Tunisia in June 2006
On 14 June I flew to Tunisia with my Mum for a week’s holiday. We flew from our local airport – Bristol - arriving around three hours later in Monastir. From Monastir we were transferred by coach to our hotel, dropping off people at other hotels along the way. Although the distance between Monastir and Sousse isn’t that great, our late departure from the UK and multiple drop offs meant we didn’t arrive at our hotel until nearly midnight. I was very impressed at how well Mum coped with the journey as she is 77 years old - we were both glad to finally arrive though.
On arrival we had to fill in brief forms for the hotel - the Marhaba Salem – and in the process I had to put down the sun hat that I had carried all the way from Bristol - which was a great nuisance on the plane. I didn’t realise until next day that I forgot to pick it up again and unfortunately no one handed it in. I was just glad that at the last minute I decided not to take the lovely pink hat purchased in Paris the week before and took the one bought in Weymouth instead!
Next morning we were awake quite early. We had been allocated a ground floor room with its own patio and opening the curtains we looked out onto the beautiful gardens with its multitude of different palm trees and profusions of flowers in every imaginable colour. We knew that the paths through the gardens led to the hotel’s own beach and were looking forward to going there after breakfast. Once dressed and ready we located the dining room for our breakfast. There we were allocated a table by our friendly waiters which would be ours for the duration of the holiday. We were considerably impressed with the vast choices on offer for breakfast, one buffet table with several cereals, varieties of yoghurt and rice puddings, profusions of cakes and biscuits, bowls of fresh fruits - another hot buffet area with varieties of cooked breakfasts including eggs cooked in every way imaginable, warm croissants, pain chocolates and danish pastries and for me - the best of all - the crepes and the bowls of jams to go on them! One had to queue up for the crepes as the chef could only cook two at a time, but I enjoyed two or three every morning thereafter, sprinkled with sugar and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.
After breakfast we zoomed back to our room, collected the beachbag with swimwear, towels, sunglasses, books and sun lotions and set off through the garden to the beach. We did a slight detour first to explore the pool areas - two outdoor pools - with shops, poolside bar. Unfortunately Mum wouldn’t be able to use the nearest pool as one got in via a thin metal ladder but the other one was easier as one could walk in right from the edge. The pools were well equipped with plenty of sunbeds and cushions, tables and chairs, and we were hoping those facilities extended to the beach. Also that morning we attended a meeting with our Thomson Rep who gave us a lot of information about Sousse and nearby Port El Kantaoui, plus details of various excursions on offer. I knew that Mum wouldn’t want to go on any of the day excursions but was particularly interested in a couple of the evening excursions and we booked up two of them for later in the week - a bedouin Arabian feast evening and an African zulu feast evening. There was no way I could travel to North Africa without experiencing at least some of its vibrant culture! Before heading through the gardens to the beach we purchased the use of a safety deposit box in which to keep our money and passports and changed up some money - easy and quick to do each day at hotel reception at a government fixed exchange rate.
Soon we were on the lovely sandy beach which was also well equipped with thatched parasols, and a type of sun deckchairs. These were too low for Mum so we had a word with the boy in charge of beach furniture and he promised to fetch a chair for Mum each day and keep it for her exclusive use. I was quite happy to stretch out on a towel on the sand which is what I usually do back home.
The sea looked glorious, a lovely aquamarine colour, shelving quite shallowly from the shore and when we walked in we were pleasantly surprised at how warm it was compared to the icy shiver you feel when entering the sea back home. I don’t normally go in the sea, preferring to relax on the sand, but Mum didn’t feel confident going in alone so I accompanied her each time she wanted a swim and quite enjoyed it really. It was a great way to cool off in the hot sun which got steadily hotter throughout our week there. There was also a cool sea breeze most days so that when on the beach we never felt too hot, even when the sand was too hot to walk on in our bare feet. There was also a snack bar right on the beach where we sometimes had a cooked lunch brought to us on the sands. It was also lovely to sip an icy cold beer which we could also enjoy on the sands rather than going into the bar. Once I promised to bring them back, the waiters let us have nice stemmed glasses rather than the plastic cups normally reserved for beach use. Also we booked up to go on another excursion, a whole morning out at sea on an old fashioned pirate style galleon complete with lunch on board. The guy who sold the tickets for it was really nice and we ended up chatting to him every day. When Mum was worried about how she would get on board the boat he misunderstood and said ‘Don’t worry - you walk across a gangplank to get on board; you don’t have to swim out to it!!!!’
