Riadh Palms Resort & Spa

The view in my room was amazing and it’s near to the beach so like this

Location

The staff were very friendly and extremely helpful (especially Kemal Akrami on the reception desk).
The food was exceptional and the choice unbelievable. The hotel was clean and centrally located. Beach and pool very clean and so many activities. I would definitely recommend this hotel for family holidays.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but after staying at Riadh Palm Hotel I feel it is important to warn other travellers. This hotel falls far below what I would expect from a property advertised as a 4 or 5-star hotel.

The biggest issue throughout our stay was the attitude of many staff members. We repeatedly experienced rude and dismissive behaviour. On one occasion, bar staff handled ice for drinks with their bare hands and served drinks in dirty glasses, which raised serious hygiene concerns. After we confronted the staff for handling ice with their bare hands they went behind the bar and just poured the drink into another glass so that it looked like they did something. We once again confronted the staff member for this and they just started shouting at us calling us liars.

The most distressing incident occurred when a shirt was stolen from a sunbed. Instead of dealing with the matter professionally, security initially suggested that another tourist had stolen it despite there being witnesses who disputed this. The witness stated that a staff member was walking around the pool with a black bin bag and putting items in it from around the pool. It took around two hours to resolve the issue, and eventually the shirt was found after an employee was reportedly dismissed. Despite the inconvenience and distress caused, we received no apology or compensation. I was offered 3 meetings with different managers where they all claimed that they do not understand why I am bothered as the shirt has now been found. I am bothered because a situation like this should never occur at a hotel and management should not hire untrustworthy staff that steal. I should be able to leave my shirt there all week and no one should touch it. Communication was also extremely difficult, with the head of security unable to speak English and another security employee refusing to assist after we asked them to take responsibility for resolving the issue. Soon after this I was speaking to another tourist and was told that money went missing from their room.

Activities were equally disappointing. We paid for the hotel’s quad biking excursion, but no protective eyewear was provided because they had run out. Riding through sand without eye protection is a serious safety concern. We then waited around 45 minutes while staff inflated the tyres before the activity could even begin.

Housekeeping was poor. Our room was not cleaned for three days until we specifically requested it. The bathroom contained mould, the shower head was broken and sprayed water throughout the room, and the Wi-Fi was virtually unusable unless you were sitting near reception, disconnecting after only a few seconds elsewhere. Even when we asked for our room to be cleaned the housekeeping team would not clean it they would just put new towels and toilet roll in. More over we were not even given the correct amount of towels.

Cleanliness across the hotel was unacceptable. There was a constant sewage smell around the pool due to poor drainage. Food in the restaurant was frequently covered in flies, and staff often behaved as though providing drinks or cutlery was an inconvenience. We also encountered cockroaches in the spa changing area and in the luggage storage room, where they were crawling over luggage. We had to put something into our case as we was leaving and the cockroaches crawled into our case. So we are now bringing back Tunisian cockroaches to the UK.

The all-inclusive package was extremely misleading. Drink options were very limited, alcoholic drinks were restricted to only basic options unless you paid extra, bottled water was refused. I went to the bar with a friend that I made at the hotel both if us asked for a bottle of water and the bar staff started arguing with us saying that we are in the same room and we do not need two bottles. It is water I should b of be refused water especially at a hotel where I paid for all inclusive. Drinks were served in tiny paper cups, and even ice was rationed. This did not feel like an all-inclusive experience. Some of the bar members were very tight on alcohol where they wouldn’t even give you a shot of alcohol in your drink. Which is unusual for an all inclusive as we all know that usually on an all inclusive they like to pour like crazy. When you asked for extra alcohol to be difficult they would purposely poor in an unbearable amount. The hotel had a club where you had to pay for drinks. We went there on our first night to watch the England match as it was on at 4am and all the all inclusive bars were shut. Even though we were paying for the drinks we were getting dirty glasses and the main man working at the bar was extremely rude and constantly had a very unapproachable face.

On our departure day, we were told that we can shower in the spa facilities by the morning shift receptionist, which had always been the case no matter what country I have traveled to I was always given a room to shower in or would use the spa facilities. When it came to leaving, we went to the spa and asked the lady where the showers are. She then kept on saying “finished finished’. We were confused about this so we went to reception to question this. They then said you can’t shower in the spa for free you have to use the pool showers. Which is crazy as I am not comfortable with that. Even the tourist manager agreed with us, she said she was new and did not know that that was the case. She the. Called the general reception manager to come and speak to us. His name was Hussain, he was incredibly rude and had an awful attitude these are his exact words “ So what is your problem? You checked out and wanted to go for a swim and are now expecting a shower” we addressed his attitude to him straight away and he responded “Yes I know I do” he told the lady to carry on with us and just walked off. The tourist lady was extremely nice but said it’s not her decision and apologised she could not help. We then asked for some towels, which was also a problem. We had to speak to three different staff members to even get some towels. It’s like all the staff were shocked that we wanted a a shower. Check out is at 12pm and our flight was not until 11pm like if course we will go for a swim and want to shower. We are not gonna sit around waiting all day.

