We arrived at this hotel the day before Christmas Eve and the place was buzzing.

We had a fabulous time over Christmas and New Year at the hotel.

The staff were great they went out of their way to make sure you were happy.

I have to say I was very dubious about going to Tunisia in the first place and have always gone to the Canaries around Christmas or thereafter but I was pleasantly surprised.

The Hotel put on some really nice entertainment both for the adults and kids. Our 2 kids who are 5 and 9 had a ball over the 2 weeks although the weather wasn't great with only 3 days of sun but there was an indoor pool which made all the difference and the kids spent hours in it having fun with the other kids.

There was a great atmosphere over Christmas with Santa arriving on a Camel for the kids and gave out presents. Two good Gala dinners although the kids did struggle with the length of time and some of the food provided but the nintendos did the job and the adults had a great time.

The entertainment team made the holiday. They were fantastic and worked really hard.

The hotel itself in some parts were in need of an upgrade but all the staff were very friendly and really did their best.

We didn't go far out of the hotel as it was for a break but the marina in only a short taxi ride away which has ample shops etc and a small fun fair for the kids which they enjoyed at night.

I did struggle on occasions with the amount of times asked to 'come and look at my shop' but a 'no thank you' pleasantly was usually enough.

Don't expect 5 star at any of the hotels as far as fittings is concerned as the culture is very different but the people are really friendly and the beaches are lovely.
We went on the buggy ride with the kids and it was great although a little cold out of the sun!

All in all there was a good feel and very pleasant, relaxed atmosphere around.

This hotel is not a 4 star more like 2 stars,we arrived on saturday night and stayed one week in that week we did not see one person vacuming and not one person moping,First night there our group played cards at one of the tables and droped some nuts and crips on the floor, They were still there the day we went home,The place had a very dirty look to it.In the resturant the chairs were never brushed off there was dirt on them every time you sat on them.If you like a clean bathroom be expected to look at a few rooms my friend and i looked at 8 rooms before we settled for the best of the bunch which was not that good. My advise would be NOT TO GO but if you want to go to tunisia go to les orangers in hammamet it was a 4 star and very clean very good value for money.

We spent a week in this hotel and loved every minute of it. We stayed in the same hotel in 2001 and 2002 but were a bit dubious after reading some of the more recent reviews on this site but decided to take a chance and are 100% glad we did!

In general we found the hotel to be very clean and tidy at all times.
The tiled area around the pool was brushed and then hosed down first thing every morning before all the sunbeds were put out.
Our rooms were always kept spotless and we didn't see a single creepy crawly anywhere in the hotel for the whole holiday. Towels were changed at your request by leaving them in the bath, we didn't always do this but found they were changed for clean ones anyway.
Every morning the reception area floor was being cleaned and polished when we were going down for breakfast about 8am.
The food was very good, we always found plenty to eat and I can honestly say I wasn't one bit hungry in the whole week we stayed there!
There was omlettes, crepes, cereals, salads, fruit, toast, yogurts and a whole selection of hot foods to choose from at breakfast.
I didn't eat in the main resturaunt at lunch time as there was always a good selection at the snack bar by the pool like.....lasange, pizzas, salads, chips, rice, pasta, chicken or beef and sometimes octopus dishes and of course freshly made to order crepes (wish I could have one now!)
Dinner in the main resturaunt, there was always a different selection of soup, salad starters, hot dishes and desserts. The only complaint I heard was from someone who wanted patatoes and cabbage like you get at home but I say you can get that at home the rest of the year so why complain! I did wonder if they mentioned this to any of the staff as the following night there was mashed potatoes, carrots, cabbage and roast beef being served!

There are two a la carte returaunts (one in the sister hotel next door) you can have one meal per week in each of these resturaunts. The Tunisian one was my favourite but the Italian one was also very nice!

The hotel is right on the beach, it's a nice walk along the beach to the marina. The hotel itself is about 1.5km's from the resort centre, there are always taxi's waiting at the front of the hotel if you don't feel like a walk just make sure you agree the price with them first and don't let them rip you off!

The staff were ALL brilliant, everyone from the reception down to the the guys who gave you the towels on the beach made us feel welcome. One of the older waiters in the main resturaunt even remembered us from 5 years ago! The guy who works round the pool getting sunbeds was very friendly so we tipped him a couple of dinars on the first morning and he kept us four beds in the same place each day.

