Alhambra Thalasso Review – My 5 Day Stay In Hammamet Tunisia – How Was It?

 So, staying All Inclusive is not usually my thing. This was only my 2nd time EVER doing this – and the amount of times I’ve travelled away in the past 7 years – it’s pretty mad really that I have managed to avoid places like this as I have done.

It was only because I thought my Sister booked herself to stay here with my baby niece that I actually did so myself. I never would have done if it weren’t for this reason. If you read my Italy to Tunisia Ferry Blog Post I go into this in a lot more detail (see here).

Now, with all this in mind – I didn’t choose this place because I really liked the look of it or anything – it was just because my sister was supposed to be here. I wanted to have a holiday with my niece whilst she was still a baby and this I thought would be it.

Although, no disrespect to the place because I would definitely recommend it now. I mean typically paying over £500 to stay somewhere (for not even a week) isn’t my style usually, but I suppose for what I got I thought it was good value for money really.

It was nice to go for a bit of luxury for a change. As much as I hated spending what I did with getting here and all the rest – £83 a night for the room and all the taxis etc. – I really liked the place and I would definitely come back to stay here again without a doubt.

Leaving Italy For Tunisia

Now, Just to recap (If you didn’t read my last post) – getting here was a LOT of hard work. I had to go from Rome to Salerno for a ferry which I missed. Then I had to go all the way to Milan – the other side of the country – travelling for 12 hours on a coach overnight and then I had to stay awake for the whole day after until I got on my plane.

The whole experience honestly was pretty exhausting. In fact, the whole week before was quite bad as well with sleepless nights, early mornings and lot’s of rushing around – (and recovering from hangovers because I was drinking too much).

It was like I never stopped till I actually got here. The constant stress I think made finally getting here all the more worthwhile. As much as I did enjoy visiting Rome and getting more familiar with Milan (and other places in the country like Salerno and Napoli) – I was just glad to just finally get here.

It felt like it took forever. Especially with getting the overnight coach to Milan, and I suppose just getting to the hotel reception felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. It was like my nightmare was finally over…

Getting To Alhambra Thallaso From Tunis Airport

This did not really take me too long at all. When I think of other times I’ve got to the airport like in Malaga and Serbia, and actually Prague the last time I was here – I remember just having a complete meltdown figuring out what to do, and how to get into the City – this was very quick compared.

On this occasion I can’t have been in the airport any longer than 20 minutes. I connected to the airport WIFI first of all, sorted out some cash, got some mobile data and then ordered a Taxi.

This I did with the InDrive app.  I’ve used this in Morocco quite a few times now and it was good to know that I could use it here as well. The driver was with me quite quickly. He was already at the airport and I found him within about 10 minutes.

It was a bit annoying though as when I got my Tunisian money out it said what it would cost me on the App and the driver seemingly agreed to this but when I got in the Taxi he told me it would be more.

💡 Travel Tip: Always agree on the final fare in the InDrive chat before getting into the taxi. Even if the app shows a price, confirm it in writing first.

My driver wanted 180 TND (about £45 GBP). I hesitated at first, but it seemed fair for the 75-km journey. Unfortunately, we were stopped at a police checkpoint, and the driver was fined for not having proper paperwork for tourist pickups — something I didn’t even realise could happen.

He asked me for more money, but I’d already paid the agreed amount, so I politely declined.

Still, we made it safely, and arriving at the hotel felt like a small victory after everything it took to actually get here, and after I actually paid getting to finally relax was a very nice feeling.

🏨 The Room and Facilities

The room was spotless, the décor elegant, and very spacious with a balcony overlooking the outside of the hotel. There was 2 comfy beds – one for me and one for Teddy lol, and after the broken door handles in Rome and not being able to get a room at the hostel in Milan this was good.

It was funny actually, one day I went out and came back to the beds made with Teddy as he is in the picture. I imagine the chamber maid was having a right laugh about this. I mean he can’t have got here like this himself climbing up those high bed frames. They must have helped him up here and it was funny. I give them their due and my room was kept clean and tidy for my whole stay here too.

🍽️ Food & All-Inclusive Dining

The next morning, I discovered what would become one of the highlights of my stay: the food. Honestly, I think it was the best I’ve eaten in months — a mix of Tunisian and Mediterranean dishes, fresh salads, grilled fish, and a whole lot more.

They even had Calamari Squid Rings which I thought was a surprise. I wasn’t too adventurous with some of the other food put out like the Tagines for example but I definitely was not disappointed.

