Novostar Bel Azur Thalassa & Bungalows

My husband and I have returned from a week in Tunisia, staying at Royal Azur Thalassa and left feeling very disappointed. I’ll start with the negatives- Hotel Arrival- So this was a first for me and never experienced this in all my time travelling abroad. We flew with TUI and arrived in Tunisia at around 11am . When we arrived at the hotel our room wasn’t ready for us therefore we were just left waiting. We were asked to go for lunch, fair enough we were ready to eat however after a long travel we would’ve liked to freshen up/relax. In past experiences hotels have always had rooms ready regardless of the time the guests arrive. Restaurant- The restaurant insists on serving drinks in small glasses. I don’t like being thirsty and getting a drink relies on catching the attention of a waiter to pour you out a water or soft drink. Most of the time I would have my water drunk by the time the waiter had turned around to serve someone else. The restaurant doesn’t have ice cream …strange There is a large selection of salad available which is great, but nothing is covered, so the flies are living their best life ! I found this extremely off putting and could be easily fixed by covering salad up similar to how everything else was covered. The pool and pool bar - This hotel has a serious problem with the guest to sun-bed ratio. This was the one thing that annoyed me the most. Unless you are willing to or are awake at 6am you have no chance of getting a place. People would reserve sun loungers and disappear and not return which is bizarre in and of itself, eventually people would move the towels off the reserved sun beds and use them for themselves. There is room for the hotel to have more sun beds (as you will see from my picture) there are large empty patio spaces by the pool. My husband asked the pool bar for a large bottle of water, and was told it was ‘forbidden’ they even have a sign with a big Red Cross beside water bottles? LOL what is the point of this ? If you walk inside the hotel and ask the bar for the same thing they will give you it no problem, and nobody stops you talking the water bottle outside. Alcoholic drinks - For the longest time I believed this to be a rumour of all inclusive resorts, however not anymore I know it be true. While waiting for a water at the hotel bar, the staff were unaware I was there waiting to be served. They were too busy decanting the local alcohol into the branded bottles. Take from that what you will. Entertainment - Hardly anything is happening, honestly it was boring for us. After dinner most people were sitting in the lobby playing cards or domino’s, which is fine if that’s your thing and what you like to do on holiday. This isn’t for us and we just went to our room after dinner, unfortunately. Outside the hotel - Just stay inside the hotel. Outside there is a shop, a restaurant, a bar and a supermarket. Doesn’t feel the safest place to have a walk around so we decided after one trip outside we wouldn’t venture back out unless we were going to the supermarket Now onto the positives Food- The choice of food available was great there is always something for everyone. Plates and cutlery were always clean. Room- Our room was beautiful and very big. We had a beautiful view of the pool and of the sea. It’s lovely and quiet so it was very relaxing. The room service was great and the cleaners always made a fantastic job! Other things to note - We booked excursions through GetYourGuide- which is a great option if you’re looking for something to do. We went horse riding and a day trip. Importantly though and something that I didn’t realise at the time was the day trip pick up was at 7am and the breakfast at the hotel doesn’t start until 7am therefore we had nothing to eat and were starving. The sister hotel Bel Azur takes a deposit for sun bed towels, whereas Royal Azur does not. I didn’t like this as I wasn’t confident I would get my money back. Just a tip to take your own towels if visiting I hope Royal Azur reads my review and takes the feedback onboard, it was the potential to be a great hotel

We have just returned home after spending 1 week at The Royal Azur. It’s lovely and relaxing. It’s spotlessly clean and the staff all work extremely hard. Our room was big with a separate living area and bunk beds. All the usual luxuries of a Nespresso machine, fridge, robes and slippers. There were plenty of beds available round the pool when we came down at 9am (no getting up early to reserve!) and they all have mattresses on so they’re comfortable. The lifeguards are very attentive and move umbrellas and put them up or down when needed. The evening entertainment is nice and chilled…… a singer, someone playing a keyboard, saxophone, synchronised swimmers in the pool with a light show. It was perfect t for us just wanting a few drinks after our evening meal and then in bed for midnight. The restaurants have plenty of selection to choose from and the desserts all tasted amazing which was a nice change as most all incl’s all look beautiful yet taste of nothing. We’d like to give a special mention to our waiters Lefti & Walid who served us all week for breakfast and lunch. They made us feel like royalty and nothing was ever too much trouble for them. Thank you all for a lovely week in Tunisia!

Absolutely fantastic from start to finish staff couldn't do enough for us room was excellent have booked again for next year

Very welcoming staff Visually appealing place and very nice gardens and swimming pools Spa pool was a very pleasurable experience and relaxing Restaurant was mostly good n great variety but not everything was top quality Once we experienced a foul smell at the room but we had the suites they were comfortable but one thing is that we didn’t have a dental kit or ironing equipment unless asked for Location was close to a touristic street that lead to the “Medina” Many markets on it It is the calmer one of Bel and Royal but you get access to bel azur if u want to do any activities Mr Walid Ben Abdullah really made our breakfasts comfortable and amazing He was very welcoming and helpful and always there for us

Such a beautiful resort, amazing service and incredible food, every evening live entertainment on the terrace. I would like to thank all the staff, but I would particularly like to thank our breakfast and lunch server (Walid Bin Abdullah) he was so attentive and efficient and always so cheerful and welcoming, he made our stay so very special. I can thoroughly recommend staying here.

