Monastir, Vincci Nour Palace Resort

Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Italy, France, Greece, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and others I have forgotten, and then came the Vincci Nour Palace in Tunisia. Never again.

Most times during the day we walked down to the beach. If you turn right and walk for about 5 minutes, you come to a little van stall which sells food and drinks. It is so much cheaper than the Vincci Nour Palace Resort, and it's family run. The children were really sweet. We had lunch there every day, and the panini's and homemade chips were lovely. It is right on the beach too - heaven. In the evening turn right out of hotel front gates and walk for 5 to 10 minutes to the local shops. There is a supermarket there too. There's a young boy who has a stall which sells leather sandals for £2.50 - bargain!!

I would recommend this hotel to anyone. If you're on your own, as a couple or a family you will have a great time. I can't wait to go back. I'd love my fiance to book it up for us again!!! Please?

It seemed that the week we went to the Vincci Nour Palace Resort in Monastir was the cross over between off season and on season, so to speak. At the beginning the beach wasn't cleaned, but just before we left they started to tidy up the grounds, and it looked much nicer.

There is a variety of things to do on the beach, as well as places to re-freshen the throat and refill the stomach. We chose to encourage a local chap in his van (like an ice cream van). He is still working on his English, but we got to understand each other very well. You will find it a little way down to the right of the hotel on the beach with the sea on your left.

We found that the shops at the airport before you go through customs had the best prices of all, and you could still barter.

The Friday market in Mahdia is an experience. As soon as you arrive a man will come up to you from nowhere and claim to know you from your hotel, which he will be able to name (the taxi man will have told him somehow). Just be firmly polite and walk on. One holiday maker experienced this far away from the hotel in another city, and he went by train! It is all a ploy to get you to buy carpets.

There are official carpet sellers who will have it shipped to your home, but still expect to pay well for them. Though they are lovely.

There is one restaurant, we found, that women can go in (many are men only). There is a 'round about' in the middle of the market. If you face the ocean standing in the middle, it is just behind you on your left on the corner. There are toilets there too, that you can get into with a key. Just remember to pull up the knob on the tank to flush... Then run! just in case!

The market is where you can get good deals. The trick is to know how much you want to pay. Our tour guide explained that you should pay 1/3 of what they tell you the price is... If they say that the hubblybubbly is crystal and not glass (we couldn't tell the difference) and that it is 100 Dinar, you offer 20, he will say something like "what you take me for?" and offer you 50 Dinar. You say no way, and offer 25. He will laugh with you (you should be laughing as it can be fun), and he will offer say 40, and you say no and offer 30. He will say no, so you walk away. He will come after you. A few won't, but then you have to decide if you really want it or not. But you should know that first.

Beware of being pulled into a shop or stall, but most keepers are friendly. Just keep your head about you and don't feel guilty. You are not the first to walk in and not the last.

Oh yes... The local drug store or pharmacist has good pain killers if needed. They dissolve in water; like the plunk plunk fizz fizz (can't recall the name), but they are very good. A couple of ounces of water with one is good for regular headaches, and two for a hangover!

For women... If you need sanitary products, you won't find them in the hotel or in town. You will find them in a mall like area outside the hotel to your right, about a 5 minute walk on the opposite side of the road. You will also find public phones and a food market. Just watch the sell by dates!

If you are of the explorer nature, then the trains will come in handy as they are so close. Otherwise I didn't find them noisy or intrusive to the peace and quiet that we sought. Buy a tour book before you go though, as there isn't a lot in English.

We took our own tea bags.

The hotel pool is lovely, but it is cold at the time of year that we went. Although there were some tough souls that took the jump.

The animation team were a bunch of young adults whose job it was to make sure we had fun. They did their jobs well. Personally, I think they had it good. They got to play all day in the sun, and got paid for it.

We were told that it gets very hot in the height of summer. Too hot even for the locals, who found it still very cool when we were all steadily roasting.

You know I could go on and on, as we had such a great time. If you have other questions please leave a comment.

Going on this holiday is worth it. When looking at other reviews check out when they were there, and consider what was important to them and whether it makes them a high maintenance holiday maker. By the way, there were no flies or roaches; not one! And no mosquitoes. Oh, and we saw a dolphin out with a fishing boat. So keep your eyes open.

Well I have said enough. Again if you have questions...

Take care, have a fantastic holiday and please say hello to Mahjoub and to the camel man. He is shorter than the boat man, and not so tubby. I wish I could remember his name! Tell them that a man they all called Rambo and his little wife remember them and wish them well. Even the Jasmin boy. You may even see our photo as you enter the hotel restaurant where they take and display photos. Have a great holiday! I wish I could go with you!

