Bel Azur Thalasso & Bungalows

Just come back from a superb week in Tunisia staying at the Bel Azur Hotel. This was our first time in Tunisia and we are totally in love!! The Bel Azur is a lovely hotel but it is the staff who really make it special. They are so welcoming and can't do enough for you, from the house keeping staff to the restaurant staff to the entertainment staff, everyone was absolutely incredible. I would like to mention Simon in particular as he went 'over and above' to make our stay truly special. He even gave up his day off to take us to the Medina so that we wouldn't be pestered by the shop keepers. He got for us gel for a sore leg and ear drops for a blocked ear. He recommended excellent restaurants and made sure we could get to them. We have had the best week we have ever had and will definitely be returning. I can't recommend this hotel highly enough.

We recently returned to this hotel for our second visit, and we were so happy with our stay last year that we decided to extend our stay to three weeks this year. And once again, the experience was truly unforgettable. To begin with, the staff were amazing, and the entertainment staff were absolutely fantastic. Simon and Momo were definitely my grandmother’s favourite people. The kitchen staff were just as lovely, and so were the pool staff. The cleaning team were lovely and always on top of everything, and our room was spotless. The accommodation was beautiful. We never got bored during our three weeks there and would happily do it again. The value of our holiday was amazing and well worth the money for our stay. Besides the location, we had a few outings, and the journey to certain places didn’t take long at all. It’s very helpful having taxis outside all the time. We stayed in one of the bungalows near the stage and lounge bar, and we heard nothing—the noise levels are very well controlled. Thank you so much for making us feel welcome and for some of the staff’s words, ‘becoming family’. The hotel and the service really are beautiful, and I am excited to come back next year.

Was expecting more after staying in the Royal Azur last year but this hotel has good points. Staff are hard working and friendly and helpful and went above and beyond to try and make sure guests were looked after. Check in is usually after 3pm so if you are arriving in the morning you will usually have to wait until after lunch for your room to be ready but this is standard so didnt bother us. Food was much the same every day and restaurant was a bit chaotic but that was a guest issue especially when children were left to do 'their own thing'. Pool area was nice but we only managed to spend a couple of hours there as we weren't up and putting towels down at 6am. We had a garden bungalow which was in the end block near the path from the Sol Azur to the beach and although the room appeared dated in decor it was comfortable and housekeepr was excellent. A suggestion for management with regard this block of bungalows - put 2 sunbeds on each patio and provide an umbrella - its the little things that make a difference especially when you are behind a very busy shared beach - again sunbeds were being reserved early in the morning so by around 8am you struggled to find one free (on our departure day we actually watched people going to the beach around 5.15am to put towels down?) Strangely as well, although we were close to the beach bar this was only for the use of the Sol Azur guests so if we wanted a drink we had to use the pool bar? Entertainment every evening was on the stage away from the main hotel which we thought was a good idea as you could sit and have a fairly quiet drink at the main bar of you wanted. Also be careful if staying away from the main hotel as pathways are not well lit and there are areas where stone has moved causing trip hazards. Don't get me wrong we had a nice week but with a few tweaks/improvements the hotel could improve it's rating.

Firstly don’t be fooled by the pictures on sites. I’m writing this and have only been here 45 mins and feel totally disappointed with the quality of the hotel. Looked okay from the outside and then went down hill fast walking in. Grumpy man on reception when he finally manned it. I booked 2 rooms one for my daughters and the other for me and my wife. As we entered the room the smell was the first thing that hits you, then to discover two single beds and bunk beds in the room, and the rooms are so dated. Fridge was also completely empty in both rooms. Reception said they will move us tomorrow, but not holding my breath. There’s a small garden out the back that looks like it’s never been looked after weeds everywhere, the place reminds me of a run down council house in UK. I can see my wife wants to cry, but holding it back. I wouldn’t normally write a review so early into a stay, but this has to be one of the worst places we’ve vacationed at.

Room not ready till after 2pm, reception staff rude, room very dated, bathroom like something out of the 70's, pink tiles, mouldy, when having a shower bathroom flooded, rooms dirty, balcony never been cleaned, food well you have the same for dinner and the same for tea, luke warm, when getting a table for lunch always dirty, never any cutlery you had to get your own, when asking for a drink with your cold lunch you were told to wait, unless you flashed the cash then they'd bring you wine water whatever you wanted, place full of cats especially around the dining area, seen a few rats around the grounds, you wernt allowed a bottle of water until 9pm,yes 9pm, if you wanted water there were small paper cups, on getting a beer, they gave you a small paper cup, what a joke, unless like I state, you flashed the cash and you were brought over big plastic cups of beer, air con useless, I'm glad I took a fan with me, I read the reviews before booking and to be honest I think these were made up coz this place is nothing like I've read about, I wouldn't go back to this hotel, I've been to Tunisia a few times but this was the worst hotel I've stayed in, I won't be back