Our first morning was really relaxing and we would have spent all day there had we not been persuaded by another guy to go on a mini bus trip offered free by the two sister hotels which was departing from the nearby Royal Salem at 1.30. I wanted to see a little bit of Sousse and when the guy said we could be dropped off in the medina and picked up again later we agreed to go on the trip. That proved a false promise later when the mini bus sailed past the medina despite my protests at the time. We were taken to a supposed government shop where we could make purchases. Mum wanted to see the carpets so I left her seated downstairs where they were being demonstrated and popped upstairs to look at the other stalls as I was interested in buying a leather handbag - I ended up buying two the same colour in different designs (because I couldn’t make up my mind between the two, plus a better deal was offered for buying two). I haggled these down to a reasonable price which worked out about £19 for the two. Back downstairs afterwards Mum had been persuaded to buy two rugs which were joined together by the fringe - she only wanted to buy one and they were trying to persuade her to have them both - so in the end I said I would have one of them. I managed to haggle another 100 dinars off the price but they still worked out quite expensive. It was only later that I discovered the guy who organised the coach trip received a good commission for every purchase made by the tourists he brought. Unfortunately I did not know this before buying a leather jacket as well. I was really impressed with the style and quality of the leather jackets on offer and bought a nice three quarter length one in burgundy. I especially liked these jackets because they were so light weight compared to leather jackets back home. Unfortunately we were so long in that shop that there was no time to visit the medina on the way back, but we resolved to go independently by taxi a day or two later. One thing we learned was that there would be an opportunity to listen to some live music in the nearby Royal Salem hotel on Saturday evening and I was hoping beyond anything that it would be live Tunisian music!
Back at the hotel we visited the pool and Mum had a swim before we returned to our room to get ready for the evening. Our accommodation was half board which meant dinner each evening was included which could be taken anytime between 6.30 and 9 pm. For this we enjoyed dressing up each evening. If we were impressed at the variety on offer at breakfast we were literally overwhelmed by the vast amount of choice on offer in the evenings - all served buffet style with assistance from waiters if required. I knew my diet had flown straight out of the window for that week! There was a long table with starters alone - multitudes of salads, cooked fish, sliced meats etc. The hot buffet was best with about 20 main course dishes on offer. I was a bit disappointed that first evening as the food seemed to be mainly international dishes with not a Tunisian dish in sight, but luckily that changed as the week progressed and we enjoyed some excellent Tunisian specialities. There were always two really special dishes on offer which to my delight were usually based on chicken or turkey. As you can imagine we indulged in lots of delicious things and then were overwhelmed all over again when we visited the dessert table which was loaded with lots of really fancy cakes, served up by a chef, all so light they melted in your mouth, and beautifully adorned with creams, fruit glazes or icing - plus yet more individual cakes and pastries including chocolate coated choux buns, and plates and bowls of yet more fresh fruits - sliced melon, watermelon, apricots, nectarines, greengages, damsons or plums. There were also ice-creams to choose from and our friendly waiters always brought us dishes of my favourite pistachio icecream each evening to finish off our meal. We usually enjoyed a nice bottle of Tunisian rose wine with our meal and had a lot of fun chatting to the friendly waiters all of whom could speak English. In fact we found wherever we went the Tunisian people were lovely and friendly and clearly really liked English people and really enjoyed any opportunity to chat - all of them could speak some English, even the lovely old lady who looked after our room each day. Including the beach boy who always looked out for us, came running with Mum’s chair whenever we arrived on the beach, hailing her ‘Hello Mum’ as he approached. We became very fond of him as the week progressed!
