Concorde Marco Polo Hotel

Stayed here for 2 weeks in July with my husband and 17yr old son, have been to Tunisia before and loved it but have to say this hotel was one of the best I've ever stayed at. Only two negatives so I'll get those out of the way first... 1) unfortunately I had a few small items "taken" from my room over the holiday but didn't actually realise until we were packing to go home, have informed the hotel but not had a response yet. 2) the food is nice but small selection so does get repetitive, the buffet area in main restaurant is far too small for the amount of guests so there are a lot of queues - unless you're Russian as they do not queue, prepare for them to reach over you to get food and try to take the serving spoons from your hand!! They tend to back down, grumbling, if you stand up to them. The waiters in restaurant are lovely. The Mediterranean restaurant, on the left past the pool, is much more civilised at lunchtime and the Asian restaurant is fab, but you have to book this. Onto the positives: Rooms: rooms are big and clean, a safe and a small fridge and bottled water is available at all bars, the bathroom is clean and towels changed everyday. Air con not the best in the world but it got up to 47 degrees whilst we there and it was fine. Only thing is that the corridor is quite dark at night so you struggle to unlock door. Wifi: only available in the lobby, but there's always room to sit. At night you can usually get Wi-Fi outside if you sit near to the doors. Pool: hands down THE best pool I've ever been in, is huge... warm and all one depth, apart from the 2 underwater steps up to the pool bar, banged my toes every single time! Two Jacuzzi parts to the pool that are on twice a day - lovely sat there sipping a cocktail (or two). The guys in the swim up bar are so friendly, love a bit of banter and appreciate a please & thank you as some other guests are just plain rude. The bar stools and little booths are amazing to sit in with your drink. Little tip, don't use the straws they put in your drink as they re-use them by trimming them down!! Bar: the bar staff inside are all really friendly and helpful, the bar outside at night gets very busy but if you tip the waiter a smallish amount you don't have to even finish your drink before they're bringing the next one. Young waiter called Adel was brilliant but so were many others. Drinks are great, well made, strong g&t's made with Schweppes tonic. The beer is good and the cocktails are fab. Beach: beach is amazing, literally the other side of the pool. Sand is beautiful and the sea is so warm and calm... we never actually used the loungers at the beach but they looked good and plenty of them, you have to walk past the guy selling quad trips to get there but just be firm if you're not interested. Be very careful of the camel man, he will come up all friendly but will con you into sitting on camel for a photo then taking you for a walk..he then wants a ridiculous amount of money, just say no to him, he gets a bit nasty so ignore it. There are armed police on the beach but they just made us feel safe so don't worry about them. Hotel: the reception staff are all friendly, some speak better English than others but are all nice. You can change money here but don't get more than you need or you can't change it back until the airport. Hotel is always clean and everyone is friendly. The spa is ok but quite expensive for what you get. Entertainment: the animation team are fantastic, chat to them and get a bit involved - you won't regret it, they are so good at their jobs. Ali absolutely made our holiday, he is so funny and chatty!! Gets a bit wearing after a while as they are selling tombolla and bingo tickets every night but apart from this they are great. Some of the evening entertainment was a bit odd but the animation team made it worth watching. If you fancy a change of food, get a taxi to Shakespeare's one night... owned by an English lady and she does amazing food, Sunday roasts, steaks, burgers, bacon butties etc. Few dinar in a taxi, all the drivers know where it is. Totally safe to walk around the town/marina, even at night. Be careful for the guys coming up to you telling you they are the chef at the hotel (they've clocked your wristband), they just want you to go with them into their shop!! Just tell them no, but be firm. I prefer the fixed price shops as I'm no good at haggling but my husband can get a good deal most of the time in some of the others. All in all, would definatly go back to this hotel and will certainly return to Tunisia as it's such a lovely country and the majority of the people are amazing.

- Food was good - Hotel location was nice - The staff was excellent including the people at the reception, the waiters and the spa staff - The cleaning service was excellent and on time - The spa services and products were great

Me and my wife have chosen this hotel among many and it’s definitely an excellent hotel. We have spent 11 days and had a wonderful time. It is a huge and clean facility with a lot of space for every activity. You can expect everything as described and shown on the pictures. I would like to point out the hospitality, professionalism and kindness of all the employees. They are so friendly and warm people who keep their smiles all the time. Special thanks to Mr. Kais from the reception who is a true gentleman and professional, Mr. Fayzal from the beach and Ali from the animation team who does his job with so much enthusiasm and positive energy. All of the employees will help you with any problem or concern, no doubts. The housekeeping is also very nice and clean. We liked the food because you are offered a variety of foods and there is no way you can be disappointed unless you expect a 5* a la carte restaurant. These people do a great job and I would recommend this hotel at any time because we felt welcome all the time. The only thing we’ve missed is a beach bar that belongs to the hotel so we wouldn’t have to go all the way to the swimming pool area to get a drink, ice cream or some fruits. Best regards from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegowina Elma & Armin