We have just returned from a week at this hotel……let’s start with the good points as it won’t take long! The animation team are the saviours of this place, they were amazing at entertaining everyone and always remembered everybodys name…..special shoutout to Momo and Simon Camel. Now to the hotel itself, the lady who checked us in was lovely however didn’t really give us any information. We had 2 wristbands slapped on us and when we asked what the second one was for we were told it was because we had booked through Tui. We still don’t know what they were for! We changed some money at reception, paid the taxes and the deposit for 4 towels (a topic I will return to!). We were handed cards for the towels but not told where to go to pick them up. After a (long) trek halfway down the beach a very grumpy man virtually chucked 4 “towels” at us. They are not what we consider towels, more like cotton throws……not great at absorbing water! After a couple of hours our rooms were ready. Room was pleasant enough although the bathroom was dated and mouldy. The shower was bizarre, fitted three quarters down the length of the bath, when you switched it on you didn’t know which way the hose was going to flex and 9 out of 10 times it would just spray above the curtain and soak the tiled floor turning it extremely slippery. Once I managed to get the hose to stay in one place it was good pressure and warm, however if you are over 5’ 8 there is no way you can get underneath it! Oh and then there was the awful shower curtain to contend with, once wet it would stick to your body! Dinner on the first night was Fisherman’s night I believe, none of us are big fish eaters so we didn’t eat a lot and decided we would reserve judgement on the food until the next day. Breakfast…..the usual egg station you would expect at an AI but instead of queuing up to receive fresh eggs or omelettes you had to take the cold congealed ones that had been sat out. The pastries were hard and stale! Lunch and dinner tended to be the same food over and over again. Not only was the choice limited, it was always cold. One day we saw some fresh chips coming out of the kitchen, our teenage boys both had some and even they were stone cold. I admit that I am a picky eater so knew that I would struggle, however my husband has a great appetite and will eat most things but even he was struggling to find anything edible let alone hot! Our 2 16 year old boys lived on cold pizza and cold chips! The desserts looked appealing but had no flavour to them whatsoever. One lunchtime I watched a young child grabbing handfuls of pasta from the buffet, shoving them in his mouth and then going back in for more! Once tables had been used, the waiters were very slow to clear them and when they had been cleared they were never re-set. We had at least 5 mealtimes were we struggled to find a clean table. There were pizzas and crepes available in the afternoon but these were also colds and undercooked. Ice cream?? Non existent…..we have been on a lot of All inclusive holidays (including adults only) and every single one has offered ice cream……..this hotel was full of kids that couldn’t even get an ice cream unless they got their parents to fork out for one at the extremely over priced shop in the hotel. We were provided with one bottle of water in our fridge on arrival but this was never replenished. We had to literally beg for a bottle of water everyday. If you asked at the upstairs bar you were told to go to the downstairs bar and then vice versa. We were hoarding any water we could get our hands on and trying to keep it cold in the useless fridge! Luckily the air con in our room was fine but our boys were not so lucky. We asked at reception 4 or 5 times for them to do something about it but nothing ever was…….extremely uncomfortable for them. The entertainment was in a central location, shared by 3 hotels. It was impossible to get a seat and even if you did it was a good 10 minutes walk to get a drink! When sitting in the bar it was clear the bar staff had their favourites and it seemed the only way to avoid the long queue at the bar was to keep on tipping the waiters, as Brits we tend to tip when we have received great service not just to be acknowledged. We were also unaware that guests from one of the other hotels could come and use our facilities but we couldn’t go and use theirs. This caused some issues on the night of the England match as a number of guests came from the neighbouring hotel taking all the prime seats. The pools were nice and the lifeguards were fantastic, however people insisted on congregating on the pool steps making it difficult to get in and out of the pool safely. One lady asked the lifeguard to move some children away from the steps as they were causing an obstruction only for her and her friend to then plonk themselves on the steps! There are the usual activities of aqua gym and dance class but the music is so ridiculously loud you can’t even have a conversation with the person sat next to you! We were advised not to use to excursion man in the hotel as he was very expensive but to instead go across the road to The Black and White where Sammy would do you a better deal. And they weren’t wrong, we paid £30 each for an all day trip, we were picked up in a lovely new air conned car with a fantastic driver. This same excursion would have cost us £93 each through the hotel and that was on a packed coach. Would also highly recommend The Black and White for a meal………hot and fresh, a nice change from the cold muck in the restaurant. On our last afternoon my husband returned the 4 towels and received 2 cards back, we explained we had 4 towels but insisted we would only get 2 cards. He went to reception to hand the cards in and get our deposit back, the man would only give us our deposit for 2 towels. Hubby explained we had 4 towels, he said well you only have 2 cards. Husband came to where I was sitting and explained what had happened, he wasn’t sure if was misunderstanding what was being said. I then went up to reception and explained that we 4 towels but had only been refunded for 2. The man told me to be quiet and listen to him. He said you only had 2 cards so you only get money for 2 towels, this guy had seen the 4 of us with our towels every day for a week so must have known I was telling the truth. When I argued back and told him he had robbed us and the hotel was thieving from us he literally yelled in my face that I should respect him. Avoid this place at all costs……rude staff, mouldy bathrooms and the most awful and cold food we have ever had the misfortune to eat. Now before anyone says oh it’s Africa the food is different there, we have visited Tunisia and Morocco many times so know what to expect. This is advertised as a 4 star but is 2 star at best.

