Shems Holiday Village & Aquapark

Worst hotel I have ever stayed in. Food is atrocious, I wouldn't feed it to my dog. Staff are very very underpaid and treated like trash. Cockroachs and mosquitos are off the scale. Beach is tiny and dirty. Drinks are tiny and queues are terrible. No water after 11pm. We lived on salad and boiled eggs cause none of could eat. The area has nothing at all, so your stuck. It felt like a celebrity trial, Avoid at all costs

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 atmosferę was amazing the ataff were very professional and respectful and especially liked the animators

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

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 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.

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

Literally very good food delicious I love very much the animation team eather the staff of the bar and its really good experience

A very nice experience i loved the hotel very much as well as the animation team and the bar team the services where really nice i will return to this hotel 🏨 MY REGARDS TO THE ANIMATOR KIMO WHO TOOK CARE OF US THROUGHOUT THIS TRIP

The best family holiday we had so far!!!! Where do I start : -extra friendly staff who know what they are doing ...We asked for s cot upon arrival and it was ready within an hr! -Clean spacious rooms -It was my son's birthday and they arranged the table in the photo +a special cake+put the restaurant lights off and ALL the staff sang happy birthday to him snd guess wt this was for FREE -Clean pools and 2 water slide areas one suitable for little kids snd the other was a truly big scary 🤣🤣🤣 one! Baby pool wasn't always clean so hope the hotel will look at that -Beach is actually a few steps away -Lovely buffet with lots of choices . -The snack bar could be better but the drink bar was amazing with icy cold drinks +coffees +fizzy drinks -most of the time they had the fresh pancake stand which was amazing -The highlight of our stay was the entertainment team What a lovely bunch of ppl kids were constantly busy with one thing or another ..lots of jokes,dancing and face painting etc Thank you Shems Holiday for this exceptional service will defo come back again v soon

Good hotel, food is medium level. Not too clean, the food is same every day. The people try to help. No wi-fi in the bungalows, just in recepcion. Some people in the bar is kind, other is rude. All inclusive with drinks. 5 people and they dont want to give 5 cola, just 2. They give botle mineral water for my beautifull young girl, But they didnt for her older mother… It was good for cheap last minute travel but dont think that I will go back. Dont expect too much.

Shems Holiday park was in one word "Amazing" The staff were happy and glad to help you when ever they could. The rooms /Chalets/ Bungalows are simple with air conditioning. The house cleaning came around every morning once we had left for the day. Clean bedding, Towels and the floors cleaned. Pool staff - Life Guard Ayemen was an absolute star, I cannot praise the guy any more highly. This guy is 5 Star Member of staff. Bar Managers Morning and Evening. I'm sorry I cant remember their names, But they remembered mine. A really nice touch when they had so many people to deal with every day. They are both a credit to the Shem's Holiday Park. The only one issue I could raise is that the Easy-jet Rep. Wasn't there when we arrived, It took her until Wednesday to make a point of coming to find us and then made a point of asking if we had all the paperwork????? (That she should have given us when we arrived) Bit of a poor show really and disappointing really. At Shem's Holiday Village they do have a number of people that are on site for day excursions ALI BABA arranged a 6hr Pirate ship trip that was amazing and a highlight of our holiday, I will say that Ali actually went above and beyond his call of duty and was actually there every day of our 7 night stay. The Staff at Shem's Holiday Village are an absolute credit to the establishment. From the House Cleaning staff, that every morning put fresh flowers in our room, The Ground Maintenance staff that keep the Village looking stunning, The Bar staff, The restaurant staff. The Pool staff and security. The Place is simply Amazing

I came here with my partner and our 2 young children (age 2 and 4) for two weeks and we had a blast! We enjoyed the amazing animation team Ash, Rio , Photo man and many more. The children enjoyed the water parks and pools and our time at the beach riding camels 🐪. The hotel has a little shop which is handy for those with young children which supplies nappies and wipes , milk if needed. The food was basic but we did not expect a 5 star standard in a 3 star hotel. Ques at the bar and restaurant can be really irritating (especially with young children) and i think the hotel would benefit from having more snack bars throughout the day instead of selected times. Our bungalow was clean and tidy with towels and we was given a mini shampoo and soaps however we had already packed some of our own so it wasn’t an issue for us, they do supply guest with a note for the door weather it is ok for the cleaners to come and clean or not however we did have abit of an ant problem around our room. My little boys enjoyed escaping the heat at the kids club where they can play with toys and colour, have face paint. My partner enjoyed the bar and we made lots of friends along the way. We looked at rebooking for next year but could not find it on love holidays but we will be visiting Tunisia again in 2026 and enjoyed our time at shems village that helped supply us with memories that will last us a lifetime. We love you shems and the team ❤️

Great discovery! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The resort is huge and pristine, offering a wide range of activities that's perfect for families with children (2 swimming pools, 2 water slides including one specifically for kids! minigolf, ping pong, ...). The staff is highly competent and the attentive support provided by the reception team throughout our stay perfectly met our expectations. Special mention also goes to the lifeguard in charge of the children's water slides. We’ll definitely be back!