The following day we were able to spend the whole day at the beach and really enjoyed ourselves. We knew by this time we were going to thoroughly enjoy every minute of this fantastic holiday - the food, the people, the fantastic weather, perpetual sunshine every day, the glorious beach and our time spent in the sea. There were usually paddle boats moored along the shore and sometimes we just sat on the end of these with our feet in the gentle rolling waves for half an hour or more. The beach offered a multitude of water sports - jet skis, paragliding where two people dangling from a parachute were pulled along by a motorboat - the paddle floats, and rafts full of people being towed by a fast motor boat, screaming with laughter as the raft bounced across the waves.
On Saturday we decided to get a taxi and pay a visit to Sousse. This was easy enough - one had to haggle the price down each time and a trip to either Sousse or Port el Kantaoui was around 4 dinars, a bit less than two English pounds, in each direction. Away from the beach we were amazed at how hot the sun beat down which meant that unfortunately Mum couldn’t walk far. We got out of the taxi at the medina and ended up staying ages in the first shop we were persuaded to enter! First we bought handbags and then entered the carpet selling area and soon found ourselves being shown a vast variety of carpets with mint tea to enjoy whilst we watched. We had only wanted to compare prices with those we had already bought, which is how we learned that the savings were considerable buying direct and haggling directly with the carpet producers in the medina. I fell in love with two beige matching rugs which were bigger than the ones purchased 2 days earlier - I knew they would be perfect on my new lounge carpet at home. There followed a lot of fierce haggling and I managed to get the price down to 750 dinars for the two inclusive of shipping and freight. At the same time Mum fell in love with a pair of rugs which I managed to haggle down to 550 dinars for the pair. We still weren’t really intending to buy until we realised they would be happy to accept just a 25% payment now, and the balance in mid November, with delivery promised in time for Christmas. At this we finally went ahead with the purchase. The firm were established since 1928, the year of Mum’s birth, so we felt confident our rugs would arrive as promised. Mum was impressed at how well I haggled the price down - I was so good at it that a couple of times the man called me Sir instead of Madam, which in the arab world is probably a sign of respect!!! Especially as I was continuously working things out on a calculator to get the price in pounds. At the end of it all Mum was given a big hug and I had my hand shaken!!!!
We looked at the leather jackets in that shop afterwards and I fell in love with a short one which I promised to come back and buy on our next visit. In Tunisia one can visit the leather factory and be measured up for a leather jacket and it is ready to collect the following day.Back outside again a couple of hours later the sun was high in the sky and the heat was incredible. I knew Mum would never stand it for more than about 20 minutes. We decided to visit just one short rank of shops only and then come back another day. A visit to the medina is an eye-opener as every shop keeper urges you to enter their shop and if you do you cannot get out again without buying something! I found the ambience quite fun but Mum found it a bit intrusive. I bought a Tunisian dress in deep rose pink adorned with gold braid and sequins plus a nice leather belt for Colin. It was nice when finally we were spoken to by one shop keeper who just wanted to talk when he realised we were English. We chatted to him for a while and exchanged names and I said we would call in again the next time we visited the medina. We then stopped at an open air cafe and enjoyed fruit juices and panini sandwiches under a shady tree before venturing out of the medina and taking a taxi back to the hotel. The medina really is a fascinating place, hundreds of alleyways of shops all within an ancient walled city. I believe Sousse medina covers an area of around 30 square km.
Once back at the hotel we were anxious to visit the beach and cool down in the sea, but not for long as we had decided to go to the neighbouring Royal Salem hotel in the evening. We had dinner quite early and headed for the Royal Salem about 8.30 in the evening. This is an amazingly luxurious hotel all marble and colourful fountains and foliage with a huge raised dias circular bar with seating areas all within the gigantic foyer. Overhead is like an atrium, with every floor having the circular veranda right up to a glass roof overhead. A glass lift moving up and down between the floors. We were very impressed with this beautiful hotel. We ordered drinks and were enjoying the ambience and soon afterwards the evening’s entertainment began. I was disappointed that it wasn’t a Tunisian band playing traditional music but Mum thoroughly enjoyed the young Tunisian musician and singer who was singing English songs! We stayed listening for a couple of hours and the evening was redeemed further for me a bit later when a belly dancer appeared and gave us a really impressive performance.
