We've take AI holidays once or twice a year for the past 10 years, so we're old hands at it and know what's reasonable to expect. 2nd trip to Sousse in the last 2 months (last time at Royal Salem). The Marhaba Club has to be the second worst AI resort we've stayed (and we really don't mind a mediocre hotel if the price fits) and has finally made us decide to quit booking them. ROOM The sea view room on the third floor was perfectly decent, as always in need of maintenance but nothing out of the ordinary. Sink didn't drain well, dodgy tiling and a musty smell, but nothing to you wouldn't reasonably expect for the money. Due to the orientation of the hotel, none of the seaview rooms get any sun, so in winter they are cold... VERY COLD! Duvets are provided, which is fine at night (just) but there is no heating at all. So, unless you want to spend all your time IN bed, you'll freeze in your room. HOUSEKEEPING Housekeeping was efficient, regular and very sweet. But here's the stinger... We tip regularly in poorer countries and here was no exception, 4x10 dinar across the first 8 days of our stay (just to the maid). We always keep our loose change in our bedside drawer just to test the honesty of hotels, and if there are no issues we leave it at the end as a bonus for the maid. Despite leaving 10 dinar one day for the maid, a 2dt coin was taken from the change pile. A tiny amount of money to us, but theft nonetheless. FOOD Oh god, the food. Restaurant times are a guide at best. They open the doors when they're good and ready - even though most of the open cooking on the grill still won't have started when the doors eventually do open. The first week of our stay the food was ok, there was a decent selection, no it wasn't the hottest but it never is in these places. The second week started and it was like someone flicked a switch. The food shrank in both volume AND choice. We were hard pressed to find anything hot (it's like they now only turn the bain-maries on as they put the food in!) The hygiene is not the greatest, the best example is the grill cook... He'll start cooking vegetables on the plancha, then when they're nearly cooked he'll push them to one side and start grilling raw meat on the other side. He'll use the same tongs to toss cooked veg AND raw meat, then just as the raw juices of the meat have mixed with the cooked veg he'll move it to the serving dish. We haven't been ill fortunately but we've been shi'ting through the eye of a needle all week. The coffee is instant and awful. The orange "juice" varies in strength depending on whether there's any water in the machine. WAITERS Pleasant enough and helpful. They don't constantly expect a tip but we obliged every dinnertime. Nice to be nice. Salah was our top pick, good lad and alway keen to please. BAR Perfectly decent lager, tepid Coke and the local faux Fanta / Sprite. Didn't try the wine or cocktails this trip. RECEPTION Quick and smooth check in. Very little information offered about your upcoming stay but we're used to that. Due to a constantly screaming baby next to us we had need FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER to request a room change 8 days into the holiday. I did this very low-key and casually, the receptionist handled it quickly and graciously and within a few hours we had a replacement room at the far end of the 2nd floor. Here we had a peaceful night's sleep again... Once! Sadly, the following day it would seem a large group of "youths" had checked into rooms 1234, 1236 and associated rooms on an Ibiza style bender. Later that night, from about 10pm this large group of youths started using the whole floor as their playground. Constantly hammering on each others doors, shouting and screaming, running up and down the corridor and fire escape, bashing into our door as they slid around on the floor. We gave it an hour or so in the hope they would tire themselves out but it went on and on and on. We couldn't understand how noone had reported it to reception/security as there's 40 rooms on the floor, not to mention those below. So, I bit the bullet and phoned reception from my room. I rang over and over and over but noone answered at all. During a brief lull in the noise I went down to reception about 11:30pm and there was noone there at all. On my way back to the room I asked the corridor full of teens to keep it down at there were people trying to sleep I was told "chill out, it's early" and to "f'ck off or I'll stab you". Pleasant I'm sure you'll agree. This noise continued on and off until gone 2:30am... We have now left the Marhaba Club and checked into another hotel to finish the rest of our holiday. Though we can't wait to go home. If you like to play holiday roulette you could do worse, but you could do a LOT better. Do yourself a favour and give this place a swerve.…
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