I stayed at Shems with my family in September. We had a lovely time, the facilities are great, especially for the kids, some bits weren’t open cos it was nearing end of season but for what we paid we didn’t mind at all. The guy in the pool bar was great, all staff were lovely. The food was nice, varied, what you would expect from a Tunisian All inclusive who try to cater for all countries. The rooms are basic but nice, tho some beds can be quite hard. The staff are lovely. Overall we had a great time and will definitely be going back.

A lovely friendly place. Rooms kept clean, refresh of towels daily. Bar staff attentive, drinks always served at your liking. Food, plenty to choose, fresh cooked meat and fish on the grill, other meat and veg dishes also on offer and very tasty. Never struggled for choice. Only down side to the restaurant was cutlery and tables to be cleared before the next family. For a 3 star I think this place does exceptionally well and try to keep standards high. Pool clean and beautiful, beach small but beautiful. May be an issue in high season. As this is the end of season entertainment wasn't always on and not many people around, this was not a big issue for us, we were happy to play tennis, golf or just relax by the pool or bar. Water park was staffed during operating hrs, close for lunchtime, kids had loads of fun there. Over all very happy and would give a 5* all day.

A wonderful, relaxing and entertaining work holiday thanks to all the staff, especially the entertainment staff, and especially A'sh (Haitham), a wonderful person 😎, very entertaining, serious in his work and helpful. I thank you very much as a team, especially A'sh A'sh ♥️♥️💋💋

This hotel was amazing for the kids 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷& the hotel staff was so lovely 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 kept bringing us drinks always so happy 😀, Water park was really good kids loved it. 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷Hotel staff was really helpful and happy. 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

First time in Tunisia and at Shems holiday village and must say we all really enjoyed our stay. Staff are so friendly informative and a great laugh and nothing is too much trouble. The only thing that was disappointing was the disrespect and rudeness of some other nationalities !! Such an enjoyable family holiday.

Nous avons payer 8 dt de taxe de sejour par personnes et par nuitée hier 1 hotel de même catégorie nous avons payé 1 dt par personnes et par nuitée

Pas entretenu et nourriture buffet médiocre

Séjour de détente agréable

Hôtel et nourriture horrible

Lors de notre arrivée nous avons eu un bungalow sale : traces de pipi sur les cuvettes des wc, cheveux dans la douche, et lavabo et miroir tartinés de dentifrice. J'ai demandé 3 fois que cela soit nettoyer et rien n'a été fait! Normal les femmes de menage se cachent et passent leur temps au téléphone au lieu de nettoyer. Le self: vous allez apprendre a chasser tels des animaux pour attraper un peu de nourriture. Meme combat pour les assiettes et les couverts! Tables sales meme quand ils font mine de la nettoyer devant vous. La table est toujours sale! Pour les transats, il faudra se lever tôt et poser vos serviettes à l'avance si vous voulez espérer vous poser dessus. Les transats sont vides toutes la journée mais des serviettes sont posées partout! Piscine: l'eau est verte! Et si vous passez devant la.nuit, vous pourrez voir une magnifique pellicule blanche se former a la surface! Absolument dégueulasse!!!! Évidemment le personnel d'accueil et de cuisine est complètement dépassé. Ils font mines de vous sourire et de vouq dire qu'ils vont regler votre problème mais queudal!!! Fuir!!!!!!

On m'a donné une chambre à l'autre bout de l'hotel. Je suis arrivee la nuit donc impossible de savoir où se trouvait la chambre. Personne pour m'accompagner. Puis le receptionniste est venu mais ne savait pas où etait la chambre. Le lendemain, apres un petit dej mediocre, la reception ne savait pas comment commander un taxi. J'ai du marcher jusqu'à la route pour un trouver un. Pas de wifi nulle part, sauf à la reception. je ne recommande absolument pas cet hotel.

Malpropre et service terrible

A disappointment not having air con in reception and communal areas and restaurant. It was stifling and unbearable

Séjour en famille agréable, personnel accueillant et souriant. Bravo aux animateurs pour leurs efforts, très bonne équipe. Bon courage pour la saison estivale !

Merci pour ce super séjour ! Rien à dire !

personnel très à l'écoute - tout est fait pour satisfaire le client - en un mot très contente de ce séjour

Probably built in the nineties and not updated since. Food was nothing special, expected better service and better food for 94€ a night.

Aufbau der Anlage als Dorf. Auswahl Getränke sehr schön

Excellent service, the staff were professional and friendly.

Hôtel très familiale. Nourriture assez ordinaire, peu varié.

Très mauvaise organisation,une attente trop longue pour récupérer la clé,aucune indication sur les prestations et les services de l’hotel. Le service restauration petit déjeuner et dîner manque de couvert,pas de climatisation dans la salle au moment du petit-déjeuner. Un buffet varié mais ce vide rapidement par la mauvaise organisation. Des serveurs dépassés par le nombre de vacanciers. L’équipement et la chambre très mauvais entretien, les femmes de ménage passe leur temps à discuter et non à faire les chambres.Un jardin très mal entretenu et des déchets qui reste plus 2 jours. Manque d’activité sur la plage privé. Le seul point positif et les animateurs de piscine et de la soirée qui ont une volonté de satisfaire la clientèle.