Iberostar Selection Kuriat Palace

“Great place to stay in Tunisia”

Arrived on Thursday to attentive staff who booked us in and explained the hotel layout, large hotel but compact in design so very easy to get around, no getting lost. Unfortunately our stay didn’t start well. Our rooms needed a once over with disinfectant wipes due to a sticky cupboard handle to t… more

Arrived on Thursday to attentive staff who booked us in and explained the hotel layout, large hotel but compact in design so very easy to get around, no getting lost. Unfortunately our stay didn’t start well. Our rooms needed a once over with disinfectant wipes due to a sticky cupboard handle to the fridge and smeared glass tops on the furniture. One of the beds had to be remade as there were at least half dozen black hairs, a stain and a hole in the sheet. Our chamber maid Marnel was friendly, helpful and genuine. The sink plug blocked the outlet with no way for the water to flow out, it had to be removed in the end. The building is badly soundproofed. We endured continual noise due to tiled floors and the constant dragging of heavy furniture. I felt forced to complain twice to reception and twice separately to floor staff who appeared to have said nothing to the occupants as it continued for days. unfortunately and out of the hotels control 3 times on Friday we had to endure power cuts which did not resume the WiFi or tv, with the WiFi out and no data access for about 18hrs. On Sunday 8am until 2pm we were pre warned there would be a power cut and no WiFi. Everyone got on with it and embraced the positives of the hotel. Apparently most of the area were affected so not sure if it’s a frequent or infrequent event. International drinks must be purchased and not part of the AI. Luckily I bought duty free with me. I didn’t enjoy visiting the bar as I found the staff brash in manner, unlike the dining staff who were so pleasant and could read the table. Mahmoud!! what a marvellous personality, if only the world was made up of people like him. Not sure of Mahmoud’s role but he would talk to guests to establish if there was anything restaurant staff could do to improve the menu. I enjoyed the food, nicely seasoned, wide variety, great presentation. A wonderful surprise at one dinner when all the ladies were gifted a red rose for International women’s day. The spa is heavily booked so no guarantee you’ll get that treatment you want. The same applies to the ala carte restaurant, we were unable to get a booking. I booked the catamaran trip and quad bikes £30 each activity via the hotel. I recommend the quads, unsure about the catamaran. We were told food and drink included which was pre-peeled fruit and water/soft drink. It should be marketed as ‘snacks’. And who really wants to eat pre-peeled fruit outside of hygienic conditions. There was no toilet paper, no running water, I’m sure every trip is different depending on what boat they use. We did see a-lot of dolphins so no disappointment, but the time to swim was rushed and the forceful manner to tip was uncomfortable. Even with the hiccups, I enjoyed my time at Iberostar kuriat Palace and would definitely return.

less

“Not quite a 5 Star experience”

Stayed here for 1 week and that was too long. The hotel states 5 star however out of other 5 star hotels we’ve stayed it doesn’t come near. We stayed in a 4 star in Hammermet last year and that was far superior in quality and clientele. The Kuriat Palace was just a party hotel, people running up… more

Stayed here for 1 week and that was too long. The hotel states 5 star however out of other 5 star hotels we’ve stayed it doesn’t come near. We stayed in a 4 star in Hammermet last year and that was far superior in quality and clientele. The Kuriat Palace was just a party hotel, people running up and down corridors at 2am in the morning and shouting. There was a fight in bar at one point and nearly another in restaurant with several girls shouting. People could get any amount of local drink and cocktails however we couldn’t get a glass of presseco in the evenings with meals or after. We don’t drink much but didn’t think this was too much to ask for. We know this is a relatively cheap holiday but still expected 5 star at hotel and not expect this drunken behaviour. The pool shut half way through holiday. Staff said use the indoor pool which the hotel was pretty full and would not accommodate if everyone went to indoor pool. They also had construction work going on in hotel which we were not informed about by easyJet or hotel. They were drilling throughout the days and corridors had rubble and dust all over floors. On a positive note the hotel staff were really nice and friendly. Food was pretty good but sometimes cold.

less

“The hotel was not 5 star but the bar staff was”

Disappointed with being no pool as it was being worked on we should have been informed of this the entertainment was little to none the one good thing for us was the bar staff amhed and fethia where fantastic made our holiday food was ok more for foreigners than English but managed to survive on ch… more

Disappointed with being no pool as it was being worked on we should have been informed of this the entertainment was little to none the one good thing for us was the bar staff amhed and fethia where fantastic made our holiday food was ok more for foreigners than English but managed to survive on chips and salad

less

“Honest review!”

We have just returned from our holiday. We stayed at the Kuriat palace for 5 nights as a party of three with two rooms. First impressions of the hotel from the outside and the lobby area were good and what I had expected from the pictures I had seen online. The check in process was painfully slow a… more

We have just returned from our holiday. We stayed at the Kuriat palace for 5 nights as a party of three with two rooms. First impressions of the hotel from the outside and the lobby area were good and what I had expected from the pictures I had seen online. The check in process was painfully slow and felt extremely unorganised. We gave our passports to staff and were told to sit down and wait….over 50 minutes later nobody had come back to us and we had to go to the desk to ask what was going on. After we finally got into the room we saw our toilet was overflowing and flooding the bathroom, I went to reception and they gave us another room very quickly but with little conversation or apology. It seemed like it was the norm! Plus point with the room was the bed, it was huge and really comfy. The mini fridge was empty and I did ask a few times throughout the stay of it could have some soft drinks in but they never arrived. On the first day in the afternoon there were males fighting by the pool and we were woken at 6:20am the next morning by neighbours shouting, swearing and then throwing their chairs off the balcony!! The drinks in the hotel were good and the food was ok but everything was either cold or lukewarm which was really disappointing. There were multiple power cuts on our first night and then a planned power cut on the Sunday. The cash machine wasn’t working until the day we left and you couldn’t use your card to get local money out from the reception. The pool was empty and unusable and the beach for the majority was full of rubbish. A handful of staff were great and were super friendly and they are a credit to the hotel. For what we paid for the holiday (£400pp 5nights AI with EasyJet) I don’t feel like we have been ripped off but the hotel is definitely not 5*. Once you get past the impressive reception / lobby bar area you see that everywhere is a bit tatty, grubby and tired and needs a really good overhaul and updating. There was a smell of sewerage in the corridors and lobby for the first four days. I would say it’s currently a 3* hotel that needs some serious updating and cleaning to become a good 4*. It seems the hotel was once a family friendly hotel but after its success on social media it seems the targeted clientele has changed and it created a different atmosphere than what was expected. Very loud, rowdy groups walking around with tripods and ring lights. I personally wouldn’t come back to the Kuriat Palace but would maybe try another part of Tunisia in the future.

less