Hotel cleanliness - Excellent
Hotel food - Excellent
Hotel location - Excellent
Hotel staff - Excellent
Entertainment - Excellent
Would you visit this hotel again - yes flying out next week for the 5th year.

We got married September 2004 and we had booked into a hotel in Sousse, could not remember the name, a few weeks before our honeymoon the travel company called to say we had to move to another hotel, cannot remember why. We were moved to the Tej Marhaba. I had been on a few review websites about the hotel and lots of people said to me you will love it or hate it. After our wedding we had a night flight so we arrived in the dark and did not know what to expect. Well, as soon as we woke up the next morning we felt like we were in heaven, our room was on the 3rd floor and it overlooked the pool and sunbathing area. It was magnificent, the staff were really nice, the food was excellent, the pool was very nice, overall the hotel was fantastic. Sousse is absolutely breath taking too, we also visited the Sahara Desert...what an experience, it was amazing. Our honeymoon was that brilliant we went back the following year for our wedding anniversary (Sep/Oct). Both of these times the weather was not really hot and not too cold, so we then decided to go back the following year, which we did, this time we went in June, the weather was really hot and this trip got better and better, this was the same year I fell off the hotel steps by the pool area and had to be taken to hospital for an x-ray, I badly sprained my ankle luckily it happened two days before were due to fly home, the staff in the hotel and the hospital were very kind and supportive in my hour of need. We went back last year again, in the June and we took our 15 year old daughter, she fell in love with the place too, lots of shops for shopping. We are going back this year for the 5th time in July.....the Tej Marhaba will be forever. We love this hotel.

The Tej hotel has good access facilities for disabled people, with automatic doors, lifts and ramps everywhere.

The reception area is marble and is very upmarket, also very spacious, with a bar area, much seating and animation on show everynight.

The rooms are large, I would advise anyone to request a pool view room, not front facing as we were at the front, it's too noisy as Tej is on a busy road and the views are not nice, as construction is going on across the road, taxis up and down, etc. Also, request a room facing the pool and high up 5th - 7th floor and you will have a nice sea view also, but sea view can only be obtained from the rear.

The room had carpet, the first I have ever seen in Tunisia, fully carpeted. This helped as the weather was not hot and the room stayed warm, nice to be about without having to wear flip flops all the time. There was a double and a single bed in the room, balcony, but the balcony door opened the wrong way, so wouldn't open fully and kept banging against the wall. There's A/C, although that's not until the summer months, a fridge in the room, telephone, radio with 5 stations and TV. We tried the TV but no channels were working, so never got to watch anything!

Bathroom was a good size, bath, shower, sink, and the toilet is like a room inside the bathroom, so you could shut it off separately, that was good. Only thing is that when you take a shower, the water doesn't go down as fast, so by the time you've finished the shower, you have water up to your ankles, weren't impressed with that, also bath plug didn't work, so had no alternative but to have a shower. Advice regarding the toilet is to bring your own toilet tab to put in the cistern, to have a fresh smell after flushing as although the maid cleaned it daily, I felt it smelled. Rooms need the key for electricity, once you get in the rooms, you need to put that in the compartment on the wall for lights, etc. So bring a spare clubcard, etc for that.

The maid cleans well, also does your clothes in nice patterns on the bed, changes towels daily, not sure if she changed our sheets but beds were made daily. Corridors always had a fresh lemon smell which was nice. There are sofas on each floor by the lift, so if for some reason it's taking long to arrive you can chill out by the lift..lol

Food was good, breakfast was breads, fresh wholemeal, white and many different types, toast, freshly made pancakes, freshly made doughnuts, fried eggs, boiled eggs, sausages which are nice, vegetarian or beef I think, tomatoes boiled, salads, yoghurts, cheeses, cereals, juice, coffee, tea, note that there is no fresh cold water for breakfast, so bring that with or you'll have to pay 1dinar 500 millimmes for a bottle.

Dinner was different each night, always pasta on offer, spaghetti bolognese, chips, salads, omlettes, fish, vegetables. Different nights there was rabbit, cous cous with chicken, beef, turkey escallopes. Generally I enjoyed both breakfast and dinner and ate in the restaurant everyday. The waiter gives you a table and this table is assigned to you for the duration of your holiday.

Restaurant staff are polite and multilingual.

Entertainment lookede lively, I was never there to watch a show, but on the way in and out, it looked good, pity I never had enough time to watch. Always many people watching. Comedy sketch show, disco, theme dancing, bingo, something different every night.

Pool area quite spacious, although no slides or diving boards. A tiny and I mean tiny kids pool, grown up pool good. There's another pool behind the main pool which was small also, it seemed like a waste of pool and water, not quite sure what it was for really, it looked a little green in colour too, like the pool was becoming a pond, but it's separate anyway. They apparently do aqua aerobics by the pool but I never saw that once in my time at the hotel. Maybe it's just a summer thing. They only serve pizza and drinks by the pool. Watch out for cats mess around pool area too. There are a few cats about, never inside the hotel, just by pool area.

