Your rating of this hotel:
6.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
5.0
Service:
4.0
Cleanliness:
4.0
Food:
5.0
Amenities:
5.0
Dear travelers!
As in my previous reviews, I will try not only to give a review about the hotel, but also to share my impressions and useful tips that will be useful to you on your next trip to Tunisia.
After reading different reviews about the hotel itself, the tour operator and aircraft, about the morals of the staff, the kitchen and jellyfish in the sea, about the service, etc. “horror stories” - my brains “boiled”, but will my vacation be more or less good, or will the fate of a “deceived tourist” also await me?
Therefore, I will try to make a simple review, without imposing my opinion about the country, and of course about the hotel.
First, why Tunisia.
Due to the appreciation of the euro, trips to European countries jumped sharply in price, and even early booking prices were unreasonably high. "Monitoring" the cost of trips to the sites of various tour operators - they were not pleased with the prices even for Turkey and Egypt. The Turkish hotel, where we rested two years ago for 130.000 rubles, in February-March, with early booking, showed the cost from 160 to 177.000 rubles !! ! Therefore, the cost of a trip to Tunisia for three adults (120.000 rubles for 12 nights) compares favorably with other destinations, and we have not been to this country yet.
The hotel was chosen, according to the reviews of tourists, it turned out to be Dessole Le Hammamet Resort 4 *.
Found out that it is possible to contact a representative of this hotel and ask to book rooms that are convenient for us, indicating our preferences. Which is what I did.
Upon arrival at the hotel, our names were already known at the reception desk, the accommodation director himself came out and confirmed that he had received a request from us. Then I talked for a long time with representatives of the accommodation service, as it turned out that there were no available rooms at our request, and we were given two rooms (we went with friends, two families) 138 and 133. In which we hardly spent one night. The noise from the animation in the evening, the constant scream of water overhead from the central air conditioner, the noise from the pool during the day - made us go to Retsepshin and try to change rooms for us.
The director of accommodation was not there, but the most “puny receptionist”, and apparently the most greedy, at our request to replace our rooms, offered to pay an additional $ 150 for each room. When I refused, arguing that if I paid the tour operator immediately for the "Superior" and then it would be cheaper. Then the employee offered my friend to give his watch for the replacement of the room, to which he received an even more stunned answer - This watch costs more than 500 bucks, absolutely, they say, ofigel !!!
- Call the director or Olga, the representative of the hotel. To which they again received an answer: - Olya is nobody here, and the director also does not decide anything, pay money.
We waited for the director, and he forced the accommodation service to replace the rooms that we originally asked for - away from the noise and on the second floor. They were 611 and 616 rooms. Huge thanks to him for this!
Where we lived for the rest of the time.
First, what we did not like about the hotel.
The kitchen is normal, there were shrimp, and mussels, and tuna, BUT, in order to get them, you had to come early and stand in line. Arriving an hour later, after the start of lunch or dinner, you are unlikely to get them, and instead of them they begin to fry, for example, a turkey.
There were no fruits. Only watermelons and melons, sometimes halves of oranges. On the last day before departure, they gave us grapes.
Strong drinks are not served in restaurants, only wine and beer. The wine tastes better than in Turkey and Egypt, the beer is local, but according to my feelings it seems to be without alcohol. )))
Juices from the machines are a concentrate of the "Jupi" type, it is better to dilute it with water. Freshly squeezed juice costs 4 dinars, at a rate of just under 100 rubles.
Service (room service) - almost none. Yes, they clean it daily, and change the towels and bed linen, BUT…
Towels are changed if you throw them on the floor. For example, there are one or two towels on the floor. It is them that will be changed for you, and you can’t touch the rest. So before you throw them on the floor, watch what time I will clean the room for you, otherwise, when you come from the beach, you will wipe yourself with a towel from the floor. Beach towels are changed every three days.
Bed linen changed in general mysteriously. Having lived for three days, they never changed it with us, on the fourth day, I told my wife, if they don’t change it today, I’ll go complain. Arriving from the beach, a surprise awaited us. I didn’t make my bed, but my wife and daughter made theirs. So they changed my linen, but they did NOT!
