Dar Khayam

ive been to dar khayam 3 times and i ejoy it we are going again in august the staff are really helpful and friendly, the entertainment staff work really hard. the food is basic the rooms are fine plenty of places to visit

I am at this moment sat in the foyer of the Dar Khayam Hotel in Hammamet. We are here for 2 weeks and have just had our first week here. I think the people who slate the hotel are a little harsh. It's clean, tidy and has a great entertainment set up for both adults and kids in the daytime. I have 2 kids with me, one 15 and one 16 (with special needs). My SN son is having a whale of a time in the pool and goes to the entertainment in the evening. My daughter is a little bored but she doesn't find it easy to make friends like my son. The hotel has wifi which is FREE but you can only get it in the downstairs lobby but is better than nothing and better than paying for their internet service they provide on their computers.

I'm pleased I read a few reviews before I came as it prepared me for a few things. Firstly, if you intend on bringing gadgets which need power, bring an extension lead. I'm glad I did as there is only one socket in the bedroom. Secondly, if you're not into the entertainment, bring a lap top and a load of films to watch. Next tip is to bring an HDMI lead if you want to attach your lappy to the TV. I was amazed to find an HDMI flat screen TV in the room but didn't bring a lead. First place I tried wanted the equivalent of £38 for one and in Carrefour they wanted £11 but still more than £1.99 off Ebay so I didn't bother.

The only complaint I would have is the food. I am sick to death of it all if I'm honest. Breakfast is generally the same every day and never have I wished for bacon like I do now. No sign of it. Ham and salami are what I would call Spam. Lunch is generally similar to dinner with a variety of food but unless you love bony fish, deep fried god knows what and chewy beef, you're stuck with the pasta. Oh for some cheese sauce to go on the pasta though. It's mainly tomato sauce and nothing much more. Deserts look gorgeous but all taste the same - dry and tasteless. I am far from being the only person to complain about the food and as a rule, I will eat most things and have never been abroad without finding something to eat but everything seems to be laced with one flavour which I've not been able to put my finger on yet! The food by the pool is generally better than in the restaurant, although the chips are nice in the day (you need to top up with something edible as lunch and dinner leave you feeling totally exasperated and you land up eating hardly anything) but by the evening, I think the leftovers from the day are re-fried and are generally revolting.

There is a nice little restaurant over the road called Orangina and they do lovely fresh squeezed orange juice which if you're anything like me and don't like living on pure carbs, it does get the internal bits working! They do a Big Mac which is amazingly very nice and they use hamburger cheese which is the best tasting cheese I have had here. I personally wouldn't touch the stuff in the UK but out here, just for a taste of cheese is a bonus. They don't know what cheese is I think!

The Arabs are on the whole very pleasant. I did have a bit of a problem with a doorman who wouldn't leave me alone and had a body odour problem and I had to have a word with the rep about him. It got to the stage I was having to make large detours to avoid the man. I've been to Arab countries before and know the crack but sometimes enough is enough and when you can't even sit on your laptop without them reading what you're writing then it gets a bit much. However, the quiet word seems to have helped and I hope he hasn't lost his job over it. This is how they are and it's their culture so if you're not into being bombarded with niceness then don't come to an Arab country.

We went on the Pirate Ship trip and that was very pleasant. BBQ'd lunch was guess what - yep, pasta! Oh, and BBQ'd fish which I can only presume were sardines. I do wonder if these people eat anything other than pasta and fish! Be warned though, they do try very hard for you to join in with the entertainment on the ship which if you're like me and my kids, isn't fun as we're not the joining in type and prefer to watch. This gets a bit irritating after a while.

One other tip is if you suffer with your back or coccyx, then bring a cushion. The seats everywhere are all very hard and after a while, your back and bum know it!

The swimming pools are all freezing cold so unless you are immune to this then it's not the most tempting pastime. My son is immune and has been in every day but I tried it and decided holidays are for enjoyment, not torture.

