Thoughts on Tunisia,Please.

A question about : Thoughts on Tunisia,Please.

We are thinking of going to Tunisia this year in August,has anyone got any ideas?

This is my first post,Can you tell me if I have to contact Travelman directly or do I post details on here?

Thanx.

Unicorn.

Best answers:

• No you don't have to contact travelman directly, he will post a thread if he has some tips for you
  I went to Tunisia a couple of years ago. Port el Kantaoui (not sure how to spell it).
  PROS
  very hot.
  lovely hotel
  CONS
  not much to do at night.
  got ripped off in the market and hotel. accused of not paying for evening drinks had to pay again.
  No veggie food.
  Expensive.
  cockroaches.
  erm......we had a good time, you have got too, its your holiday, but would never go back.
  Sorry hopefully someone will have had the best holiday ever over there to balance the argument. 8)
• What a bad experience you had.
  Me and Mr Moneysaver indoors went there about 8 years ago and had a wonderfull time.
  And we went to a very cheap hotel as well.
  We went to hammamet the hotel was called the lemon tree or something like that.
  Him indoors wants to go back but I have a rule never go to the same place twice,life is to short and there are so many countries.
  Off to Croatia next monday cant wait........................
• We went to Tunisia early 02. To be honest we had a rubbish time. The hotel was lousy (though only a 2 star) and the food wasn't nice. The locals were unpleseant and always trying to get money out of us, we stayed in Sousse but spent most of our time getting the little train to port el kantoui as it was niver there. We also went on a little boat excursion as the weather was lovely, but when we left the harbour the water was so rough they had to turn around and come back as everyone was being sick - no refund Still, the weather was nice and we had no kids then, so it was easier to have a good time anyway, definatly wouldnt take children there. Of course i doubt everyone had such a bad time as me, it was probably made worse by the fact i was 5 weeks pregnant so spent the whole time feeling sick! Im sure you'll have a great time if you book a decent hotel! We're thinking of Costa Dorada for later this year, hope that'll be a bit nicer. Sorry if not very helpful, have a look at reviews on the travel review sites, cant remember what they're called but they've been posted on here before.
• Pack plenty immodium, if you can't use it all there is always someone else who can.
• Thanx for your views,doesn't look too promising, ???we have plenty of time so shall keep looking. 8)
  It is our first holiday abroad for 8 years and just fancied somewhere different having been to Turkey on numerous occasions,don,t fancy Spain etc. and my other half does not like flying so looking for short flights upto 3 hrs.
• here is a great link to hundreds of tunisian holiday reviews.
  https://www.holidays-uncovered.co.uk/frames.htm
  My review is amongst them, and I have to say I would not go back. !My idea of a 5* hotel and the Tunisian version have no comparison whatsoever. You can have a good holiday for a fair price but you do have to box very clever to get it!
  I am off !to Roda in Corfu again this year as it is so cheap, Ј380 each for a fourtnight in August, I would have got it cheaper than that no doubt if I had heard of this site before it was booked!
• sand.
  star wars
  sandpeople.....
• Hee hee.
  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
  Have you been to gran canaria? we love it there. very nice indeed. lovely locals. also loved Cyprus!!
  for thoughts on Gran Canaria try www.canaryforum.com
  people have reviewed hotels / areas / places to go.
• Tunisia?
  Don't go there unless you like being pestered relentlessly in the market places, loads of dog mess on the beaches, bad food , bad toilets. There are too many better places in the world!!!
• What sort of holiday are you looking for
  hot, beach, sightseeing, culture, history, relaxation etc?
  If you can post up what you are looking for then I'm sure we'll be able to help you more.
• Hi everyone,
  Still reading reviews on Tunisia,trying to keep an open mind. We,myself and other half are looking for a relaxing holiday,I love the sun but the other half sit's in the shade all day,as long as there is pool or sea
  and a bar nearby he can cool off. Enjoy walking,sightseeing,trying to convert him to a bit of culture! ???
  We are looking to travel anytime from 21st.August,would like to book 10 days if poss.Return to work on 7th.Sept. so dept. is flexi.any North East Airport,Either self Catering, Don't want: Spain,Balearic's,Ibiza,America,Italy,France,Turkey .Would most prob. do night flights,Budget Ј400p.p.
  I hope I haven't missed anything,hope you have some better ideas than us.
  Thanx.
• I must agree with carly and others- the 4-5 star hotels are good , but the moment you step out of the hotel compound, you just get bombarded by aggresive sellars.I did feel sympathy for them though ,as unemployment was running at about 80% with no welfare provisions(this was about ten years ago though)
  Maybe its changed since.if you do go ,try to go to the highest star rated hotel that you can afford.
  ps have you tried"travelman" on this site?.
• Despite the wee disadvantages of the hawkers and the tummy upsets if you do still want to go to Tunisia make sure you visit the Roman Colisseum at El Djem (sp?) and do the trip into the Sahara.
  The hotel we stayed in on the edge of the desert was much much nicer than the one in Hammamet where we were for the rest of the week.
• We were about 45 minutes walk south of Hammamet, right out of the touristy area.
  Great mediteranean (sp?) weather.
  Food OK, but odd combinations and rabbit, which they called 'big mouse'!!!