Other issues included:

* The lift did not work for our floor.
* Emergency fire exits appeared poorly maintained.
* Staff frequently gave conflicting information, suggesting a lack of training and communication.
* Some male staff made members of our group feel uncomfortable due to inappropriate behaviour.

Overall, this was one of the worst hotel experiences I have had. A hotel claiming to offer 4 or 5-star standards should provide clean facilities, professional customer service, basic hygiene, and competent management. Unfortunately, Riadh Palm Hotel failed on all of these fronts.

I would not recommend staying here and certainly would not return.

⭐☆☆☆☆

Avoid this hotel at all costs. This was genuinely one of the worst holiday experiences I’ve ever had.

From the moment we arrived, the staff were rude, dismissive, and acted as if guests were an inconvenience. Any issue we raised was either ignored or met with empty promises that nothing would be done. Customer service simply doesn’t exist here.

The rooms are filthy, outdated, and in desperate need of renovation. The bathroom smelled like sewage throughout the stay, the air conditioning barely worked, and basic maintenance issues were completely ignored. The hotel looks nothing like the photos online.

The food was absolutely dreadful. Every day was the same tasteless, lukewarm buffet with very little variety. Hygiene standards seemed questionable, and after a couple of meals we completely lost confidence in eating there. Even the drinks were poor quality.

The entire hotel feels neglected. Dirty communal areas, broken facilities, overcrowded restaurants, and a general lack of cleanliness made it impossible to relax. The lifts constantly broke down, queues were ridiculous, and the atmosphere was chaotic from morning until night.

The final day summed up the entire experience perfectly. Before checking out, we politely asked reception if there was somewhere we could shower before leaving, as this is a service many hotels provide. We were told by the receptionist that we could use the showers in the spa free of charge. However, when we went to the spa, we were suddenly told we couldn’t use those showers after all and that we would have to pay. After being sent back and forth, arguing and complaining because we had been given completely different information by hotel staff, we still got nowhere. Instead, we were told our only option was to shower by the pool, in full view of other guests. It was embarrassing, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.

To make matters worse, the manager, Hussain, came out to deal with the situation and his attitude was appalling. Rather than trying to resolve the issue or apologise for the hotel’s mistake, he was rude, dismissive, and spoke to us with complete disrespect. It was the worst customer service we experienced during our stay and left an awful final impression.

This hotel advertises itself as a four-star resort, but it barely deserves one. There are far better places to stay in Sousse for the same money. I wouldn’t return even if the stay was free, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone else waste their hard-earned money here.

Do yourself a favour and book somewhere else. You’ll thank yourself later.

Great 3.5 star hotel.4th floor room with good view of pool and sea .Air con iffy but ok ,Clean room with working fridge !!
Food ,plentiful,but bit of a rugby scrum at supper.
Pool large and warm,very clean,plenty of sun beds.Drinks service on the whole superb.
Food from 10 am round beach ,varied and good.
If you find the outside restaurant on the left ,quiet and very good for lunch
Beach cleanish, plenty of beds if you get there before 9

Seriously seriously think about your life choices before booking this hotel. I urge you NOT to as you will regret it. From the moment we walked in being thrown 4 bits of paper to complete, wristbands being forgotten, to walking to a restaurant and seeing a fight all within the first 20 mins. No welcome from Love Holidays, having another family tell us where things are. Having to drink tea/coffee out of cereal bowls due to no cups despite asking for them. Lack of coffee machines meaning a 10 mins wait because there are NO tea/coffee facilities in the room. NO satellite TV despite it saying. Pointless asking reception to help because they dont care!!! All the hotel is interested in is filling rooms. It’s overfilled and not able to manage! The outside food area needs to change, you cannot make each individual burger/sandwich for that many people. 45 mins in 32 degrees heat for 1 burger is unacceptable!! The drink choice is terrible and tastes like paint stripper. You will be well looked after if you tip. Tip, tip all the time tipping. All inclusive becomes quite expensive when people expect to be tipped every 5 mins!!!! The icing on the cake was not having anywhere on the last day to change/shower as we had a late flight. We were told we had to be out at 12 and weren’t being collected until 18:40. When i asked if we could shower somewhere, we were told “by the pool”. A public area!!!??? Absolutely ridiculous. So spent 6 hours waiting around. The main hotel is clean, the rooms are not. Bathroom is dirty, black mould, a dirty shower curtain that kept sticking to me!! A plug that doesn’t fit…..
I met another 5 families who felt exactly the same way and were given nothing from Love Holidays/the hotel.
Save yourself the misery and book somewhere else……..