The waiters were very good and polite as well. Every time my drinks finished I was being asked if I wanted a refill. It is kind of the dinner service you don’t expect but still can really appreciate.

🏖️ The Beach

One of the first things I did on the first morning at Alhambra Thallasso was to head outside to explore. I didn’t actually know that I would find this beach just 5 minutes but wow I am glad I did.

The hotel’s private beach was stunning. The sea was warm, the sand soft, and best of all — I didn’t have to worry about leaving my belongings while swimming. The staff at the bar here had no problem with looking after my bag which gave me the perfect opportunity to take a dip in the sea.

It turned out to be the perfect remedy after being bit so many times by the insects In Italy. My body was covered in bites head to toe. I was itching like mad when I got here to the hotel in Tunisia but I thought this might help and it sure did.

Sea water is packed with minerals like Iodine, which can help the skin and Irritation. There does not seem to be a lot of scientific studies to back this up available online but I would say just try it because it helped me massively!

In Hindsight

I really should have come to the beach to swim in the sea more It actually felt great. It was just a shame that my sister never ended up coming on this holiday as well because I’m sure she would have also loved coming for a swim in here too – I’m pretty sure, and she would have got me out my shell a bit more.

The hotel also has an indoor pool, games room, and a full spa and hammam complex. I didn’t end up using most of it, but from what I saw, it seemed popular with families and couples looking to unwind. There is so much more to check out. See the full list of facilities here<<

>>Now, I didn’t do much outside of the hotel. I never booked any tours or really went anywhere outside the hotel. Except for this one place – which was actually something I wanted to come to Tunisia for even before I actually started booking for this trip.

Visiting Friguia Park Zoo

On my second day in Tunisia, I took a trip to the Friguia Zoo Park . This is about a 30 minutes drive away from the hotel. It is located near Bouficha, Tunisia, approximately 70 km south of Tunis and 25 km north of Sousse. I really would have loved for my little niece to have come here — she loves animals — so it was sad she never ended up coming on this holiday but even going alone, I still quite enjoyed it.

🐅 What to Expect

Entry was only 15 TND (around £6 GBP), and my taxi cost 55 TND each way. The driver offered to wait for me for 120 TND, giving me two hours to explore, which was just about right.

The zoo isn’t huge, but it’s well-designed. Walkways cross above the lion, tiger, and hyena enclosures, so you get great views.

They even had white tigers and white lions. Both species that can only be found in captivity. They have quite a lot of them here – although I couldn’t help feeling the mix of species (including a lion-tiger enclosure) was a bit odd. It looked like my maybe it was set up for an inter species breeding program – (Liger / Tigon).

And talking about breeding. The Giant Tortoises – I shall say no more. I could not help but laugh. The noises for one. I didn’t know they could make such noises lol.

So, that was one thing but on another note It wasn’t quite the “wild macaques in the mountains” experience I’d imagined — like in Morocco’s Ouzoud.

When I first found about this place in Tunisia I was under the impression they had wild Macaques here too but I guess I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Although, it was still very much worth the visit. The Ostriches were full of character, and seeing Barbary macaques again (even inside their enclosures) brought back memories of Morocco and Gibraltar.

Sadly, there were no Giraffes, Elephants, or Dolphins here. The latter I was most disappointed by. According to Google they had Dolphins here up to 2016 but they have not been returned since. The Giraffes/Elephants I don’t know what happened to them but it seems like they may also have been moved on.

Lazy Days by the Beach & a Spa Misadventure

I actually didn’t do much else other than going to the Zoo whilst in Hammamet. I ate my 3 free meals a day (which, may I add, was (I’m sure) the best I’ve eaten in a long time). I went to the beach again (Not every day like I told myself I would) and this was it really so I wanted to give the Spa facilities a go.

The receptionist who I mentioned at the start of this post she was doing her best to persuade me to give this a try. It wasn’t that I was against the idea but I was just a bit shy about it all. I was putting this off and putting this off but I finally decided to go for it on the day before my last.

I walked in and not sure what I was expecting really. There was a group of older women in Swimming costumes waiting. It was silly because I was thinking I’d go in and it would be just me – a youngish man – and these ladies who must have been 60+ years old.

It would have been my first time in a Spa. I’ve heard great things about these places but really I had no idea what I was walking in to.

I was thinking maybe I would have ended up in a hot tub in a steam room or something but I was just given a pamphlet in FRENCH for all the services and how much they cost. It was just so confusing – I didn’t know what to do.

