My partner and I booked this holiday on a last minute deal, and were very dissappointed to read the negative reviews on this site after paying! To be honest I was dreading going and had very low expectations. However, as soon as we arrived we were greeted by the friendly staff and were pleasantly surprised. Everyone was so helpful and the facilities were great considering what we had paid for an all inclusive holiday package - far better value than other holidyas I have been on. There was always good choice of food available and loads of it. Drinks and food were available all day, although you couldn't get regular spirits or wine on the all inclusive deal. The entertainment team were tireless and very talented particularly in the nightly entertainment shows. Our room was perfectly reasonable for a 3star, and everywhere was clean and tidy. The bathroom was a bit basic but functional.We later found out that the Saadia had recently reopened after a full refurbishment which probably explains the negative reviews from previous visitors to the resort.

Outside the resort we always found the local people very friendly, particularly when they found out you were english! They do try to barter with youbut the exchange rate means you are only squabbling over 50pence or so and it really isn't a big deal. Overall we were really pleased with the holiday, especially having arrived with such low expectations!

I think like most people on here after reading the majority of bad reports before we went i was not really exited about spending my 30th birthday here in case it was a disaster, however it was far from it, we had a great time, met some spot on staff that worked here-esp Ash - he was defo my favourite. the food was acceptable, just the seemed like it was the same every day, but hey the drink was good. I would trully recommend the mexican resturant down the road, it was amaising - just totally gutted we went on our last night and not the 1st, there is also a nice pizzeria in the sahar up the road, spot in and really cheap too. the taxi drivers out the hotel were sound, they would take you all over the place for next to no money, always pleased to help. hope to see Ash still there on our return. oh and i will be back for my chess set - thoses little men in the shop on site are crazy too! see you all soon

Some background we are a 40 plus couple who are fairly well travelled. We arrived at the Saadia the second day of its reopening after a five month shut down for refit and on the first day were two of only about 50 people in the hotel.

We have visited this hotel before and were pleased to see that the key personnel were still in place as one of the main benefits of this hotel really is the staff.

The new management team have spent a lot of money making improvements not all of them to our taste but the main ones are repaving the area around one of the cleanest outdoor pools in the area.

Improving the wines on offer in the all inclusive package which really were very good and if you tip your bar man a dinar (50p) he or she will wait at table, and yes there are several femail bar staff here now. PLEASE be aware that the all inclusive package only includes local drinks ie wine beer and either Bouka or Thebarine, however the range of cocktails on offer is really very good.

Many of the rooms have been refurbished and the bathrooms although clean are slowly being upgraded - the room that we had was super clean and housekeeping very good for a three star hotel no complaints - certainly if the new team improved the linen towels and put hairdyers in the bathrooms the price would go up £80 per week.

The piano bar is lovely, you do have to pay for your drinks but wine at £7 per bottle very good try the chateau mornarg and they give you free nibbles.

If you want to make the most of a holiday to Tunisia you must understand several things
1. Tip as you go along - the way that the hotel owners ensure a standard of service is to pay low wages and the staff make up their wages with tips. For example at the pool the guy will always find you a sun bed if you give him a dinar when he fetches the free bed matresses - he will give you one anyway but 50p per day ensures you get one, it makes your holiday more enjoyable.
2. Everyone bartars, if you are offered something that you want for 10 dinar offer half and stick to it.
3. Do your research before you go the price of a taxi from the airport to this hotel is 10 dinar - not £10 but like everywhere in the world, they will try to get as much as possible from you, they are not ripping you off it is still cheap at £10 by UK prices but it is 'what the market will stand' ie what you are prepared to pay.
4. Don't spoil your holiday comparing prices around the pool someone will always tell you that they got a better deal - sometimes they do sometimes they don't.
5. Don't leave you manners at the airport try a few words of arabic or french -it is fun

The entertainment team run arabic lessons as part of the daily programme and speaking of the entertainment team you will not see a better break dancing team anywhere we were really spoiled with superb entertainment the team worked so hard to ensure that we had a great time and we really did.

Finally a word of warning there are a lot of people who visit Tunisia who are disapointed because they do not know what to expect. It is a wonderful country but some people expect it to be like Spain it is not - Tunisia is in Africa and you will see when travelling around quite a poor country but rich in culture, a muslim country, with honest hard working people who welcome the UK tourist and want you to have a good time - enjoy

Stayed here two weeks in August cold food and bedding dirty. Waiters flirting and conning people. Paving stones uneven and beach filthy. A rip off because not all inclusive and treated like a 2nd class citizen. Complained to Thomson twice no joy. Never again '

Also the hotel was in a stupid place and it was also a 15 minute walk to buy a dring or some food because hotel was so expensive. we also were not even given the choice of all inclusive.