Going out for lunch and meeting a cleaning lady who didn’t even speak English, he took her into our room, put 2 dinars (tips disappeared all the time) and explained on his fingers that the rest of the linen should also be changed. Arriving from lunch - everything was changed for us! But our friends don't. He told them about the two magic dinars. My friend Valera caught the same cleaner, gave her two dinars and asked them to change their linen. Changed, but only on his bed!! ! )))))))))))))
And after a week of stay, we already changed all three beds, and at Valera's - when, apparently, he did not leave her a tip. )))
Yes, ants sometimes appeared in the rooms, but this is Africa, I had to put up with it. The rooms are old, but you can live. Hot water from the tap - boiling water, not like in Turkey, barely warm.
And in the evenings sometimes, it was quite cold. At the animation by the pool, many women wrapped themselves in blankets, and the animators jokingly called them Eskimos! As one of the heroes of the popular film said: “Nowhere have I been so cold as in this Africa! ”
Well, the last "flaw" is that we got into "Ramadan". This is a "wandering" holiday, this year it began in July and lasts a month. Therefore, leaving in the evening to the city "to hang out" - almost everything did not work (except for cafes and restaurants). They do not work on holidays, or even places designed for tourists work until 16.00 maximum. This must be taken into account.
Now for the good!
The territory of the hotel is really very pleasant, a lot of greenery, flowers, gorgeous trees, which are almost two hundred years old.
The beach is close. There are plenty of sun loungers with mattresses, but there may not be enough places in the shade. But we got up at 7 in the morning, had breakfast and went to the beach - we always found places for six people. There is a bar on the beach, but from drinks - tea, coffee, juices, beer and wine. You can also have a bite to eat in it, if you are hungry - snacks. Ice cream is provided, but there are always queues for it, and very small portions.
The sea is gorgeous and clear. There were jellyfish one by one, but they did not interfere with swimming. But diving with a mask is no fun - the bottom is flat, sandy. On the first day I caught a crab - I gave it to the kids - so the crowd came running to look. I caught a starfish - again there was a sensation on the beach, but everyone was released back into the sea. Coins and rare shells - that's the whole catch. You can sail early in the morning through two beaches to the right, there are stones and already more interesting marine life and gorgeous shells (at a depth), but at about 9 o'clock boats and scooters appear - and you will already be driven from this place.
Animation acceptable, not particularly intrusive and in Russian. Various artists come periodically, from the "Brazilian show" to "transvestites". Or play with the audience. Some ideas for our local hangouts were taken from them, but it will have to be redone a little, I don’t like contests with a vulgar accent.
All the bars make cocktails, at the lobby bar, on the beach and by the two pools, but the recipe is not particularly followed, if you want the “right cocktail”, order it from the bartender and put in a dinar or a dollar. Everything changes dramatically. There are also fruits, and umbrellas, cinnamon and chocolate with syrup, as well as beer with nuts. One of the bartenders noticed me that I always leave a tip, and even in the evening, sitting far from the bar at the animation, they found me and sent a tray of drinks - beer (with nuts or cheese) for me, and a cocktail for my wife!
About funny.
There were many funny situations, I can’t remember them all now, but I’ll share the special ones with you.
This hotel offers you to visit ONE of the two restaurants "A la carte", we were in both. I just signed up for the first restaurant, said that there would be 6 of us, and my friend for the second and the same six. Sign up in advance, or don't sign up at all, now I'll explain why.
We visited the Tunisian restaurant first. It is located near the second pool, which is smaller, but deep. All the guides praised the local cuisine and recommended us to try Couscous. Naturally, we ordered it as a main course for six. Someone else took the soup, it turned out to be tasty and rich, not like in a general restaurant. A friend's wife ordered veal with some kind of local sauce. They bring her a plate, and in it something is poured with sauce, and on the sides are pieces of sausages that are served to everyone for breakfast. After cutting open the mysterious bulge, the girl discovers that it is just a boiled egg!! ! Having called the waiter, they began to explain that she ordered veal, to which the smiling "restaurateur" stunned her with the statement that she was the one!! ! We laughed. We pecked at sluggish lettuce leaves, we are waiting for the main course.