Neat walkway, access from the pool area, walk up some steps, past the pool and you can access the Tej shopping centre, where there are coffee shops, clothes shops, etc. It's also a short cut to the beach and sousse centre.

Location of the hotel is good, but not the best, walk to sousse centre where the medina is will take you at least 25 mins, but turn right out of the hotel walk to top of the road and you can get louages to sousse and tafarla (louage station) for 500 millimmes per person.

Word of advice, when going to the airport, if you are arranging your own private transfer, do not accept from the reception concierge, go out of the grounds call a taxi, they are so frequent passing by and pay only by meter with maybe 2 dinar extra for baggage, the concierge is a big rip-off!

Enjoyed Tej Marhaba, posh hotel, but it was a bit out of the way for me, I like to be in the centre of everything! Would definetely go back again, my 7yr old daughter loved it there.

Clientele is a mixture, English, German, Finnish, French, Americans, everyone is here.

Before I forget, next door there is a Tej coffee shop which is quite nice, also the Tej Fitness centre, with gym, spa treatments, a travel cure cost 55 dinar which is hammam steam, body peel, algae rub, massage for 30 mins. The hammam steam room wasn't hot at all, the body scrub wasn't hard enough, also do not let them put this clove rub over you once you have finished with the algae mud, as it will burn, I had to wash off after 2 mins, so refuse it or you will be sorry! The massage was good, but I did not think it was worth the money. My advice, go to Sousse palace, pay 60 dinar for a similar treatment, with a proper steam room, better treatments, better massage and only 5 dinar more. You do not need to be a hotel guest to use spa treatments in other hotels, Sousse Palace I have found to be the best.

Nice hotel, a cut above the rest. Once you go here, you may not want to settle for 3 star again.

Hotel Tej Maharba
We found the staff this hotel to be extremely friendly it was clean and cleaners were always around keeping it clean.
The food was superb, we were half board and the choices were many and varied and seved at very good hours.
Location was perfect, about 10 minutes walk into Sousse.
Staff extremely friendly, we took some photos and sent copies to them.
Entertainment was sometimes a bit weak, ie bingo, but overall they tried hard.
Would definitely visit again, in fact we are returning this weekend for a two week break.

When arriving on the hotel it looked lovely, we walked indoors to the reception, told to fill out some details then were given our keys. The porter brought our cases up and we tipped him in sterling which he was very grateful of
our rooms was big, a big bed, tv, bath and shower it was livable and clean, yes there was a stain on the carpet but what to people expect! its not like the hotel is going to take up the carpet just to remove a stain!

The BEDS were fine NOT like I have read of some reviews like concreate!

Fresh towels if you wanted them everyday but if you didnt want your room cleaned then you just put a sign on your door and they would leave your room.

The hotel itself is very big you have a indoor pool which WAS heated...it was lovely! the outdoor pool is huge too but not heated so as you and imagine it was cold but once you are in it you are fine!

Eating at the hotel was fine, quite a wide choice, mornings would be very the same ranging from pancakes, bread, sausage, eggs, yoghurts, ham, cheese
and at evenings you had choice from chicken,beef, turkey, salad, pasta which was cooked while you watched, soup, lots of desserts from custard to cream cakes etc...something for everyone and I am a picky eater but even I found things.

Round the pool was nice with free sunbeds and parasols, a man would greet you everyday and give you a cushion, people have really put bad things on here about him but he was lovely he's NOT pushy just there to help and doesnt expect tips, we did tip him everyday just for being lovely to us! so please be nice to him hes a great man.

The hotel does have a shopping centre onsite, it has a handful of clothes and shoe shops and some restaurants
theres the rose and crown that serves english food, from jacket potatoes, sandwichs with tuna, cheese, bacon etc and salads all at a cheap price. There is a pizza place there as well as the bistro this is a german restaurant but a lot of the english seemed to be going there serving again the same as above really.

Also onsite there is a gym,costing 8 diner to go in, massage, sauna and personal classes you can purchase

In the evening at the hotel they had entertainment, bands, magic shows, bingo, dancing...this was all in the main bar and stage area, their is also a piano bar to have a drink in as well if you dont want to watch the entertainment, the waiter their is lovely too.

A safety deposit box is 17 diner but you get the 10 back when you have done, it is located in the reception back area.

Also you can change money at the hotel, its open at 10 for a few hours then opens at 5 again for a little while.

The hotel came recommended by friends who had stayed there 2 years earlier. Standards had changed for the worst on our trip.

Certainly not 4 star standard. The rooms were clean but very old fashioned. Pool facilities and pool restaurant were good, but main restaurant was poor, and very uncomfortable to sit and enjoy your meal as they wouldn't turn on the air conditioning. Poor selection of food especially at breakfast and we are not fussy eaters.

