The hotel was ok if you enjoy queueing. There was queues to get into the restaurant, even before joining the queues in the restaurant. You were allocated a time to go for dinner, which tells me the facilities were too small for the amount of guests. I personnally prefer to decide when I go for dinner (usually once the baby is sleeping) therefore being allocated a time was a real pest. The food was ok if you liked everything smothered in tomato sauce, and could always get chips or pasta if nothing else looked good.

There was queues for the bar, where you could only get 2 drinks at a time (in small plastic cups!). The drink dispensers for the soft drinks trickled out so, yes you guessed, there was queues for the soft drinks too.

The slide pool was good, but if you chose this pool you could only get soft drinks here (when the drink machine worked). The main pool was at the other side of the hotel where the bars & snack bar was. The main pool was very busy and you had to get up at 6am to get a sun lounger. The slide pool was getting much of the same when we left on Sunday (July 07).

The daily activities, kids club and evening entertainemnt was very good. Sam's team worked their socks off 24/7 and everyone enjoyed dancing to the club dances. On the down side it was a fight for a chair at night if you wanted to watch the shows as some people chose to sit on 5 or 6 chairs at a time.

The health & safety was appaling - we were given bunk beds with no guard on the top bunk. Sorry I am not putting my 6 year old child up there! Then we were given another single bed which was put under the wall mounted tv. There was pannels with rusty nails lying around the play are (if you could call some broken swings a play area). The tiles were severly non slip - I saw a few broken arms & legs. My nephew cut his tummy open on a glass table that had a razor sharp broken edge and had to be treated by the doctor. There was several other trip hazards & broken windows/tiles all over the complex that were very dangerous.

The currency is the tunisian dina which is only available in the country. You can take sterling with you and change it in the hotel.

The frustrations of queueing faded slightly over the 2 weeks - I am not sure if I got used to it or got as ignorant as the other nationalities who didn't have the same polite manner as the British.

To sum up - I wouldn't go back to the Hotel Houda.

We got a bargain break for a week with our local Thomson shop beating First Choice web price - bizarre! So we went with view you only get what you pay for and we were well pleased with what we got (most of the time!)

We received a nice room with good pool and sea view. The room had connecting door to next room which is locked but reduces the sound proofing, as we were unpacking we heard the couple next door making out!

The complex has lovely pool area which is well maintained, the reception could do with replacing the furniture.

We thought the food was of more than acceptable quality and in plenty supply although not much main course variety.

The A la Carte Tunisian and Italian restaurants are a welcome change from the canteen culture and noise of the buffet restaurant which always seemed to have at least 1 screeching child, in fact I was surprised how many children were actually there considering it was still school term of which a fair number didn't know how to behave or rather their parents couldn't care less how they behaved in the bar area at night. I would imagine that the queue for meals in peak holiday periods would be a nightmare, they were just managable when we were there and why is it the French don't have a word for manners? Just be pushy back to them, they back down every time.

There is little doubt that the spirits are watered down, we brought a vodka sample back with us, I thought beer was fine, we had been to Tunisia before so it came as no surprise. On a couple of occasions they bar ran out of vodka and beer before 11.30pm it seemed as if they allocate so much per day and when it runs out too bad! You get to take 4 drinks away from bar ie 2 per person in your company of 2! Bottled water is part of the AI package and chilled water dispensers had just been installed as well, ice cream is not and costs 1.5 Dinar.

The entertainment team work very hard for a pittance they try their best but their version of comedy is well not that great. They ask you to participate during day but dont hassle you.

The massage is worthwhile you get full Bhuna sauna - seaweed wrap- full massage for

This hotel was great no problems at all.

Food great.

Animation team work very hard on site nurse very kind no faults with anything

On this visit it had been my 8th time at the Houda. I have visited it with my family and with my Sister and friends. My kids love this hotel, they still remember the staff as they made their holiday fantastic. The animation team made a massive effort with all of us ensuring the holiday was funpacked, i could relax knowing my kids were having fun and were safe. I have read the reports about the food and would like to say last year we also went AI to a brand new hotel owned by a travel company and the food was repeatitive there also and the hotel rating was higher than the Houda. My Sister and friend went in May this year, came home and have booked to go back in Oct this year. Everytime i have returned all the staff remember us and we are made to feel welcome. The maids clean your room daily and the hotel is spotless, as is the pool area. The animation team and bar staff work long hours in constant heat for very little money, you wouldn't find us Brits working in these conditions.
I am booking again for May and can't wait.

12 of us went on this family holiday and we would all definately return again, staff were excellent, no complaints about the food although they did run out of vodka on a couple of occassions at the end of the night. Maybe because we drank so much.We are seriously considering returning in May 2009 as it is such great value for money. Watersports on the beach are very cheap

I would go back to Tunisia and stay in the same hotel.

I thought it was very clean and a tidy place the maids kept the rooms clean they came in everyday and gave us fresh towels.

