market of 10,000000 holiday makers these things will happen and as time goes by it will get better.

A manager has a responsibility for his staff doesn`t he?, ah I forgot probably not in Tunisia, the staff are superb and desreve better.

Staff at the Hotel were excellent. Very polite and professional. Though make sure you get a bill if you use the telephone at the hotel reception as our first bill (without receipt) was very expensive compared to the 2nd with receipt ?

Entertainment is low key bar lounge style and finishes at 10am. Which is great for the relaxing holiday we were after. (The sister hotel have rooms close to the entertainment area which only finished at 2am. Their guests were NOT happy.) Though you are welcome to use the entertainment at the sister hotel if you like.

Our rooms had GREAT balcony views as we were on the top floor. Very peaceful. Actually had working hairdryers in the bathrooms and loads of wardrobe space with clothes hangers and extra pillows/blankets.

It's a lovely walk along the beach to Port El Kanoui. Highly recommend this as the Port is gorgeous and lovely in the evening with the marina and dancing fountains. You can walk to Sousse in the opposite direction.

Probably best to visit Sousse first as once you've been to Post El Kanoui you will not like Sousse. Also the medina's are NOT cheap. Found cheap shops at the port and the two shops near the front of the hotel towards the Port side are fairly reasonable. (Don't believe strangers who say they work at your hotel and then try to take you to see carpets or leather shops. They are just conmen.)

The pool at the hotel is totally inadeqate for the size. But everybody can, and does, use the sister hotels pool.

The entertainment and activities there during the day are great fun. Even if you don't take part they are great to watch.

The biggest bug bear for me was the laundry. Although the towels were changed everyday they smelt like they had just been left to dry rather than been washed. Permenantly damp and musky. YUCK !!!

I would not like to go the Tunisia again as there is ALOT of harrassment whenever you leave the hotels. But if I were to go back I would certainly go back to the Royal Salem. But I would take my own towels ??!!

IMPORTANT :- Watch out at the airport as you leave as we were ripped of by an offical there when we had to change our currency before we left. If was only about

Visited this hotel with my daughter. On entering was pleasantly surprised very elegant. Glass lifts and very spacious surroundings. Bedoom was spacious and nicely decorated. Everything worked and beds were comfortable. Lovely view of the sea.

Dining room was very pleasant and good choice of foot, hot and cold. Enjoyed our meals every day, always something nice to eat and I really enjoyed my breakfast and the evening meals were always something to look forward to.

Hotel is somewhat outside Sousse and you do get pestered by taxi drivers and have to learn fares and stick to them. we always paid the same pit even when we were asked for more. You are approached by men everywhere but we found it best just to ignore them and not to give eye contact. You get used to is after a while.

The hotel staff were excellent, very friendly smiling and helpful and we had a few nights out with them for drinks and chats. We have become email friends with a few of them.

Entertaiment was not fabulous and we went out most nights after spending about an hour in the Salem next door which was a bit better. Pools were a bit small but the indoor one was excellent and I really enjoyed using it. Staff at gym and beauty departments were a bit in your face every day. Poolside attendant was very helpful and would keep your sunbed for you for one dinar per day. Access to beach was pleasant through Gardens.

Hotel was busy with Russians who are not the most pleasant of people and the staff told us they complained regularly and were very rude and they did not like them. It is annoying that they can get much cheaper all inclusive deals than we can.

As we did not go for the entertainment we both had a lovely relaxing holiday, met some very nice people and have been back again and would repeat a visit some time soon.

Hotel was very clean and facilities great especailly for older couples. Entertainment was a little lacking in the Royal Salem however the sister hotel the Salem provided much better family entertainment with kiddies disco and karaoke.

Food was reasonable - breakfast was excellant with eggs, omlettes and crepes cooked fresh to order. Dinner although a little repeatitive over the week never left you with nothing to eat even with a fussy 20 month boy. A nice touch was every other day you could choose from 6 different plated dishes which where served fresh to your table rather than choosing things from the buffet.

Staff where helpful and loved children, i even got the keys to another room on the top floor for a day because my room didnt have internet access and for a fiver that really was good value!

Overall a loverly hotel with good facilities, the indoor pool was a life saver as the weather during april was a little tempermental.