Shems Holiday Village & Aquapark

My stay at this hotel in October was one of the worst travel experiences I’ve ever had. In my personal experience, the cleanliness was completely unacceptable — the restaurant area looked dirty, and I personally saw cockroaches there. The food also appeared poorly handled, and I did not feel it was safe to eat.

As a parent of a teenage daughter, I did not feel that this hotel provided a safe environment. I felt deeply uncomfortable with the atmosphere and did not believe the management took our concerns seriously. We even had to involve the police due to how unsafe the situation felt, yet I felt the hotel staff were more interested in protecting themselves than helping us.

In my opinion, the management at the time was extremely unprofessional, unhelpful, and dismissive. I strongly regret choosing this hotel, and I would absolutely not recommend it to anyone.

Upon arrival at we agreed to kindly buy the staff and told that we couldn’t check into her until two, but we could go for food and enjoy the hotel. The staff were lovely and a very nice.

There was a smell in the air, which wasn’t very nice in certain parts of the hotel obviously a drainage system, but it wasn’t everywhere.

The rooms were nice, however, they were very unsafe as they were tiled floors. I have a son which is just learnt to walk. And I could not put him on the floor of a risk of him slipping over and cracking his head. There was no rugs or anything and if there was the slightest water which got on there from the shower then it was very slippery.

The shower could need a deep clean and the toilets were a bit difficult to flush but did flush. There was always toilet roll and fresh towels given to me in the room and the cleaners were really nice and changed the bedsheets every day.

I went on lovely excursions and I had the most amazing times. My daughter also had made the most amazing memories. She had learnt to swim properly in the pool and had an amazing time just generally at the hotel. She absolutely loved the mini disco and I would just like to say a massive shout out to the animation team because they were lovely.

The food was basic however there was always something really nice to eat. There was croissants there was also cereal. There was nothing like bacon but there were some sausages which were hot sausage sausages but there was also fresh eggs and ominous which could be made or fried eggs and also chocolate pancakes for the kids. There is also fresh cheese and bread and salad so there was choice.

There was always coffee available however the most annoying thing was I did not have a refrigerator in my room and you could also not get bottled water after 11 o’clock and you would have to pay prices which I think is a bit ridiculous when you’re at all inclusive. Especially for water.

There was a storm and my electric did cut out and I had to find the fuse box as I was not going back into the rain and then the staff became and fixed the problem the next day and everything was fine.

But like I said, I had the most amazing experience and I will definitely go back.

For a three star hotel, I think you are getting more than what I thought that was.

Yes, they could be some tweets in the hotel, but I cannot fault anything. I had the most amazing time.

Having spent 8 days at Shems it has been quite a pleasant trip. There are a few negatives, on 1st reflection the village is very nice. The bungalows are ok just in need of a bit an update, a good deep clean & a lick of paint would bring the place up to 4 stars. The beds are very hard & uncomfortable. I recommend locking any valuables away as i had a bottle of perfume stolen from my bungalow. The food was ok typical of a 3 star hotel. Always something to eat. The beach is also very small but easily accessible.
Also you are in the middle of nowhere nothing is within walking distance.
On the positive side the staff are all very nice especially the animation team who work extremely hard & long hours. Deserve more pay than they get. So a massive shout out to those guys.

I would like to preface this review by saying we knew we were booking a '3 star experience' However, everywhere we have been - usually this is based on facilities, and not cleanliness and basic living needs. We have stayed in hostels all over the world, and I lived in a tin shed in Thailand, and can categorically say this is the most upsetting experience I have ever had. Please do not bring your children here.
We paid £200 after 24 hours to hire a car, so that we could eat, and for our son to eat. We are not the kind of family that expect a British menu in a foreign country, and we are all happy to eat and try anything - 2 days of the smell of this food hall and you will understand why we had to get out and drive to buy our own food.
What should have been a straightforward holiday turned into a super expensive, stressful time for us where we felt we couldn't stay in the hotel.
Please be aware, there are NO SNACKS, restaurant is open 3 x a day with the same food every day. That is it.
Our experience at this hotel was awful from start to finish.

