The Sindbad — Hotel in Maghreb

This was my third holiday to Tunisia and my first visit to this hotel and as a solo traveller on half board basis. |Overall, it's a decent hotel in a peaceful and relaxing location surrounded by pleasant gardens. There is no animation team, holiday rep welcome meetings, football screens blasting out or screaming children.. which is ideal for people who just want a relaxing break where they can snooze, read etc while listening to the mellow tunes in the background. |My room was nice with a terrace overlooking the gardens and a small laundry drier out there too. However, the bathroom soap dish fell off the wall several times, the sink itself slid away from the wall, water leaked underneath the sink drenching all the clean bath towels and the terrace sliding doors did not lock properly! There is a hairdryer, towels, some complimentary tiny bottles of shampoo and shower gels, a digital safe and TV in the room. There is no iron or kettle provided and please note that any drinks taken out of the mini bar in the room are chargeable at the end of your stay as the reception staff keep note of what has been taken and drunk. I had to sign on my final bill to say I had not used anything out of the mini bar!| At times the corridors can be noisy as chamber maids start cleaning rooms with their trolleys quite early and most mornings I could hear the maintenance guys clanking with their tools.. sadly I forgot to pack my earplugs!|This hotel is not carpeted anywhere and the corridors are open plan to the gardens, so when it rained some of the corridors were covered in large puddles of water so be careful not to slip on the tiled floors, especially when wearing sandals/flip-flops. |The food in both the Sherhezade restaurant and the beach and pool restaurants was enjoyable and the majority of the service was very good and a special mention to Mohamed who made his guests feel very welcome and included. I suggest when going down for breakfast and evening meal you don't leave it too late as about half an hour or so before close of service the waiters start condensing things down and not all items/dishes of food are topped up or replaced. |There were times when one area was busier than another and the management staff need to ensure they have the right amount of waiters in each area rather than some waiters having to run around on their own trying to do everything, especially at the beach and pool restaurants. |Please note that at breakfast fruit juice/tea/coffee are provided but not with the evening meal and even if you want bottled water you will need to pay for it. |The hotel has several pool areas and a fairly narrow stretch of private beach which is relaxing and only a few steps walk to the sea. Sun loungers, chairs and parasols are provided free of charge but some of the loungers are quite worn/rickety and could do with replacing. |The Tunisian people are generally friendly and will go out of there way to ensure you have a pleasant and comfortable stay. Apart from the chamber maids and a couple of admin/reception staff being female, the majority of staff here are male. I was treated with courtesy and respect at all times and had no hassle or harassment from anyone. I ensured that if I was walking to and from the beach in swimwear that I wore a sarong/beach dress and the same if I was eating at the beach or pool restaurants, again out of respect for their culture as much as mine.|There are no food shops on site at the hotel just a boutique. The nearest food shop/supermarket is about a 20 minute walk away and several guests would take a taxi into Hammamet to pick up any snacks or other essentials they needed. |Overall, I had an enjoyable and relaxing stay here but in future I will stick with an all...

The hotel it self looks really nice and most of the people who works here are absolutely amazing, lovely and helpful. BUT I am after 3 nights O have decided to leave and stated to look for another accommodation. We tried to sort it out my issues with manager who is amazing and tried his best to accommodate my need so I gave it second chance.

1/ buffet restaurant is limited, label for the food is incorrect and often missing. Me as a mostly vegan and also some intolerance (I don’t eat eggs, milk and meat) have been extremely limited especially by breakfast time. Stuff in the restaurant doesn’t speak English really and although I was told that one item is falafel, it was fish ball) 2/ parties over the weekend are HUGE, loud and long and from Friday till Sunday hotel is full of people from outside so there is not really possibility to use pool/beach etc and thanks to those guests I couldn’t sleep 3/ as I don’t speak French (I speak several other languages) I have had problem with communication especially early morning when I was leaving for excursions and my trips, my take away breakfast which I have requested wasn’t prepared although I was with receptionist evening before and he filled a form with requests what should be prepared as a take away) 4/ there is not daily free water in room 5/ although there are 4 pools not all of them are accessible. One is by the beach bar and overcrowded, another one is small indoor on, third one would be great but there is building side above it which is super noisy, dusty and no privacy at all thanks to workers. Last one is only private.