My husband unfortunately got food poisoning (which we blame on the hotel salads) on the 3rd day and spent the next 4 days in the hotel room very ill. On his return to the UK he had to have over 2 weeks off work. Not one of our best holidays!!!!!!

Just arrived back from the Tej Marhaba Hotel and we had a great time.

I did have some reservations about Tunisia before I arrived, but I needn't of worried. One thing I will say is that, if you are expecting Tunisia to be like Spain or Greece, then you will be in for a shock.

Whilst staying in this hotel, there are many people from all over the world that stay here. Whilst we were there, there was Dutch, Germany, French, Spanish, Italian and other Tunisian. The hotel is huge. There are many shops and restaurants and bars attached, that you do not need to venture out of the complex. We went into the Rose and Crown (English bar) and the staff in there were fantastic. They are so friendly and will do anything for you. They have a karaoke night on a Monday and Friday, which is run made a lad called Sam. Lovely bloke, also the bar staff Ali, Mohammad, Ali, Kenzizi, who are all brilliant.

The food in the hotel was brilliant. The evening meal was the best. You had some much to choice from, it was untrue. The breakfast wasn't very good. There was no bacon (NOOOOOOOO), and the sausages they had were pretty horrid. It mainly consisted of baked beans (curry flavour??), boiled eggs, fried eggs, tomatoes, bread and the best was the Pancakes. Freshly made will you wait, oh they were lovely!! Also, you had fruit and pasties.

All in all, we had a great time in the hotel. It may not be to everyone's taste, but if you just want to have a nice relaxing holiday, then this is the place to go to.

On arriving to the Hotel we received a good welcome and was allowed to change currency despite it being nearly midnight (the cashier has set times during the day).

The rooms are a little dated and there were problems with the lifts whilst we were there, however one thing that could not be faulted was the cleanliness. I would say that the hotel rooms lacked some facilities i.e. fridge, for it to be classed as a four star hotel, although fridges can be hired at an extra charge of 15 dinars per week (

We stayed for 7 nights and we were pleased with our choice. The location was good, with plenty within walking distance.

A relaxing environment with a great beach a short walk away, just enough to walk off the freshly cooked pancakes at breakfast. On the way to the beach you could stop & browse in the shopping complex attached to the hotel, then dream of what to purchase as you laze on the sunbed for a few hours.

The pool area was relaxing as there was no noise which was fab as all too often I have needed my MP3 player just to stay sane. there were no sunbed charges at the beach or pool, although a tip was expected for the priveledge of a cushion being supplied to your sunbed.

Staff were all polite and helpful, maids to managers alike and you were designated a waiter in the restaurant who was very pleasant and attended to any requests or problems.

The entertainment was geared mainly for the older clientele with Bingo and dancing competitions a firm favourite, this was interesting and not to be missed! but as there were other bars and a night club close by it wasn't a problem.

I would visit the hotel again and plan to do so in September.

From the moment we arrived at the Tej Mahaba hotel we were greeted by ignorant staff. The hotel lobby etc is very nice and looks posh but when you get to the rooms, they look like they've been stuck in a time warp. The staff are only nice when they are waiting for a tip - which is every single time they get you a drink etc.

There is nothing to do at night in the Tej Mehaba, except wait until 9-10 pm to play bingo or watch belly dancing. Although they have a nightclub on site (that keeps you awake until 4 ) I wouldn't advise girls to go without male company as the locals flock to you and hassle you all night. We even got hassled playing bingo in the hotel foyer!!

The 'private beach' is through the hotel shopping mall and across a busy main road, down a narrow alley and takes approx 10 minutes. Once there, you are hassled again by locals selling boat trips, camel trips and nuts! The beach itself is stunning but unfortunately, the whole experience is exhausting due to the hassle once there.

The hotel does not cater for children and we even heard the hotel manager having an argument with a woman about this in the foyer. Her children had nowhere safe to play and her young son had cut his chin open in the pool. The manager screamed that it was not a hotel for children and they were not welcome.

The food was very bad very reptitive. Stew every night along with some chicken. Be very craeful with the chicken as I had some wich was not cooked properly. Both me and my partner came down with dodgy stomachs along with other guests.

First Choice rep not very helpful. Hotel staff are helpful. Tunisians expect tips all the time. On the first day the porter took our cases up 4 us and just stood in the room waiting for a tip as you are not allowed to take any money in we had none to give him so he wasnt very happy.

We ran out of dinars for coming home so gave the cleaner a couple of pounds which didnt go down very well she still took it with no thanks which made me angry.

The pool is nice and big and clean. The shows are fairly good must see them men who lay on nails and glass.

The hotel does trips to see sousse the local football team to play I really enjoyed it.

Hotel is clean there are maids cleaning around the clock.

Sunbeds are of good value we gave a dinar a day.