Occidental Sousse Marhaba

We returned to this hotel after staying here last year, so I think it’s fair to compare the two experiences. Our arrival this year was after 11pm. I’m a single parent travelling with my 12-year-old daughter, who is autistic, so after a long day of travelling I asked if something could be brought to the room rather than having to go back down to the restaurant with suitcases. Last year there had been a lovely late arrival platter waiting in the room with salad, bread rolls and a selection of meats. This year I was told the restaurant was still open, but when I explained the situation and asked if something could be sent up, what arrived was very disappointing – a plate containing grated carrot, raw cabbage, two olives, half a slice of cheese and butter, but no bread. It certainly wasn’t the welcome we remembered. The following morning reminded us why we had returned. It was fantastic to see the pool attendant and the gentleman serving drinks around the pool still there. They are an absolute credit to this hotel. Every day they made sure guests had sunbeds and parasols, and nothing ever seemed too much trouble. The same can be said for the beach staff, the pool bar staff, the beach bar staff and the animation team, who were all friendly, hardworking and helped create a really relaxing atmosphere. One area that has definitely improved since last year is the snack bar. Instead of mainly paninis and croissants, there were freshly cooked chips, pizza and pasta dishes, which were excellent. In fact, we enjoyed the snack bar so much that we didn’t go to lunch in the main restaurant once. Unfortunately, dinner was the biggest disappointment. The evening buffet felt very repetitive, with many of the same dishes appearing night after night. After several days we started eating in local restaurants instead, which turned out to be a great decision. The food locally was delicious, very reasonably priced and gave us much more variety. If I stayed here again on an all-inclusive basis, I would definitely budget for eating out on some evenings. The restaurant service also wasn’t quite as attentive as we experienced last year. Previously, the waiters were very proactive with drinks, especially if you tended to sit in the same area. This year we often had to look around for someone to order a drink, and sometimes it didn’t arrive until we were almost finished eating. My biggest disappointment was the checkout experience. The evening before leaving I asked if a late checkout might be possible and was told to ask again in the morning. I went to reception around 9am and was then told to return at 10am. When I came back, the same receptionist simply said the hotel was fully booked and it wasn’t possible. I completely understand that late checkout cannot always be accommodated, but it would have been much better to have been told that from the beginning rather than making multiple trips to reception. There was no discussion about what time we were leaving or whether there were any alternatives. This was particularly difficult as my daughter had developed an ear infection and wasn’t feeling well. Our transfer wasn’t until 5pm, so having access to the room for even a little longer would have made a huge difference. We had to leave our suitcases in the lobby, and when I went to use the shower facilities there was nowhere secure to leave passports, handbags and valuables, so everything had to come into the shower cubicle with me. When I asked for advice, the response wasn’t particularly helpful. Housekeeping was another area that had declined. After a day at the beach there was some sand on the floor, and I expected it would be cleaned the following day. It wasn’t. The sand remained for several days, suggesting the floor hadn’t been properly cleaned. On one afternoon we returned to the room around 3.30pm to find it hadn’t been serviced at all—no clean towels, no toilet roll and no housekeeping. I had to contact reception before anything was done. Overall, this is still a good-value hotel with some fantastic staff who genuinely make the holiday enjoyable. The pool attendants, beach staff, animation team and bar staff deserve enormous credit because they work incredibly hard and really enhance the guest experience. However, compared with our stay last year, housekeeping, restaurant service and the evening food have slipped. None of these things completely ruined our holiday, and we still had a lovely time in Tunisia, but they did make enough of a difference that next time I think we’d choose to try a different hotel. If you’re considering staying here, I’d still say it’s good value for money. Just don’t be afraid to explore the local restaurants for dinner—they’re excellent, affordable and well worth visiting

Had a lovely relaxing week. The food was varied and Mohammed in the restaurant looked after us every day - he's a credit to the hotel. The young lifeguard (didn't get his name) was also lovely and brought us a parasol every day - much appreciated! The staff really do make this hotel - very friendly and helpful. Wouldn't hesitate to return.