Our two hotels - the Marhaba Salem and the Royal Salem – were both situated in one complex and we were able to enjoy the facilities of both hotels. The Royal Salem was the more luxurious of the two and we were both intrigued at how much it would cost to actually stay there. We intended to sample some of the other facilities but somehow never got around to it in just one week.
On Sunday we just spent the morning on the beach and then took a taxi to Port el Kantaoui in the afternoon as Mum was anxious for me to see it. When we arrived she hardly recognised it as a lot of building had taken place since her previous visit 18 years earlier. We had to enter via a park and various shops where we were again waylaid and couldn’t escape without buying a lime green embroidered tunic blouse and another bag for Mum. We enjoyed browsing the shops once in the circular square leading to the marina because the prices were fixed, ie no haggling, and one could browse without being hassled. We both bought various things to take home as gifts and then stopped in one of the outdoor cafes and enjoyed enormous, almost pint sized, glasses of colourful layers of different fruit juices whilst admiring the fountains and luxurious flowers, palm trees and plants. When we finally entered the marina itself I was very impressed as it was on the one hand like a rich European millionnaire’s yacht marina and on the other hand typically arab with the white buildings and architecture set among tall palm trees etc. We sat in a shady spot and just enjoyed the ambiance for a while before continuing on our way. Entering the marina I was amazed to see a guy dressed in Saracen costume and was so regretful that I had forgotten to bring my camera because I would have loved to have had a photo of him. I said we would have to come back again and take photos.
On Sunday evening we were booked on one of the excursions - the bedouin Arabian feast - and proceed to get to it by taxi in the early evening. We had partaken of lunch in our hotel that day as we were going out in the evening, which is the usual arrangement in half board hotels. Unfortunately we arrived a bit too early and were the first there. Arriving in the grounds of the complex where the evening would take place, I was pleased to find a spice stall - belonging to a Berber man who had the most stunningly beautiful green eyes. After a bit of haggling I managed to get the price down on a good supply of saffron, plus harissa and a general spice seasoning. Then his son showed us a selection of his paintings and we each bought a small one. I regretted later not buying a larger painting because his talent was remarkable. The main reason was lack of space in our luggage but I fully intend to go back there on my next visit and buy a larger painting. All this while enjoying a glass of sangria.
Then came the disappointment of the evening when we realised the event would take place in an enormous open-sided tent. After deciding not to go out in the evenings due to our fear of mosquitos, you can imagine how apprehensive we both were to be in an open tent for a whole evening. The table we were first ushered to was right under a speaker playing loud Arabic music over which we had difficulty speaking so we moved to another table. We were both really hungry and got a bit restless when no one else seemed to be arriving for ages. Finally, about an hour after our arrival, a coach party arrived which was the remainder of the guests. We had a nice couple sharing our table who had been brought on the bus from Monastir. We were all glad when the evening got going and food started to arrive and this part of the evening was most enjoyable, especially as soon afterwards a long programme of entertainment began, various dancers, juggling, balancing, bed of knives etc, belly dancing. The best part of the evening’s entertainment was looking out onto the square outside and seeing a man dressed as a sheik riding a beautiful arab stallion round and round. Then after the meal finished we all went outside to watch the man and a little girl doing acrobatics on the horse’s back as it rode round, and this was followed by a fire throwing display. Luckily neither of us had been bitten by mosquitos. It wasn’t easy getting a taxi back and we had to wait and were worried about being the last to get one, but eventually we got one and when we got home and I handed over 7 dinars, luckily the driver was happy with that. In Tunisia you don’t ask the price but haggle to what you think is reasonable!
