Diar Lemdina 4*

Tunisia. Yasmine Hammamet. Hotel Diar Lemdina. We chose this hotel for its unique concept. The hotel is suitable for vacations of different people: families with kids, adults and young people. Everybody will find what to do. The idea of the hotel is that you are a resident of a real Tunisian town. In the territory of the hotel there is a local market, lots of different small shops, cafes, restaurants and squares. There are replicas of different places all over Tunisia. There are also several museums and nonstop night life.

So, our vacation took place late July 2023. When the guide took us to the hotel she made us sure that the hotel is good and there will be no problems with it. From the moment we arrived (early in the morning) we were pretty sure she was right. First of all, we were given the bracelets and could go to breakfast. Wide choice of dishes surprised us. After a good breakfast and surprisingly quite strong coffee we were ready to have fun. The receptionist told us about the main points in the area and we started exploring the hotel. There we found two pools, one smaller and quieter and the other bigger and noisier. And there is one more, but we didn’t use it. There is a pool bar which offers drinks and a place where they make snacks like burgers, pancakes or pizza. Animation team offers different attractions and entertain the public. All the staff is extremely polite and friendly. Everybody smiles and you feel welcome. At about one o'clock we were taken to the rooms (check in time is 14 o'clock). The rooms are not big, but clean. There is everything you need for your rest, just the wardrobe is quite low and a long dress does not fit in ;). Anyway, it's just a small detail. Lunch is good with lots of food to choose. You will find both Europen and local dishes. There are ready made salads, vegetables and sauces to make your own mix, fruit like peaches, apricots, plums, grapes, watermelons, cactus fruit, figs. Lots of different cakes, ice-cream. And polite waiters who always smile and are ready to help. Just one advice for the hotel: put the spoons somewhere so that people could take them not having to ask a waiter for it. There is also a wide choice of food during dinner. Lots of sea food is offered. I loved it.

All-inclusive program gives some nice opportunities. At check in we were given several coupons.

One for hammam. So now some info about it. The coupon means only steam bath and that's it. If you want a real hammam, you have to pay. The weakest point in the hotel is its hammam. Not the people who work there. The management. To book the visit to hammam we had to look for the manager. The kind receptionist found him for us and we made a reservation but now I totally understand why the place is absolutely empty. You will not see their manager running around the hotel looking for new clients, sometimes you can see him at the reception and that's it. I am pretty sure that if he did his part of work better, the hammam would make more money. The lady who did scrubbing was amazing, we felt like newly born after her procedures. The girl and the boy who did massages were also good. So, only the management was not proper. Anyway, thanks to the people who did their work well.

Two more coupons were for the museums. One of them has replicas of 35 different Tusinian paintings. You can see the life in Tunisian homes there. The guide is wonderful, he told us so many interesting information and jokes. We even had an opportunity to take some photos wearing traditional Tunisian clothes. The other museum is dedicated to different religions of Tunisia. The guide is well qualified and knows a lot of interesting information. You are allowed to climb the tower and admire a beautiful view of the town. We did it at night (the museums are open to 12 at night), amazing.

There are also several a la carte restaurants to choose from. But it is advised to book them on arrival day as later you can face the lack of time to visit them. We chose a Shecherezada show with dinner. You can watch a dance show and have dinner at the same time. The show is average, nothing special, somehow it is a bit more concentrated on Russian public (still ;)). And the food is average too. I didn’t really like it. Anyway, if you do not have special plans for the evening, it’s a good opportunity to try. We also booked a Mediterranean dinner for the last day. You are taken to the other hotel where you are served dinner of five courses. Again nothing special, simple cuisine, but interesting to try. Fish was good.

Being a guest of the hotel also gives you an opportunity to visit an adventure park and a water park for free. You just have to take a paper at the reception, go to ticket office of the park and get tickets. You can use it even everyday if you like.

Adventure park works from 4 p.m. to 12 at night. It has good attractions for kids to have fun. The water park works 10-18 o'clock. It is really crowded and intended more for young kids. Lots of people means lots of waiting at different attractions. So be patient ;).

Outside the hotel about 300-400 meters away from the hotel there is a seaside area for the hotel visitors. There is always a lifeguard on the beach. There is also a bar where you can get beer, soft drinks, snacks and pizza. The sand is white and soft but if there are waves, there will be lots of plants in the water. And also plastic. Lots of plastic. One more minus of the seaside is people who sell different stuff. Quite annoying. Anyway, if there is no wind, the water is really pleasant.

Beach towels in the hotel are given for deposit of 20 dinars. That means you pay the money in the reception, get a receipt, give it to the pool boy and get a towel. You can change the towel as many times during your stay as you wish. At the end of your stay just return the towels to the reception and get your money back.

So, I think it was a good idea to choose Diar Lemdina for our holiday. I surely recommend it to other people. You just have to remember it is four-star hotel and it is a very special country. We loved our holiday.