Royal Thalassa Monastir

I have to say i was worried coming here due to reviews, this is my 1st time in Tunisia and was concerned it was going to be Türkey vibes ( i do not like Turkey) I know people love to moan so had an open mind. We arrived and the reception staff was fine polite and gave us paperwork with all the information for restaurants' times etc, we exchanged money and was given different denominations, The rooms we had was 210 and 214 comfortable beds nice spacious room, clean bed linen, clean towels and bathroom was clean. my only issue was the aircon was noisy in 214. Food in the restaurant was good, nothing wrong with it and if you cannot find anything to eat in there its a YOU issue. It is your typical AI , a Grill ,Fish, salads a lot of different types with cheeses chips rices potatoes , plenty of fruit and cereals, breads and eggs in the mornings with yogurts. Lunch was also good and evening. If you are the type that fills up your plate like its the last day on earth and moan about no food options there is plenty clearly its greed. Draft beer apparently its fine, Spirits for me at the hotel was a no, i read previous reviews and bought a bottle at the airport leaving the uk. There is coke lemonade , coke zero etc plus the usual slushy machines strawberry and lemon and water, the room supplies 2 Litre bottles daily and if you want more bring the bottle down and fill it up! I also read reviews on that so for those people its common sense bring down the empty ones and re fil them. I did notice people with the big Stanley cups so you can use these. Pool clean , area clean , you can get towels these are not long enough for the beds the plastic gets HOT on the cushion but we bought some long covers off the guy on the beach £10 that were fine. The beach is cleaned and the sea is crystal clear. The 2 onsite restaurants are fine as well. Entertainment, they had a singer most nights who was actually pretty good. The usual karaoke singers who think they are great and could shatter windows but they are on holiday so given a hall pass. SNOOPY the entertainment guy is nice and he tries his best but there is no pestering from them to join in if you do not want too. Music around the pool is ok if you are sitting down that end it is loud. Plenty of sun loungers and the typical getting up at sun rise to get you favourite spot people,there is loads of room and plenty of beds on the beach. The guy on the beach is also very pleasant too. Everyone in the hotel works hard, in that heat must be dyer for them so quit moaning and give them a break. They are not slaves and you do need to go get drinks food etc for yourself. I/we was NEVER pestered for tips , was never Pestered by the men there and i went with a 29 yr old and 17 yr old. The life guards were always watching the pool area and one we called 2 pac was nice, they are all up for banter and a laugh. So for a place i was not looking forward too was actually surprising. Is it Dubai 5 star no of course not , but for what you pay to go it has everything you need. We did go out to captain restaurant at the Marina and it was lovely reception happy to call us a taxi. All in all would i go back to this Hotel ? Yes, i have travelled a lot across the world. For a mid year break for the weather, beach and pool its all you need. If you want extreme luxury and 5 star michelin star food then Pay triple the price . Also we needed the Dr for antibiotics he came within the our was lovely and yes i paid him £55 equivalent he offered a receipt i said no its fine i was grateful he came as quickly as he did with the medication.

Where to begin with this hotel!! Air Conditioning or lack of! Argued with the reception for 5 hours on the first night about the air conditioning as my 80 year old father with Cancer, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure could barely breathe in his room! We were not the only ones, this was a recurring theme. Then we have the pools. The small pool had no support to get out, and although the big pool had ladders, the main exit with steps had no handrails, causing my dad to fall and injure his leg. The whole hotel is dated and dirty and the lift was filthy and not cleaned during our week there! Then there was the entertainment - the animation team were great but the actual evening entertainment was dire!! All inclusive was a joke, the local alcohol was awful, no snacks throughout the day or ice cream etc, just set times for meals. The tipping culture was rife but did get you better service. No onsite shop, crisps and fizzy juice sold in the “boutique”, just weird! And to top it all off, I stood on a screw nail that was sticking out of damaged wood in front of the pool bar on the last day!! Hotel called for a Doc who charged me £60 for tetanus jags, and after some discussion the hotel took responsibility for the accident and gave me the money back but in Dinar - local currency, which I tried to spend in the airport but it was then confiscated as they thought I was trying to take it out of the country!!! Anyhoo……One of the Managers Hassan was very good and the man who attended to the sunbeds down on the beach Moyez was amazing and so helpful!

