Iberostar Selection Kantaoui Bay

The hotel and animation team are very good. The hotel does need to improve its ac service. It’s a 5 star hotel and visitors are paying a substantial amount to the hotel, the expectation is that the ac will work better. Apart from the ac, the hotel was a very good experience and all members of staff were very friendly and easy to deal with.

We went to Kantaoui Bay this year (July 26) as a family, 4 adults (us and grandparents) with two children (2yo and 6yo). I had my worries about booking Tunisia but i'm so glad I did because we had the most incredible time. I wouldn't hesitate staying here! We went during a heatwave and i think it had highs of 45-49 Celsius during the days for several days whilst we were there. Even the staff struggled with it, but they carried it better than we did. We took regular breaks out of the midday sun. Staff were great at helping you stay hydrated by bringing carafes of water regular. Room: We stayed in a family room which was so spacious! The 2yo could run around to his hearts content in there when he had a time out from the midday sun and not run out of space. Our fridge was kept well stocked, thanks Omar, and the cleaners, Siobhan, was always mindful to make sure we had fresh sheets and clean towels to clean up our little family for dinner. ~ The only negative was on one day towards the end of the holiday our 2yo got a little ill. Too much dairy we think as he is a bit intolerant. He spent a day ill in the room. We put the "still dreaming" sign on the door but had a cleaning machine being bashed into door of room. I know hotels need to clean up, and i really wouldn't want to suggest they don't do that! The experience was so loud and startling, i thought someone was fighting outside the door and was terrified to open the door to find out. Luckily, Dad returned and said what it was. Buffet Restaurant Ben Nayo! You are a gem! Ben made sure, from day 1, we had a table of 6 so we could all sit together as there wasn't many (understandably - but staff are so nice, they'd likely have pulled one together for us). He made sure there was fresh coffee for grandparents, juices for us on a morning. He made sure we never had empty glasses morning, and night. Pretty sure he is the reason we were looked after equally well at lunch time too. When my 2yo decided he wanted to express his discontent about the word "no" or y'know just being a toddler, Ben would try to distract and entertain him so I could eat in peace. On the day our 2yo was unwell, we tried to get him to eat some breakfast/toast, and Ben thoughtfully brought some fennel tea and at night brought some lemonade to try and settle his stomach. Though he was being fussy that day, I drank the fennel tea which did help my hangover from the night before! Thanks Ben :) Another shout out is to Saleem, the wonderfully talented dessert master! My son made friends with Saleem and couldn't wait to see what creation was in store. I think you were the highlight of his night! I didn't catch the name of the pasta chef, but he was so sweet with our 2yo. He did funny voices for him each time. Even though our little man acted shy, he did talk about you at the table and said you were funny. Think he wanted pasta so often so he could go see you. ~ The only downside was one day (ironically the day my 2yo was ill) we got butter for the toast. I noticed a smell. Before both children ate any buttered toast, i took a bite and it was clear the butter was very very off. I had to be very restrained not to vomit. The smell was quite strong so not sure how chefs didn't spot the butter had gone off with a tray of it when we only had a sliver on the table. Mostly, the food felt pretty good and flavoursome. I did enjoy my meals here and so did the rest of the family. We did like the themes that ran through the changing dishes. It was also a treat to try the Tunisian cuisine. Tunisian & Italian A La Carté Restaurant Glad we got to do both, but did the Tunisian as a couple. The dessert was my favourite (rose and vanilla i believe?). Not had many dishes that can pull off using rose as a flavour. Enjoyed the full three courses here! The Italian was really tasty and well cooked. Staff made sure our plates were cleared promptly and glasses filled quickly. Entertainment Nina was great with our kids. Our 6yo joined the kids club which i think was a nice break for him as he got to be creative and step out of the sun for a while. On an evening, Nina included our 6yo & 2yo in the discos, dances and fun. I think the best one was the kids disco with the inflatable characters coming to party! Loved it. You can see by the smiles on their faces how much the kids loved it. For the adults, we were on child time so didn't join in much of the later night entertainment. We did stay for the White Party and Foam Party. The latter was by far our favourite. My 6yo loved the foam cannon so much and had a great rave with his grandad. I loved the Tunisian twirler on the Tunisian Day. The man made me dizzy sat down but loved the show! Pool / Beach By the pool Man Ali was so attentive. He helped us make sure we had enough water for the kids, and us. I don't think my dad went one hour without a fresh beer on hand! Which he loved! He was careful with detail and clocked on pretty early that my husband ordered two drinks at a time for himself and that our children didn't like fizzy drinks. The lifeguards don't just look after safety, they appeared to be helping guests with beds too! Moving them, adjusting them, sorting the umbrellas. They always made sure we had enough loungers for our big group, though for the six of us, we only took four or so as the children we back and forth that much usually with a minimum of one adult. The entertainment team around the pool are great. If you don't know the 'get sexy' song before you leave, you haven't joined in enough. The water aerobics were fun, yet i did feel like they helped my back injury. As did the Tai Chi on the Beach. Though, i did get bruises from the fish bites who decided I tasted lovely! The beach entertainment is pretty fun. Took my 6yo parasailing and jet skiing which was really fun. Terrifying on the parasailing to see how many blue jellyfish were in the sea! Just wow. Incredible sight but terrifying too. ~ We did see people cleaning the pool regular, however the kids pool got very gritty and felt like it didn't have a full clean down properly for a few days. There was a bit of floating rubbish in the pool (may have got caught in the filters) which was there for multiple days. Not going to say what it was but was a little off putting. Like i said, we did see people cleaning it regularly so not sure how this happened. The Hotel The decor around the hotel felt very polished, modern and welcoming. Loved the Koi fish. We almost missed the baby turtles until Nina showed our son where they were hiding! It felt like there were various places inside and out that we could go to relax and rest. I have seen comments about the alcohol and yeah their standard cocktails aren't the strongest but they sure are tasty. What isn't mentioned is the themed, special cocktails they serve on a night or the evening milkshakes that popped up a couple of times when we were there. So tasty! And the wine. Not the best i've ever tasted but pretty good, especially after three glasses. I don't usually drink with my kids around but yeah, had a nice balance here for me. Turns out, i also really like Pina Coladas. Staff were great with languages. It seemed each one could speak at least three or four languages and switch at the drop of a hat! We took the opportunity to try and teach a little French to our children with it being the second language of Tunisia after a specific variation of arabic. Staff were very kind and didn't mind the children having a go. All staff were extremely attentive. If you were respectful and nice to the staff, they would go above and beyond for you. **A nice tip goes a long way here too! They earn it tenfold!** The Spa Cadvar (i hope i spell that correctly) was amazing! Very talented and respectful. He was able to identify where i had pains. Got knots i didn't know i had and was very tender around a clear year old surgical scar that had keloided. Definitely worth booking a massage! He then showed me the amenities and identified for me what would help my sore spots on my back. He was careful with my dignity throughout and made sure I could relax - a foreign concept in my daily life. A real gentleman. Please don't make my mistake and leave his tip in the locker. I had to give it to reception to pass on. The amenities were ok. The salt water pool was nice and cooling. The infinity pool was relaxing. The sauna's were out of order when we were there so we didn't get to try. We also didn't use the Hamman but it has one! There was also a closed off area that looked like a mini-indoor lazy river which was very intriguing but no idea what it was. We did tell our children it was no kids allowed because y'know we decided to be selfish for a few hours, but the indoor spa pool does allow children with paid access. Trips We went on the Catamaran Trip to see the dolphins which we did see! Recommended to go in the morning when the dolphins visit the fish farms for their free fish buffet. The staff on the boat knew exactly how to attract the dolphins with specific whistles. On the journey to and from the peer, they were great with the kids and let them get a picture at the helm as 'the captain'. They provided fruits, a round of drinks so we didn't dehydrate. The guide we booked with came to check in after the trip to make sure it was everything they promised which was very thorough and a nice change. The trip was about 2.5-3 hours long if i remember right so very suitable for young children. We didn't go on the desert trip with the young ones but plan on coming back to do as this was something even staff recommended to us. Security It felt very safe whilst we were there. Police had a good presence on beach. Hotel guards were ever present on the beach morning noon and night and at the front gate. It felt like quite a secure compound not to mention how the staff all seemed to work together to make sure you felt at ease and comfortable. Overall, would recommend and already have to a friend looking to book for her family next year. We also said we would definitely be returning ourselves. I'm sure there is so much positive that i've missed but hopefully this helps other travellers. Yeah, just book it!

