Reading the great reviews of my hotel, one guest remarked, "Tunisia is lovely, very surprised how friendly the locals were, the hotel food and facilities were so great we never left the hotel complex. We will definitely come back to Tunisia" this is potentially the customer base staying in my hotel!!
My first impressions of Tunisia were great, not as hardcore as I was expecting. I had 4 nights = 3 full days of exploring (I'm not one to sit by a pool and never leave the hotel even if it had all been paid for).
Day one: Sousse Town Centre
Having loaded up on breakfast at the buffet I explored what the hotel had to offer, quite a lot actually, 3 swimming pools, private beach, gym, Hamam. The geezer that showed me around the spa said it was not possible to walk into Sousse due to the extreme heat and distance. It was about 22°C and 4km.
I walked the long way into Sousse to benefit from an ATM that doesn't charge the 10 Dinar withdrawal fee, however it appears Qatar National Bank have caught on and followed the rest of the banks and charged the £2.50 fee.
It was a nice walk alongside the beach in very pleasant temperatures.
First up the Rabat. It shows it was out of season as I had the place to myself (with the exception of a Chinese tourist who was just finishing up). Maybe the 8 Dinar (£2) entrance fee had put off all the other All-inclusive guests. Nice views from the top of the tower.
Then onto the Medina, again I'd read reviews of the like 'terrible shop keepers are too pushy, not safe, left after 5 minutes' sounded like my kind of place. Yeah the shop owners are pushy, but they are only trying to make a living to feed there families. I enjoyed it, was never rude and bought what I wanted for a price that was acceptable to me and the owner.
Day 2 - Tunis
Early start missing breakfast to catch the 07:25 train, taxi from the hotel (4km) the driver was sound, only wanted £1.
Train ticket was £1.75 for the 2.5 hour journey, feeling flush I forked out an extra 80p for 1st class, but when the train arrived there was nothing that resembled 1st class.
Fresh croissant and a coffee 60p in the station cafe, beginning to like the prices of this country.
First stop on the tour (walking tour from my guide book) was freedom square. Plenty going on here as an Algerian team were playing in Tunis. Firecrackers and flares at 11:00 was unexpected, but the local constabulary seemed well prepared with shooters and mini tanks.
I then dived in the Medina getting lost in the little alleyways. I and my wallet managed to come out unscathed.
Had a spot of breakfast in a $$$ cafe (according to my guidebook). Had a lime juice, coffee, bottle of water and piece of cake for £2.50.
After that it was a bit of mosque ticking
And more mosques
Before diving back in the souk, managed to resist purchasing the cows head...
Got lost down some alleyways
Before making it back to freedom square and the cathedral
The place was still full of Algerian away fans, I took in the clock tower and decided to get out of town.
I'd read about a place nearby with white buildings and blue windows similar to Santorini called Sidi Bou Said. There is a metro that goes there but I was tired to sort that.
A taxi found me pondering my next move. It was 25 km his opening bid was 30 dinars £7.50. He put it on the meter and it was 15 Dinars, gave him the 30 as agreed because was sound.
It was nice spot out there.
Not massive amount to do, but nice
It was the first time away from the hotel where I'd encountered tourists (who were visiting on organised tours). The prices reflected the tourist status. Lunch of a kebab and juice was over £15.
It was a nice spot however.
Taxi back to the city was a simple affair, cheap too.
I took the locals minibus back to Sousse. I'd read a good blog about these 'louages' and it said the station can be intimidating, I thought it was nonsense, but I was glad I'd read the blog which pointed the way around any potential scammers.
The fare back was a little over £3 not bad for 140km journey. That blog did mention about fast drivers, my goodness serious breakneck speed, inches from vehicles in front which dared to get in his way, all while smoking, texting, phoning and drinking coffee (often simultaneously).
What a day, a proper travel day.
Day 3 Monastir and Quad biking
I'd done everything I'd planned so I had to research a third day trip. Monastir sounded just the job. Easy to get to from Sousse and the 30 minute train cost just 25p.
First stop was the Rabat which surprisingly had more customers than Sousse Rabat, but it was still just a handful.
Nice again, great view from the tower
A quick stop for the obligatory photo at the I ❤️ Monistar spot.
Then it was off the impressive Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba (free attraction also)
A dive back into the souls to pick up a couple of souvenirs and the barber shop for a cut-throat shave.After the previous days Lounge experience I got one of those back to Sousse (55p).
I still had time for a quad biking tour in the dessert, which after the first minute been a disaster, I soon got the hang of it. Brilliant experience for £20.
Conclusion
Tunisia, what a great surprise, definitely great value especially out of season. The weather was a pleasant low - Mid 20's every day with full on sunshine. Highly recommend.
All-inclusive hotel, I guess I knew this already but it wasn't for me. The night-time entertainment was too much for me to take without exploding, Cotton-Eye-Joe overload. I never used any of the facilities, missed lunch 3 out of 4 occasions, just had a couple of beers on the night. But all that said you couldn't knock it for price, quality and location.
If I wasn't doing a #RaceTo100 I'd definitely be back.
