Tunisia Advice Please!!!!

Cookiepops

Hi,

Im not very well travelled but have just booked an All Inclusive for a week in Tunisia. Its a 3 star hotel and has mixed reviews but we got a good deal so as long as it clean, has simple food and alcohol then I'll be happy!

However, as Ive never been there before could anyone give me advice. Do I need vaccinations? as its North Africa, I would presume so. Also what is the currency and Im trying to work out how much we would need.

Any other advice or tips much appreciated

Thanks!!

mew

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will post soon but general advice can be found here:

Health: http://www.nathnac.org/ds/c_pages/country_page_TN.htm
Government: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/Tunisia

With the money, I'm sure you have to exchange your money in Tunisa and that you can not take any Tunisian money home with you.

PompeyPete

Make an appointment with your GP travel clinic a few weeks before you go.

As it looks like you're only going on a bog standard AI, and not venturing away from tourist areas then you won't need any vaccinations other than the UK standards which you should always stay in date with.

But no-one on a message board can give you the professional medical advice that your GP can.

When and where are you going to in Tunisia. You'll get a bit more focused information then.

Cookiepops

Thanks, we are going at end of August just for a week and staying at the Houda golf and beach resort in Skanes

interstellaflyer

Cookiepops wrote: »

Thanks, we are going at end of August just for a week and staying at the Houda golf and beach resort in Skanes

I've been to the Houda 3 times, first 2 times (2006 and 2007) it was great, none of the usual tummy issues, food not the best but no worse than you'd find at any other 3 star All Inclusive, the 3rd time was in 2010 and this time both me and my daughter were ill for a day or two, nothing to ruin the holiday though. The biggest problem with Skannes is that isn't a great deal to do outside the hotel, taxis to either Sousse or Monistir are cheap enough if you haggle, however, be warned, IIRC the price goes up after 10pm and again at midnight. Sousse is the better place to head if you want restaurants, clubs, bars etc.

Bear in mind that the main guest base for the Houda is Russia, Eastern Europe, Germany and Belguim, don't expect a huge choice of food aimed at the British guests.

I quite like the Houda, yes it's not the height of luxury, however, there is always something going on, the staff, even the cleaners are polite and helpful. Tunisia isn't everyones cup of tea, it certainly isn't anything like Spain, Greece or turkey.

Tunisia uses the Tunisian Dinar, you can only get these inside the country, you can change Stirling Travelers Cheques at the airport, hotel or banks, however Tunisia is not that backward when it comes to technology, there are plenty of ATMs in fact there is one at the gate of the Houda, although cash is king in the Souks, many shops and restaurants take cards, however you are best checking first.

brightonman123

To OP, check exactly what is (and isnt!) all inclusive-

meals, drinks (alcohol?), snacks eetc? time limits etc.

interstellaflyer

brightonman123 wrote: »

To OP, check exactly what is (and isnt!) all inclusive-

meals, drinks (alcohol?), snacks eetc? time limits etc.

All Inclusive at the Houda means Breakfast, Lunch, dinner, snack bar at the pool between 11am and 5pm, unlimited localy produced alcoholic and sotf drinks plus tea and coffee at bar from 10am until 12:30am and then in the hotel night club until 2am, also drinks at the pool snack bar from 11am until 5pm, in fact the only thing that isn't included is the icecream bar.

budgetflyer

What no ice cream? !!!!!!!

PompeyPete

interstellaflyer wrote: »

The biggest problem with Skannes is that isn't a great deal to do outside the hotel, taxis to either Sousse or Monistir are cheap enough if you haggle, however, be warned, IIRC the price goes up after 10pm and again at midnight. Sousse is the better place to head if you want restaurants, clubs, bars etc.

Agree 100%.
Skanes has definitely been in decline over recent years.
It's a bit of a sad and neglected area, and in need a lot of tlc.

Skanes isn't a resort either. It's just a load of hotels strung along the beach, which are all hidden by a dirty white 7 foot high wall, along a road known as the 'Route Touristique'.

The beach is quite narrow, and suffers from inshore seaweed hugging the waterline, as well as not being kept very clean. But your hotel, if it's any good, should keep 'it's own' stretch clean.

Redeeming factors about Skanes are that it's quite close to both Sousse and Monastir, and yellow metered taxis are cheap and there's lots of them.

Airport transfer from Enfidha Airport should be an hour or so, but depends on how many drop off there are before yours.

If you go shopping in the Sousse or Monastir medina, then a good phrase to know is "La Shukran" which means "No thanks". If you fancy haggling then start at about one-third of what the vendor starts at. But don't pay any more than you think the item is worth, and it's poor etiquette to start the bartering process if you don't want to carry it through to a purchase.

If you fancy a day out apart from Sousse or Monastir, then Port el Kantanoui is just north of Sousse. There's a marina there, and although it's a purpose built tourist resort it's quite pleasant. Also consider Mahdia, which is south of Monastir but easy to reach by train from Monastir. And also a 'must see' is the Roman Ampitheatre at El Jem.

interstellaflyer

I would add that the area outside the Houda fairs a little better than other parts of Skannes, there is the Safari Centre which consists of a souvenir shop, a grocery shop a couple of restaurants and a bar/club and accross the road from the Houda is a supermarket, a couple of restaurants and a large shop selling souvenirs, clothes etc, this is a recent development which ties in with the luxury apartments which form part of the Golf Course complex. As Pompeypete say's, the beach at Skannes is quite narrow, however the Houda staff keep their part of the beach nice and clean, the water is shallow and you can walk out quite a way, last time I was there I had some rather big mullet swimming round me, absolutely fearless, try catching the little !!!!!!s on a rod and line though. Forgot to mention in previous post, unless things have changed, pedelos are part of the All Inclusive however the Banana Boat and Parachute are not.

PompeyPete

A few more observations to [possibly] be aware of...

- The Houda Hotel is at the northern end of the Skanes hotel strip. It's very close to Sousse Port and the quite heavily industrialised areas between the Port and Skanes. I don't know how much pollution from these industrial sites gets into the Mediterranean, but I don't think I'd want to be swimming too close to it.

- Be wary of any outlet pipes into the sea. The Mediterranean is barely tidal, and what gets pumped into the sea will stay close to the shoreline.

So my advice is stick to the hotel pool [providing it's kept clean].