On Monday morning we were up very early and among the first into breakfast as we wanted to leave the hotel by 9.30 and arrive at the Port of Sousse. As usual we arrived really early before anyone else but at least it meant we could board the old fashioned pirate like galleon and Mum could climb the steps to the top deck without feeling embarrassed in front of anyone else. We were among the first on board so could choose where we wanted to sit although as others arrived and got busy slathering themselves with sun lotion and wearing hats, we were dismayed to realise we had forgotten to bring these for ourselves, just cardigans in case it felt cold out at sea! By 10.30 the boat was pretty full and we were on our way, with the prospect of a whole morning out at sea following the coastline and a barbeque lunch later on. Fortunately I was able to purchase a white arab headdress for Mum and she was wearing a sleeved blouse so didn’t get too much effect from the sun. I was wearing a camisole so got quite badly sunburned that day as I refused to cover up with a cardigan. Although we had felt hot while the boat was moored this changed as we got under way out to sea and we thoroughly enjoyed the cool breeze that offset the sun’s heat. It was fun watching the sails being unfurled and I knew we would really enjoy that trip. We were well looked after the whole time, being given cups and unlimited supplies of water or coca cola, sprite or fanta orange followed by fruit for everyone. Then we enjoyed barbequed sardines along with chopped tomatoes and cucumber and chunks of baguette bread. Then a main course of grilled seasoned chicken breasts and finally several chunks of water melon and nectarines. We were the only two English people among a mostly German clientele with just a few French people, and the crew members/waiters singled us out and gave us lots of special attention (and extra food etc!) reinforcing our realisation that Tunisian people really are very fond of English people. About half an hour after the meal the boat was moored for half an hour and people dived overboard to swim on one side and others were fishing from the other side. The water here was about 50 feet deep so I definitely wasn’t tempted to swim, not liking to ever get out of my depth. Also it didn’t look easy having to climb the ropes to get back on board afterwards! The whole time we were out following the coastline I could see that it was a continuous stretch of beautiful white sandy beach, much of it belonging to each hotel fronting it, for mile upon mile. One would have a lovely time virtually anywhere on that coastline.
Back at the Port which was only a short distance from the medina we decided to pay it another visit as there were still things we wanted to buy. We also wanted to find the shop where Ahmed worked and say hello (having promised to when we left the medina the previous Friday). That was easier said than done as the alleyways looked alike and we browsed three streets before we finally found it, with all the ensuing hassle from the shop keepers - but we found nice things to buy including a gold necklace each with lucky charm, and when we reached Ahmed’s shop he looked after us beautifully, sitting us down right in front of an air conditioning unit and rushing off to fetch us mint tea. We then stayed chatting to him for about half an hour and he never once urged us to buy anything which made him almost like an oasis in the middle of the desert, thre in themedina! The shop sold nice jewelry and we vowed we would definitely buy something on our next visit to Tunisia. One funny incident was visiting a loo near the medina entrance with male toilet attendant. Mum and I went into two separate cubicles and next minute a loud shriek was heard - hers was a Turkish toilet!!! The male attendant came running and handed her a mint tea to calm her down. It was so funny and we were laughing for ages afterwards.
The following evening would have been the zulu warrior evening had I not cancelled it. After the open air event at the bedouin evening I thought we would be pushing our luck to go somewhere away from the coast and not expect to be bitten by mosquitos. I wasn’t too disappointed, knowing I could do this trip on a future visit to Tunisia. Having seen a bit of Sousse and Port el Kantaoui we were both happy to just chill out on the beach for the remainder of the holiday but on Tuesday morning we paid another visit to Port el Kantaoui where I bought four pairs of leather sandals at incredibly bargain prices. Unfortunately the saracen only works in the marina in the afternoons so yet again we missed taking a picture of him. Next time we hope to go on one of the catamaran trips that sail from the marina. Wednesday was our last day and we were both really sad and didn’t want to go home! Our flight was late that evening so we had paid extra to keep our room until 6 pm. We got up early and even having breakfast we were down on the beach installed under a thatched parasol by 8.30 am. This time Mum tried lying on a sun bed so that she could get plenty of rest before the long journey homeward that evening. We stayed there all day until 4 pm, having lunch and beers at midday and we swam several times as it was the hottest day of the holiday, 37 centigrade. We were so sad when we left that beach and said our goodbyes to the beach boy who was also sad that we were going and gave us both a big hug.
