Iberostar Selection Diar El Andalous

Location: The hotel is conveniently located near a clean beach, with a pleasant 10-15 minute walk to the port and marina. The surroundings, including the gardens, are well-maintained, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere.

On arrival at the hotel we were impressed with the luxury decor around reception, grand chairs, large paintings and mirrors, dramatic light fittings etc. We were greeted by the reception staff who checked us in, asked us to take a seat while she processed our details and a bar tender brought us some welcome drinks. Within a few minutes we were advised that our room would be available in approximately 10 minutes, which we were pleasantly surprised at due to arriving at the hotel around 10:30am (significantly earlier than the 3pm check in time). We paid the local room tax and headed to our Star Prestige room on the top floor. Our room (458) was at the back of the hotel facing the gardens. It was a spacious room with a very large bed but the mattress was extremely firm. The decor in the room was of a good standard but did have some signs of wear and tear but nothing that would spoil your holiday. There was a good sized dressing table with good lighting for getting ready and a mini bar stocked daily (this could be a Star Prestige perk) with water, soft drinks and a couple of beers. Our balcony faced into the gardens which was typically very quiet, except for a couple of nights when the neighbouring hotel had very late night entertainment on, when we could hear loud music until the early hours. We didn’t mind this too much and actually enjoyed a mini disco on the balcony but for some this could be disruptive. The food was of a good standard, always hot with plenty of choice, we were there for 13 nights and didn’t find it repetitive. For breakfast there was always hot cooked items including eggs cooked freshly several ways omelettes were my particular favourite, lots of fresh bread options, cereals, meats & cheeses as well as fresh fruits, yogurt and pastries. Lunch and dinner, there is everything from simple basics such as pizza (made fresh every day), chips, pasta and salads, freshly cooked meat options (lamb chops, quail, turkey skewers etc) to more exotic choices including Tunisian influences, shell fish, themed options (such as kebabs or sushi) etc. As well as lots of delicate desserts, pastries, fruit and rich flavoured ice creams. There is also 2 themed restaurants an Italian and a Tunisian, we tried both and had a great experience at both. Great food, good service and a lovely experience to be waited on and try the set menu they had selected. The staff put on an amazing themed Halloween night, with a spooky entrance to the restaurant, food displays, decorations and a Halloween dance show. The snack bar also had a good selection for out of hours service and was a nice quiet alternative to the busy restaurant upstairs Entertainment was available but wasn’t ‘in your face’ there was a day time programme advertised on a tv screen outside the main restaurant and the entertainment team would be around the pool at 10am and 3pm to gather people for activities but they were never pushy. On an evening there was usually 2 options, a solo musician (eithe

When we arrived we got a warm greeting from all the staff, we were taken to our room. The corridors we went along on the ground floor were not great, a bit damaged and there was also a weird smell when we passed a few rooms. We got to room 167, we were underwhelmed. Room wasn’t great, tired and a couple of the lights and sockets didn’t work. In the morning we went and spoke to reception, Moussa was very kind and we agreed an upgrade. The corridors on the top levels were much better maintained and all the water dispensers worked. Room 467 was much nicer and more modern. Much more what we had in mind for a 5* hotel. Our only little niggle was the power socket by the desk only worked intermittently. House keeping made sure our room was cleaned daily and we always had fresh towels. Some days we would come back to petals on the bed! The complex itself was clean and tidy, all the staff worked so hard to maintain it from the cleaners to the gardeners. All of the staff were very friendly and welcoming, we cannot thank them enough. The food was incredible, the buffet we could not fault at all. All the food was fresh, well presented and tasted amazing. The selection was better than we could have imagined. We also dined in the Al La Carte twice, once for Tunisian theme and once for Italian theme, both meals were stunning. The facilities were amazingly maintained, both pools were very clean. All sun loungers were washed off every night. The beach was also very clean with no litter in sight. The evening entertainment wasn’t quite our vibe but we appreciated it regardless. I took a Tunisian lesson during our stay which was great fun and I appreciated being taught even a few words and learning about their language. The shops within the hotel were well priced with gifts to take home. The shop keep was very helpful and bubble wrapped all our purchases to make sure they travelled back safely. The water sports and excursions offered by reps in and around the hotel were amazing, the parachute flight was the highlight! Our only little downer we had on the final day was when we walked back from our final water sport on the beach, a very pushy man approached and put two very small tortoises in my hands. Then coercively charged us for some cactus fruit and pictures with the animals. I found this quite intimidating and he ended up almost snatching money from my partner. Was not a very enjoyable experience and I felt awful these two small tortoises were being exploited for money. Overall we had an incredible week away, we would like to thank all of the staff for making our first holiday together so magical.