Hotel Djerba Menzel

On the seaside, 15 miles from Houmt Souk (25 minutes) and 19 miles east of the airport (30 minutes). Near the village of Midoun, 10 minutes from the golf course.

The accommodations at the Menzel are not all on the seashore, the best situated menzels are C, D, E, F, H, J, K and Y. The hotel has an entertainment team and a children's club. Note: the bureau de change at the hotel gives cash only in exchange for currency or traveller's checks (to withdraw with a credit card, you have to go into Midoun by taxi).

Built in 1971 and renovated several times, the Menzel has 636 rooms located in the heart of a 74 acre park, directly on the seashore. In the centre of this imposing complex, facing a large swimming pool encircled by lounge chairs, there is the large central building. It hosts 327 rooms on two floors and the common areas on the ground floor (restaurants, conference rooms and bars). Around the building, spread all over the park, around twenty menzels house the remaining 302 rooms and suites. The combination displays a pleasant architecture, directly inspired from the traditional house on the island, the menzel: a fortified quadrangular house with lime-washed façades. Beside the main swimming pool, the Menzel boasts a beautiful indoor swimming pool with a sunroom, and two outdoor swimming pools equipped with a pool bar. With their respectable size and a slightly off-centrered location, these last two will satisfy guests looking for more tranquillity. As for leisure and activities, the hotel has many features, among which there is a balneotherapy centre (independently managed) and a large discotheque with a 600 person capacity.

Vast and well equipped, the rooms of the Menzel offer a good level of comfort: lots of closet space, a bathroom, satellite television, mini-bar, telephone, individual air conditioning and private solarium (on a terrace for the menzels and a balcony for the rooms of the main building). More original, the rooms of the menzels are often spread over three levels: entrance/bathroom, room and terrace. The decor, simple and sober, is in the traditional style of the country (blue and white colours, light wood furniture).

Served buffet style, the food of the hotel is rather nice, with a large choice of starters, main dishes, and desserts. Some local specialities are added every day, to the international recipes expected (pastas, pizzas, French fries). Though the food is decent, the setting is not that pleasant. The hotel has two dining rooms, quite large, but so noisy and badly arranged that the atmosphere during the meals is like that of a small university restaurant, plus the decor in marble. Note: unless you like to mingle with the crowd when you wake up, avoid coming here as far as possible between 8 am and 9 am during breakfast. You can always wake up at 7 am or order your breakfast in your room (room-service 24 hours a day). Finally, note the presence of an a la carte restaurant (with a reservation, French specialities, about 12 pounds sterling per dish).

Established on the cape that separates Djerba La Fidèle from Djerba La Douce, the Menzel owns 3,935 feet on the seaside. Unfortunately, it does not offer its clientele one, unique beach but a main one (820 feet) and two smaller ones (around 98 feet), separated by a rocky headland equipped with piers. The water is clean and clear (on calm days) and the slope is very gradual until around 165 feet - rather comforting for children and people who are not at ease in the water (the depth does not exceed 16 feet for at least 12 miles from the coasts). All beaches are covered with fine sand and are equipped with lounge chairs, sunshades and showers, the most southernmost has a boat club.