I booked a week all inclusive at Hammamet Gardens via lastminute.com only a few weeks before. It was a cheap package deal so I wasn't expecting anything extravagant. Good job really as Hammamet Gardens isn't, it may have been in it's hay-day but this hotel was definitely looking a bit tired around the edges. Though the rooms were spacious and they were cleaned every day.
As they say holidays are what you make them and we certainly had to make this one as there was no entertainment at the hotel and the only drinks included within the All-Inclusive were beer & the local 'brandy' which with some coke was drinkable unlike the wine. All in all it was a break away and we definitely got what we paid for - cheap, no frills and at a push cheerful !!

we have just returned from the hammamet garden resort, and we had a fantastic time. dont read too much into some of the reviews on this hotel. i would advise you fly to tunis airport, as it's a one hour transfer, compared to 4 hours from monastir. this is a very impressive hotel, where you are met at the door by uniformed bell-boys. sonya on reception is superb, and speaks really good english. the english are out-numbered at this hotel, but it's not a problem, if you are friendly, people are friendly back. i must admit the all inclusive label is a bit confusing, because there are no spirits included in the package, only 1/2 pints of beer, white/rosa/red wine and soft drinks(not diet), tea & coffee and water. if you want a spirit you have to pay!. my advise to anyone is to tip!!! barstaff, waiters and cleaners. if you slip a one dinar(40p) to the restaurant waiters etc they will really look after you, including putting flowers on your table every day, if you dont you are left to your own devises, and whats 40p a day(nothing), it will make the world of difference to your stay.flowers are left on your bed every day, and a bottle of water every day in the room fridge.there are pool towels available from the lifeguard, at 10 dinars each person, and he comes to your sunbed and offers to change them for you every 2 days.we would definately go here again. JUST REMEMBER TO TIP 1 DINAR(40P).

Warning: If you are considering a stay at the Hammament Gardens Resort in Tunisia, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

We stayed at the Hammamet Gardens Resort from February 28 to March 30, 2007.

First impressions

The reception area was nice with a large and beautiful lobby, which opened up to a large bar area. However, as we stepped out of the elevator to our floor, we were met with very old carpets which were dirty, torn and ripped.

The Room

The room we occupied was poorly maintained. We had at least four problems with the plumbing. The shower head was broken and we used a sock to get it to stay in place. At least 20% of the ceramic tiles were damaged, mostly chipped. The two bedside carpets had to be put outside as they were full of sand and dust. The transparent curtain shade was stained and yellowed. The room was mediocre and upon inspection of other clients’ rooms, it proved to be the norm for Hammamet Gardens.

The dining room

We had opted for half-board with buffet style breakfast and dinner. The dining room was a major disappointment. The food was very ordinary with few exceptions, contrary to videos shown by the travel agent. The food was immersed in olive oil and most dishes were stews of one form or another. As a meal of last resort, we often resorted to plain pizza . Fish was not identified by name, just fish. One night beef proved to be liver, and so on…

The major issue with the dining room was the availability of kitchenware and cleanliness. We often had to hunt for forks, spoons and knives as there was a chronic shortage of these. Plates, coffee cups and cereal bowls were just as scarce. What was available was often dirty: plates with food deposits and coffee cups with coffe stains were the norm. The tablecloths and napkins were full of stains and holes.

Cooking appliances did not fare much better. Eggs and omelettes were cooked in old cast iron skillets which were peeling. Same goes for the pancake grill. The toaster had 4 of its elemens burned meaning that it took 3 passes to toast a slice of bread.

Service and personnel

A definite lack of professionalism characterised all aspects of the service and its personnel.

The front desk personnel could not be bothered to provide simple directions about the area, the standard reply was “Take a taxi”. It was difficult to engage them as they preferred to talk among themselves, and once you succeeded, you were constantly interrupted by other staff. In the money exchange line, you were cut off by bartenders who never had sufficient change to make money, spa personnel, travel agents etc. It was obvious that we were an inconvenience and were often made to wait up to 10 minutes.

The dining room personnel was scarce and no more professional. Seating was to be on an unassigned basis, but very often, clients were told to move to another table for no obvious reason, creating confusion. For breakfast, tables were not set up ahead of time which created havoc leaving the clients to search for utensils, glassware and, salt and pepper shakers. Personnel would show up only around 07:30 AM, despite a starting time of 06:00AM. Dining room staff would bring you a spoon for your coffee, not noticing that you did not have a fork and knife. The staff were left on their own with no supervision from the maitre D’ who was busy making orange juice. Plates piled up 4 or 5 high before being taken away.

As for the cleaning lady, she had too many rooms to clean, meaning that we rarely had use of our room before 5:00 PM. The sheets were changed on a weekly basis. The linen was old and ready to be thrown out. We often received towels that were stained with black tar, with holes and falling apart. The maid had to collect the towels early in the morning so that they could be washed and returned by late afternoon. The cleaning lady was hard-working but could hardly do better with the tools provided.

In conclusion, the services rendered by Hammamet Gardens personnel was inferior and unworthy of a four-star establishment.

Would like to share my views on the hammamet garden resort hotel 4 star rating with other holiday makers looking for a nice hotel. We just arrived back from tunisia on sunday, had a fantastic week, 4 of us went, the hotel is beautiful, very clean, two large swimming pools, a small one for children, they have a kids club during the day, so the parents can have some time off. the staff are very polite and helpful, we went all inclusive and wonted for nothing, the food was excellent and a lot to choose from,you could eat all day,drinks were freely coming, the wine was not bad at all, not like vinigar.tipping helps if you wont to be looked after, rooms cleaned dailyand towels, they will even clean your cothes for you for 40p and iron them.I personally would recommend this hotel, fantastic inside and out, I have been to tunisia 5 times, this is the best hotel so far, taxis are cheaper than the reps prices and more personel,you do get the sellers on the beach, but they are not to much bother, the police patrol alot,so the sellers dont hang around. the medina is a nightmare, you get in ,they dont let you out, steer clear of them unless you like that sort of thing.nebul market is very good for your leather,only pay 3rd of what they wont, walk away if they say no, they soon say yes,the only down fall to the hotel is that they have a lot of german and russians, who for some reason dont speak to the english and found it rude and intimadating,because there were more of them than the english, plus the entertainment at night was pretty much the disco, hope i have been of some help to you, and have a fab hoilday, regards, the browns!