We went along in early November...the weather was perfect..not too hot or cold...however the hotel rooms were still hot and you will be inclined to switch on the a.c...don't bother...it will work but there is no a.c cool air ...the noise and the machine motor will just make you hotter....I asked at reception and they said that they turn off all a.c from sept til march!!!!..

We have been used to all inclusive hotels where you just take what you want without any fear of unexpected bills...not here...first we got stung with a 14 d for just taking a couple of soft drinks from the mini bar...they said it wasn't included...also we were charged 24d for 2 cups of coffee ..considering you only get 2 dinars from £1 it wasn't funny..when I asked why they said I had a non inclusive person at our table..I told my husband to tell them to just charge for the extra person but they refused...I told them it was nonsense to charge us when we have already paid for an inclusive package...and they refunded our portion of the bill...not good...they shouldn't have refused...and ey shouldn't have charged in the first place...the problem is because the hotel is not exclusively all inclusive and have people just using the hotel as a cafe or board basis then you get stung if you step out of line beyond their strict itinerary ,,which they will give you in French ..insist on English if that's what you need. Don't be fooled by sea view rooms...go for the pool view as the sea view is just behind the pool...sea view only rooms are a looong walk from reception which means your wireless strength in the room is virtually non existent...the closer you are to reception the better the strength of signal...also look out for the routers in the hallway and try to get a room near one or you will have to sit with your laptop in reception to go online....we got our sea view room changed to a back view ..read no view..room as if had much better Internet signal...for the view we just wondered outside...there is a wonderful Marina just across the road.

The hotel is very well located...it used to be called karthago when it was owned by gadaffis son but now it's called laico. We wanted to visit the zoo wildlife park near enfidha airport. We asked at reception and they offered us a taxi there and back for 120 d £60... We declined...good job as the next day our rep came who arranged a taxi for 60d £30 ..and the cab driver wAits until you have finished and takes you back to the hotel....also the rep had some wonderful excursions ....we took the sound and light show...totally worth it...wonderful non stop entertainment ..wonderful people...great evening out...with horse show and meal included..the excursion to see Tunis etc wasn't all that good and the lunch was more than a joke...I don't know anyone who had more than a nibble of their whole meal.....I forgot to say the zoo was very nice...they had a free sea ion show and a very poor dolphin show for an extra fee...the entrance is cheap and the animals roam freely not in cages while we view from raised walkways.

Hotel
Try and get rooms closest to reception for better views and no more than the second floor for best Internet signal in your room ...you have a from entrance where the coaches come to pick you up for excursions...there is a back entrance from the pool area...there is a supermarket just next door and if you turn left there is a whole promenade of shops ...restaurants and Marina across the road and a kids play park...you must stroll down this Marina to appreciate the location of the hotel...it's wonderful...and you can see the pirate ships that do excursions without having to pay for the excursion...

The hotel is generally clean but for a five star the ladies shouldn't expect toiletries...take your own conditioner ladies as you only get shower gel and shampoo and bars of soap....you do get bathrobes..his and hers..but you have to ask for them as they forget to put them in all rooms...so ask.

The pools are nice and clean...the indoor pool is nice ..and mostly secluded for the time of year but it closes at 6 pm and the lockers in the changing areas don't have keys as the hotel lost them when it was changed from karthago to laico...not exactly 5 star attention...and the shower facilities are abysmal so take your robe and take the lift straight up to your room to shower and change.....don't worry...the pool is in the basement and you won't have to pass reception in your wet swimwear to go to your room
Food
The restaurant was nice but the food was not great...the chef prepared the same chocolate sponge day after day and just coated with different flavoured creams...no variety...however on our last day there suddenly there was a big range of desserts ...when I asked why the change the waiter said they had new guests....charming...so having a crop of syrians come prompted 5 star standard but while us europeans were there we were fobbed off with basics...nice...the omelette chef...with a long face completely ignores you unless you insist on service...I gave up and avoided him most days....the waiters are nice..you can order drinks in your inclusive package so I would order 2 at once for myself to avoid having to wait for the waiter again...the glasses are small...so you will need to order more than one.

We booked transfers from hotels4u and it was very cheap...only £20 for a family of 3 return and the coach picks and drops from hotel...as were are in laico luckily you will be one of the first dropped off on arrival and last to be picked up for the journey back...so bonus.