Bring the coveted "Couscous". Hmm... It turns out to be some kind of dry porridge (according to my impressions - barley) with coarsely chopped carrots and boiled peppers. And on top it is crowned with a huge piece of lamb, which consists of 90% of one fat!! ! Eating it was completely impossible. Our fun intensified, and when they brought us oriental sweets and fruit cuts, we were already “neighing at the top of our voices”. Sweets for six are two pieces of hard halva and some three cookies, and fruit cuts are three small pieces of watermelons, three pieces of melon, four green cream and 4 microscopic pears - completely tasteless !!!
There was no limit to the fun, the visiting visitors asked about the reasons for our joy, and having learned that there was absolutely nothing to eat here, they took at least something fish. By the way, many visitors almost immediately left when they saw what was brought to them, or when they learned that drinks here are all paid.
In general, it turned out to be delicious only ice cream and soup. For wine and two cans of Pepsi and Sprite - we paid 30 dinars + 3 for tea.
We went to the Italian restaurant more savvy, having learned from the neighbors on the beach who had already visited it that the meat dishes there were practically no different in terms of the amount of fat per person from the Tunisian restaurant. And they ordered only fish dishes or seafood in it.
In it, we at least ate a little. The portions are not very large, but everything was tasty, although small. Wine is the same. By the way, a bottle of 0.7 - it contains a table of 25 dinars. We took the same wine in the city, but in the store for 13 dinars.
So to go or not to go to these restaurants is up to you. There is also a fish restaurant, it works in the evening on the beach, and although they also go to it strictly by appointment - even food in it is only for money. There are already lobsters and king prawns, but the price...
Lobster costs 15 dinars for... 100 grams. The weight of an average lobster is in the range of 800-1000 gr. So he will pull on rubles for two or more thousand rubles. For reference, we found out from the local population that in the city the price would be almost two times cheaper.
Once, on the beach, a military patrol boat approached us, and anchored - just opposite our beach - pleased the opinion of one of our vacationers, who, leaning confidentially towards my wife, said: - Do you know why a warship came here? - Yes, Russian fools are staring at us, they have ugly ones of their own! ))))
About the country.
We try not to use the services of tour operators (in this case it was Pegasus), but as I wrote in my earlier notes on other trips, we are looking for local guides, on the Internet and according to the reviews of tourists who visited this country.
On this trip, I already had the phone number of the local guide Fathi Rajhi. He speaks perfect Russian and understands our national humor!!!
Upon arrival in the country, I sent him an SMS indicating the hotel and room number, having communicated with him in advance via the Internet.
He calls you back. And you choose the route you want to visit. To begin with, we chose Carthage, with a visit to hot natural, mineral springs, which rise to the surface from a great depth and pour directly into the sea. Pegasus does not even offer to visit this unique place.
The cost of services at Fathi is standard. A car with six passengers costs $150 for the whole day, or a distance of 500 kilometers. At Pegasus "Carthage" pulls almost $60 per person!! ! And for $ 25 we visited the same thing that Pegasus offers, plus we swam in hot springs, and wandered around the capital of Tunisia - the city of Tunisia.
You can rent it for half a day, the cost will be $75 per car. All the way he will communicate with you and talk about this country, still unknown to an inexperienced tourist, stopping at beautiful places for your photo session, or some kind of shopping.
We did not go to restaurants - "Ramadan", everything is closed, they open after seven in the evening.
Most of all, I was struck not by the remains of Carthage, there is, in general, nothing to see there, but the ruins of the former, as we usually call the “Bath Complex”. This was the palace! Nearby there is a large drawing - the reconstruction of the halls. The height of the ceilings was 30 meters!! ! I don't know why, but it's very impressive!
