The Mediterranean coast of Tunisia is open for recreation for almost a year: in the winter months it is not cooler than 16 degrees, and the African summer heat is well tolerated due to the refreshing sea breezes. One of the tourist offers that are rapidly gaining popularity is the ancient city of Monastir, located on the north-east coast of Tunisia, the former religious-historical "capital" of this state, which received a second life as a resort. Everyone who, in addition to historical sights and the Mediterranean climate, is looking for a cheap hotel to relax, will certainly be interested in the Houda Golf Beach Club (3 stars).
Hotel info
Hotel Houda Golf Beach 3 * (Tunisia) is located 13 km from Monastir, in Skanes - a special resort area with many hotel complexes and entertainment venues. The hotel consists of two buildings, built in the mid-80s, in a large landscaped area. In the brochures, including those posted on the websites of Russian travel agencies, the Houda Golf 3 * hotel is listed as a hotel complex for a "relaxing family vacation", operating according to the most convenient service system - all-inclusive.
The hotel buildings are decorated in the spirit of picturesque Arabian color, many flowers and green plants.
For the safety of tourists living in the hotel, the hotel area is equipped with a reliable fence, the windows of the rooms are equipped with protective bars.
The infrastructure of the Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * includes catering establishments (two bars and three restaurants), shops of various kinds, a TV lounge, SPA, sports grounds and a fitness center, car rental, a water park, and three equipped swimming pools with water slides.
The “three-star” rating of Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * is a sign that, first of all, rest in this hotel complex may interest vacationers whose budget is limited. The hotel provides more than five hundred rooms at very affordable prices, but not the highest comfort and a limited range of services. The best way to characterize the level of accommodation and service at Houda Golf Beach 3 * (Tunisia) is the reviews of our compatriots who had previously visited this hotel complex and had time to evaluate the quality of the services provided. What do former guests say about the hotel?
Beach: services, sanitary conditions
Given that the hotel is located in the north of the African continent, one of the most unstable in terms of sanitary conditions, information about the state of the nearest beaches should certainly interest any tourist. About the beach area, located about 50 meters from the Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * hotel (Tunisia), the reviews are pretty similar to each other. What do hotel guests say about the nearest beach?
- Nice sandy beach. The beach area is created artificially, therefore it differs from the sandy-pebble coastal strip that is usual in these places.
- The shallow sea, which is likely to appeal to parents of young children.
- A certain amount of algae and jellyfish. Here, the opinions of vacationers differed: many found the level of pollution with algae quite common for Tunisian beaches, although some tourists complain of burns from jellyfish and a large number of “islands” of marine flora.
- Lack of beach loungers and other equipment. The same observation applies to pool equipment.
- Traders on the beach work too intrusively.
- Beach towels are not provided.
Service level and staff
Studying the stories about trips to Tunisia and staying in hotels of this country, one can distinguish such features of local staff as slowness, leisurelyness and restrained politeness. So restrained that tourists, accustomed to the broad smiles of Turkish and Egyptian employees, may even find Tunisians not too welcoming. Such a definition can also characterize the work of employees of the Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * (Tunisia), reviews of which are left by Russian travelers. A lot of inconvenience among our tourists causes a “language barrier”. Tunisia, as you know, is the former colonial territory of France, and, accordingly, all the local staff speak French. The employees of the Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * hotel, able to understand the Russian language and even more so speak it, are very rare, despite the growing number of tourists from our country. Explain in English also does not work out with everyone - this language is pretty tolerably fluent by administrators.
As for tips for hotel workers, one can meet the tourist indignation at tourist forums over the fact that the staff not only happily accepts small bills and even small presents, but also quite clearly hints at “material gratitude”. We have to admit that a small amount of money at this hotel can change the attitude of the staff towards the guest for the better: upon resettlement they will give the room a bit more comfortable, cleaning is more thorough.
Rooms
What rooms are offered to vacationers who have chosen for themselves a “three-star” vacation in the state of Tunisia? Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * provides rooms in four categories:
- Standard , with an area of 16 square meters. m, designed for two people.
- Two-level (duplex) , 18 sq. m, which can accommodate up to 5 guests.
- Family Room, 42 sq. M. m, for up to 4 people.
- Room Suite, 18 sq. m, for up to 4 hotel guests.
In addition to a small amount of furniture, each room is equipped with a minibar, TV, telephone, hairdryer, bathroom (shower or bath, toilet). The rooms have access to a terrace or balcony with sea views, the hotel with a swimming pool or golf course. The air conditioning in the rooms is mostly central. In the cool season, rooms are heated.