Bare in mind that 5* in Tunisia is not 5* Four seasons in New York. The Monastir Vincci Nour Palace Resort was the best hotel of its class that I visited (5 in both Madhia and the north). Very clean, although as it was built in 2002, it is coming to the time for some TLC. A little too much leaning towards the German visitors with the Jazz music and food, but overall GREAT!

Thankfully did not read negative reviews before booking holiday to Monastir Vincci Nour Palace Resortor would have missed what turned out to be a really enjoyable trip. The hotel was fine with friendly staff always willing to help. Rooms and facilities other than the gym were fine. With the train station just minutes walk from the hotel, we were able to visit other towns. Must mention our rep Cheryl who was very helpful and helped organise our day trip to Tunis.

Monastir Vincci Nour Palace Resort

1. Flies crawling all over restaurant food.

2. Mouldy bathroom, single sheets on double bed.

3. In American Bar, an insistence that wine is not opened in front of you?

4. From £13 for a bottle of wine which all tastes awful.

5. Do not touch the mini bar (prices).

6. Verbally and sexually harrassed in Mahdia Town even though I was with my boyfriend.

Vincci Nour Palace Resort:

I am very happy that I went on this holiday and I'm hoping to go back again next year. If you are planning to go I would recommend that you take plenty of money, food and alcohol with you. Also take part in the animation activities to enjoy your holiday more and talk to the staff they are very kind and fun once you get to know them enough. Also if you have a mobile and are planning to phone home off it I recommend that you top it up enough before you leave it is something like £1 a minute. Yes it is true only BBC World is English speaking and most songs on the music channel, but who wants to watch TV when there on holiday?.

Vincci Nour Palace Resort:

BULLET POINTS not in any particular order

*Three hole course, do not take clubs the nearest one is one hour away.

*Antiquated gym.

*No English TV apart from World News.

*Lack of quality entertainment in a very smokey environment.

*Restaurant staff need a lesson in Hygene sneezing over food and in hands and then handling the food!! and one of these was the Head Waiter.

We were invaded by 500 locals for the weekend, this happened on both weekends, these were the days the restaurant turned into a pigsty at its best.

*The drains could not cope, the sweet stench of sewerage was sickening at the best of times but this spewed through and around the hotel at the weekends, the reception staff blamed the BBQ @ 8am!!

*The eggs were raw along with the chicken.

*The buffet, breakfast and dinner was awful, I took my own coffee and cereal, thank heavens i did. Oranges and figs were the only fruits and after every one had man handles them, nothing was edible.

Roaches crawling around the juice machines, coffee mugs had very large chips in them!!

*The locals manners were appalling they would try the food before by putting their fingers into it to try before.

*Lack of toilet paper and soap in hotel toilets.

*Steam Room was the dirtiest I have ever had the displeasure to be in.

*Dirty fridge in our room.

*Dont drink there products out of the minibar 4-6 times the price of the local bar and restaurant.

*Hotel wine 2/3 more expensive than the local bar

bottle bear 50% more. Do not sign for anything at the bar you will be charged a persentage when you leave for the privalege. Piano bar barman will pour you beer when you have not asked for it (he must be on commission)

*We had to smuggle the water into hotel 500m in the local shop for 2lt but in the hotel 1.500 for 200ml. some people had their water confiscated, the front guard house was full on this confiscated water.

*Not much choice for children, their local ice cream is disgusting. English branded Ice Cream in Hotel was 5d but in the local shop or just along the beach it was 2 to 3 denar.

* The beach was the dirtiest we have ever been to, bottles, rubbish and natural sponges were all over the beach and never cleaned up.

Vincci Nour Palace Resort is definitely NOT a five star hotel by any standard, more like three star! Long dark corridors with awful carpet-warn out and full of stains. Rooms very basic and non-sea facing rooms look into a disused ugly plot of land. Reception staff lack basic knowledge and not too helpful. Location not too good and Mahdia itself is featureless.

The Monastir Vincci Nour Palace Resort is a 3* hotel by international standards.

It is a pretty good base to go out and see Tunisia but not for those that want activities and things to do close by. Young girls on their own will find it awkward, but for the most part you can get out and about with out any serious grief. Much more tolerable than Egypt and the inevitable encounters will carpet sales men is not too distressing. This resort maybe much better in the warmer months as off season you feel as though you are waiting in a airport to go home. Many people who wanted a quiet break did express the enjoyment of staying here. The food is Typical of the region, a full range buffet which suits most people but won't satisfy everyone. We went out on the trains most days and hired a car and made the most of it so to be fair we have no real complaint. Don't be off put by the roads, they are pretty good compared with the rest of Africa etc.

You have to pay a fair bit to play ping pong / golf etc, but pool tables cheap. There is a luke warm 'juccuzzi' and an indoor pool of sorts too.