If you read any review, let it be this one! I'm 23, not in any way a high and mighty tourist expecting the world from a holiday. My partner and I have been to enough places to give a valid and honest review after a week of staying. This is not a 5-star resort UNLESS you're prepared to tip heavily throughout your stay. Coming from Ireland, we understood that tipping is more common in this part of the world, and friends who had visited previously warned us about it. However, we weren't prepared for how openly and frequently tips would be expected. It wasn't a discreet gesture of appreciation—it often felt like we were being directly asked for money. Many conversations seemed to go from "hello" to "any tips?" within seconds. Whether booking activities within the resort, arranging excursions, or paying for anything outside the all-inclusive package, it felt like there was constant pressure to spend more and tip. For the first couple of days, we tipped generously and, admittedly, we were treated like royalty. We could choose any sunbeds we wanted, drinks and food were brought directly to us by the pool - for some, this is a dream. However, we quickly found the experience uncomfortable. Staff seemed to hover nearby waiting for us to finish a drink or asking if we were done so they could immediately bring another one, clearly expecting another tip. On the other hand, when we decided not to tip, the difference in service was very noticeable. The service went to zero. One example was at the bars. The resort uses three different sizes of hard plastic tumblers, and it became obvious who was tipping. Guests who tipped regularly could sit in one spot all day and have the most large drinks delivered straight to them, while those who weren't tipping often had to stand in line for 15 minutes and were served the smallest cup size. That simply doesn't feel fair in a resort marketed as 5-star and all-inclusive. I also got the impression that everyone from reception to the resort doctor, were focused on getting as much money out of guests as possible. Felt like we were shook upside down for every penny in our pockets. Reception would exchange the bulk of money into 20-dinar notes despite smaller denominations such as 1-dinar coins and 5-dinar notes being available, making it harder to give smaller tips. I am 100% convinced they know what they are doing. The resort doctor was another disappointment. My partner's nose was badly sunburnt, and we simply asked for a plaster or some cream. We were told they had nothing available and that we'd need to visit a pharmacy instead, again, having to pay. Overall, my impression was that you are expected to pay for anything beyond the absolute basics. The resort can provide a great experience, but only if you're willing to tip constantly. In my opinion, a true 5-star resort should offer excellent service to all guests, not just those who are regularly handing out money. I also have to mention the boat trip we booked through TTS at the reception area, as it was one of the biggest disappointments of our holiday. We paid £65 per person (£130 for two people) for what was advertised as an upgrade to a yacht experience. We specifically chose this because we didn't want the pirate ship or catamaran trip and expected something more exclusive and comfortable for the price. Plus, the pictures looked great! However, when we arrived at the port by bus, we couldn't believe what we saw. Instead of a yacht, we were directed onto a heavily worn and overcrowded boat, where everyone was crammed shoulder-to-shoulder on the top deck. There was very little space to move around, let alone relax and enjoy the trip. Can't forget to mention the local guest laying across 4 seats at the back of the boat! After around two hours of sailing, we stopped at an island for lunch, it was beautiful. The meal consisted of a small portion of rice, half a chicken breast, some mixed vegetables, and a single, small cup of water. Any cold drinks cost extra, and 0% beer also came at an additional charge - they wouldn't serve alcohol at all. The whole time I found myself wondering what exactly we had paid for. None of the experience reflected what had been advertised or what you would expect after paying a premium price for a supposed yacht excursion. The journey back to the port was probably the most frustrating part. Everyone seemed tired, bored, and generally underwhelmed by the experience. For almost two hours there was little to no interaction from the crew and virtually no atmosphere onboard. Then, in the final ten minutes as we approached the harbour, the crew suddenly turned up the music and started dancing and entertaining guests. It honestly felt more like a performance for the people watching from shore, to make it look as though everyone had been having an amazing time, rather than a genuine reflection of the trip itself. Overall, the excursion felt misleading, poor value for money, and was one of the low points of our holiday. So to end this rant, if you want to go, just stay in the resort the whole time and do nothing except the bare minimum, stand in line for the smallest cups, ask 3 times for a drink at dinner before you get one and lay in the sun (if you get a bed) by all means go for it but if you want a fun well rounded experience, don't bother. I could go on forever about the country and locals themselves as we did leave the resort a few times but here isn't the place for that. Besides, the Resort and experience above was enough to ensure I stick to Türkiye for this style of holiday in future.