There are few people who do not know that Tunisia is a poor country located in northern Africa and washed by the Mediterranean Sea. The most important source of income for Tunisians is tourism. So they create luxury hotels on the sea coast with first-class service. The modern Royal Lido Resort SPA ex Dessole Lido is recognized by our compatriots as one of the best. Many, heading to Africa, expect to see there sweltering heat, a lifeless desert and hordes of deadly representatives of the African fauna. A completely different picture appears before the eyes at the Royal Lido Resort SPA ex Dessole Lido. Here it seems that I got into a magical wonderful garden in which among the exotic palm trees and pines familiar to us there are snow-white houses - residential buildings, alleys are laid around, flowers are fragrant in the flower beds, and the turquoise-blue Mediterranean Sea splashes very close by. It would seem that a vacation in such a wonderful place should turn out to be impeccable, which happens for most tourists. Therefore, they, having barely returned from their favorite 4 * Royal Lido Resort SPA ex Dessole hotel, are already planning to come there again. But it also happens that a stay in a hotel is not as expected. The reason for this may be minor misunderstandings, which are of great importance, or ignorance of the features of rest in Tunisia. We suggest you take a virtual walk around this hotel, see what is around, look at the beach and make your own opinion about the resort.
Location
In the north of Tunisia there is a narrow cape Bon, after renaming became At-Chib. It cuts into the Mediterranean Sea so deeply that it hardly reaches Sicily. On the east side, the cape forms the Hammamet Bay. In the southern part of Et-Chiba and at the same time in the northern waters of the bay, the city of tourists and pottery masters Nabeul is spread. Royal Lido Resort SPA is located approximately 2 km from its center. By the way, the name of the city is more correct to pronounce with the French pronons "Nabeul". Since Tunisia was once a colony of France, for the majority of the population, French is as native as Arabic. On the maps you can find another name for the city - Nabeul. The nearest large settlement to the south of the hotel is Hammamet. Before him no more than 12 km. In the north direction just 5 km lies another tourist town Beni Kiar. The whole life of Tunisians and tourists is concentrated on the coast, in the depths of the mainland, undeveloped territories lie behind the city line, so there is basically nothing to do there.
How to get there
In Tunisia, people (with rare exceptions) arrive by plane. Perhaps that is why in this one of the smallest African countries there are as many as 10 airports. The closest to Royal Lido Resort SPA (Nabeul) is Enfida Airport, located 43 km from Hammamet. When buying a tour, you need to book tickets to "Enfidu", because from there it is only 71 km to the described hotel, which takes a little more than an hour. Almost equally convenient is the airport in the city of Tunisia of the same name . It is called "Caratage". It is 76 km from the hotel, and the journey takes about an hour and a half. However, tour operators often sell tickets to the Royal Lido Resort SPA upon arrival at the Hagiba Bourguiba Airport in Monastir. This is the least successful option, since from there it is about 130 km, which the transfer, as a rule, transporting tourists to other hotels located along the road from Monastir to Nabeul, overcomes in more than 2, and sometimes 3 hours. In the hot Tunisian climate, especially with children, it is tiring. Therefore, in order to avoid any misunderstandings from the first minutes of rest, you need to pre-book tickets to the desired airport.
Description
At first glance, Royal Lido Resort SPA 4 * impresses and falls in love with itself . Tunisia lives on tourism, so the hotels are being built quite large-scale. The area of this is almost 14 hectares. Despite such impressive dimensions, the whole area is well-groomed, neatly emerald lawns surrounded by a beautifully trimmed evergreen shrub. Numerous palm trees, flowers, beautiful compositions will diversify the landscape. On this piece of African land there are even more common junipers and pines for us. Among the greenery, wide alleys are laid out, relaxation areas are laid out, two wonderful swimming pools are equipped, multiple sports grounds, restaurants, bars, two shops - a jewelry store near the lobby bar and a clothing store at the hotel gates. In addition, in the separate building there is a spa center, a first-aid post, a fitness club and a beauty salon. In the main building of the Royal Lido Resort SPA, a 24-hour reception is open, where they make currency exchange, order a taxi, make an appointment for excursions, take luggage and clothes for storage, and solve all current issues. Weak, but free Wi-Fi works here. Hotel staff speak Arabic, French and German, speak English and a little Russian much worse.
