Tunisia - a country of golden sands and unhurried camels
We rested with my husband from June 14 to 25. First time in Tunisia.
Cons:
- they don’t feed at all on the plane (flight from Arkhangelsk to Monastir 5 hours, charter flight tour operator "Pegas" airline "Ikar"), they offered soft drinks twice (still water)
- it is not profitable to pay with a card in Tunisia: from 3 to 7% is withdrawn
- you need to borrow sunbeds on the hotel's beach from 6 in the morning.
And everything else is a plus!
We were going to Tunisia with caution, after reading and listening to a variety of reviews.
We arrived at the Mirage Beach Club 4 * hotel, settled in room 205 (main building, right above the reception) - everything is beautiful and wonderful! We were hungry from the very morning (we were warned that the food on the plane was not very good, but we didn’t expect its complete absence! ), we didn’t have time for lunch at the hotel - we ran to the bar, and there was a coffee machine and again drinks - we froze the worm and started familiarity with the hotel space. My husband immediately rushed to watch football in the amphitheater with new acquaintances, and I - to explore the surroundings. There was a strong wind: palm trees shook in all directions and everything was blown away. The territory is large and well-groomed, palm trees in the form of pineapples, bungalows everywhere - all rooms are two-room, stylized in Arabic style, spacious and comfortable with a balcony or veranda. Double-glazed windows with mosquito nets, but you need to take fumigators (invisible local mosquitoes bite lazily and confidently at night).
The sea at first was cool, but friendly and regularly cleaned of algae by the morning detachment of beach workers.
The food is excellent: everything is fresh, tasty, varied and plentiful! Meat: poultry, beef, veal, lamb; fish: tuna and other, seafood: shrimp, mussels. National dishes: cottage cheese mousse, cheeses, sausages, yoghurts, soup-puree, couscous, brik. European table: breakfast cereals, milk, baguette, pizza, spaghetti, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, vegetable/meat stew, fried/baked/mashed potatoes. Fruits fresh and in syrup: strawberries, figs, apples, apricots, watermelon, melon, peaches, nectarine, dates. Desserts: biscuit and sand cakes, eclairs and others, whipped cream, pudding, cheesecake, pies, colorful ice cream - everything is very beautifully decorated and served. Wine is poured from bottles, but it is not important, beer is normal, good juices. The dishes are clean - there were always enough plates, cups, cutlery. I really want to think that someday in the bright future we will get used to the all-inclusive system and will behave calmly and decently in restaurants, without creating queues, without starting scandals and not picking up products in excess.
Animation at the highest level: 12 people are trying their best from morning to night (from 10 to 24 h, Sun is a day off) to entertain all kinds of tourists! Animators - Tunisian girls (work with children) and guys can do absolutely everything: sing, masterfully perform any dances (African, salsa, bochatta, kalinka-malinka), do somersaults from a place, have fun starts in the pool, aqua / step aerobics, walk and jump on glass, play all outdoor games, arrange a fire show, cheer everyone up and move endlessly! Well done!! !
There are no street agencies in Tunisia where you can buy excursions - for the first time in 20 years we went from the tour operator Pegasus.
The peculiarity of excursions in Tunisia is that the guides are exclusively Tunisians who have the right to talk about their country like no one else. Russian is a new and difficult language for them (unlike French, which they have been studying since grade 1 along with their native Arabic) - so at first we laughed, then strained and translated what the guide gave us, and then decided to record on a voice recorder to cheer up Houses. Some guides speak Russian quite well due to the fact that they studied back in the USSR. Here's how lucky.
- In the Sahara for two days - great! An oasis in the desert (the hotel and the thermal water pool are unforgettable! ), the soft silky sand is incomparable! Despite the broken Russian guide, he warmly and sincerely spoke about his country and life in it: he admired Habib Bourguiba, the national hero who gave independence to Tunisia in 1956, described the unique beauty of the endless and majestic Sahara, the sand of which flows in his hands and adorns the dunes like gold , uniqueness and tenderness of a camel - a faithful and sensitive friend of man. Jeep safari - for those who have strong nerves.
- Three capitals: Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia - fine. Ruins and fairy tales, in Sidi Bou Said (he is far from Santorini), a private museum-dwelling of lawyers is curious for an additional fee of 4.5 dinars, Tunisia is a large modern green city, very contrasting, modern and lively, compared to all previous places.
- Phrykia Zoo + African show: a desert zoo and a modest show of fur seals in the heat - weak, in a huge tent with powerful air conditioners, a quail dinner with good wine accompanied by professional African Zulu dances - excellent!
Were in Yasmine Hammamet (10 minutes walk along the beach). It is interesting to watch the Arabs after Ramadan: in the cafe, the dishes rattle very loudly. We visited the fortress and the old medina (sales everywhere are active, bright, fragrant and lively). In the supermarket "General" they bought local alcoholic drinks (alcohol is not sold anywhere on Fri), not very cheap: local vodka "Bukha", wine "Magon", date liqueur.
We rested for 12 days - the impression was complete! Tunisia is a poor country, people do not live easily, but they try very hard to please tourists - we sincerely wish her prosperity! The hotel is great! We really enjoyed!! !