Most of those issues were solved by manager which I appreciate and I decided to leave hotel for two nights only over the following weekend and went for another trip so I would avoid the noise. I was given “quiet ” room, have been eating in different restaurant for dinner (I am skipping breakfast as this is not so important for me) and I could use private pool for one day so I could truly relax after long trip from Sahara.

I came back on Monday morning from my another travels and have been unpleasantly surprised as AC in my room didn’t work (I spoke about it in reception and was promised that it will be sorted asap - nope didn’t happen). When I went to the beach which was almost empty and asked about bed with umbrella I was told that all front ones are reserved for residential guests only as they are in hotel already 10 days and like to have same spot all the time. Well It was my 11 day in the hotel so I am also resident but first time on the beach as I was constantly on go to travel and explore Tunisia. I was given spot by Fish restaurant opposite showers still bot directly by the sea (and once again there was several empty chairs!). The smell of fish is something what I can’t do but fair enough….but in the time when huge cockroach started to climb my leg I packed my stuff and after bot even 15 minutes I left to my room so I could read my book. I have had room in first floor, nothing else above me so I was surprised and in shock that someone is running and jumping on the roof? There were some kids and I have no idea how did they get there.

As I mentioned before, most of the people working here are seriously lovely and professional. I was always greeted by smiles from all cleaning ladies, porters and most of the receptionists (not all of them are great!). My waiter in ala carte restaurant was amazing, manager of the hotel always tried his best BUT sometimes enough is enough. Several guests in the hotel are super rude and that’s not helpful either so I left and will spend my last 3 nights in different...

Had a very pleasant week long stay at The Sindbad hotel. I really liked the layout of the hotel grounds, it doesn't look like much upon arrival but once you're in, it's very spacious and surrounded by lush greenery. It's not the newest hotel but it's clean and well maintained.

Now our first double room was quite small and there was an issue with the shower. The hotel staff and manager dealt with this excellently, they cleaned the floor, sent a fruit basket and we were moved to another room the following morning. This room was on the ground floor and classed as a triple room and what I'd say was the perfect size for two! The toilet was separate from the bathroom, which had a shower and a bath with a shower attachment. There was also a nice balcony area with a table.

We were half board and the breakfast and dinner had a good selection and variety. Standard egg and crepe station and range of meat and veggie options. I especially loved the harissa and brined veggies!

The indoor pool was closed as it was being renovated. A heads up, there is construction above the first outdoor pool. This didn't bother us as we had a speaker but I understand this may be an issue for some. There is a bar by the pool and the lifeguard was jolly and helpful.

The beach pool overlooked the sea and had a nice seating area that was used both day and night. Service, food and cocktails were great on the first day but lacklustre there after so we didn't return for food. The restaurant on the beach has a separate menu, which is way better! Be mindful that some of the staff on the beach favour Tunisian guests who visit the beach for the day, which is fair enough as it's their country. However, there are no reservations for seating on the beach and they will try to give you the worst spot. Go straight to the hotel manager if you encounter this issue. The manager was gracious, kind and sorted the issue right away.

Be sure to book the spa, the hammam, facial and massages were fab and there are great packages for two.

The staff were superb throughout the stay, very friendly, welcoming and smiley and definitely made our stay!

There are parties on the weekend at the beach bar. Hammamet medina is super close to the hotel, make sure you get the taxis on meter! Nabuel market is also not too far.

Heads up, when you visit the medina you may be approached by someone telling you they're a chef at your hotel (they will name your hotel) but they are not! They'll take you to "their family" shop and pressure you with inflated prices. Ignore!

Overall a lovely stay at The Sindbad and we would...