In the evenings, we went several times to "Medina" - this is the shopping area of Hammamet, but as it turned out, taxi drivers brought us to the "Yasmine" area. The cost of taxi rides is 5-6 dinars, from the hotel 6, move away from it, you can get there for 5 dinars, but keep in mind that after 9 pm they start the night rate. Here, as you bargain, we managed to bring down the price and up to 7 dinars !! ! And they won’t put more than 4 people in a car, so we had to take either two cars or a tuk-tuk. Moreover, the "Old and New Medina" are practically parallel streets. The "old" one goes near the sea, but the amusement park "Carthage" is located on the new one. We have been in it a couple of times. It is more imprisoned for visiting it with children. This is a kind of "Disneyland", which has water slides, children's carousels, museums and a 5D cinema. You can visit it separately in directions. For example: Aqualand and cinema. Lots of options. Choose to your taste.
In general, Medina is a bazaar, but after Yasmin we didn’t want to go to it, everything was bought in stores even cheaper! )))
We also went to the Phrygia National Zoo. A huge territory with practically no cages, and at 11.13 and 15 hours there is some kind of performance. We were on the one that goes in three days - these are sea lions. Two hours is enough for you to see all the animals. But dress so that you don't get burned in the sun.
You can get to it by taxi (again without Pegasus services) for 40 dinars, they will take you, bring you, and I will wait for two hours, payment at the end of the trip. By the way, if you go around its territory on the right - in a circle, you will be offered to feed various animals, starting with deer. It costs 1 dinar. Kangaroos are already going for 2 dinars and so on. The larger the animal, the higher the price, 5.10, 15 dinars. I was especially sorry for the elephant, for 15 dinars they give you slices of a chopped apple!! ! Not even a whole, but what is this piece for that elephant, so he constantly begs, I felt very sorry for him...
About national features.
Hammamet is a city for tourists, so they are not particularly tense in appearance. No one is shocked by a miniskirt, open shoulders or bare knees. Meeting with tourists from Monastir, they learned that there is a more orthodox population, and women and men have to follow a kind of “dress code”.
There is nothing special to buy there. Leather products - only in specialized stores, otherwise they will be deceived. And they will set it on fire with a lighter, it doesn’t seem to burn, but not genuine leather. As experience has shown, the best price for a product is in stores with fixed prices. Even bargaining on the street with the seller and reducing the price by 5 times, going into such a store, you will see that the same product can be bought cheaper. For example, my daughter bought a pair of Tunisian small drums on the beach near the hotel for 2 dinars each, although she asked for much more. In the store they cost 1.5 dinars.
Although in Tunisia schools already teach three compulsory languages - they are just learning Russian, on the street the sellers know a few of the most everyday words, in large stores - no longer, at most: - Hello friend, how are you. Therefore, knowing at least one of the foreign languages contributes to your communication and significantly increases your ability not to be deceived, and to buy goods cheaper! )))
Our wives mostly overstocked local cosmetics and thalasso products.
Not far from the hotel, almost turning left at the first crossroads, about twenty meters away, there is a similar shop where a Russian saleswoman takes any currency for payment, even rubles at 22 rubles per dinar. And it gives a printout about which cream and oils are from what, or what they are needed for.
Well, olive oil, where without it! )))
Yes, alcohol in Hammamet can be bought only in one Bravo store or, as it is also called, Blue Ice (sports center - ice rink). Nowhere else. And even when we entered this store, we did not immediately find this department, since it is fenced off from the main hall - with a TARP!! ! In order not to defile the religious feelings of local residents. What to do - Islam.
Rest satisfied.
The tan is even, brown. My wife and the son of our friends got themselves a "tattoo" of henna. At the hotel, this service costs from 40 dinars, on the street they will do it for 15, but although they promise that the drawing will last at least two weeks, we couldn’t even a week, there are leftovers - dashes and dots that are also about to disappear!
If you have any questions, I will be sure to answer them all. I post a little photo, which I forgot to tell about - then appear in the comments. I hope your holiday goes well too!