Another week of relaxation & reading interrupted by sea swims or bar visits . Numerous stays ; the Bel Azur isn’t fancy or luxurious; but does have a wonderful location & setting on two beaches. Rooms are adequate; but need updating. This stay I was allocated a sea view bungalow with outside Hammock. Absolute Joy . I swam most mornings before 06am off the Hotels beach . Then sat in the Hammock watching the Hotel wake up ! Food was good; good choice ; good salads & always lots of fresh fruit One complaint was there was building work being carried out at the side of the restaurant; why not do this in the closed season ? Pools are Good The Bars are well positioned; but it’s a shame the Hotel doesn’t have an outside bar or BarBQ area to use once a week at least with the climate Tunisia enjoys ?

Third time at this hotel…staff and service amazing (better and better each visit). Fabulous welcome from everyone. Look forward to visit number 4.

The destination is very much amazing. Wonderful. Inspiring people to cooperate with , very friendly and keen staff . Quiet environment on Mediterranean coast. Very clean. Smiling every time from every one . It is highly recommended. Dr Ezeddin soula

Came here for ten nights had to wait three hours to even get the room. Food was terrible ended up with food poisoning. No where near enough sun beds when it’s busy. Entertainment is minimal mainly aimed at children. Was boring at night we ended up staying in the room. Alcohol was good, and there’s a shop on site which is expensive. Staff in restaurant are okay although we’d go up to look for food and our drinks kept getting cleared away. This happened multiple times. The sheets got changed once the entire time. Flys all over every especially on the food in the restaurant. Indoor pool wasn’t open either. Overall drinks are nice and bar staff are, food is appalling mainly just fish. The beach is nice and the pools are as well.

If you are thinking of booking this hotel do it! The location is stunning with an amazing private beach with a bar! The rooms are very spacious and have everything you need (hairdryer, towels, tea and coffee making facilities etc). The rooms are also regularly cleaned. The cleaners work so hard all around the hotel and keep such a high standard of cleanliness. The noise level on a night always reduced at a reasonable time but the stage was quite a while away from the room so wasn’t too loud anyway. The staff at this hotel are so welcoming and friendly and honestly cannot help you enough! At all meal times staff work so hard getting you drinks and cleaning up. Special shout out to Mohamed and Matthew (apologies if i have spelt these wrong!) who went above and beyond for us and always made us laugh. The food was really nice we found the themed nights really fun and there was always something different to eat. The chefs were so accommodating to any special requests, I didn’t quite like the eggs as i found them snotty but he flipped it over for me, which was really nice. They were always happy to answer any questions about any of the food too! The snacks were also very nice (crepes, pizzas and sandwiches) The animation team were the best i have ever experienced. Another special mention to Simon who honestly made our experience even when you don’t want to engage in the activities he still made the day full of fun and made a real effort with us with the British slang etc. I can’t remember his name but one of the animation team also gave us some yorkshire tea bags which was so kind it definitely made us feel at home. We also got a shirt to match the animations with our name and design on it for 40TND (i think). We were greeted at the hotel and helped with our bags and offered food as it was late. Taken to our rooms and shown all of the facilities and helped with wifi etc. The pools were so deep and quite a comfortable temperature. Another special mention to yasim i think his name was for making the best drinks and being so helpful. The entertainment was different every night and had something for everyone. There is also a little shop that has everything you need in there. The only fault i had with the hotel was that you can’t change money back to pounds from dinars so we lost them at the airport as we did not have time to change them back there. Overall the value for money was just so worth it you get so much for your money! We will definitely be returning to this hotel!

Just arrived back home from 10nights stay at bel azur hotel. Was made so welcome by staff from arrival to end of stay .hotel was spotless room cleaned every day .big shout out to zeeko and simon camel and their animation team .they work so hard everyday to entertain holiday makers and never fail .waiters Mohammed fahar and Karim stood out for me on this holiday .could not do enough for you .always remember your name no matter what time of day .highly recommend this hotel for hospitality staff fr to cleaners always had a smile .def would return .

The Hotel is lovely and so are most of the staff. I had a very bad time at the Spa. The reason we chose the hotel was due to having a spa. I went for a massage and it was one of the most awful hostile experiences I’ve ever experienced. It was meant to be a lovely relaxing time instead I was treated very rudely no one would engage with me or another English lady who also had a bad experience. No one wanted to massage me and hand gestures to move me away. I have never in all my old years had an unpleasant experience like it. I actually laid and cried during my massage. I had hoped to go to the spa everyday while I am here but I can honestly say I will not be returning here. Such a shame. As we chose this Hotel due to this Facility

Wonderful place, amazing food,For the second year in a row I visit the hotel. Very good service, varied food, clean rooms. Yes, it needs internal furniture renovation and interior renewal, but on the other hand the food is abundant and delicious. I like the location of the hotel and the people working there. I forgot my phone on the beach, but two of the beach employees, Mounem and Abdulcarim, turned out to be conscientious and responsible. They took my phone and handed it over. It is an honor for any employer to work with such people. You can trust everything in this hotel. I remain your client.