Yasmine Thalassa Shalimar

Having just come back from the Shalimar Hotel in Hammamet (myself, my husband and our three young children), I can say it's a very clean hotel set in lovely grounds. There was no shortage of sunbeds, and the service was good. Food was excellent, although the menu did not change all week. If you don't speak French, expect no entertainment as it's all in French, and there is no help from the hotel. The hotel is totally French. Even the signs are in French. The hotel staff speak very little or no English.

The rooms are nice, although we did have to change rooms because the air conditioning was not working, and you will need it! Although the room was clean, the maid did not come every day.

Being all inclusive, you would probably expect a lot of alcohol, but actually, your choice of alcohol is limited, unless you are willing to pay. This also proves to be a pain, as beer and spirits are served in two different bars. The outside bar only did soft drinks, so if you're sitting by the pool and want a beer, throw your clothes back on and head to the bars inside.

Be prepared to take the stairs to your room as the lifts took ages to come (that's when they did work). The bars in the hotel shut at 11pm, and you have no chance of getting anything apart from water after 11pm. If you do feel brave enough to leave the hotel, expect to be ripped off everywhere you go, and we even got charged to go inside the market place. You will definitely get hassled, but if there is something you like, haggle big time and you will get that bargain. The beach is lovely, although you can get hassled if you move away from the rope area that belongs to the hotel. You do have to leave the hotel and walk down the road to get to the beach, so don't listen if they tell you the hotel is beach fronted or close to the beach. In the mornings you can get camel rides, and in the evening you can get pony rides. Again they will tell you one price then double or triple it after.

There are plenty of excursions to do, but they are pretty pricey, and expect to pay rip off prices at some restaurants.

Overall, it was a good holiday, but I don't think I would go there again. If you can not speak French, then this hotel is definitely not for you, especially if you have children - there is only so much swimming they can do. Forget evening entertainment. I wouldn't say it's really a family hotel as the clientele were mainly couples or grown-ups in a group. There were a few English families at this hotel, but after dinner they disappeared to their rooms, as there is nothing to do. Expect little or no help from the hotel reception staff, and if you want a safe, don't expect it to be bigger than the size of a letterbox. You will have to get the key from reception every time you want to use the safe, as the safes are in a back room off the reception area.

The weather was excellent, and it got hotter each day. If you go Tunisia, I recommend you pay for the Star Wars experience. It was fantastic! Slap on the sun cream because you will need it!