As in my previous reviews, I will try not only to give a review about the hotel, but also to share my impressions and useful tips that will be useful to you on your next trip to Tunisia.
After reading different reviews about the hotel itself, the tour operator and aircraft, about the morals of the staff, the kitchen and jellyfish in the sea, about the service, etc. “horror stories” - my brains “boiled”, but will my vacation be more or less good, or will the fate of a “deceived tourist” also await me?
Therefore, I will try to make a simple review, without imposing my opinion about the country, and of course about the hotel.
First, why Tunisia.
Due to the appreciation of the euro, trips to European countries jumped sharply in price, and even early booking prices were unreasonably high. "Monitoring" the cost of trips to the sites of various tour operators - they were not pleased with the prices even for Turkey and Egypt. The Turkish hotel, where we rested two years ago for 130.000 rubles, in February-March, with early booking, showed the cost from 160 to 177.000 rubles !! ! Therefore, the cost of a trip to Tunisia for three adults (120.000 rubles for 12 nights) compares favorably with other destinations, and we have not been to this country yet.
The hotel was chosen, according to the reviews of tourists, it turned out to be Dessole Le Hammamet Resort 4 *.
Found out that it is possible to contact a representative of this hotel and ask to book rooms that are convenient for us, indicating our preferences. Which is what I did.
Upon arrival at the hotel, our names were already known at the reception desk, the accommodation director himself came out and confirmed that he had received a request from us. Then I talked for a long time with representatives of the accommodation service, as it turned out that there were no available rooms at our request, and we were given two rooms (we went with friends, two families) 138 and 133. In which we hardly spent one night. The noise from the animation in the evening, the constant scream of water overhead from the central air conditioner, the noise from the pool during the day - made us go to Retsepshin and try to change rooms for us.
The director of accommodation was not there, but the most “puny receptionist”, and apparently the most greedy, at our request to replace our rooms, offered to pay an additional $ 150 for each room. When I refused, arguing that if I paid the tour operator immediately for the "Superior" and then it would be cheaper. Then the employee offered my friend to give his watch for the replacement of the room, to which he received an even more stunned answer - This watch costs more than 500 bucks, absolutely, they say, ofigel !!!
- Call the director or Olga, the representative of the hotel. To which they again received an answer: - Olya is nobody here, and the director also does not decide anything, pay money.
We waited for the director, and he forced the accommodation service to replace the rooms that we originally asked for - away from the noise and on the second floor. They were 611 and 616 rooms. Huge thanks to him for this!
Where we lived for the rest of the time.
First, what we did not like about the hotel.
The kitchen is normal, there were shrimp, and mussels, and tuna, BUT, in order to get them, you had to come early and stand in line. Arriving an hour later, after the start of lunch or dinner, you are unlikely to get them, and instead of them they begin to fry, for example, a turkey.
There were no fruits. Only watermelons and melons, sometimes halves of oranges. On the last day before departure, they gave us grapes.
Strong drinks are not served in restaurants, only wine and beer. The wine tastes better than in Turkey and Egypt, the beer is local, but according to my feelings it seems to be without alcohol. )))
Juices from the machines are a concentrate of the "Jupi" type, it is better to dilute it with water. Freshly squeezed juice costs 4 dinars, at a rate of just under 100 rubles.
Service (room service) - almost none. Yes, they clean it daily, and change the towels and bed linen, BUT…
Towels are changed if you throw them on the floor. For example, there are one or two towels on the floor. It is them that will be changed for you, and you can’t touch the rest. So before you throw them on the floor, watch what time I will clean the room for you, otherwise, when you come from the beach, you will wipe yourself with a towel from the floor. Beach towels are changed every three days.
Bed linen changed in general mysteriously. Having lived for three days, they never changed it with us, on the fourth day, I told my wife, if they don’t change it today, I’ll go complain. Arriving from the beach, a surprise awaited us. I didn’t make my bed, but my wife and daughter made theirs. So they changed my linen, but they did NOT!