The opinion of vacationers about the rooms
What are some of the positive aspects of room service that can be distinguished based on reviews from tourists?
- The rooms are clean enough. Cleaning is carried out daily, although not always in the absence of guests. Mention of cases of missing things from the room in the reviews does not occur.
- The rooms are in the same national style with the overall interior of the hotel.
- The equipment in the rooms is working: the lights are on, the bathroom is working, the doors are closing. If breakdowns and malfunctions occur, they are corrected within a day after the call to the res.
What claims to the quality and room service can most often be found in travel forums?
- Long resettlement, queues at the reception. Officially, 2:00 p.m. is considered the time when new arrivals check in at most hotels in the state of Tunisia. Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * is no exception, but during periods of the “hot” season, when many tourists come to rest daily, guests have to wait at least an hour for their stay. This is especially annoying when you consider that the previously “unhurried” pace of work of personnel does not change. It remains only to reconcile or spend this time on the beach.
- Cramped rooms, "Spartan" room decor - a fairly common occurrence for three-star hotels. Mention of this in the discussions of the Houda Golf 3 * hotel is most common. Although holidaymakers themselves admit that the rooms are well worth the money paid for them.
- Occasional interruptions in the water supply in the rooms. For an African country, perhaps this phenomenon is not considered to be unusual, but Europeans resting about the days when the water was turned off for several hours, recall with indignation. The inability to take a shower after the sea or after an excursion along the dusty Tunisian roads, the foul smell from the "dehydrated" toilets - all this does not too correspond to the "three stars". But I want to emphasize that the shutdowns are just temporary, and there are not too many stories about it.
- In the room, linen, towels are rarely changed. But this problem is quite simply “fixed” with a tip, as mentioned above.
- In the room you can hear good music from the hotel disco. If we consider that, according to the observation of tourists, dancing and loud musical entertainments are held in the hotel constantly until late at night, the absence of sound insulation is a big minus. However, our tourists are willing to share a "life hack": music is almost inaudible in the rooms located in the eastern building, and if you wish, you can move there.
Nutrition
Meals for hotel guests are organized in the hotel restaurant on the basis of the "buffet" with distribution. Additionally, you can order food and drinks at bars in the hotel complex.
Of the positive aspects about the kitchen of the Houda Golf 3 * hotel, the following is most often recalled:
- The buffet in the hotel restaurant is replete with Tunisian national dishes, which makes it possible to fully familiarize yourself with local cuisine.
- A lot of different fruits and vegetables.
- Beautifully served and delicious local desserts.
- A good selection of meat, fish and poultry dishes. Sometimes seafood is included in the menu - how often it depends on the season.
- Pizzeria on site, where delicious pizza is prepared until late at night.
In fairness, it is worth noting that a lot of negative reviews regarding nutrition can be found. What are the dissatisfaction with the guests of Houda Golf Beach Club 3 *, whose reviews have been left on the Internet over the past few years?
- Very long lines at tables with food - the most common complaint about a hotel restaurant.
- The local cuisine, the dishes of which are present in vast quantities daily, is very spicy, with a lot of spices.
- Complaints about poor sanitation: insufficiently clean plates and utensils, not well-washed tableware and insufficiently clean tablecloths, there are cockroaches in the restaurant hall, after dinner, restaurant staff can only start cleaning the tables the next morning.
- Small portions of meat dishes, and with a large occupancy at the hotel after a long wait in the queue, some dishes may not be enough.
The latter is often denied by other tourists vacationing in a hotel. This contradiction is most likely due to the season when people drove on vacation. If we compare the periods, then a wave of negative reviews about the variety and quantity of dishes falls on the summer months, and September is the main “holiday” season in our country, when there are the maximum number of tourists at the hotel. This will certainly be useful for those planning a vacation in spring or autumn.
Separately, it is worth mentioning about drinks and alcohol. Most travel agencies must warn that it is better to refrain from drinking Tunisian tap water. The hotel complex provides guests with bottled drinking water. The on-site restaurant and bar offers a decent selection of soft drinks, including the famous Arabic coffee. Everything is much more complicated with alcohol: tourists who have been on vacation at the Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * unanimously claim that almost all alcohol, except beer, is served in a diluted state, and you have to wait a long queue for drinks “included in the price”. Buying alcohol outside a hotel in Muslim Tunisia is not easy, but possible. A large supermarket operates in Monastir, where all foreigners are purchased.