Check-in:
On arrival, reception charged my husband twice for the tourist tax. Instead of quickly fixing the mistake, we were left standing in the boiling heat for half an hour with our child while they tried to figure it out, only to be told to come back another day for a refund.

Room / Bungalow:
The bungalow was in a terrible state. Every day, the toilet and drains stank so badly that the whole place smelled. On arrival there was no toilet roll, and throughout our stay we had to ask daily just to get one. The bathroom had live wires sticking out of a hole in the wall, a cracked sink, crumbling plaster, and a shower with no holder that only stayed hot for five minutes. Cleaning was non-existent — we found someone else’s earrings left in a cup, the vanity unit was filthy and stained, and old food under the fridge was only discovered once ants started carrying it out.

Ants were everywhere, including in the bed, and included red ants. Outside the bungalow, dirty plates of food left by other guests would sit for up to four days in 30-degree heat before being collected. Rubbish and unwanted items were scattered around the grounds — an old broken inflatable sat outside ours for five days straight.

The beds and bedding were dreadful. We were only given a base sheet, nothing to sleep under, and had to ask repeatedly for three days before receiving anything. The pillows were filthy and ancient. The shutter in the bedroom was broken and nearly injured my husband when it collapsed on him, badly bruising his leg.

Facilities:
The pool was dirty, which we could clearly see with an underwater camera. One set of pool steps broke further each day until they were completely removed. Umbrellas were unsafe — most didn’t work properly and you had to force them up and wedge in a bit of metal to stop them collapsing, a real hazard.

The public toilets were permanently flooded, smelly, and never had toilet paper.

Food & Drink:
The food was dreadful. Very little variety, and the dining area was swarming with flies at all times. Instead of keeping the space cool with air conditioning and closed doors, doors were left open and the food was crawling with insects. Staff were often seen eating directly from the serving trays, and food was cleared away whenever they felt like it — so if you arrived late into the dining window, there was often little left. Tables were rarely reset, meaning you had to hunt for cutlery, napkins, or even salt.

Drinks were served in flimsy single-use plastic cups, and if you wanted something more durable you had to buy your own from the on-site shop at four times the price you’d pay outside. Not exactly what you expect from an “all-inclusive” resort.

Customer Service:
We were promised a late checkout until 3:30pm since our transfer wasn’t until later. On the morning of departure, we were told it wasn’t possible — despite the hotel being practically empty. At this point we hadn’t packed because we’d relied on having those extra hours. My husband had to argue for an hour before they finally agreed.

Overall:
This hotel was unsafe, dirty, and badly run. From the stinking drains and filthy rooms to the broken facilities, infested food areas, and poor customer service, it was without doubt one of the worst hotel experiences we’ve ever had. Definitely not somewhere we would recommend.

Absolutely disgusting this hotel, don't waste your money, me and my son went, on arrival I had to wait an hour for my key to get into the room, then the man at reception was rude and asked why I was still there, I told him I was still waiting for my key, when getting I to the room at 1am, me and my son were greeted to ants crawling all over the walls floors shower room and beds, the air con was spitting out chunks of uce. I asked to be moved rooms and they ignored me, so next day went to reception to speak to the manager, got told he wasn't there, so went back tea time told them I want to be moved rooms as there was ants all over, they ignored me said the manager wasn't in, even tho i could see him through the glass wall which was a room, they ignored me because I was by myself with my son, if I was there with my husband I think it would of been a different story. On day one for dinner we went to the pizza restaurant the staff were picking up the food with their hands no gloves or washing them, so we left, tea time we went to the main restaurant, food was appalling, I ain't a picky eater but the food was revolting, the kids section was chips and chicken nuggets and always empty never topped up. The aqua park is not the hotels for all it's next to the hotel it is open to the public, the pools are small where you come off the slides but was full of people trying to swim in it, pools were big that was in the hotel but cold sunbeds were majority broken and didn't have a mattress on, the football and tennis pitches are also not apart of the hotel, they are apart of the aqua park ,once the aqua park closes at 6pm you can't use them facilities, the entertainment was a disco for kids then a singer every night, entertainment staff were too interested in flirting with the women including myself which was very inappropriate. The rooms are basic cleaners all like to sit in the hubs and argue and smoke, rooms were dirty, sheets were never changed they would come in and just make the beds and leave, me and my son couldn't cope anymore so we cut our holiday/nightmare short and flew home after 4 days, it's definitely not for the English.

