Dar Ammar in Mahdia

The hotel has a lot going for it. Staff were generally warm and welcoming, and most seemed to take pride in their work - from catering to housekeeping to the day-to-day running of the hotel.

We booked one room but were pleasantly surprised with a free upgrade to two rooms connected by an internal door. It felt like a private suite for the price of one. The bathroom was clean, spacious, and modern, and the rooms were cleaned daily, including the toilet.

The hotel was quite busy with international tourists, which shows how popular it is. Despite that, it felt very safe and well-managed, with proper on-site security throughout.

There’s also an astroturf football pitch nearby that’s open to the public. We didn’t use it, but it was good to have close by.

We had lunch on the first day and really enjoyed it, so it was surprising to read some of the negative reviews online. The buffet had a wide selection of dishes, and there was fresh fruit available for dessert.

There are a couple of drawbacks. The location isn’t central, so you’ll need a taxi to get into the heart of El Jem. Also, taxis can be unreliable. We asked the hotel to book one for the airport at 7:30 am, and they were adamant it had been arranged - but it never showed up. Reception couldn’t reach the driver and didn't provide proof or details of the booking, so we still don’t know if it was ever properly confirmed. Because of that, we missed our flight, which was incredibly frustrating. A private individual kindly offered to take us - for half the price - but by then it was too late. Definitely worth arranging transport independently and having a backup plan.

Breakfast is the same every day and not a buffet. It’s a fixed menu, so it can get repetitive. That said, you can have it at any time, which is a convenient touch.

Overall, the hotel delivered on comfort, cleanliness, and general friendliness. But the airport transfer situation left a bad final impression. I’d consider staying again, but I wouldn’t rely on the hotel to arrange anything time-sensitive.

A comfortable and clean hotel but definitely room for improvement. No water or coffee in rooms, very limited menu, breakfast is relatively basic, no pool like advertised and wifi doesn't work in some rooms (mine this time). The hotel also smelt - possibly a drain problem especially after a shower. Overall, a nice place but definitely room for improvement for the price.

This seems to be the go to lunch stop for all El Jem tours. The meal was included in the tour price. It has a huge clean modern restaurant and lunch is a hot buffet, the line of which moves very slowly. The food was OK, drinks are extra and are brought to your table. Good toilets and a pleasant little gift shop

We stayed here for one night. The staff were friendly, the room was lovely. The waiter who served us breakfast was very nice and made some jokes with us even though we didn't speak the same language. Would return back here. Good value for money.