Residence
With accommodation in the room of the main five-story building or in a bungalow, you can take a tour in Royal Lido Resort SPA 4 *. Reviews about the number of rooms are different, but mostly tourists are happy with their stay at this hotel. There are only two categories of rooms in the building: Standard and Family. The view from the windows is either to the sea (there are most of them), or to the territory, garden, pool, buildings. Note that you can get to the second floor either through the third or through the street.
"Standards" are quite spacious, have a total area (with bath and balcony) of 38 square meters. The design of the rooms is very cozy, everything, including bedspreads, paintings and curtains, is done in warm light brown tones. Equipment - high-quality furniture, well-functioning air conditioning, safe, new TV, small but perfectly freezing refrigerator, where the cleaner puts a free bottle of water daily. The hygiene room has a bath, toilet, hairdryer, washbasin.
The "family" rooms are two-room and also quite spacious, with an area of 55 "squares". They differ from the "Standards" in that they have two bedrooms in their layout and are designed for four guests.
Bungalows are dispersed throughout the property. There are those from which it’s 10 minutes to the sea, and there are those located on the very shore. Any area is about 45 square meters. The design and equipment are about the same as in the rooms of the main building, but each bungalow has a small wonderful courtyard.
Regarding cleaning and providing guests with individual hygiene products at Royal Lido Resort SPA, reviews differ, which largely depends on the integrity of the hotel staff. Some clean efficiently, daily bring toilet paper, replenish shampoos, soap, shower gel, change towels and linen. Others wait for a tip for their work, clean it up somehow, and fill up hygiene products that are finished only upon request.
Nutrition
At the same time, 834 people can take the Royal Lido Resort SPA 4 *. For this number of guests, the hotel has 5 restaurants and 5 bars, as well as 2 a la carte restaurants . According to the all-inclusive system, guests can eat and drink from 7 am to midnight. According to most reviews, breakfast at the hotel is delicious, but always the same, and includes boiled or scrambled eggs, sliced sausages, vegetables and pastries. Lunches and dinners most vacationers like. The main restaurant offers fish cooked in several forms, seafood, meat, chicken, all kinds of fresh and baked vegetables, salads, side dishes, delicious desserts, fruits.
Throughout the day you can have a snack in the bars by the pool and on the beach, take ice cream, pancakes, pizza. Of the drinks at the hotel are free beer, wine (some types), cocktails, coffee, tea, water, drinks, juice.
The à la carte restaurants are very nicely decorated and offer Italian cuisine and seafood. According to tour operators, you can visit one of these two restaurants for free once, but by prior request.
Leisure
Tourists at Royal Lido Resort SPA 4 * have no time to be bored. If you do not want to go to the sea, you can have a great rest near two outdoor pools. The water in them is always clean, the depth is different, it is suitable for both beginner swimmers and aces in this matter. Sun beds and umbrellas are always available. Lovers of active time can engage in various sports games, including golf, bocce, squash, tennis. In case of bad weather, the hotel has a spacious indoor pool, and for those who try to keep their body in good shape, there is a fitness club with modern fitness equipment. Royal Lido Resort SPA has its own beauty salon, where masters take care of the skin on the faces of their customers, make any hairstyle and makeup. There are many good reviews about the spa, which is run by the cheerful Mohammed. Here you can visit the sauna, bath, receive several types of massage. But the main highlight of the hotel is the animation. The guys from the animation team work great. Throughout the day, they organize all kinds of competitions, funny contests, conduct exercises, aerobics, teach various dances. In the evening, there comes a time of breathtaking shows, and in addition, fun performances that are interesting to both adults and older children. Well, and after the presentation of those who wish to have fun, they will also have karaoke and a disco. Any guest can go there for free, but you will have to buy drinks.
Hotel for children
Royal Lido Resort SPA is truly caring for the little guests. They have a wonderful playground for them, a large children's pool, and a mini club. According to the reviews of mothers and fathers, their children are always busy with something, animators play with them, conduct quizzes, and funny competitions. In the evening, kids disco and separate shows are organized for kids. Living conditions for young customers in the hotel are also good. Guestrooms provide cribs (upon request), and high chairs are available in the restaurant. A separate menu for babies is not provided, but you can choose from the available assortment.