The entertainment guys deserve an extra mention, they work long hours but never seem to run out of energy and were always on hand to make you laugh,
we wanted to bring one of them home in our suitcase but he said no waaaay it's far to freezin' here!(lol can't really blame him)
They had shows on every night I think but we only made it to one and it was very funny.
They had a variety of sports and activities like archery, aqua aerobics, stretching, aerobics, bowls, volley ball etc. on throughout the day and tried to get people to join in but didn't hassle you too much if you just wanted to laze around.

Wish I could go back tomorrow! If you are thinking about booking this hotel but unsure you should go for it.

This was a cheap week away in the sun.But we were impressed with the value for money.The only thing that let it down for us was the food but we always managed to find something to fill us up .Hotelwas very very clean and the staff worked very hard.Our room was kept very clean by the maid Fatma who was very pleasant our sheets changed every day as were the towels.The entertainment was brilliant the lads put on a show every night and were very talented.This hotel is very much worth a visit and in our opinion we picked the right one,maybe others are more luxurious but this one has all the fun.Fun from morning until very late always something to do or watch.I would definatly return.The location was perfect as were the surroundings of this hotel.

This is our 2nd visit to this hotel and already booking for next year. The rooms are immaculately kept, and the food is to sort all tastes. I am quite conservative with food but found plenty to satisfy. The staff are extremely helpful and pleasant, and most I recognised from the previous year. The Entertainment Manager is the star attraction at the shows and is a 'hidden talent'. My husband, myself and 8 year old child enjoyed the shows immensely. I find it annoying to read the scathing remarks from other people who would be better off in Blackpool if they could get the sun. Tunisia is in Africa - I certainly went there to experience local culture and not expect 'home from home'.

Great Hotel. Very clean. Staff were fiendly and worked very hard. Food was good and kept topped up all day.
Plenty of activities for the Kids to be entertained all day.

Having visited an Occidental Hotel in a different resort in Tunisia and been disappointed we were somewhat sceptical about visiting this hotel. However, after reading the "mixed bag" of reviews on this page we decided to take the bull by the horns and visit anyway and I have to say we were not disappointed.

Ok, so the hotel was slightly dated but cleanliness wasn't an issue, during our weeks stay we could not fault it and the maid cleaned our room every day.

The food was exactly what we expected, plentiful and we always managed to find something to eat. There was only the one night we struggled. We only ate at the beach bar once but again, though basic, the food was okay. The waiters on the whole were excellent but we did have our favourites! Although I disagree with tipping at the beginning of the holiday it really didn't matter when you tipped these guys they still gave the same level of service. However we did tip midweek because we found ourselves with some spare change and somehow our drinks got bigger measures!!!

We only went to the shows a couple of times which is same old but hats off to the Animation Team who work damn hard from dusk till dawn and longer sometimes even rehearsing at midnight for the next day. No doubt if we had had the children there we would have been every night plus the kid's disco!! One small critiscm I would have (and I'm not a bore as I understand everyone has to enjoy their holiday) is that the so called nightclub didn't become such after 11, merely a youth club so if you expect adult only drinking then, think again.

We didn't have an issue with security, we were on the first floor. Without scaremongering, we did speak to a couple who were on the ground floor and had had jewellery and things taken. Just be vigilant. We did happen to leave the odd coinage about and the maid never touched it.

Taking full advantage of the fact that we didn't have the children with us as it was our anniversay we decided to do the two day safari. Absolutely fantastic to go in the Sahara on camels, it is certainly an experience that I would certainly recommend albeit a very tiring two days. Definately not a trip that we would take our children on.

The beach is lovely and clean and we tended to spend all our time there apart from one afternoon we sat by the pool and ear defenders were a must, thats its only fault. The indoor pool is just like bathwater and the fitness centre is basic but okay, we managed a couple of workouts.

All in all a really nice hotel which we did warm to and we are thinking of taking the children there during the October school hols!! On the whole we had a great time there.

Having visited an Occidental Hotel in a different resort in Tunisia and been disappointed we were somewhat sceptical about visiting this hotel. However, after reading the "mixed bag" of reviews on this page we decided to take the bull by the horns and visit anyway and I have to say we were not disappointed.

Ok, so the hotel was slightly dated but cleanliness wasn't an issue, during our weeks stay we could not fault it and the maid cleaned our room every day.