Then we went back to our room, finished packing and each had a shower. Packing was a nightmare getting everything into our cases where we had bought so much! I was carrying the two rugs as although folded well they were too big to fit into either of our flight bags and were too heavy to go into our suitcases. As only one piece of hand luggage was allowed per person, Mum’s flight bag had to go into her case and it was then a struggle to get everything into the two cases, both of us worried in case we were vastly over the baggage weight allowance which these days is only 20 kg per person, excess being charged £6 per kilo. I managed to rig up a handle for the rugs with one of the belts we had purchased. By the time we finally loaded everything else the bags were so heavy I did not know how I would manage them, knowing I would have to manage everything, even our two handbags, as Mum has one weak arm and the other arm could only manage her walking stick!
At 6.30 we went down for our last dinner, which to my delight had a speciality of Cous Cous Royale again, this time with lamb as opposed to chicken earlier in the week. Of all the Tunisian dishes we sampled that week this dish was my ultimate favourite. When I saw it I ignored the starter table and most of the other dishes and had two platefuls of this instead! We were fussed over by our waiter (and two others looking after neighbouring tables) and we rewarded them nicely with good tips for having been so kind to us all the week. We had photos taken with them and I took the name and address of one so that I could post them a copy later. Even in the hotel we were the only English people apart from a family of four until more than halfway into the week, and as a result were singled out by the waiters who really looked after us. It was only a 3 star hotel but the level of comfort, care and pampering was unbelievable. After dinner we only had an hour to while away in the bar and then the coach arrived which would collect us and other guests from other hotels along the way all the way back to Monastir airport. It was interesting to see the other hotels including the Tour Khalef where Mum and Andrea stayed 18 years previously.
After checking in at Monastir we had quite a long wait until our flight which wasn’t leaving until midnight. We passed the time with drinks and icecreams and reading our books and I gave the remainder of our Tunisian money to the guy who checked our passports, as one is not allowed to take Tunisian currency out of Tunisia. Then finally we could relax in our seats at the front of the plane and thence the flight home. Colin met us at Bristol airport but had forgotten to check his petrol gauge before leaving home and all the way back to Bath the warning fuel empty light was flashing with us feeling anxious in case we ran out of petrol on the way home! Luckily we didn’t and it was 4 in the morning before we reached home. Luckily I had booked the morning off work as well and didn’t have to go to work until noon.
Two days after our arrival home we booked our next holiday to Tunisia!!! We fly on 28th March next year and this time will be staying at the four star Marhaba Beach hotel which is one of four hotels in one complex, one of which is also the Tour Khalef, and we can enjoy the facilities of all four hotels. We found one week wasn’t long enough so our next holiday will be for 14 nights and we are really looking forward to it. Before making the reservation I checked the internet to see if any tour operators handled the Royal Salem but unfortunately none in this country do. It would have been possible to book and pay for a room online for us but when I checked out the flights, only Thomsons have flights going to Monastir and the cost of them was so high that it would have worked out too expensive with the addition of taxis between airport and hotel either end of the holiday. At least on a Thomson package deal the airport-hotel transfers are free and one is looked after by a tour rep should any problems arise.
My advice to anyone not visiting Tunisia before is to look into taking a holiday there. I was really impressed and this could be my second love destination after South America and Peru. And so much cheaper too - our two weeks in the hotel inclusive of flights next time is less than £500 and even at the end of March the temperatures will be 20 centigrade plus. I can see myself going there regularly in future and maybe even renting an apartment for a month or more in future years, especially once more airlines fly to Monastir and the monopoly isn’t held by just one airline with prices to match!
