What I liked
- Rooftop pool
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The Novotel Tunis is a disappointment. They’re the only major international hotel in Tunis (capital of Tunisia). They use this as an excuse to provide a poor product. The hotel suffers from spartan rooms, disappointing service and an average breakfast. It’s a pity. If they put some effort into the hotel, it could be very good.
This trip report provides full details on what to expect, if you visit the Hotel. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and sign up to my email list. Get notified of my new content.
The below video provides really useful guide, for when you visit Tunisia.
The Novotel is connected to the Ibis, which is next door. The main difference between the hotels is the price, and that the Novotel has a rooftop pool. I paid pay extra to stay at the Novotel – which was a mistake! The guests at the Ibis can use the pool at the Novotel, so there’s no need to pay extra!
Tunisia is a popular destination for European holidaymakers, seeking a low cost beach vacation. Hammamet is the most popular destination – 1 hour drive from Tunis. The country is mainly French speaking. There was a terrorist attack in 2015 that stopped the tourist industry dead in its tracks. Since then, efforts have been made to improve security. Unfortunately, Tunisia isn’t the best place for luxury travel. I previously had an awful visit to the Escape Lounge in Tunis airport. I have nightmares thinking about the bathroom!
I don’t have any status with Accor (owners of the Novotel brand). As such I didn’t get an upgrade.
The room was functional and no more. The Novotel Tunis has made zero effort to buy attractive furniture or decorate the rooms. The room had the following features:
As discussed above, Accor are the only major hotel chain in Tunis. As such, they don’t make any effort to win over customers.
Breakfast was very disappointing. Most of the dishes looked unappealing and some didn’t look edible. There was a small buffet selection with cakes, cold cuts and fruit. There was also a small selection of hot dishes. Apart from the crepes, everything looked awful.
They had lavazza pod coffee, which was ok. The juice wasn’t fresh. They did have a fresh strawberry smoothie, which I enjoyed.
The staff spent most of the time talking to each other by the bar area. I felt that the staff wanted to do a good job, but weren’t trained properly.
As always, I took loads of photos! These can be seen in the slideshow above.
The rooftop pool is the most (only) attractive part of the Novotel Tunis. It’s on the 8th floor and there’s good views of the surrounding locality. The pool itself is small, and there’s a decent amount of seating around the pool.
There’s a small fitness room next to the swimming pool. It wasn’t too bad. It had some cardio machines and dumbbells. Photos are in the above slideshow.
My feeling is that the Novotel Tunis does the bare minimum at every stage. Very little effort has been put into the hotel design. The staff seem unwilling to do anything more than they have to.
If you find yourself in Tunis, I would suggest you stay at the Ibis instead. There’s simply no justification to pay extra and stay at the Novotel.