I was in this amazing hotel for one weak I really enjoyed my vacation there the antmosphere was amazing the staff were very professional and respectful and I especially liked the animators I definitely recommend visiting this place

I was in this amazing hotel for one weak i really enjoyed my vacation there the atmosferę was amazing the ataff were very professional and respectful and especially liked the animators

it was a good experience the only bad things were the men not the staff but the other men around would stare and try to touch you but the staff were lovely and the food were good the pools were clean

Sejour en tousSéjour globalement acceptable. Le service en chambre nécessite quelques améliorations, la propreté générale laissant à désirer. Quelques files d'attente au restaurant. Belle piscine. L'équipe d'animation est plutôt modeste, mais sympathique. Merci à tous.

Struttura, vecchia, non curata, mangiare deludente "non è possibile dare un giudizio".
Di positivo solo piscine, parco acquatico e la signora che faceva la camera.

Best animation team they have been the best company they have tons of shows for kids and adults thay make it fun to be here !

Au total.l'hotel.a une bonne infrastructure avec des supers beaux toboggans et de belles piscines. L'equipe d'animation est bonne et chacun fait un bel effort pour que tout se passe bien. Un gros merci a Bibo, Yassine, Sam et les autres pour l'accueil et pour avoir partagé des beaux moments avec moi et mes deux gars. La nourriture au resto Tunisien est excellente et l'ambiance superbe. Des ameliorations sont a apporter par contre, au niveau du resto principal au niveau des menus du matin, midi et soir pour etre plus variés et moins répétitifs. Un merci particulier a monsieur Amir Sfaxi et monsieur Faycel Nouri pour avoir essayer de faire des efforts pour rendre notre sejour plus agrable niveau nourriture. Un autre merci pour l'amabilite de Ichrak, le sourire de Alaa et son aide pour tout ce qui est change d'argent, l'acceuil de Chouchou et ses beaux bracelets. La chambre etait spacieuse et tres propre tout comme l'hotel d'ailleur. Un dernier point, le Wifi n'existe qu'a la reception, donc si vous voulez rester toujours connecté prevoyer de quoi a l'avance niveau internet. Bon été...Une belle pensée a toutes les personnes aimables et serviables rencontrees a Shems Holiday Village

The hotel is beutiful and the rooms are always cleaned.The programs are very funny and interesting. You have a lot of variations of food and drinks.Food is always tasty and delicous.The staff was so helpful and amazing

The hotel is very Nice and pretty.Rooms are so beutiful and clean.The food is delicious and tasty.The shows are really funny and the songs are really catchy .Also the animators are really sweet and funny.

The hotel is really nice, everything we hoped for and more. The staff is really kind and always willing to help. Everyone can choose from the food choices because there is a lot of them. The bar is really good and has a lot of choices. The rooms look good and I would say nothing was missing. The animators were amazing and the performances were good for Kids and even for adults.

Schagra the photographer was great, helpful and accommodating. the bungalow is good, clean and the staff is helpful..

i really like the hotel everything is good
the staff of restaurant so freindly the better thing it’s the animation here ❤️

2025 shems holiday village
My best vacation ever
I definitely will come back again
I got alot of souvenir from tunisia
I want to thank the entertainment team for their support
Thank you everyone

Good experience i really obsessed with food and animator i love the staff of restaurant and bar the pool is very clean and safe and the rooms

So good experience i really likes the animation in this hotel they have a lot of shows i think 14 program And the staff of restaurant And the bar really frendly literally i Will come back