My husband and I were both recovering from illnesses, well mine is surgery on my foot. Both of us fed up decided to book a last minute week’s break in Tunisia. We booked on the Thursday flew on theSaturday. We have never visited Africa or Tunisia before but decided the weather in Feb would be warmer than here. We were looking forward to visiting somewhere different. We booked At the Barceló hotel recently name change from Miramar we usually camp. Hammamet has several hotels offering BB half board or full board.
Getting there ______
We flew from Stanstead to Monastir flight about 3 hours. Monastir is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Hammamet by the bus that picked us up. There is going to be an airport at Hammamet soon work is in progress. Tunis airport is a bit further in the opposite direction can’t be further than 2 hours away. Most other large UK airports fly there too.
If you book package you will have a coach to the resort. Taxis are available at the airport. Entering Hammamet we first drop some holiday makers at Hammamet Yassmine this on the coast on the outskirts of Hammamet about ½ hour from centre. Our hotel little bit nearer the centre.
Money ____
We took travellers cheques
and a few English pounds with us as you are not allowed to bring or take out of the country more than 2 Tunisian Dinar. We found that the price of items quite good a bit cheaper than the UK. Going out one lunch time for a meal we found a tourist restaurant charging UK prices but went to a local café where we ate much cheaper.
I heard people say that there would be lots of people in Tunisia offering to do things for you such as carry cases and they would expect paying. This is very true. We found them quite insistent. In the towns people offering to show us places and we were going to look at an archaeological site one day and some school kids latched onto us offering to show us the best places to go. It could have got annoying.
Haggling yes unless things are a fixed price it is ok to haggle. Things like carpets, pottery can be bought much cheaper than the price first asked.
Beach ___
The beach was glorious a long wide stretch of golden sands, not too busy in February but I imagine very busy in peak times. There are several cafes along the beach with rush parasols for shading customers. We saw a lonely camel and his owner walking along the beach offering rides, the equivalent to our sea side donkeys. The sea a glorious blue. In season I imagine many happy hours could be spent on the beach in the sun. There is a lot of water sports available to partake in equipment can be hired locally. We were not visiting at the best time to sun worship but it was pleasant to stroll along the beach.
The beach looked clean the hotels cleaning up their beach spaces, but this was very early season so I not sure how it would be in the height of summer.
Buildings ______
Entering Hammamet we first drop some holiday makers at Hammamet Yassmine this on the coast on the outskirts of Hammamet about ½ hour from centre. Our hotel little bit nearer the centre. A lot of the hotels , ours included had beach access As we enter the town of Hammamet there are a few more hotels a few bars , some small shops . Something that was striking were the doors Tunisian doors are interesting obviously pride taken in them attractive with designs on them Hammamet’s houses and buildings usually painted white with blue windows, door surrounds and shutters. . By our standards Hammamet did not look like a wealthy town. Houses were small, hotels not high rise blocks.
Fort ____
There is an old stone built fort next to the Medina 4 solid square walls cost a couple of Dinars to go in. walking on the walls of the fort gives great views out to sea .
International Cultural Center ___________
This is a villa built in the 1920s by an Italian prince ,.In the 20’s and 30’s this was a popular place for the bohemian intellectuals and writers to visit , visited by Churchill, Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, King Edward and Mrs Simpson Hemmingway and Churchill amongst others. Music festivals and art exhibitions are now held here. It has a large garden to wander around too. I imagine at one time these gardens magnificent but althougf they still hold interesting plants really does need some maintenance. This is before the summer season though so maybe it’s just the end of the winter before the spring summer garden work is done. This was an interesting walk around and the atitheastre looks a good place to hear music in season.
We looked at the art work in the villa and had a drink sat on the porch overlooking sea. A pleasant place to stop.
Shopping.
The shops in Hammamet were all small, tiny indeed selling cheap tourist goods. Some small supermarkets (I use that word loosely) selling bread pasta soaps everyday goods. The medina is a place you will probably head for. The medina the ancient part of the town is a few narrow streets with small shops closely packed in together. Shops selling shoes selling clothes, jewellery. Leather goods, shops selling herbs Saffron is grown locally a lot cheaper than buying in England. Shops selling tourist tat. You will get shop keepers asking you in and offering you things to buy, to come and look. Definably haggle here
There are many archaeological sites surrounding Hammamet. The excavations of the Roman settlement of Pupput. On the edge of Hammamet we did not visit this one though.
Getting around in Hammamet .
_____ There are many taxis in this town all a cheap price ask price before you take one though. There is also the tourist Noddy train running from the Medina as far as Yassmine Hammamet. A train station in the centre trains going to other Tunisian towns.
Driving _____
We hired a car for the week we were there so we could explore further. However we did not go to the desert area, there are trips arranged usually stopping over for one or two nights. We did not go to Tunis to visit Carthage might have done if it had been raining local to us, Tunis was 2 hours or more away the time we decided it was not worth the time when there was enough to do and see locally that we had never seen before and might possibly not get the option to see again.
For my husband driving in Tunisia was an interesting experience. There was a dual carriage by pass around Hammamet we had to drive on this for our hotel and we saw several cars going the wrong way along the roads cyclists on the wrong carriage way, traffic was all over and everywhere . So expect the unexpected eyes needed everywhere other road users doing the most bizarre things. We saw a lot of Donkeys and carts as it was time for harvest and crop collection from the fields. Donkey carts were fully laden. From our observations I would judge that a lot of Tunisians did not own a car as we a lot of local people and children walking back and from work and school. There were police stopping and checking cars eveywhere . we were slightly nervous but we assumed as we noted hire cars were not being stopped that they were only stopping locals . Asking our holiday rep I found I was correct.
Food _______
We had half board so did not really buy much food out of our hotel.
We did buy bread and crisps. Tinned sardines, some cheese from a local shop for picnic lunches. We also ate at a café on the edge of Hammamet. Here we had a brick. ! A brick is a pastry pie ours had an egg in the centre and some meat too, it was interesting. Yes we liked our bricks. There are several different types of bricks all with egg but with other fillings with the egg cheese or tuna amongst them.
The food at the hotel was very good. It was not as spicy as I thought it might be. We had quite a lot of fish, being as we were beside the sea that might have been expected. A lot of salads were offered to some at breakfast time. Some of the meals were traditional Tunisian foods.
Tunisia is a Muslim country so although we could buy alcohol and it was available at the restaurant it was not especially cheap.
People ______ We found the Tunisians helpful and friendly. Being a Muslim country the ladies were clothed appropriately, an age difference under 30’s wearing European style trousers and tops the older ladies more traditional dress heads covered. So although at the beach its fine to expose your legs ladies it might be better not to in the towns.
Although we enjoyed our holiday it was good for us I did not need to do much walking after my opp. A good place to escape to for a rest somewhere different. I doubt we will revisit as . The coast line is getting increasingly built up. Most of the other land locally is agricultural and not really accessible for lots of walking. Also because it’s dry in the summer and because of agriculture not so many wild areas to explore. For a bird watcher the sea watching is fairly good.
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I never fancy Tunisia but lots of colleagues are visiting this year as the exchange is good as opposed to countries with the euro. Fantastic review Mary.
matthewsmum 26.05.2009 21:13
Fantastic review! This sounds like a lovely place, though I know I would be rubbish at haggling - and hubby would be even worse lol! Carol x
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