Occidental Marco Polo

This was my first time in tunisia and to stay at the Maro polo hotel. Here is a brakedown of my experience. Hotel: the hotel is clean and comfortable however there are areas of the hotel that need fixing e.g there was brocken locks on the toilet doors round the hotel . Also the hotel charge you for using the safe and want money for a pool towel. Staff, all the members of staff are hard working and nothing is no trouble for them. Food ; the breakfast needs improvements as a person who cannot eat eggs this is where i struggling to find something to eat as you only had limited options ( but you had 4 kinds of eggs stactions ) Also everyday their was only 2 kinds of fruits it would be nice if you had a bigger selection e.g some apples. Also the cocktails are a bit water down. They're was a few issues with my room.( the shower did not work and other time the shower curtain fell down , but they where fixed and repaired quickly Wifi works well around the hotel. The entertainment team. The whole team are friendly and they make sure everyone is having a good time. I really enjoyed the pool party 🥳. I have stayed in lots of other hotels and don't think this is quite a 5 star yet but it could be with some improvements ( like some freebie in the mini fridge , and a hotel face lift , and some towel art ) The only big issue is the lack of response when you email the hotel about some questions before booking and also they need some more room details on the website. Overall if you are looking for a week away then don't rule out this hotel.

We’ve just returned from Marco Polo, and had amazing time. Room Was clean and spacious with actual double bed (not the usual two singles pushed together) and a newly fitted bathroom. Air conditioning was adequate. It looked partly over the main restaurant, as I’m an early riser 4.30 I was quite surprised to see people coming out the restaurant about 5ish with white cups in their hand. Thank you!! Thank you!! (Huge coffee drinker in the morning )the restaurant was open for you to get coffee /tea and they were even fruit and pastries please bare in mind the restaurant isn’t fully open and staff are extremely busy cleaning and preparing for breakfast service Pool Was clean and warm, and the swim up bar was a lovely relaxing atmosphere to sit and cool down. Sun beds They always seemed to plenty of empty sun beds available, also the maintenance staff were busy putting Straw Umbrellas on the grass area and new sunbeds were delivered. Beach Beautiful crystal clear warm sea , could walk about 50meters plus out only came to waist height ( I will only go in the sea if I can see the bottom) unfortunately due to lazy irresponsible individuals who have no concern for the environment or wildlife the beach was littered in plastic bottles which is no fault of the hotel Food Breakfast consists of fresh fruit, omelette pancakes, bambalouni (like a donut) cheese, meats salads and fried vegetables and fish, Restaurant We used the pool restaurant during the day it was less busy and piano music was enjoyable to listen to you could get fresh salads, fruit, fish, selection of cakes vegetables, pizzas, variety of meats in different sauces pastas and chips beef in gravy was delicious. Main restaurant at night Mainly the same as pool restaurant, but more variety of dishes and seafood. Staff Guest relations They spoke to us a few times round the pool asking if everything was okay, and if we had any problems with our room /pool/ restaurant etc ( we were happy nothing to complain about) so please if you have anything that bothers you just chat with them Reception was always friendly and very professional. Housekeeping changed towels daily, and made beautiful art with them. Pool bar staff Bar staff busy and also walking around pool asking if you like a drink etc Main bar staff Friendly and professional, always managed to remember your drinks. We were there week commencing 22nd June please can you thank your members of staff for their hard work and friendly mannerism which made our holiday a memorable one.

Very poor animation . Very poor standard room. Nothing to do .

We had an amazing stay at the Marco Polo Hotel in Tunisia and couldn’t have asked for a better holiday. Our room was spacious, comfortable, and had a large balcony which was perfect for relaxing. We did have a couple of minor issues with the air conditioning and the toilet flusher, but as soon as we reported them, they were both fixed within the hour. The quick response and excellent service really impressed us. The pool was always spotless, and the swim-up bar was fantastic – a great place to relax and enjoy the day. Every member of staff we met was friendly, welcoming, and went above and beyond to make us feel at home throughout our stay. A special mention has to go to guest relations, Mohamed Aziz. He was always checking in to make sure everything was perfect and genuinely cared about our experience. He also recommended and arranged a fantastic day trip to Tunis and Carthage, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our holiday. His kindness, professionalism, and attention to detail made our stay even more memorable. We were genuinely sad to be leaving and are already looking forward to visiting again in the future. Thank you, Mohamed Aziz, for everything you did to make our holiday so special. We hope to see you again soon!

