Hotel Thalassa Monastir, Sidi Al Ghudamisi

We had a wonderful stay at this beautiful hotel. The food and the location were very good, staff were very friendly and the hotel was very clean. We did have one little problem with the hotel female receptionist because my wife complained about the terrible entertainment in the annimation room she called my wife 'DISGUSTING FAT PIG' my wife nearly collapsed with the shock but we were quickly given an immediate appology by the manager and a bottle of champagne as way to pacify the situation as it was a big shock as my wife is no way fat, it must have been her dress.

The hotel was very good and well situated. The restaurant produced cooking standards to a very high level, as well as the level of service from the staff.The rooms were airey and quite spacious and it is an advantage to get a higher level room as there is less noise and less mosquitos about.The evening entertainment is virtually non existant, in the cocktail bar twice a week there is a band that are good.But for the rest of the week they have something called animation which has to be seen to be believed as it is like mental torture, as soon as it comes on people scramble for the exits as it is that bad. The staff around the pool area are very friendly and polite.Ali the pool barman is the best guy and really knows what customer service is all about as i remember him when i was there two years ago.The staff are all very friendly and willing to help,but there are always one fly in the ointment namely a lady at the front desk on reception she was extreemly rude to me and my partner,amongst many other clients at the hotel.Another thing that lets the hotel down is the lack of a ban on cigarette smoking in the outside dining area as many of these smokers are geman and have little respect and just blow their smoke straight in our faces.My partner is asthmatic so we had to sit inside.

what a fantastic holiday,my husband and i had in hotel thalassa monastir, food,service,staff,room all was perfect,thats why we booked again after xmas for this year again,even asked for my room number 402 this time.as we had superb view of pool etc. we also did 6 trips last year, including the 2 day trip to the sahara, a trip of a lifetime,one we both will remember forever.it was a lovely first ever holiday abroad for my husbands 50th,always wanted him to try ,eventually i succeeded .we are going for another celebration .our pearl wedding anniversary, and my sister and boyfriend are coming over to the hotel on our 2nd week. thanks again for everything.

We were there in August of 2006 (via Thomson package). Had a ground floor, air-conditioned family room that was brilliant - the children (10 & 7) loved it, especially the pool, playing football on the grass, darts, the beach and the huge area to roam. The meals were memorable too, the difficulty being not to gorge yourself silly. Lunch under the parasols near the beach was pleasant too. We used the incredibly cheap train to get around - station 2-3 minutes` walk away (Airport). Visited Sousse several times, Monastir itself, the end of the line at Mahdia, a good way to see the area. Went on a hotel-organised excursion (overnight) to the Sahara, camel-riding... fabulous if exhausting trip. Taxis are cheap but ask advice on reasonable fare & agree before getting in. Nightly theatre concerts/events... but a bit Butlinish. We loved the hotel, the style & luxurious ambience, the friendly staff, the variety of places to drink/relax, the exercise room (advised!) and the pool. You can ignore the outside world - or taste Tunisian life if you make the effort to go out and explore. Learning some of the language made a big difference, though I was also glad of my rusty French, buying train tickets and when visiting Monastir chemist`s during a dose of the runs! We would all love to return to the hotel, preferably not in August though! John Rogers

I loved every minute of my holiday. The staff are so friendly they never forget you ,as we have been 4 times in the last 16 months so that says a lot. I love them all can't wait to get back !!!!!

i think the hotel was grate nice frendly staff and it was clean. it looked like a palace they have lots of games on for all ages and the animation team was realy frendly they have a 24 hour reception desk they have a buffet 4 all meals which was a wide range of foods and they was all very nice the rooms was massive and very clean the veiw of the sea was nice also the hairdryer is handy they have english channels the Entertanment was good and funny it was on every night at 9:30 we had a grate time and u dont realy need shops as the hotel is fab but the out door swimmin pool is realy cold but i dont think its ment to be in feb anyway the indoor swimmin pool is nice and warm-hot u will learn alot while u r there i did also they have a film on at 4:30 i will never forget that time it is grate for people who dont like walkin far as the beach is out the back and the sand is like flour and the sea is a nice shade of blue over all th hotel is grate u must be mad not to go there once u get to the air port its 2 mins away if u do hope u ave a good time like i did

Booked through Thomson travel and got a good deal on full board (1100 pounds (2k US) for 2 adults and 2 children for 2 weeks. End of Oct thru Nov 12, 2006. If you've never been to Tunisia, you should be aware of the fact that the hotel properties are clean and nice, and that's about the extent of it. Almost anywhere we went off-site (to include Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse, etc.) could be compared to Mexico in N.America. Very poor, very run-down and not at all pleasant looking in most parts. The few exceptions are either strictly tourist-based sites (Port El Kantoui (sp?) and parts of Monastir) which are fairly clean and beautiful catering almost exclusively to tourists. To be fair though, there are miles of countryside in Tunisia that I'd consider beautiful, but most of the rural and city areas are literally covered in debris and garbage, crumbling architecture, and poverty at every angle. Souveniers are inexpensive and plenty. I read reviews and articles describing the aggressive lengths that the market sellers take to get your tourist dollar, but I have to admit that we were taken aback and somewhat annoyed by the practices. The sellers will, in some cases, literally block your path physically, giving you the proverbial hard-sell, or to get you into their shops. If you are easily flustered or unused to haggling and/or aggressive dialoge, I'd highly recommend skipping the markets entirely and visiting one of the many set-price "malls." I fancied myself a haggler and after purchasing a couple souveniers at what were decently low prices, I found it increasingly annoying to make my way (with family in tow) through the guantlet of the market being "hit upon" by each and every seller standing outside his shop. In the end, I was glad to have a little taste of it, but gladly paid the extra couple dinar at the set-price stores! Of all the hotels in the area, the Thalassa Monastir stands head and shoulders above their neighbors. The beach was clean, the sand almost as soft and fine as talcum, and the water clean and welcoming blue (and warm!). The pool was another story, bordering on Arctic water temps at our time of year. Rooms are pretty sparce, and most definitely not 4-star, as Thomson lists, but by Africa standards they likely are. By UK/US standards, I'd rate the rooms at about a 2.5-3 star at best. However, they were clean and comfortable. Hair dryers in the bathroom and the shower worked like a champ. Rooms were also clean anb maintained well by a friendly cleaning staff. Rooms facing the inner horshoe have a great view and I'd recommend either the top floor for the ocean view, or the ground floor for the easy access to the pool and beach. While the Thalassa Monastir may not exactly shine in the luxurious room department, they more than make up for it with the buffetts. All 3 meals were excellent, with very impressive range of selection. Dinner is the big meal and they consistently delivered huge selection and high qualities of foods. From traditional british cuisine to pasta, rounded out with a generous helping of local quality cuisine, the meals never failed to prove their worth. Full board is worth every penny. Highly trained staff prepare extensively adorned food-based decor and an average of 15 seperate main course dishes (including vegetables), 2 soups, 6 salads and an average of about 15 dessert choices for dinner. Those are conservative estimates. Pasta is cooked to order at lunch and dinner and omelets, eggs, crepes are available at breakfast on top of the 12-15 pre-cooked offerings on the food line. Every meal includes a varied cheese and bread offering self service. Drinks are included with breakfast, but you'll pay for them at lunch and dinner even with full board (avg. approx 3-5 dinar for a family of 4).