The food was not brilliant but some people in our party did enjoy it.

The location was close to the airport and it was an easy bus or taxi ride in to the near buy towns.

The staff where all so friendly, entertainment,cleaners,reception,ect.

The hotel was really clean rooms done every day,the food was excellent great variety and the cakes are to die for, the location not much outside the hotel but didn't feel the need to go out but if you take the trip to el jem superb.

The staff again were excellent and the animation staff 5 star plus, going back next year.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
Exceptional first impression of this large, stylish hotel. Check in very smooth and welcoming from reception staff with a free drink!

STAFF.
All staff are very well organised, speaking at least 3 languages and very friendly. Couldn't have been more helpful.

ROOMS.
Small but adequate for our weeks stay. If I'm being fussy, could have done with a lick of paint but extremely clean and towels etc changed daily (with a smile! No iron in rooms though, although a laundry service is available with charge.

FOOD.
Large choice, all well presented and clearly marked. So much to choose from at breakfast, lunch and dinner, we had no problems with our 5 year old. Cakes and deserts to die for and waiters who were always on hand with a smile and a joke, excellent.

ENTERTAINMENT.
The Animation team took a shine to our daughter who loved the evening entertainment. Never really repeated and something for everyone. Mini kids disco followed by a show, maybe a bit corny but funny and entertaining. Worked around the clock to keep everyone happy from daily activities like beach vollyball, mini golf to evening shows, exceptional team of hard-working people. Mini disco and shows are in a seperate building, a short walk from main hotel which was better for noise reduction etc.

ACTIVITIES.
Kids club looked good although we didn't use it during our stay. Computer room with Internet access, DVD and Cd rental. Mini-golf, archery, bowls, beach volly ball, water-gym and much more.

As you walk out of the back of this hotel you will find a lovely, sandy beach sectioned for the Hotel with a security guard and plenty of sun-beds. Only problem we found is VERY persistent 'looky-looky' men selling (or more forcing to sell) necklaces, braclets, cigarettes etc. Don't think 'NO' is in their vocab but still harmless with a firm 'NO THANK YOU'.

POOLS.
Three outdoor (cold but ok) one indoor. Both manned by a lifeguard and never overcrowded. Plenty of space around the pools for sunbathing etc.

Hotel website advertises a water park with slides which looks impressive but was not available to use during our stay, probably ok in peak season though (see other reports).

BARS/DRINKS.
All inclusive gets you locally produced larger, soft drinks like 'rola-cola' and juice. Yes it's weak and not in pint glasses but our holiday was about relaxing and enjoying family time, people wanting to get drunk every night should go 18-30's in Zante or Ibiza! Lots of space in bar, nice seating.

Hotel was also a meeting point for several cats especially in reception, hotel doesn't not encourage them, they seem to be just there! Not everyone is an animal lover and the hotel understand this.

A La carte restaurants available two night in our one week stay, one Italian and one Tunisian but we never used them.

First impression on the hotel was great and stayed that way. Hotel was really clean. Staff never stopped working to make sure it stayed that way. They were very friendly and always made you feel welcome.

The entertainment team were fantastic. They were always on the go from first thing in the morning to the last thing at night. They got you involved always put a smile on your face. My son who is 10 had a great time. He was up dancing around the pool with them (well so was I).

Food was great. My son is a fussy eater but always found something to eat. There was something for everyone. Food all day and the best thing was you did not have to cook it yourself or wash up.

I am booking again for next year as we had such a great time.

We have just returned from 2 weeks at this hotel and were quite glad to get home.

The hotel was very clean and the pool/waterslide areas were great for the kids. You could enjoy really lazy days if you wanted or join in with the animation team if you felt like being more active.

The animation team worked non-stop and were very entertaining. They made a real fuss of you and were fantastic with the kids. However, the evening entertainment was dire unless you wanted to go to the waterslides and be bitten to death by mosquitoes! Kids enjoyed the mini disco and are still doing the beep beep song to all of their friends!

The food was fairly poor. We have been to a number of AI hotels and this was by far the worst. Lots of choice but odd combinations of foods. Kids were sick to death of eating same old stuff, and there was no way I was going to persuade them to try rabbit or veal which were on the kids menu a few days. Breakfast OK as omelettes and eggs were made to order.

Our room was great but we were given three before the one we accepted. They tried to fit four of us in a twin room with the kids sharing a bed. They also tried to put us overlooking a building site at the back of the hotel even though we had paid a supplement for a sea view. Ended up right on the beach and the kids thought it was great watching all of the water-sports.

We did try to enjoy the holiday and are quite easy going. The hotel could be fantastic but just needs a bit of an overhaul - too many people and overworked staff means standards are sometimes not what they should be.

I didn't think it was the best hotel for families due to issues with food and entertainment. After listening to people in the airport we wished we had chosen a different resort as there seem to be some wonderful places in Tunisia, the Houda just isn't one of them!