Great animation team, fun and helpful throughout. Lots of different activities throughout the day. Something for all.

Great hotel and great food and great staff

The animation team was great a brilliant experience all around especially madi and smiley

Having a fantastic time, animation team are hard working and very friendly. They keep us entertained and have a good programme so you don't get bored. Pool and bar staff give us waiter service. Overall would come back

A truly unforgettable holiday! The hotel is beautiful, the staff are welcoming, and everything was well organized. A special thank you to the animation team especially( habiba .kasem from kids club ) for bringing so much energy, joy, and fun every single day. Their shows, games, and activities made our stay extra special. You created wonderful memories that we'll never forget. Highly recommended, and we can't wait to come back!

Had a wonderful stay at Occidental Marhaba! A special thanks to the animation team for bringing so much energy and fun every day. You truly made the holiday unforgettable!

the hotel is great, the servants are excellent, the food too. The animators are active all day long

Lovely hotel. We stayed here for 4 nights for our anniversary. The staff were great. Sahbi Ghzal went above and beyond to make our stay special. The weather was hot so we stayed on site and chilled. Good variety of food every night. Entertainment was fabulous. A little mark down for a little slowness on times with bringing drinks if ordered but easy enough to pop to the bar and room cleaner didn't top up toilet roll, toilettries or do room on last night (no real issue as leaving early anyway)

Amazing hotel with very frendly staff specially the animation team they do very hard work day and night big thanks to our friend ruby she is lovely and supper friendly out of 10

Our holiday at the Occidental has been five star all the way, food, rooms and particularly the Animation staff especially Ruby she has made our holiday x

Experience was amazing, staff and animation team made the atmosphere and were super fun and entertaining. Ruby and Yaseen (smiley) were exceptional and genuinely fabulous people.

My third time here already booked for next year, great beach, fantastic staff really look after you, management easy to talk to, comfortable rooms.

Fantastic hotel, animation team is 10/10 smile goes above and beyond too get everyone to join in and make your holiday the best it can be; you’ll no who he is, he’s never without a smile. Restaurant was also good, Mohammed was absolutely fantastic again went above and beyond for us, would definitely recommend & can’t wait too come back again 🥰

The hotel is beautiful, the animation is great, food is good, everywhere is clean, the pool is very big, the beach is beautiful and the staff are very friendly

Just returned from our third visit and yet again not disappointed. For the money you pay you get a great deal. The service from start to finish is extremely good. Check in and out was fast and efficient. The staff really are amazing and can’t do enough for you . Sam at the pool bar is far the best and attentive bar man I have ever come across . He feels like a real friend and we look forward to seeing him again. He always has a huge smile and makes sure you don’t have to worry about a thing. He is a credit to the hotel. The entertainment team has been changed since our last visit but they are just as amazing as the old gang. They all make sure there is something going on all day . The evening sounds good to me but am unable to attend due to lights flashing as I am epileptic. I watch from the bar at the lobby where the staff are fab and tend to all needs. There is a little lady named Houda mighri that tirelessly cleans after people around the pool, she never stops and always has a smile on her face. She keeps the toilets extremely clean and I don’t think she gets the recognition she so rightly deserves from guests. She is amazing. Also Matt who cleans the pool in the mornings and makes sure you have an umbrella and clean towels. They really are amazing and a big factor to why we come back time after time. The hotel rooms are a little tired and could do with some attention but in all it’s a lovely place. Food is good although can be very samey after a while but there are great cheap places to eat near by. The beach is stunning , very well looked after with clear water.

I had a wonderful experience at this hotel The room was spacious and spotless the staff were welcoming and the overall atmosphere was relaxing Thank you for making my stay so enjoyable I would definitely come back

Is the best destination for a relaxing holiday I would love to comeback whenever I need a rest