Going out for lunch and meeting a cleaning lady who didn’t even speak English, he took her into our room, put 2 dinars (tips disappeared all the time) and explained on his fingers that the rest of the linen should also be changed. Arriving from lunch - everything was changed for us! But our friends don't. He told them about the two magic dinars. My friend Valera caught the same cleaner, gave her two dinars and asked them to change their linen. Changed, but only on his bed!! ! )))))))))))))
And after a week of stay, we already changed all three beds, and at Valera's - when, apparently, he did not leave her a tip. )))
Yes, ants sometimes appeared in the rooms, but this is Africa, I had to put up with it. The rooms are old, but you can live. Hot water from the tap - boiling water, not like in Turkey, barely warm.
And in the evenings sometimes, it was quite cold. At the animation by the pool, many women wrapped themselves in blankets, and the animators jokingly called them Eskimos! As one of the heroes of the popular film said: “Nowhere have I been so cold as in this Africa! ”
Well, the last "flaw" is that we got into "Ramadan". This is a "wandering" holiday, this year it began in July and lasts a month. Therefore, leaving in the evening to the city "to hang out" - almost everything did not work (except for cafes and restaurants). They do not work on holidays, or even places designed for tourists work until 16.00 maximum. This must be taken into account.
Now for the good!
The territory of the hotel is really very pleasant, a lot of greenery, flowers, gorgeous trees, which are almost two hundred years old.
The beach is close. There are plenty of sun loungers with mattresses, but there may not be enough places in the shade. But we got up at 7 in the morning, had breakfast and went to the beach - we always found places for six people. There is a bar on the beach, but from drinks - tea, coffee, juices, beer and wine. You can also have a bite to eat in it, if you are hungry - snacks. Ice cream is provided, but there are always queues for it, and very small portions.
The sea is gorgeous and clear. There were jellyfish one by one, but they did not interfere with swimming. But diving with a mask is no fun - the bottom is flat, sandy. On the first day I caught a crab - I gave it to the kids - so the crowd came running to look. I caught a starfish - again there was a sensation on the beach, but everyone was released back into the sea. Coins and rare shells - that's the whole catch. You can sail early in the morning through two beaches to the right, there are stones and already more interesting marine life and gorgeous shells (at a depth), but at about 9 o'clock boats and scooters appear - and you will already be driven from this place.
Animation acceptable, not particularly intrusive and in Russian. Various artists come periodically, from the "Brazilian show" to "transvestites". Or play with the audience. Some ideas for our local hangouts were taken from them, but it will have to be redone a little, I don’t like contests with a vulgar accent.
All the bars make cocktails, at the lobby bar, on the beach and by the two pools, but the recipe is not particularly followed, if you want the “right cocktail”, order it from the bartender and put in a dinar or a dollar. Everything changes dramatically. There are also fruits, and umbrellas, cinnamon and chocolate with syrup, as well as beer with nuts. One of the bartenders noticed me that I always leave a tip, and even in the evening, sitting far from the bar at the animation, they found me and sent a tray of drinks - beer (with nuts or cheese) for me, and a cocktail for my wife!
About funny.
There were many funny situations, I can’t remember them all now, but I’ll share the special ones with you.
This hotel offers you to visit ONE of the two restaurants "A la carte", we were in both. I just signed up for the first restaurant, said that there would be 6 of us, and my friend for the second and the same six. Sign up in advance, or don't sign up at all, now I'll explain why.
We visited the Tunisian restaurant first. It is located near the second pool, which is smaller, but deep. All the guides praised the local cuisine and recommended us to try Couscous. Naturally, we ordered it as a main course for six. Someone else took the soup, it turned out to be tasty and rich, not like in a general restaurant. A friend's wife ordered veal with some kind of local sauce. They bring her a plate, and in it something is poured with sauce, and on the sides are pieces of sausages that are served to everyone for breakfast. After cutting open the mysterious bulge, the girl discovers that it is just a boiled egg!! ! Having called the waiter, they began to explain that she ordered veal, to which the smiling "restaurateur" stunned her with the statement that she was the one!! ! We laughed. We pecked at sluggish lettuce leaves, we are waiting for the main course.