Paid services
In any hotel that receives guests in accordance with the all-inclusive system, there is a separate “price” for additional services, which will have to be paid in excess of the cost of the ticket when settling with the hotel. What paid services can I get at the Houda Golf Beach Club 3 * hotel?
- Wi-Fi connection (internet cafe on site).
- Safe for valuables at the reception.
- Services of a sauna and hammam (Turkish bath), SPA and fitness center, jacuzzi.
- Massage.
- Services "hourly" nanny (baby sitter) for children.
- Beach sports, including equipment rental and instructor services.
- Horse riding, car rental, golf, billiard room.
- The slot machine hall.
Animation Entertainment
The services of any hotel, working on the principle of "all inclusive", must include the entertainment of guests and the organization of afternoon and evening leisure. What can tell about the work of animators and leisure at the hotel Houda Golf 3 * reviews of vacationers?
According to the stories of former guests, it can be judged that animators work as actively as possible during the "hot" tourist season, when a lot of tourists live in the hotel. Discos, pool parties, karaoke shows do not subside almost round the clock. The animators give lessons of Latin American and Oriental dances, conduct master classes in archery, aerobics and many more other active entertainments. Theatrical performances are often held in the evening. At the end of the year, when the hotel is most often half full, the animation is a bit "silent". Rest at this time really takes on the character of "calm."
Conditions for sports, physical activity
Houda Golf 3 * hotel justifies its name - on the territory of the hotel complex itself you can try your hand at the mini-golf course, and a golf club is nearby. In addition, the hotel has facilities for football, basketball, volleyball, and darts. There is a well-equipped fitness center and riding arena.
On the beach you can take lessons and rent equipment for practicing any kind of water sports.
If the hotel guests will not have enough active entertainment in the hotel area, then they can always make a trip to the city of Monastir, closest to Houda Golf 3 *. On the city coast there is a large club center for divers, diving schools for beginners and a respectable yacht club. In addition, modern spa facilities with affordable affordable prices offer their services to tourists.
Animation and leisure for children
Despite a sufficient number of negative Internet posts about the Houda Golf 3 * hotel (Tunisia), reviews of children's activities are rather optimistic. The little hotel guests are not at all bored. Animators constantly arrange a variety of games and shows (including costumed ones) on outdoor areas of the hotel territory.
Right on the territory of the Houda Golf 3 * hotel there is a convenient, colorful water park for guests. In one of the outdoor pools there is a special section for children. A lot of good reviews about the children's club of the hotel and thanks to the club animators.
What to see? Excursions, sights
Of course, sunbathing, sea water and healing Mediterranean air by themselves will allow you to get an excellent vacation. But do not neglect the cultural program, which includes fascinating excursions and acquaintance with the centuries-old history of the Tunisian state.
A lot of interesting things can be seen in Monastir - a "lively illustration" of the past heyday of traditional Arab culture. Founded, like most of the coastal cities of Tunisia, by the Phoenician sailors, the city at different periods of its life was ruled by Spanish invaders and Byzantine monks, warriors of the Roman and Ottoman empires, sea filibusters and French colonialists. All this is reflected in the architectural monuments that the organizers of excursion routes offer to inspect the guests of Houda Golf 3 *. Tunisia is also known for the coastal city of Sousse (Sousse) - a large "resort for youth", which is located just 24 km from Monastir. The city has all the indispensable attributes of tourist entertainment centers: night clubs, souvenir shops, a colorful Arab market, artisan artisan shops, cafes with local sweets and Arabic coffee, bars, casinos, restaurants, an amusement park and bowling ... Sousse is on the list of cities "World Heritage" by UNESCO. Vacationers are sure to be interested in the luxurious household museum “Dar Essid”, the Archaeological Museum of the ancient stone fort Kasbah and the Medina quarter, traditional for all cities of Tunisia, - the memory of the medieval past of the city. In the vicinity of Sousse are the legendary ruins and catacombs of Carthage and Ribat, a stone defensive fortress with two high towers.
In addition, guests of the Houda Golf Club 3 * hotel can visit longer excursion routes. For example, the city of Doug, founded by Roman legionaries, the Tunisian "green garden" - the agricultural peninsula of Cap Bon, and the pearl of excursion tours of Tunisia - a two-day trip to the Sahara desert.