Hotel itself is a little tired. Lift areas dirty and in disrepair. Bar /Entertainments/Restaurant and cleaning staff, all absolutely exceptional. Reception staff very hit and miss, a distinct lack of English speaking staff at times. Food was reasonably good, as where the drinks. A real lack of sunbeds and umbrellas, despite being told you can't reserve sunbeds, most are taken by 7am by other guests towels. This really does need to be looked at. We saw sunbeds being used for 30mins, but they were reserved all day with towels. Excursions staff an absolute pest, I don't expect this when within the hotel grounds. Also hotel excursions overpriced and not as well run as 3rd party organisations (we did both). The beach was a disappointment also, constantly pestered by vendors, very difficult to get peace. Again, the sunbed problem, loungers reserved when apparently this is against hotel policy. Don't have the rule unless you are going to enforce it. Could actually be a really nice place for a holiday, with a few tweaks

Unfortunately the Tui Description for this Hotel & my experience didn’t match; in fact my experience was well short of a 4 star Tunisian Hotel resort. The Pool ; the swim up bar & daytime activities were good . However be prepared for Sunbed Wars which starts around 05/06am. However while I was there extra sunbeds & an area were being prepared for the height of their season. Simple question; why not do it in May ? The Beach is not a good experience. The sand is dirty ; the beach is open to both Camels & Horses ; I couldn’t understand the logic in the Hotels thinking that allowing this type of Donkey Ride Tourist is an attraction? My Room 4121 was so basic that I wondered was I allocated a staff room ? There’s no kettle or drinks making facilities in my room ; probably because there was only 2 power sockets in the entire room? The Rooms all need updating. Bathroom was probably 20 years out of date & I had regular insects & a few cockroaches visit ! But I only slept in my room ! The Food was the Worse experience of my holiday. I can only describe the Food as awful ! In the Evening only 2 Bars were open ; making for a crowded bar areas; over worked bar staff & long waits ! Why wasn’t more bars open in the Evening? Only

Overall experience was okay,but nothing special. Would say more of a 3.5 star. First night was a disaster due to staff giving us a room where the air con did not work, and then when we brought this up they 'fixed' it - however this was not the case. In the end we got transferred rooms, however the manager at the reception for evening/night time staff was very rude and made this difficult. Food was okay - very the same. Location good as can walk into town. Beach - pretty gross. Very dirty, rubbish everywhere, unpleasant. Sea also not clear enough for snorkeling at all. Staff - some very rude. Cleaning ladies and bar staff were lovely. Cleanliness- not great. Bathroom in room very dated and grimy. Bathrooms located through the hotel often had cockroaches in them. Overall a little run down and in need of a reset. Gym - unusable and very unsafe. Equipment simply didn't work - don't think it's been used for 20+ years. Overall okay, however very basic and only just meets basic standards.

Before booking, we used Loveholidays and carefully read the reviews and looked at the pictures. Based on that information, we believed the hotel would match the description. Unfortunately, the reality was completely different. To be honest, this hotel was much worse than we expected and did not look like the pictures shown online. As soon as we arrived, communication was difficult because most of the staff spoke French and very limited English. The room we received was not what we had booked. My sister found bugs on her pillow and had to kill one with her slipper. We reported this to reception, but nothing was done apart from a simple apology. The furniture and beds were very old, worn out, and had an unpleasant smell. The bathroom was dirty and damaged. There were visible repairs with glue or silicone everywhere, and the mirror was chipped on the side, which could easily cause an injury. The room view was nothing like advertised. Another surprise was the tourist tax at reception. We were charged around £25, which was shocking considering we had already paid through Loveholidays. I have stayed in cheaper hotels before and never paid such a high tax. There was also no visible CCTV, which made the hotel feel less secure. The food was actually good, so I cannot complain about that. However, I had an argument with a staff member because guests were not allowed to take food to their rooms due to “safety and hygiene reasons.” This is the first hotel I have ever visited with such a restriction. Some people have medical conditions such as diabetes and may need food available in their room in case of low blood sugar. The hotel management should reconsider this policy. It is also inconvenient for families with young children who may need snacks during the night. The reception staff constantly pushed guests to book activities and excursions. We paid around £80 for a sightseeing tour and were told there would be a guide explaining the history of the places we visited. In reality, it was simply a taxi driver who dropped us off and waited for us. There was no guide and no explanation of the sites we visited. It was very disappointing. The cleaning service was also poor. The room only received a very basic clean. The floor remained dirty, and the bedding was not changed for at least two days. We know this because there was a small chocolate stain on the bed sheet that remained there the entire time. On one occasion we were not given fresh towels and had to ask four times before receiving them, after waiting more than an hour. Another issue was the bedding itself. There was no proper duvet cover, only a thin sheet on the bed. I understand that the weather is hot, but some guests may still get cold at night or have medical conditions. When I asked for an extra cover, I was told they did not have any. Unlike many other hotels, complimentary water was not provided in the room each day. Guests had to go downstairs to get water themselves. We were not the only guests unhappy with the service. Many people had arguments with reception staff, but it did not seem like management cared about the complaints. One of the most concerning issues occurred when my sister fell during an excursion and needed assistance after returning to the hotel. Surprisingly, the hotel did not have a medical room or even basic medical support. We were only given antibacterial spray and a plaster. Even some of the poorest hotels I have stayed in have had better first-aid facilities. Overall, I would not recommend this hotel. Do not rely solely on the reviews and pictures online because our experience was completely different from what was advertised. There were a few positives, such as the food, but the poor room conditions, lack of cleanliness, disappointing customer service, and misleading information made this one of the worst hotel experiences I have had.

I don't recommend this hotel because there aren't enough sunbeds and umbrellas for everyone and they just steal from each other as soon as you go out for breakfast or lunch, and the staff just throws up their hands and can't do anything or doesn't want to.