We had a wonderful stay at Iberostar Selection Kantaoui Bay in Tunisia. The hotel staff were incredibly friendly, welcoming and always happy to help, making it a fantastic family-friendly resort. The hotel is also in a great location, being only around 30 minutes’ drive from Enfidha Airport. We took the shuttle bus and were the first passengers to be dropped off, which made the transfer quick and convenient after a delayed flight. The hotel itself was clean and well maintained throughout our stay. A special mention goes to Rodhio, who cleaned our room every day and did a fantastic job. Her attention to detail was much appreciated, and she always left the room spotless. The food was good, with plenty of choice, although it would have been nice to see a wider selection of shellfish on the menu. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment programme, which kept everyone entertained each day. We were also pleasantly surprised by our room – it was much larger than expected for three people and felt more like a small apartment, giving us plenty of space to relax. The only minor downside was that the rooms could benefit from some refurbishment and modernisation, as parts of them are starting to look a little dated. However, this did not detract from our overall experience. Overall, we had a fantastic holiday and would happily recommend Iberostar Selection Kantaoui Bay to families looking for a relaxing, friendly and enjoyable resort. We would definitely consider returning.

the hotel and the staff are amazing. the entertainment team was super friendly, especially Simo. the rooms are bigger than expected and super clean, with the minibar always stocked. i recommend it to everyone who wants to have a comfortable and fun vacation with family and friends and I will most definitely come back here again

We had a good stay over ten days. The hotel has an air of faded grandeur, and is certainly not 5 star. The bedrooms need a refresh but are clean and tidy. The buffet food was excellent and both restaurants were decent, particularly the Italian. The animation team would do better to concentrate on improving the night time entertainment, which was dreadful, rather than being over familiar with guests and chatting up young women whilst ‘working’! The waiting, cleaning, bar & reception staff however were brilliant, so friendly and welcoming at all times. We were a group of 10 and they always kept a table for us in the buffet restaurant which was marvellous and very kind. We had a great catamaran trip booked through Bassem at a very reasonable rate (and complete with dolphin sighting) and also enjoyed the beach ‘big mable’ ride. In both cases, cash is king and there is an ATM in Reception. The hotel shop doesn’t accept cards either. The dinar is a closed currency so spend your cash before you leave for the airport as you’ll be relieved of it before Security (it’s card or euros airside). The heat and humidity were stifling at times (in mid July) and the air con wasn’t always up to the job. We had a couple of power cuts during our stay as the temperatures, like those in the UK at present, were unprecedented but they didn’t last long and were beyond the control of the hotel. A nice, if not outstanding, stay but the service staff absolutely make this place. Huge thanks & credit to them.