La Badira

La Badira in Hammamet, Tunisia, a Michelin Key Selected property, is widely regarded as a luxurious adults-only retreat, consistently praised for its stunning design, prime beachfront location, and exceptional service. While generally receiving high acclaim, some guests have noted minor issues regarding dining consistency and additional charges.

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1. Overall Rating & Sentiment

La Badira typically garners excellent ratings, with many guests describing it as a "luxury haven" and a "gem" in the Hammamet area. Review scores frequently range from 9.1 to 9.4 out of 10 on various platforms. One detailed review assigned it a high score of 23 out of 25, recognizing its multiple TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence and awards as Best Business Hotel in Africa and Best Luxury Hotel in North Africa. The overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting its suitability for a quiet, luxurious, and child-free holiday.

2. Key Highlights

Guests consistently praise several aspects of La Badira:

• Service: The staff are frequently described as excellent, friendly, efficient, proactive, and immaculate. Many guests highlight the staff's dedication to ensuring an enjoyable stay.
• Location: The hotel boasts an "amazing" beachfront location on a small peninsula, offering stunning sea views and a private beach.
• Design: La Badira is admired for its beautiful, modern, and elegant design, which skillfully blends contemporary aesthetics with traditional Tunisian and Islamic architectural elements like arched terraces, domed ceilings, and reflective pools. The interiors emphasize white minimalism and the "fabulous Mediterranean light."
• Amenities: The hotel offers two outdoor infinity pools, an indoor pool with a sea view, a private beach, a well-equipped gym with yoga classes, and a full-service Spa by Clarins, which includes a hammam. A unique feature mentioned is a rainwater filtering system for drinking water, and efforts to reduce plastic waste, such as serving butter on plates.

3. Room Quality

The rooms at La Badira are consistently described as comfortable, clean, and beautifully designed. They feature a minimalist aesthetic with white and light beige as dominant colors, accented with Tunisian elements and calligraphy. A key feature is that rooms are oriented to provide direct sea views from the king-sized beds and often include a private terrace.

Accommodation options include:

• Fell Suites: These are 45 sqm rooms with a private bathroom, a desk, a large shower, and a balcony offering sea views.
• Yasmin Suites: Similar in size to Fell Suites, these also feature baths, often with great coastline views.
• Nao Suites: These larger suites (120 sqm) provide a living room with a sofa, a balcony, a more spacious bathroom with twin sinks, a shower, and a bath. They also offer access to a private jacuzzi overlooking the Mediterranean.

All suites typically come with premium bedding, a minibar, an in-room safe, and blackout curtains.

4. Dining Experience

La Badira offers a diverse dining experience with three distinct restaurants and other casual options:

• Adra: Specializes in authentic Tunisian cuisine for dinner, described as showcasing "gastronomic acrobatics."
• Kamilah: Serves international and Mediterranean fusion cuisine, open for lunch and dinner, and features a modern design with ocean views and a terrace. It also offers a good selection of international wines.
• Beach Grill: Provides fresh, comfort-style meals right on the beach.
• Breakfast: Generally meets high standards, offering a substantial spread of fruit, bread, cheese, and honey. The service during breakfast, particularly from attentive staff like Mohamed, is often highlighted.
• Lobby Bar & Pool Bar: These venues also serve food and drinks, with the lobby bar noted for its vegetarian and vegan options.

While many reviews praise the delicious food, some guests have expressed concerns about the cleanliness and overall quality of the food, suggesting it occasionally falls short of 5-star expectations. Some also found the food to be overpriced.

5. Service & Staff

The service and staff at La Badira are consistently lauded as a major strength of the hotel. Guests frequently describe the staff as friendly, efficient, and proactive, going "above and beyond" to ensure a pleasant stay. The concierge service, in particular, has been called "immaculate" and very accommodating. Specific team members, such as front desk clerks Oumaima and Qais, and pool staff Sabir and Bilal, have been individually commended for their warm welcome and great service.

However, one complaint mentioned a "transactional" feeling, with an expectation of tips for basic service, which detracted from a genuine hospitality experience for that guest. Inconsistent check-in times, sometimes taking up to 20 minutes, have also been noted.

6. Location & Accessibility

La Badira is ideally situated on a small peninsula in Hammamet, a historic and renowned seaside resort in Tunisia. Its direct beachfront location offers easy access to a private beach and stunning views. The hotel is located in Mrezga, close to the Yasmine Golf Course, and a short distance from Hammamet's lively center and the ancient medina.

Hammamet is approximately 70 kilometers south of Tunis, accessible by bus or taxi. The hotel also provides an airport shuttle service for a fee. Nearby attractions include Bel Azur Beach, Djebel Hammamet, Carthage Land, Port Yasmine, and the Dar Sebastien International Cultural Center. The area is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and vibrant local culture.

7. Value & Pricing

La Badira is generally considered to offer "excellent value for money" for a multi-award-winning 5-star hotel, especially when breakfast is included. While rooms are advertised from around 345 TND (Tunisian Dinars) on the hotel's website, they can be found for as low as 255 TND (approximately £72, $80, or $88 USD) on booking sites for a basic Fell Suite. Average prices noted recently were around £185 for a weeknight and £141 for a weekend night. Prices fluctuate seasonally, with December being the cheapest month and August the most expensive.

A recurring criticism, however, is the perception of excessive charges for small items, such as non-complimentary drinking water in the rooms, which is particularly contentious given that tap water is not potable. Some guests also felt that the food was overpriced.

8. Common Complaints

While highly rated, La Badira has received some recurring criticisms:

• Dining Quality and Price: Some guests found the cleanliness and quality of the food to be inconsistent and not always meeting 5-star expectations, with some items considered overpriced.
• Hidden/Excessive Charges: A notable complaint involves extra charges for basic amenities like drinking water in the room and, in one instance, a double charge for city tax.
• Transactional Service Perception: A few reviews mentioned a feeling that staff expected tips for even basic services, leading to a less genuine hospitality experience.
• Inconsistent Check-in: The check-in process can sometimes be slow.
• Pool Restrictions: One guest expressed strong disappointment with "strict" and "dismal" pool access rules or dress codes that prevented them from using the facilities.
• Hotel Age: A recent review from July 2025 described the hotel as "oldish" and some staff as "not professional," though this contradicts the majority of feedback.

Sources

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