Tamassa, Bel Ombre

We were really looking forward to our holiday, the reviews looked great like the Tamassa website but we were sorely disappointed with the facilities, standard of service and the food. We arrived at 10pm, the hotel was expecting our group of 20 after the restaurants had shut so assured us that we would be greated with a welcome drink and there would be supper plates waiting in our rooms for us. The welcome drink was well recieved however we were then checked in as a whole group and our cards charged a tourism fee before being led to our rooms (not sure why they couldnt have just took this on check out?). This meant our check in was way longer than it needed to be and we were walked as a group knackered to our respective rooms like children on the walking bus from school to afterschool club. The promised food was not waiting for us, in fact the room was just having warm drinks put in the fridge and the plates didnt turn up until midnight. Picture attached of this which was leftovers from that nights dinner buffet and promptly went in the bin. The rooms are basic and lacked simple things like face cloths, soap and shampoo at the bath and even a spoon or something to stir your morning cup of tea with.... if you had a tea bag as some didnt. The 'mini bar' is a tiny dirty fridge with 2 beers and some pop for 2 adults which was topped up each day with exactly what you had used. Extras are chargeable. We requested extra beers three times and although they told us would be sent, these never arrived. Others in our group requested they be swapped out for wine. This was also not provoded even though they were told it would be. Tamassa states its a fully all inclusive resort but it isnt. Theres supplements added for many drinks and some meals in the beach restaurant. We also found people who thought they were all inclusive like we were, were only given 20% off all the meals at the beach restaurant... nothing was inclusive for them there. Theres no meal or snack options availble between 3pm when the burger van closes and 7pm when the buffet and beach restaurant reopen. The food is very poor and we were both sick during our stay. The beach restaurants red snapper was so dry and over cooked the texture was like a tough steak, the pasta really soggy, the mauritian curry tasted off and the coconut rice was like rice pudding. It was our impression that much of the food was precooked and warmed back up as nothing seemed fresh or tender. The buffet restaurant is filthy. Birds frequently mess on the tables and the utensils set out and its not cleaned, the chairs are thick with dirt and the egg station is covered in a thick grease allover the slatted wooden splash back and the overhead extractor unit. It was never cleaned at anytime during our stay. For some reason, when you eat at the buffet restaurant, they make you wait outside in a queue in the sun until a staff member is available to walk you to a table. This staff member doesnt seat you, take your drink order or orientate you to what foods are where, they simply point you to the table and walk off. We were there 5 days and there were between 8 and 10 private functions during our stay including a huge awards ceremony for a local company right outside our rooms by the pool into the evening. On our last day, there were 4 events all taking place in different areas which meant staff were stretched and service slow. There are also days where a large amount of day guests arrive to the hotel to use the pool and bars. These days we were left being served last and there were not enough sun loungers or seating to accommodate everyone which left you feeling crammed in. There's daily activities listed but these didnt happen at times when we were there because private functions were prioritised for example the tuesday sunset drinks. Even activities such as snorkelling is listed but we were told we couldnt borrow the kit unless we booked onto a boat tour. Even getting clean beach towels is a chore here. We were told we could exchange these daily between 10am and 6pm however we attenpted to change ours twice at around 4 and 5pm and were told they were closed or to come back in 30 minutes. For some reason, everything you order at the bars or restaurant is provided after you give your room number and is delivered along with a reciept you must sign for. Not sure why the hotel think this is an effective way to operate as opposed to just givibg guests a wrist band and doing away with this rigmarole. You have to book into the beach restaurant if you wish to eat there. We tried to book in a few times before we got a table on our third night but was told sorry its full, only to then see other guests make the same requests and be booked in. Our reservation was only made when we raised this with the guest relationahip manager leeta. All in all, not worth your time or money when there are other beautiful resorts avaialble who will deliver the standard you will expect of a 4 star hotel. Read less

The location is wonderful. Our room looked into the beach and we were very impressed with the resort. However, we were all inclusive and didn’t rate the food or the service. Requests for drinks had to be chased up and sometimes didn’t happen at all. One thing that I thought was bad was that there were no lifeguards on site for the swimming pools or beach. There were 3 swimming pools. Only one of them had bad rails to assist getting into the water which was warm. We wanted to use the pool nearest our room. I am only 54 and have some balance issues so I found getting in and out of the pool without a hand rail difficult. The sides of the pool are rounded concrete and then the filters are filled with pebbles which look fantastic but would also made it difficult to sit and enter the pool or jump in. This is an accident waiting to happen, especially with no lifeguards. So, on the whole, the room was very good and the site is very nice. The mini bar was also a problem. We asked a few times to get it changed to drinks we wanted and then on the last few days we got what we wanted. We went on the free snorkelling trip but it was on a small boat where you had to jump of the boat to get in the water and very difficult to get back in the boat. I would recommend paying for a catamaran trip. One person we met recommended Get Your Guide excursions as there were none on offer at Reception. We were offered to keep our room on the final day by reception and this ended up being free of charge and we were very grateful as we had a night flight and could stay in our room until we left in our taxi. Reception also arranged for our cases to be collected by biggie and the Receptionist gave us a lift back to reception. He got a big tip for arranging the extension of the room for us. Harsh was also the best waiter and we gave him a tip. So a good resort for younger people but perhaps not well thought out for older guests and definitely lifeguards should be employed to just walk around the pools and beach area. We have now done Mauritius so won’t be returning. Read less

I was at tamassa 24 September with my family. This hotel for me is the best of the best.the staff is very great great .nishad potiram was the best for every help .the restaurant was best food.altaf in restaurant was very helpful and hard worker the chef Kiran best.all the staff of tamassa was very best.i highly recommend 👌 this hotel.the pool very good.tamassa will remain the best for me Read less

Arrived at 10pm to a disorganised welcome from reception, we were told the buffet had closed so a cold plate of food would be in our rooms, taken to room, air conditioning not working, food arrived at 11.45pm, by then we were past eating. The room was very tired and dated, two single beds both very hard, the room let in a lot of light which made sleeping difficult. Shower unit old and dirty, cupboard above sinks very dirty inside. Mini bar containing 2x coke 2x sprite and 2x beer only, could have done with small bottles of water as well. Food in the buffet was good, pools lovely and well maintained, service for drinks very slow and disorganised, having to sign for every drink is a very outdated system and staff often bought incorrect drinks. The beach is really nice, lots of fish near rocks, current is strong so care is needed. I ate at a beach restaurant on the last night, The food was good but the service was inconsistent. Overall lovely surroundings, shame about the service and tired rooms. Read less