Don't be afraid of using the yellow cabs anywhere as they are good standard and the prices are fixed and metered by law so no one will be ripped off....unless you go through the hotel reception...you pay an initial 0.45d tax and then it goes up in increments...the increments are more in the evening than the day so don't be surprised ..but you pay the same as the locals.

The outdoor pool was a little cold for the time of year...but we expected that...

Entertainment...in the hotel...very little...saxophonist..a belly dancer one night...karaoke one night mostly in Arabic songs as most guests were syrians or Arabs ....not much to do in the evenings

Have fun...but if you are all inclusive...don't touch the mini bar...buy same drinks outside for less than 25%......some great leather handbag shopping can be done and most guests left with additional leather trolleys and bags.,...but bargain by at least 50% to start off with.

Good luck.

Very nice five star hotel, kind people, very good French like food. Only problem was the beach, where there was no beh at all. See pics. There was something black on the shore, you could not enter to water, management of hotel did not care. They said, PROBABLY it could be done in a few days. Well, if you stay for 12 days vacation, you want to enjoy beach, sea, sand, and not pool. Going to the beach you had to cross the street :(

The hotel is well located in Yasmine's tourist area. It's close to marine, to restaurants and to the shopping center. The sea is a fea meters away but you can swim in to the large and very clean swimming pool. Our room was large, clean but the view was bad. As far as the food is conserd , the byffet was TASTEFULL. Last but not least what can we say about THE VERY KIND and ALWAYS SMILLING STAFF.
I WOULD RECOMMEND IT !!!!

Location:
The hotel is well located in Yasmine’s touristic area, amongst many other hotels. It is relatively close to the medina (a 10 minutes walk) and right next to the marina and the beach (just across the road).

General aspects:
The hotel has a good indoor and outdoor image. It is clean and big. It has free Wi-Fi. The check-in did not take too long and ran smoothly.

Room:
The room was quite large, as was the bathroom, with a modern décor. It had, also, a nice balcony with a view to the pool and the marina. It was equipped with air conditioning, TV and a mini fridge (which was replenished every day). In a daily basis, the room was cleaned and the bed sheets and the bathroom towels were changed. However, the balcony was never cleaned during our stay.

Restaurants and food:
The restaurant “Le Phenicien”, where the three main meals were served, was spacious and generally clean. The service was always buffet.
The food varied very poorly and the available dishes were not the best by far, both in appearance and taste. Sometimes, cups, plates and cutlery were dirty.
The meat dishes include chicken, lamb and veal, almost always stewed.
The fish dishes were scarce (some of the times cold baked fish covered with mayonnaise!) and unappealing. We were expecting grilled fish, but we were never served.
We had, as well, the option to choose italian pastas, but, once again, the dishes were not looking good and were scarce in variety. The food was too greasy and the skillet seemed not to be clean.
There were, also, salads and cold dishes, but still very unattractive.
The fruits were always melon, apples, pears, grapes, and dates.
The desserts were not bad at all, most of them almond-based.
The other guests commented: “It is more of the same”; “Everything tastes the same”.

The service was not spectacular, but nice. A couple of times, it seamed the waiters’ priorities were not to serve the drinks to guests, but clean empty tables or other tasks instead.
Some other guests complained they were poorly attended and even mocked by some waiters.

There was, also, the possibility of eating pizzas and other snacks at the pool bar or the beach bar. The pizzas were poor in filling.


Swimming-pool:
It has a good pool, but the sunbeds zone was quite limited. The pool water was very clean.


Night at the hotel:
The nights at the hotel lacked in activities, but it was easy to find some other things to do outside. The “Latino” bar and the lounge bar were nice, though.


Beach:
The private hotel zone at the beach is well organized, with enough shades and sunbeds. The bar was, also, good looking.
Nevertheless, the seawater (in which we were supposed to bathe!) smelled like sewer. It is not acceptable that we were not warned in advance, since this obviously is not a new incident. After all, we paid for beach holidays!
Later, we were informed by other guests that beyond the marina we could find another beach supposedly with no sewer odor. We had no access to shades or sunbeds, though, as we were entering other hotels’ zones.