Ive only been here for 24hrs, not as good as we thought it would be.
Food is terrible.
So eating salads and melon.
Beer and coke etc all warm and not kept cold.roms very worn and dated , but clean.
So can't wait to get home.
Every time I ask for a different drink , I'm told we have none.
The food is definitely for more foreign taste certainly not British etc.
Reception staff very helpful.

A big thank you to the animation team for making our stay so enjoyable! They were energetic, friendly, and professional, creating a fun atmosphere every day with games, activities, and evening shows. Their enthusiasm and positive attitude made a real difference to our holiday. Great job, and keep up the amazing work!

A great hotel right on its own beach, just to the main promenade in Sousse. Excellent service: reception, restaurant, bars in the hotel and on the beach. Exceptionally delicious food, all meals international cuisine (beef, fish, seafood, chicken) and always at least 3 to 4 traditional Tunisian dishes. Lots of vegetables and fruits, special section for vegans. Always wonderful cookies French style. Good local wines that we drank with the meal. There are all kinds of alcoholic drinks. Everywhere is very clean, all areas are cooled, pleasant ambience with soft music. In the evening, the team of animators organizes entertainment and dancing by the pool. At 11 pm everything is quiet for rest. All recommendations!

L'emplacement de l'hôtel
La vue de la chambre

The hotel's location is absolutely beautiful, and the sea is crystal clear and clean. Unfortunately, that's where the positives begin to fade.
The beach itself could be much cleaner, and the hotel accommodations are nowhere near a true 4-star international standard. I would rate it closer to a 2-star hotel. The rooms were not cleaned to an acceptable standard, and maintenance was poor. After every shower, half of the bathroom / room floor flooded. The refrigerator in our room didn't work, and despite requesting a replacement, nothing was done during our entire one-week stay. The air conditioning also struggled to cool the room properly.
The elevators were one of the biggest frustrations. There simply aren't enough for the size of the hotel, and several were out of service for the entire week without being repaired. Waiting 10–15 minutes for an elevator became routine, so we ended up using the stairs.
Another inconvenience was that only one room key was provided. While I understand the hotel's effort to reduce electricity consumption, this policy is very impractical, especially when two adults are sharing a room. It unnecessarily limits guests' freedom to come and go independently.
The hotel manager was helpful and accommodating, but the reception staff—particularly one of the female receptionists—was not friendly or welcoming. Customer service at the front desk could definitely be improved.
The restaurant was another disappointment. The beer was served warm, which made it unpleasant to drink, and the service was consistently slow.
Overall, this hotel has an amazing location and beautiful water, but it has too many maintenance, cleanliness, and service issues to justify its 4-star rating. With significant improvements, it could be a wonderful place to stay. Until then, I recommend arriving with realistic expectations.