Sea, beach, weather
All year round you can relax at the Royal Lido Resort SPA. Tunisia is Africa, but those who think that there is always heat are mistaken. In Tunisia, as in Russia, there are seasons, that is, winter also happens there, in some areas even snow falls. But in Nabeul there are no such extremes, here from December to February it is sunny and warm, and the temperature does not fall below +10 at night or in the afternoon. Holidays in this period can be devoted to excursions and walks along the coast, but you will have to swim in the indoor pool, since the water in the sea will be only about +15. Starting in March, the air warms up a little, and by the beginning of May it keeps at daytime at + 23- + 24, and at night +17. But the sea is still cool, the water is only +19. The summer months and the whole of September in Nabeul can be said to be hot. Even at night there is no cooler than +24. Water in the sea, respectively, is also warm, about +27. In October and November, relaxing at this resort is excellent. There is a lot of sun, but it no longer burns, the temperature is from +17 at night to +26 in the afternoon. The sea has not cooled yet. Closer to the coast, the temperature of the Mediterranean waters is about +22. There is no rainfall in this region in summer at all, and negligible precipitation in winter. The only thing that can spoil a beach holiday is a strong wind, but it saves from the exhausting heat. By the way, this is the dignity of the whole region - it is hot on the street, but it does not bother.
As you can see, the weather conditions are almost perfect. Therefore, the bulk of vacationers in the Dessole Royal Lido Resort SPA spends a lot of time on the beach. It starts almost at the border of the hotel, but the distance to it depends on the location of the sleeping building. You leave from some bungalows - and already on the beach, and from others you need to go to the shore. The beach itself is good: the coating is fine white sand, the depth begins gradually, there are sun loungers and umbrellas, the water is clean, the animation entertains at full strength, there is also a bar where you can drink and eat something. Comments on the beach relate only to its cleanliness, since workers do not have time to clean cigarette butts, plastic cups and other rubbish that tourists throw anywhere, but not in the bins available in sufficient quantities. Another nuance - in August-September you can meet painfully stinging jellyfish in the sea.
Entertainment outside the hotel
Tunisia is not Turkey, where a piece of land has been developed, and not Thailand, where crowds of people are on the streets around the clock. Here you can walk on your own, you can say nowhere. To explore the sights of this area, you need to take excursions that are offered only by tour operators Dessole Royal Lido Resort SPA 4 *. The most popular are walks in the Sahara (they take more than a day, you need to drive about a thousand and a half kilometers), trips to the zoo, located about 40 km from Hammamet, walks in Sousse and nearby towns. You can independently go to the center of Nabeul, visit the medina, the archaeological museum, admire the huge clay vase - the most popular object of photo shoots. You need to drive to Nabeul not so much for the sake of the excursion, but for shopping, because here they simply make unique ceramic things that are hard to find elsewhere. But, walking in this African and Muslim city, it is advisable to follow some rules so as not to get into trouble. So, here they do not like when ladies defile in revealing outfits (even at +40), they are not happy when they are photographed without demand, they favor the tip, and on the outskirts of the city they are not particularly scrupulous in matters of appropriating someone else's property.
You can also go to the zoo yourself. They will be taken there by taxi, bus or train (there is a railway station in Nabeul). But in order to catch all the advertised performances or visit the exotic cafes with aboriginal dances available at the zoo, you need to know the exact time when all this is held. Otherwise, not only can you not find the most interesting, but you can’t buy water either, because the cafes will close for a long break.
Reviews
The opinions of tourists about the rest in Royal Lido Resort SPA are very different. This is observed even in people resting at about the same time. Where some saw virtues, others saw flaws. This may depend on the personal mood of the vacationer, and on the integrity of the hotel staff. The advantages noted in the reviews are:
- quick check-in;
- beautiful territory;
- wonderful beach and sea;
- good room service;
- delicious and plentiful food, moreover, all day;
- the best animation in the world.
Noted disadvantages are as follows:
- A long, more than 3 hours journey from the airport (they write those who flew to Monastir);
- too long and unorganized settlement;
- poorly cleaned bungalows;
- the restaurant lacks places, appliances, the uniformity of dishes;
- insufficient number of sunbeds;
- weak Wi-Fi;
- Not always high-quality cleaning of the beach.