  Tried to fly kite first day - no wind (OK not their fault). A bloke tried to sell me hash, and when I politely declined, he said 'maybe just a little kiss then'!!! Hmmmm :
  Beaches were small (ie shallow from back to front) and had lots of sharp bits of tree on them - you couldn't walk in barefoot.
  Never saw a Tunisian woman, so that was a bit weird. I guess they are not allowed out very often. And lots of skinny horses.
  The shop keepers bartered like mad - they would swap shoes/whiskey/clothes to get a sale. The market stall blokes were worse. > And alot of the English they knew was from adverts eg Asda. E.g. humming the Asda tune and patting thier pockets "it's cheaper than Asda!".
  I have blonde hair and fair skin, and that seems odd to them, and you get stared at and disrespectful behaviour from men/boys, which you would not put up with at home (even when fully clothed eg trousers, fleece jacket, cap etc).
  Was a good holiday, relaxing etc, but would not chose to go again.
• I truly do not believe 4 and 5* Hotels in Tunisia are of a high standard. Having spent two weeks in a 5*hotel (The El Hanna Palace) at Port El kantui I would put the rooms on par with a very tired B&B, thread bare carpets, cigerette burns on the bedspread etc and the bar and pool area are 2 to 3* at best. The public toilets in in Port El Kantui are an evil disgrace and not fit for a dog to use then a thug attempts to charge you about 60p for using them after you come out of it (you don't see him before you go in). Even the local bar and restuarant loos are generally flooded and heavily 'stained' Drinks are not cheap and they are not of a high quality. !Food is hit and miss at best go by what other holiday makers recomment we found a french runplace that was superb but many places were not good at all. The one and only thing tunisia really has to offer is sunshine if you are in the market for that kind off holiday then great. If you want to see the sites then Tunisia has much to offer but trips take ages to get to and are not cheap. Many people compalined of feeling ill after one trip because they were out of the shade for most of the day and had no place to escape the sun.
  having said that Tunisia was nicer than Albania, now that was a horror story!
• 'Take plenty of immodium....if you don't need it others will...'
  HELLO! That's not a sweeping...totaly biased opinion by any chance is it??! Care to evidence your arguments? may be YOU had a specific problem but your comments don't help UNICORN!
  As an interesting stat-there is MORE food poisening in Majorca/Spanish Costas than Turkey!
  I've been to Tunisia about 8 times. Before I 1st went I too (I'm ashamed to say) had been influenced by the 'the food is dodgy its dirty' brigade. NOT TRUE. I would say that a 3* today in Tunisoa is as good as a 4 star in Spain/greece.
  The 5 stars this year are FAB-check out some of the accom only deals on www.medhotels.com -the prices are crazy & if you like the Hotels any agent can tie it ip with flights-we can do transfers too if needed.
  yes-you DO get some persistent sellers of lighters, etc BUT no worse than Greek Taverna owners trying to pull you in or PR staff in the spanish resorts or timeshare touts in the Canaries!
  Not the place to go if you want streets of tacky shops/kiss me quick hats & eastenders pubs...BUT it IS the place to go if you want quality accomodation, in many cases beatiifull private beaches , Hotel based entertainement & interesting trips...npt for the 18-30 crowd.
  Hope this helps!
  Travelman (Chris) ! !
  Added (!)
  Sorry-missed your next post! Try also Turkey, sharm or Hurghada (Egypt-fab accom but v. hot-great for diving/watersports).
  Asl-all-inclusive is a good option in Tunisia/Egypt-h/b in Turkey as food is great & cheap to eat out! Again-check www.medhotels.com for all these destinations-an agent can add flights/transfers if needed!
  Chris
• Thanx for your views Travelman,have looked at that site and there are some really good deals.
  As we are not going until August is it o.k. if I contact you a bit nearer to the time?
  I am still checking this site 3 or 4 times a day so I am reading all the requests etc. and will maybe get some other ideas.
  Please keep up the good work. ;D
• Hey-contact me/your own agent whenever you want!
  I wouldn't leave it more than a month to book as flight prices for August will start to go UP.
  You can check out the charter flight prices on my web-site or any other on the web-monastir (or just use the 3 letter code when searching MIR) is the airport. Allow about Ј22 extra pp for transfers & an extra Ј10/Ј15 pp for flight meals, etc...
  If you stick with the higher grade Hotels you'll be fine. If you're still not 100%-check out Turkey (flights to check are Dalaman DLM, Izmir ADB, Bodrum BJV) on the medhotels site-some good deals also.
  Kind regards,
  Chris
  p.s-you'll find 10 days is tricky to get-I'd go & up the star grade of the Hotel!
• I was a rep in Tunisia in 1997 and worked in Sousse, Hammamet and Port El Kantoui. I loved it and would recomend it for someone who isn't really looking for a lot of nightlife (although there is nightlife to be found speak to your rep as we DO actually know the area's usually to avoid) If you venture to monastir airport try the cafe round the back of the airport that the pilots use - it's got the yummiest food and a lot cheaper than the airport. I'd also really recomend getting a hammam (massage when they remove all your dead skin) Sounds yuck but makes the sun tan last. Oh yes Jeep Safari's - Brill fun and i'd not swap my time in Tunisia for turkey ever. **tip from a rep , in the markets wear sungalsses so people can't make eye contact and decide what you think something is worth before bidding then you'll never feel ripped off***