Bring the coveted "Couscous". Hmm... It turns out to be some kind of dry porridge (according to my impressions - barley) with coarsely chopped carrots and boiled peppers. And on top it is crowned with a huge piece of lamb, which consists of 90% of one fat!! ! Eating it was completely impossible. Our fun intensified, and when they brought us oriental sweets and fruit cuts, we were already “neighing at the top of our voices”. Sweets for six are two pieces of hard halva and some three cookies, and fruit cuts are three small pieces of watermelons, three pieces of melon, four green cream and 4 microscopic pears - completely tasteless !!!
There was no limit to the fun, the visiting visitors asked about the reasons for our joy, and having learned that there was absolutely nothing to eat here, they took at least something fish. By the way, many visitors almost immediately left when they saw what was brought to them, or when they learned that drinks here are all paid.
In general, it turned out to be delicious only ice cream and soup. For wine and two cans of Pepsi and Sprite - we paid 30 dinars + 3 for tea.
We went to the Italian restaurant more savvy, having learned from the neighbors on the beach who had already visited it that the meat dishes there were practically no different in terms of the amount of fat per person from the Tunisian restaurant. And they ordered only fish dishes or seafood in it.
In it, we at least ate a little. The portions are not very large, but everything was tasty, although small. Wine is the same. By the way, a bottle of 0.7 - it contains a table of 25 dinars. We took the same wine in the city, but in the store for 13 dinars.
So to go or not to go to these restaurants is up to you. There is also a fish restaurant, it works in the evening on the beach, and although they also go to it strictly by appointment - even food in it is only for money. There are already lobsters and king prawns, but the price...
Lobster costs 15 dinars for... 100 grams. The weight of an average lobster is in the range of 800-1000 gr. So he will pull on rubles for two or more thousand rubles. For reference, we found out from the local population that in the city the price would be almost two times cheaper.
Once, on the beach, a military patrol boat approached us, and anchored - just opposite our beach - pleased the opinion of one of our vacationers, who, leaning confidentially towards my wife, said: - Do you know why a warship came here? - Yes, Russian fools are staring at us, they have ugly ones of their own! ))))
About the country.
We try not to use the services of tour operators (in this case it was Pegasus), but as I wrote in my earlier notes on other trips, we are looking for local guides, on the Internet and according to the reviews of tourists who visited this country.
On this trip, I already had the phone number of the local guide Fathi Rajhi. He speaks perfect Russian and understands our national humor!!!
Upon arrival in the country, I sent him an SMS indicating the hotel and room number, having communicated with him in advance via the Internet.
He calls you back. And you choose the route you want to visit. To begin with, we chose Carthage, with a visit to hot natural, mineral springs, which rise to the surface from a great depth and pour directly into the sea. Pegasus does not even offer to visit this unique place.
The cost of services at Fathi is standard. A car with six passengers costs $150 for the whole day, or a distance of 500 kilometers. At Pegasus "Carthage" pulls almost $60 per person!! ! And for $ 25 we visited the same thing that Pegasus offers, plus we swam in hot springs, and wandered around the capital of Tunisia - the city of Tunisia.
You can rent it for half a day, the cost will be $75 per car. All the way he will communicate with you and talk about this country, still unknown to an inexperienced tourist, stopping at beautiful places for your photo session, or some kind of shopping.
We did not go to restaurants - "Ramadan", everything is closed, they open after seven in the evening.
Most of all, I was struck not by the remains of Carthage, there is, in general, nothing to see there, but the ruins of the former, as we usually call the “Bath Complex”. This was the palace! Nearby there is a large drawing - the reconstruction of the halls. The height of the ceilings was 30 meters!! ! I don't know why, but it's very impressive!
