The Hotel Royal Kenz in the Resort of Port El Kantaoui in Tunisia was recently my Home for 7 nights between the 2nd and 9th July 2006. The Holiday itself was a last minute booking but the Girl at the Travel Agent's said that She had stayed at this Hotel and that it was superb.
The price for the total package, including Flights and transfers was incredibly cheap at just under £200 Half Board for 7 nights and so the booking was made.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I had seen a picture of the Hotel in the Brochure so I knew that this was one of the largest Hotels in the Resort with 405 Rooms. I also knew that it had only three Floors and that it was therefore spread out over quite a wide area within its own Grounds.
On arriving in the Resort the first point to note was that the Hotel was quite a distance from the main hub of the Resort itself. Access to the Hotel is via a 200 metre long Road off the main Road so it is true to say that the Hotel certainly stands in its own Grounds. That said however the Whitewashed Stone built Building could clearly be seen from the main Road and in fact it dominated the Skyline.
The main entrance where the transfer Coach dropped us off is constructed mainly of tinted Glass and is very modern looking. There are two short flights of Steps up to this entrance, which I feared might cause a problem for the two Wheelchair Passengers on the Coach, but this was not the case. They were
simply taken round to a side Door.
Once inside the Hotel the first impressions were very good. The large Reception Desk where we queued to check in was directly in front of the entrance Doors to the right and check-in was done with the minimum of fuss. The only slightly off-putting thing was the insistence from the Porters who wanted to take everyone's Suitcases to their Rooms. I declined their offer since we had been allocated a Ground Floor Room very close to Reception and as I had yet to change my Traveller's Cheques into Tunisian Currency I did not possess any money to tip them with, which I figured was the main reason behind their pushiness. The only problem was they just didn't seem to understand the word "No, thank you." and as soon as one Porter left me alone another would appear.
THE HOTEL INTERIOR
The interior of the Hotel is very tastefully decorated with tiled Marble Floors in the main Foyer/Reception area. There are some comfortable Sofa style Seating in this area. The Walls throughout are generally Whitewashed with fancy, ornate, Arabic designs drawn into them, and Chandeliers hang down low from the Ceilings. There are also plenty of Water features throughout the Ground Floor.
Access to the second and third Floors of the Hotel are via two Lifts located by the main reception or a set of Stairs.
There are two separate Bars on the Ground Floor and also the main Restaurant. The American Bar is located closest to the Reception and has live entertainment every night in the shape of a man at a Keyboard singing Frank Sinatra Songs all night.
The Saloon Bar is of a similar size but does not have the live entertainment. Both of these Bars have an outside Seating area, which is covered by waiter Service.
Prices at the Bar were similar to those in the Resort. A Pint of local Tunisian Beer called Celtia cost 4 Dinars (£1.60), and a large Bottle of local White Wine cost 15 Dinars (£6).
On the Ground Floor there is also a Jewellers Shop, a Hair Salon, and a Beauty/Massage Parlour. Whilst down a short Corridor from the Reception there is an Indoor Swimming Pool and a small Gymnasium.
The opening times of the Indoor Bars are from 10am - Midnight.
INSIDE THE ROOM
We were allocated a Ground Floor Room with a small Garden Terrace. The Room was quite large and Spacious with two twin Beds, two large double built-in Wardrobes and a Vanity Shelf with a Mirror above and two sets of Drawers beneath.
The Bathroom was quite modern and tiled throughout with a Vanity Unit/ Sink and a Bath with a Shower above it. The Toilet was within the bathroom but had its own separate Door on it so it could be used even if one of us was getting ready in the main part of the Bathroom.
The Floor of the Room was carpeted throughout and there was also a small Fridge. There was also air-conditioning in the Room, which was a Godsend in the heat of the Afternoon when we generally had a Siesta.
There was no large light in the Room just a few small Wall lights so the Room was a little on the dim side when the Curtains were closed.
FACILITIES
The Hotel Reception is staffed 24 hours and there was always someone on duty that spoke good English. It is possible to change Money at the Reception but this was only possible between the hours of 10am-1pm and 5pm-10pm daily.
Safety Deposit Boxes are available at a cost of 20 Dinars for one Week. These are not however located within your Room but instead are to be found in a small Room behind the Reception.
Within the Hotel complex there was a large Supermarket/Gift Shop that was ideal for buying bottled Water from and other bits and bobs.
The Hotel boasts two a la carte Restaurants, one French and one Italian and as part of our Holiday package we were allowed to dine in one of these for free. However I am unsure if this was a con or not on behalf of our tour Operator because on enquiring we were told that these were fully booked well beyond our departure date.
The Indoor Swimming Pool is quite small and not heated. We found this to be a nice place to cool off and there was rarely anyone else in it . The Indoor Swimming Pool is open from 9am - 6pm.
There are plenty of activities arranged daily by the Hotel. These included Volleyball, Water Polo, French Bowls, Ping Pong, Aerogames, Darts, Gymnastics, Scrabble, or you could even have free Arabic Lessons.
THE FOOD
We stayed at the Royal Kenz on a Half Board basis and Breakfast and Evening Meals were served in a large Dining area downstairs. Breakfast was served between 6.30am-10am, we were on the second sitting between 8.30 - 10am.Evening Meals were served between 6pm-9pm, again we were on the second sitting between 8-9pm, which if I am honest was a little bit too late.
On your first visit to the Dining area you are given a dedicated Table, which you keep throughout your stay.
Breakfast was self-service with a selection of Cereals available, plus Fresh Juices, Toast, and Meats for those wanting a Continental style Breakfast. A full English Cooked Breakfast was available from the Grill area. Waiters served tea and Coffee at the Table.
Evening Meals were also self-service from a Buffet. Two or three different types of Soup were always available along with a couple of Tunisian Dishes, but in general the Food was fairly standard but of good quality. There was also a selection of Cold Meats and Salads always available plus Ice cream, Sweets and Fresh Fruit.
The hot dishes from the Buffet varied each night but we had Lasagne, Spaghetti Bolognaisse, Moussaka. Chicken, Beef etc. and there was always Chips, Potatoes and a selection of Vegetables available.
The waiters served drinks at your Table but these were chargeable.
THE EXTERIOR
Outside the Hotel there were two separate Swimming Pools with a Bar in between the two. Surrounding the Pools there was always a good number of Chairs and Sun Lounges. The outside Bar opened from 10am until Midnight.
The Grounds of the Hotel are very lush and green with Palm Trees and other Plants everywhere. There were plenty of Birds flying around and in the Evening lots of Bats flying around.
There is direct access from the Hotel onto the Beach and here you find another Bar, which serves Drinks and Snacks. Since this part of the beach, known as Beach Royal Kenz, actually belongs to the Hotel if you do not wish to take any Money onto the beach with you then you can simply sign the receipt and pay at the Hotel Reception.
ANY PROBLEMS?
Well there were certainly no major problems but obviously if you look close enough you will find little things. On arrival we found that the TV in our Room did not work and there was no Plug in the Bathroom. However after reporting both of these things to Reception both issues were attended to promptly. The TV simply needed a new battery in the Remote Control.
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
exceptional by (11%):
very helpful by (89%):