From the minute you arrive you see how dated and dirty the whole place is

We arrived at midnight, and was told food would be on all night, so we wher escorted to our room where we could barely get into the tiny scruffy room, which contained multiple beds and tables and chairs, all of which covered doors and the wardrobe as there was so little room. It was immediately obvious that we had been missold a holiday. The misrepresentation of this hotel, is unreal; the photos must be years old as the entire place is so unclean amd in need of closing to start again. Admittedly the pool amd beach are lovely, but even then there is always broken glass and plates to cause injury.back to the room…
So; upon realising we had been downgraded on the room we booked, we found multiple live wires exposed in the wardrobe, which had 3 quilts covering the hole where wires wher pertruding out. Toilet had a massive l leak with a puddle that covered half the toilet floor, with a broken toilet seat hinge, as well as a crack that tore a hole in the top of your leg on contact.when discovering both safes did not work, we decided to shut the pointless tiny balcony doors, which only just fit the broken table and two chairs on, with no room to even move them an inch in any direction.we decided we’d go complain and get food. Suprised, suprised, reception said there was no other room available, they’d get us a change the next day. Well, that day turned into two days, constantly wasting the two days chasing up with both the hotel and love holidays, to get moved. Food was unavailable by 2 am when we finished trying to reason with reception, and 3 of us had to make do with a bottle of water from our room, as there wher also no glasses available at the 24/7 snack bar and late dinner place.
Day two…went for breakfast nice and early, to find no glasses or cups. Then the only options available for someone woth meat and dairy intolerance, wher tomatoes and plums, so rubbish start to first day. We did get told later in the day to get the doughnuts or pastries which once being shoved about and knocked over multiple times just to get a croissant that where burned amyway(amd again no plates), I decided to leave the restaurant as I didn’t fancy eating where last nights chicken bones lay all over floors and surfaces, with food splattered up all walls.
Got sunbeds(no cushions available-which is an issue for me as I have just undergone major surgery, and awaiting upcoming surgeries and rely on a stick most the time as an aid). We quite enjoyed our day by the pool, even though there was only one way in and out for anyone who can’t use the two ladders, of which animation staff used to do their entertainment and water aerobics ect, so trying to wade through 50 people when disabled isn’t easy, amd even after saying excuse me you get scoffed at by racist guests and get laughed at and shoved out of the way.Day after day, we witnessed security moving family after family belongings from sunbeds, as soon as they went to the toilet or to get a drink or food. We witnessed those who rose early who wher actually using the beds and not those who got up at 4am(yes really 4 am they wher out putting towels on sun beds, then security wher paid to secure them), having their stuff removed so those who came to the pool later in the morning could pick the spot amd pay to get the other stuff removed(no joke, you couldn’t leave the bed at all, someone had to say at all times).
Food in the day was hard also, as English people are constantly pushed to the side and get sniggered at from guests and some younger staff, but there are some staff that also get treated very badly by the same guests. Honestly I’ve never been to anywhere where you’re made to feel like you can’t eat or drink within an all inclusive. I repeatedly asked for just salad wrap or cob to be told no, or to be given meat. I managed to get soup 2 nights which was edible, but had multiple hairs in it. Booked a boat trip asap to get out of the hotel, which was absolutely great. We booked memos bar one night, so we could actually eat something more than two tiny bits of cake or bowl of soup( most nights even soup was meat, amd the veg options wher literally just coked veg, amd tasted of nothing, couldn’t even get hold of a pot of salt, or ketchup for over cooked hard fries. Took half s as k hour to get a drink at mealtimes, so we didn’t bother, we just had a couple of bits of cake and left. Couldn’t even get to the melon, as there was too many pushing you out the way, amd when you got there, there was no plates, or you wher handed 6 massive bits of melon, which is why you struggled to get any, as the one man melon carver, was chopping it amd dishing it out needed to disappear again after dispatching a whole melon for folks to waste in about 1 minute flat.
Our meal at neptunes(although we double checked I could get vegetarian), consisted of a piece of lettuce, 2 oluves, a slice of cucumber and tomatoe, and a teaspoon of tuna, followed by spaghetti in meat sauce with meat, with chips so hard you couldn’t eat them. Followed by an entire plate of meats(yes I did ask for vegetarian before each course, so ate nothing again). At this point we left as we asked if we co up ld take our daughters food to our room as she was very unwell, amd was told by management, it would absolutely not be possible to take food to her, after not eating all day. We wher tss as ken to the side by a lovely waiter and told where to find guest services, amd sat for over an hour eating, before I gave in amd marched into the restaurant, d found a nice staff member who got me a napkin amd allowed me to take some melon to my daughter( nothing more substantial was allowed). Honestly, after all this and no air con in our new room, leaking shower and again no safe that’s wired in, a cleaner who doesn’t clean, couldn’t even get a single loo roll or towel(maybe as we had the nerve to complain about our room initially), we had to endure some woman amd man in a wheelchair, who rocked up at around 7 am and start trying to rip our stuff off our sunbeds whilst I was trying to get a drink and doughnut for my daughter at breakfast, whilst my partner was on our beds, where we’d been since 5.30 am as we’ve been kept awake every night by staff partying g with guests until gone 3.30 am almost every night, as our air con doesn’t work so have been trying to get sleep in our balcony(others in our block have slept with their balcony amd front door open, to try and get some sleep, which is horrendous. This hotel isn’t safe in any way, shape or form). The woman was screaming at my partner telling him to F off,they want be there as her man was disabled in a wheelchair( he had cut hi felt entitled to remove anyone who had already been sat for an hour and half, decided to sit there, due to my daughters sunburn, also as mentioned slready, I can’t get in and out the pool, also needed to be between the toilets if possible as am awaiting surgery for complete abdominal prolapse and am double incontinent), but nope, the woman was screaming and shouting , amd the husband rose up and hit my partner with a big metal cup full of drink, then tried to swing at his head, amd a further swing with his fist, shouting we want two parasols as disabled. Honestly, all we needed on day 5 of this place, was a morning to rest up as by now, we’ve all got horendous toilet issues and dehydrated, as getting drinks is just as hard as getting food. Yes we’d asked love holidays to move us, and they asked for photos, of which took 2 days to send as WiFi is so bad, to then have the case closed. The agressive guests then proceeded to get security to come remove our stuff, so in principle and after trying to explain I have 5 crumbled disks, just undergone surgery to remove 2.5 stone of lumps from my stomach, a full hysterectomy, two carpel tunnel surgeries, I have no feeling in both legs due to peripheral neuropathy, suffer ms and seizures, amd have a complete abdominal and rectal prolapse, and needed the beds we got up early to secure, then to be accused of removing this other couples items, amd security young lad trying to pull all our stuff off the beds, as well as laughing his head off, was disgusting. I refused to move, so management wher brought over. Eventually a pool guy stepped in and said he saw everything, we had been there already and that they guy repeatedly hit my partner, as did other guests. Then the couple refused to move and sat spitting at us amd offering to fight us. My partner got so annoyed he was half an hour later shouting for police to be called, at which point he was escorted out the building, amd we wher moved elsewhere, but complaints wher not listened to. We wher offered a free trip on quads or camels, but I can’t , we just want to go home, even the director said they can’t remove the other guests as they are going home tommorow as are we, amd he is disabled as he hurt his foot on the beach.
Here it is acceptable to hit another guest and intimidate them because of disability, you’re to hit someone without consequences.