In the evenings, we went several times to "Medina" - this is the shopping area of Hammamet, but as it turned out, taxi drivers brought us to the "Yasmine" area. The cost of taxi rides is 5-6 dinars, from the hotel 6, move away from it, you can get there for 5 dinars, but keep in mind that after 9 pm they start the night rate. Here, as you bargain, we managed to bring down the price and up to 7 dinars !! ! And they won’t put more than 4 people in a car, so we had to take either two cars or a tuk-tuk. Moreover, the "Old and New Medina" are practically parallel streets. The "old" one goes near the sea, but the amusement park "Carthage" is located on the new one. We have been in it a couple of times. It is more imprisoned for visiting it with children. This is a kind of "Disneyland", which has water slides, children's carousels, museums and a 5D cinema. You can visit it separately in directions. For example: Aqualand and cinema. Lots of options. Choose to your taste.
In general, Medina is a bazaar, but after Yasmin we didn’t want to go to it, everything was bought in stores even cheaper! )))
We also went to the Phrygia National Zoo. A huge territory with practically no cages, and at 11.13 and 15 hours there is some kind of performance. We were on the one that goes in three days - these are sea lions. Two hours is enough for you to see all the animals. But dress so that you don't get burned in the sun.
You can get to it by taxi (again without Pegasus services) for 40 dinars, they will take you, bring you, and I will wait for two hours, payment at the end of the trip. By the way, if you go around its territory on the right - in a circle, you will be offered to feed various animals, starting with deer. It costs 1 dinar. Kangaroos are already going for 2 dinars and so on. The larger the animal, the higher the price, 5.10, 15 dinars. I was especially sorry for the elephant, for 15 dinars they give you slices of a chopped apple!! ! Not even a whole, but what is this piece for that elephant, so he constantly begs, I felt very sorry for him...
About national features.
Hammamet is a city for tourists, so they are not particularly tense in appearance. No one is shocked by a miniskirt, open shoulders or bare knees. Meeting with tourists from Monastir, they learned that there is a more orthodox population, and women and men have to follow a kind of “dress code”.
There is nothing special to buy there. Leather products - only in specialized stores, otherwise they will be deceived. And they will set it on fire with a lighter, it doesn’t seem to burn, but not genuine leather. As experience has shown, the best price for a product is in stores with fixed prices. Even bargaining on the street with the seller and reducing the price by 5 times, going into such a store, you will see that the same product can be bought cheaper. For example, my daughter bought a pair of Tunisian small drums on the beach near the hotel for 2 dinars each, although she asked for much more. In the store they cost 1.5 dinars.
Although in Tunisia schools already teach three compulsory languages - they are just learning Russian, on the street the sellers know a few of the most everyday words, in large stores - no longer, at most: - Hello friend, how are you. Therefore, knowing at least one of the foreign languages contributes to your communication and significantly increases your ability not to be deceived, and to buy goods cheaper! )))
Our wives mostly overstocked local cosmetics and thalasso products.
Not far from the hotel, almost turning left at the first crossroads, about twenty meters away, there is a similar shop where a Russian saleswoman takes any currency for payment, even rubles at 22 rubles per dinar. And it gives a printout about which cream and oils are from what, or what they are needed for.
Well, olive oil, where without it! )))
Yes, alcohol in Hammamet can be bought only in one Bravo store or, as it is also called, Blue Ice (sports center - ice rink). Nowhere else. And even when we entered this store, we did not immediately find this department, since it is fenced off from the main hall - with a TARP!! ! In order not to defile the religious feelings of local residents. What to do - Islam.
Rest satisfied.
The tan is even, brown. My wife and the son of our friends got themselves a "tattoo" of henna. At the hotel, this service costs from 40 dinars, on the street they will do it for 15, but although they promise that the drawing will last at least two weeks, we couldn’t even a week, there are leftovers - dashes and dots that are also about to disappear!
If you have any questions, I will be sure to answer them all. I post a little photo, which I forgot to tell about - then appear in the comments. I hope your holiday goes well too!
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- Nowhere have I been so cold as in this Africa!
- Wonderful hotel
- I really liked it, though!
- Great adventure holiday
- Holidays in Tunisia
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