Not My Finest Hour

So, I came here thinking the Spa was free to use. It looks as if somethings are and others aren’t (check out the facilities here<<).

For me It was just making me feel more cagey and nervous. I think if my sister had been here as originally planned then I maybe would have been alright and actually done something like this but I just basically chickened out.

They said if I wanted to (for free) I could use the sauna and that it was next to the restaurant. I never did actually find it. It must have been somewhere but god knows I actually ended up (I think it was the boiler room or something lol). I just felt so stupid and with that I just thought I’d go for a swim in the pool and leave it at that.

Returning to the Zoo (Yet, Again!)

Before leaving Tunisia, I actually went back to Friguia Park for a second visit. Maybe it was silly, but I wanted to see the giraffes and elephants I’d missed 2 days before (spoiler: they’re no longer there).

This time, there was a calypso band playing — they sounded so much like the Baha Men that I half-expected them to break into Who Let the Dogs Out. I mean what are they even doing now. Could they now be relying on gigs like this for an income after their short lived fame and only ever being famous for this one single song?

The trip as a whole was pretty much the same besides this. I don’t know what else I was expecting really. I actually don’t mind coming back to places like this just to see what else is going on but I suppose I could have been doing something else new.

Tunis Zoo (Belvedere) actually looks good. This was maybe where I should have tried to make my way to. I think maybe it was kind of sensible that I don’t go through the rigmarole of catching 3 different buses to get here but it certainly would have made my trip more exciting -even for just a day.

Although, I suppose £83 a day is a lot to pay for a place your not even going to be at so I guess that really was my excuse for only taking a short trip back to Friguia Zoo Park.

It probably wasn’t worth it — I really could have done anything else on this day but I suppose it was nice to have one last look around before I had to leave the country.

So, that was it besides a walk to the shops and going to the beach this was all I did. Maybe this is all the more reason for me to come back and I think I probably will.

🧖‍♀️ Things I Didn’t Try (But Wish I Had)

Even though I stayed five days, I definitely didn’t make the most of everything Alhambra Thalasso has to offer. There is an additional charge mind you but things to note include:

• The hotel has a full spa and wellness centre,
• Complete with Traditional Hammam Baths,
• Massage rooms, and
• Thalassotherapy treatments (using seawater and minerals).

I walked in once, thinking it was free to use, but quickly realised you need to book treatments or pay for access. It did look lovely, though — and next time, I’ll definitely try a Tunisian hammam or one of their sea salt body scrubs or something. Actually, a pedicure I think would be pretty good for me with all the walking I do.

There was also evening entertainment — I could hear music and laughter drifting across from the main courtyard most nights, but I was mostly avoiding it.

I decided I would have a sober week for one and another thing was because I was only half board (another thing I wasn’t too thrilled about) I would have being paying for every single drink which soon adds up when you start getting drunk and merry.

I am just moaning on here a bit I know but it was a shame. I come all this way and didn’t enjoy it as much as I really could have. If I’d stayed a few more days, I probably would have explored the old town of Hammamet maybe — checked out the medina, souks etc. and the Kasbah fortress looks pretty Interesting too.

Maybe 5 days just wasn’t enough. 2 weeks would have been much more ideal and there is actually quite a bit to do In Tunisia if you are actually feeling like an adventure.

Leaving Tunisia & Final Thoughts

Saying goodbye to Tunisia was bittersweet. The people were friendly, though the shopkeepers could be a bit intense. I was quite sad to leave. Hammamet had its charm, especially the sea and the food. It was the most relaxing week I’ve had in a long time and I really could have done with another week here.

I had to go back to Italy for a night on the way back as well. It was like being back in hell all over again. The hostel was saying I had to be there for 11pm but there was all sorts of problems making me later and later, I got to the area at about 11:45 and then I see the email – my booking was cancelled.

It was very worrying but I was let in, and I got a new booking, but it was not the most cosy of places. The bunk bed I had to sleep in – the top bunk was so low that I kept banging my head. It was like my karma for rubbing peoples noses in it with me going on holiday yet again.

I got back OK the next day though. This was the main thing. It really was no trouble and I got back at a reasonable time in the day too. Just what a trip away it was and YES is the answer.

Would I stay at the Alhambra Thalasso again? YES ABSOLUTELY

I came here expecting just a few lazy days by the pool, but left thinking Tunisia deserved a lot more of my time — and next time, I’ll be sure to bring my sister, my niece, and maybe even book that massage I chickened out of.