We will be seeking a full refund, amd will take this as far as needs to go .we should have paid to get out, we wish we had, but tried so hard to make it simple for our daughter with autism, who ended up spending more time sleeping due to stress
Lifts-mostly always broken down or overcrowded: expect half an hour in a lift to get where you need to be

Going home today and cannot wait. we have been before to a 3 star which was so much cleaner, safer and friendlier than here.
Most things at the hotel are closed, and the only entertainment is the animation team.The night club is closed, the onsight cafe is no longer here, no amphitheater as it dilapidated and overgrown, amd entertainment happens on the volleyball court on a makeshift stage. Hence the partying outdoors as there’s nothing to do here.

After our initial two days, we thought we’d give the place the benefit of the doubt-we wher so wrong. Won’t return

We had a great time, the weather was lovely, the food was great and Zizou was particularly nice and welcoming

I’ve been to Tunsia 4 times and this hotel is absolute awful. I came last April, gone down hill. I’ll never come back here they over fill it with guests and not enough room. Food is awful, I have to go outside the hotel to eat and waste money daily. Animation is alright not the best but good enough. The beds are very uncomfortable and hard and the cleaning is very bad, dust every where, floors not cleaned and there’s an egg sulphur smell that stays in the room all day. Also the AC doesn’t work, have to sleep with door open.
There’s one life guard who doesn’t let you save beds. His gives you until 9am for you to be on the bed and expect you to be there all day. Otherwise he will remove your towel and your beds will be gone. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel there is definitely better, it’s like living in a ran down hotel.

Everything Was okey,thé entairtement team ,the bool was clean ,the sea ,the bar men were gentle, only the rooms was not clean enough for a family it wasnt cleaned for 3 days

Mouhib J is the best barmen in hotel

Absolutely shocking Hotel not fit for purpose. Filthy chaotic and falling apart! If you’re thinking of coming here DO NOT !! If you’ve booked cancel! This place needs closing down. THIS IS NOT A 4 star hotel.
Rooms are dirty and antiquated, fixtures and fittings falling apart. Lifts are filthy and not cleaned. The restaurant has to be one of the worst. Food is awful, noisy and chaotic. drinks machine doesn’t work, no cutlery or spoons. Food splashes up the walls and worse still guests putting serving tongs in their mouths! picking up food with their fingers and putting it back. Same food every day some of it isn’t edible!
This is such a shame as staff are helpful and nice. Pool area surprisingly nice. The beach is dirty with cigarette buts bottles and rubbish everywhere. sun beds are broken. Outdoor food serving places are awful dirty and a health hazard. In fact I have had a stomach bug whilst here. Only here for 5 days that’s more than enough!!!