All in all, it's a very nice holiday bar the food which has been a total let down but I guess they can't please everyone all of the time but it would be nice to have more variety and food with flavour.

We have just come back from a weeks holiday at the Dar Khyman, 12th Sept 2010. F.Y.I. there are two hotels next to each other one of which is called Dar Khyman and the other Omar dar khyman they are sister hotels but together they are known as the Dar Kyhman hotels.

Well what can i say about the Dar Khyman ( i think i am spelling it right )

2 hour delay on departure from U.K

2 hours to get through passport control at Monastir airport

2 hour transfer from airport to hotel, after being told only one hour transfer.

Hotel - awfull

Food - awfull

entertainment for adults - awfull

Al a carte meal, one visit alllowed per week - would not have fed it to my dog.

cleanliness of hotel - awfull

rooms - not too bad, but no kettle to make a cuppa when you get up

You can get a sunlounger by the side of the pool, [ which also leaves a lot to be desired ] but you have to pay for a mattress to go on it.

The food at the pool side snack bar is better than the food in the reastraunt at least that is just about edible.

The drinks are all very very weak, you could drink a full bottle of spirits and still walk a striaght line and speak normally

The Beach - well we never managed to get sunbed on the small privte beach but dont think we really wanted to because it looked dirty and rubbish blowing around which had been there all week.

The only positive thing we can say about this hotel is that the T.V in the room had a fantastic english channel and the bathroom was a good size

There are always plenty of taxis outside the hotel so at least you can go elsewhere, the fares are very cheap.

Outside the hotel there is realy nothing there just a few shops.

So all in all not a very enjoyable place to be, so please please think twice before you go there.

We did actually get speaking to a couple who said that they were there 2 years ago and it was very good and couldnt believe how it had gone down and that they will not to back either.

It was our first time in tunisia and it will be our last, we also noticed that very little in written in english i.e. on the menus outside the reatraunts ect ect.

first of all....tunisia is no longer in the third world!!! the people are friendly and very hospitable!! dar khayam is great for a 3 star hotel,although the food of late lets it down.(it used to be great)the staff in general are great,and the entertainment team try so hard.i've been a regular visitor to tunisia for many years,and tried hotels and renting villas.dar khayam will always make you feel welcome!! you also have the advantage of being between hammamet centre and nabeul,which i find better for shopping.i agree that the drinks are probably watered down,cos you can drink till the cows come home.lol,and you still won't be drunk!!!but hey,is that a bad thing??the beer isn't as strong as ours,and the wine is well watered. but it's a great country with lovely warm welcoming people.enjoy.

Excellent holiday at Dar Khayam. Thank you guys so much for making the holiday brilliant, all staff and animation.

Miss everything about hotel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We stayed at the Dar Kayham in April 09, Usually I look at reviews before I book a holiday but this was arranged by friends so I looked after the holiday had been decided. I read through them and thought maybe this wasn't such a good choice but I'm very pleased to say it was a great choice. We arrived on a cloudy wet day but when we got to the hotel it was very welcoming. The rooms are very basic but clean and as it's all inclusive there is no drinks making facilities, as I'm an early riser I took my own to have a cuppa while waiting for the rest of my party to join me. We enjoyed this holiday so much that after being home a week we booked to go again in October!

Really liked the entertainment, food was great, really friendly people. Excellent weather. Bad points no privacy. The Dar Khayam excellent holiday overall!!

All the people, waiters are really nice, I really cant wait to go back whenever we go :)....I didn't want to come back I was kind of upset when we had to come back here to England, I just loved it there! :)

If you want the best holiday in the world go to the Sar Khayam and the best thing about it was the entertainment. I'd highly recommend to all.

Loved it. 24th June 2008 for 2 weeks. The holiday was fantastic, family of four but felt like myself and my partner, the kids were away that often with a member of the animation team. Whole holiday was fantastic we have no faults well one, we had to leave and come home to reality! Going back next year definitely. From the day we arrived to the day we left what more can I say! The animation team were fab loved them all.