The food was exactly what we expected, plentiful and we always managed to find something to eat. There was only the one night we struggled. We only ate at the beach bar once but again, though basic, the food was okay. The waiters on the whole were excellent but we did have our favourites! Although I disagree with tipping at the beginning of the holiday it really didn't matter when you tipped these guys they still gave the same level of service. However we did tip midweek because we found ourselves with some spare change and somehow our drinks got bigger measures!!!

We only went to the shows a couple of times which is same old but hats off to the Animation Team who work damn hard from dusk till dawn and longer sometimes even rehearsing at midnight for the next day. No doubt if we had had the children there we would have been every night plus the kid's disco!! One small critiscm I would have (and I'm not a bore as I understand everyone has to enjoy their holiday) is that the so called nightclub didn't become such after 11, merely a youth club so if you expect adult only drinking then, think again.

We didn't have an issue with security, we were on the first floor. Without scaremongering, we did speak to a couple who were on the ground floor and had had jewellery and things taken. Just be vigilant. We did happen to leave the odd coinage about and the maid never touched it.

Taking full advantage of the fact that we didn't have the children with us as it was our anniversay we decided to do the two day safari. Absolutely fantastic to go in the Sahara on camels, it is certainly an experience that I would certainly recommend albeit a very tiring two days. Definately not a trip that we would take our children on.

The beach is lovely and clean and we tended to spend all our time there apart from one afternoon we sat by the pool and ear defenders were a must, thats its only fault. The indoor pool is just like bathwater and the fitness centre is basic but okay, we managed a couple of workouts.

All in all a really nice hotel which we did warm to and we are thinking of taking the children there during the October school hols!! On the whole we had a great time there.

The standards of this hotel have gone down since I last stayed there in 2006.

Food was alright, animation team were very good at night but keep pestering you in the day.

Maid service was useless on occasions I had stuff taken from my room, asked management to get the police they refused. Had to make my own way to police station.

Drinks were low on alcohol, food at beach was always under cooked.

The whole hotel is in desperate need of a facelift, the reception and lobby area was very dull,dated and dingy compared to most of the other hotels we have visited in Tunisia.

The rooms are basic and find that the maids very often came to clean the room at 5 in the evening which was a pain at times.

Problems with the kids games rooms every night. 2 out of every 5 dinar would get lost in the machines and when we went to report this to reception they never refunded the money, no big deal I suppose but try telling that to the kids.

Security on site not the best, heard several reports of guests having things stolen from the room, we were on the ground floor, you could see that our door had been forced in the past but we thankfuly had nothing taken -be sure to get a safe.

Kids club facilities fantastic, open from 9am - 6pm with lots to do and kids can stay as long as they like BUT security is not the best....... the club is next to the entry to the beach which is not manned by security and the kids are not signed in or out of the club, on one ocasion my 5 year old wandered out of the club whilst we were on the beach and when we went to collect her was told she wasn't there, after imediate panic we found her swimming in the pool on her own!!!!!.... Also went in one day when the kids were washing face paints off in the toilets and saw a live wire hanging out of a loose socket, which on tippy toes could easily have been reached by the children, so there is a need to constantly check on them. Which is a real shame.....

Food is of a good standard with a variety on offer, although it can get a bit same old so its worth booking the Italian meal and tunisan meal as its nice to be waited on and get away from the bustle of the restaurent.

There can be big queues at times for drinks, especially as the riveria guests came to this hotel at around 8ish to watch the entertaiment so volume of guests doubled inbetween 8pm - 11.30pm ( peak drinking time)I recommend the "irish bar" opposite the Marharba Palace if you want a good night out of the hotel, good chilled bottles of wine and pints of lager which made a refreshing change from the drinks in the hotel, good prices and live entertainment and karaoke for free. English football shown here if you need a fix whilst you are away.

Pool area is quite small and crowded and can be very loud when they animation team are around, but they do create some good fun. If you want a bit of peace and relaxtion go to the beach, which is of an excellent standard.

Evening entertainment was good but lacked variation, however was better than most of the hotels that we have visited in tunisia, and the kids loved it.

Overall, had a good break away with lots of sunny weather which was great, but I'm afraid the cons outweighed the pros considerably in this hotel and would neither return or recommend this hotel.