By far the worst hotel I've stayed at in Hammamet.

Club Marmara takes poor service to new heights. As a tourist you need to understand that none of the hotels in Hammamet really need your business. They will all sell out during the summer regardless of how rude the staff is or how bad the rooms/food is.

I went with my wife and one of our friends two weekends ago and was incredibly disappointed from the first minute I set foot on the property. I made the booking through a Tunisian travel agency and spent the first 30 minutes at Club Marmara arguing with the staff about my reservation. Luckily, I brought a printout confirmation of our reservations because the staff angrily insisted that they did not have my name in their computer. I noticed that there were at least five other groups in the same boat. Also, be forewarned that this hotel is a mix of Tunisians and Europeans. I say that because most of the Tunisian men are single and looking to get heavily intoxicated and pickup europeans. The harrasment from these men is equal toward both male and female guests. If you are a female be particularly aware as it is not uncommon in tourist hotels in Tunisia to find yourself being grabbed or pinched by the locals.

After we finally checked in we had our first meal of the day in the restaurant (located in the main area of the hotel). The food was awful (terrible selection and quality). Wine was served in large refrigerated wooden kegs and was equally horrible. Having stayed in other all inclusive hotels in Hammamet I can honestly say the quality of wine was almost undrinkable. Water during the meals come from large (uncooled) water coolers. Also, expect to take a backseat to the Tunisian events staff as they routinely cut guests in line. One german tourist asked that they wait in line with everyone else and was rudely told to "keep quiet, that they were the entertainment". In general, most of the hotel staff was pleasant but the events staff (composed mostly of 18-30 year old male Tunisians) seemed to think that the guests owed them a debt of gratitude for staying at their hotel. They would also interrupt every meal by repeated chants of "bon appetit tout le monde" (have a good meal everyone), which on the surface seemed friendly but after several chants you realize that they are just trying to annoy the guests.

Events during the day are fairly well organized although the all male Tunisian events staff seemed to have a preference for events by the pool. Most of the games they organized were also highly sexual in nature and extremely demeaning to women. One game called "find the ball" was a game where all the male contestants were blindfolded and told to search the female contestants (underwater) for a ball which was velcro strapped to one of the woman's legs. Most of the european tourists (especially the females) stopped competing and there were several formal complaints filed at the reception desk. If you want to get away from the events staff there are tennis courts and basketball courts at the hotel along with several tours of Tunisia available from the hotel.

At night the Tunisian events staff (unbeknownst to the rest of the hotel staff) conducts what they call "bed checks" of the female guests rooms. Two of the italian women we met said they loudly came in and announced "bed check", untl they were told to go away. When the italian women complained to reception the staff took the claims seriously and ensured both women that the offenders would be punished. Sadly, I heard at least eight such cases from other women during my stay.

My wife and I stayed in the Village where the rooms were clean and nicely decorated. I would rate the rooms as some of the best I've stayed at in Hammamet. Room service was daily and the cleaning staff did an excellent job. The hotel rooms all have working locks and safes in each room. The village rooms do not come equipped with TVs although there is enough going on at the hotel and in Hammamet that it isn't an issue. From talking to the other guests the regular hotel rooms are clean and also well managed. The village rooms are however much larger than the typical hotel rooms in the main building.

Overall, I would say to avoid this hotel at all costs. There is a clear agenda on behalf of the events staff to engage in inappropriate, highly sexual behavior. While the rest of the staff seemed eager to assist the guests the poor food and constant harassment by the events staff is not worth the price (90 USD per person). Also, at times it seemed like the guests were subsidizing a soup kitchen as several Tunisian families (perhaps related to the event staff) would show up during meals and disappear completely after them. There are plenty of other hotels in Hammamet which I would look at before staying at Club Marmara.