Firstly I would like to say that I can’t understand the thoughts behind any negative reviews on this hotel, it’s absolutely amazing but each to their own I guess. We booked via TUI and from the moment we arrived we were so looked after, we had our cases brought into reception for us and the welcome reception team were great. We arrived early so had to wait just a couple of hours for our room to be ready so we had a drink and look around and lunch in the restaurant until our room was ready and our bags were brought up. We booked a junior suite which was really big and gave our holiday that extra luxury feel. I would recommend getting one, cleaned everyday and fresh towels and linen each day. The hotel is very clean and tidy, every area is well looked after. The 3 pools are amazing and very clean and the pool team / lifeguards are very friendly, if you can’t find a sun lounger just ask and they will help. These loungers are very comfortable and we did pop down early to pick out our favourite spots with our towels, some people did this some didn’t, it’s up to you. Evening entertainment is fairly low key but we enjoyed it, they also had the World Cup games on in the big TV room. The gardens of an evening are just beautiful with lots of outdoor seating areas to enjoy. The waiters around the pool are great and a little tip would be to ask one for a drinks menu as one isn’t displayed at the pool bar, you’ll be surprised what is included. I would suggest to the hotel that a drinks menu is presented at the outside bar to make it easier to choose. Beer on draft is a little weak but still tasty and nice and cold, cocktails are a little sweet but simply pick another one to try from the menu or make up your own, we had a few vodka, lemon and sodas which were great with lots of ice. Red, white or rose with dinner was lovely. The food is the best thing about staying here, now we are not fussy so we had plenty to choose from, especially at breakfast. Remember you’re not in England so don’t expect the food to be like it is at home. Try new things, ask questions and you’ll get to taste new dishes. You get a meal in the Italian restaurant within the resort for 1 night during your stay, it’s great and feels spectacular with great views. The waiters in the restaurants are so good, we sat outside for breakfast and lunch and inside for dinner, lots of room and so much choice for food, the salads especially. The beach is very clean and the sea beautiful, have a drink at the included beach bar and enjoy the view. All the staff here are so friendly and will do anything for you, but if course you’re going to get a better service if you tip. We gave 10 dinar to the ones who were serving us every few days and it works well. Didn’t have to move to get new drinks delivered or good service so yeah tips helped but 10 dinar is just £2.50 so it’s nothing. Our our very minor negative would the be the spa, staff at the spa reception were not very welcoming and we had some confusion over a treatment booking. It was sorted but we decided not to use the spa again. The pools in the spa were not as nice as the pools at the hotel and you have to pay. If you want to do some water-sports ask at reception as they have a guide rather than walking down the road. We would like to personally thank are, Guest relations - Zaineb, Reception- Chokri, Outside Bar - Mohedine & Wajih, Pool attendants - Barhene and Wissa, Restaurant Waiter - Arbi and Karim, Fahri, Night bar - Ousama and Mo, plus the exclusive chef Sassi who’s team work so hard to make very meal delicious. Also learn a little Tunisian as it goes a long way and makes it fun.

The Hotel is listed as a 5 Star accommodation/Hotel. I would struggle to give 2 stars!! 99% of the staff were very unfriendly. Floors were not hoovered for days. The whole place could do with a good make over, handles in the lift loose, lights in the lift not working. It was hit and miss whether you got a both towel or bath sheet. I would have thought for a 5 star hotel that the whole service would have been much better. If you are thinking of staying here, good luck in getting a Sunbed unless you are an early riser, normally all gone by 7:30! There is an indoor pool, however this is closed! 3 restaurants, however one only opens in winter! The à la carte restaurant save your time, limited food choice and will have to wait for a refill on your drinks, more like a busy toby restaurant. Our experience of a 11 day stay was actually put on a bad foot from the greeting at reception on arrival, yet again unfriendly and very non informative.

Today I would like to talk about one of the staff members working there. I have only words of praise regarding the hotel itself and our stay, but those aspects can be found in other reviews. I hope this hotel sees this review and considers giving a salary increase to the gentleman who served us for 7 days, both at breakfast in the morning and at lunchtime. He is a very attentive, hardworking, and sociable man. He remembered his guests, their preferred tables, and what each person drank. I have never seen someone more dedicated and faster in their work. Before our glass of water was even finished, he was already refilling it. He is the best employee we have ever encountered. He deserves to be more than just a waiter. His name is Walid Ben Abdull (I hope I have spelled it correctly). We would like to sincerely thank him once again.

Very nice experience Walid Bin Abdullah was very attentive and friendly at breakfast and lunch . Top notch service