hammamet Tunisia

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Dozylass

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Hi,

Can anyone advise me wheather they have been to Hammamet in Tunisia recently? If so any recommendations on activities (besides relaxing with a book beside the pool). And what was it like?

Thanks for your help

Dozylass
 
I visited Hammamet last September with a few friends and we had a wonderful holiday. Our first time there, so not sure what to expect before we went.

We stayed in self-catering accommodation, the standard of which was very high, sparkling clean and with very pleasant staff.

While there, we took a great 3 day trip to the Sahara, visiting mountain oasies, Matmata, Douz, El Jem Coliseum, etc. We spent another half day in a thalassotherapy spa, then shopping in the old town, etc.

There are tons of trips/excursions you can go on, all very reasonably priced. If you are going by package, I'm sure the travel rep will advise.

I think the time in September we visited was off peak season so many of the bar/clubs were closed. We did however come across an outdoor nightclub (can't think of the name) in Hammamet with a great mix of clientele (tourists, locals, young, old). Great atmosphere but others might prefer to stick to their hotel bar.

There are plenty of restaurants around, nice French food and prices are very reasonable.

The only regret that I have about the entire trip was that we just had a week there.
 
I went to Sousse last year on a late deal to Tunisia, so I won't be able to comment on Hammamet, but did take one of the overnight trips around the country.
I would highly recommend one of the tours that encompass El Jem, Matmata, Sahara... the country is amazing to visit and some spectaculur sceneray, usually pointed out by the tour guide with words like 'as seen in Indiana Jones / English Patient / Star Wars / Gladiator...'
If you decide to go on the tour there are a few things I would recommend bringing... Firstly bring some babywipes, they do recommend bringing toilet paper, but for some of the sites you visit there are no hand basins so baby wipes double up for hand sanitisers.
A small torch, most tours give you a very early wake up call to see the sun rise over the salt flats, if you have stayed near the sahara the night before you have 1-2 hour drive there... the facilities there don't have any lights... and you will be drinking a lot of water as you travel around, so you will use the facilities as most locations! At the stop we used the toilets didn't have a toilet either, just a hole in the ground, so both the the wipes and torch were much appreciated!
Bring plenty of water, at most of the stops you can pick up bottles of water, but some of them do charge 2 or 3 times what you pay in the supermarket close to your hotel.
Bring a warm top, although it will be very hot the bus is air conditioned and it can get very cool, also that early morning start is pretty chilly.
A book or 2 can also be useful, as the 2 day tour we did was 1300km, so there is a lot of sitting on a bus going from A to B.
Be aware that although most things are included in the cost of the tour, most of the guides will still ask you to pay for stuff... Some people give in and pay to avoid arguements, others just refused, there didn't seem to be any hard feelings either way.
Its suggested that you bring a small backpack, however you can leave a suitcase in the bus luggage area, so just a small backpack with the stuff you'll need on the bus and pack your overnight stuff into a second larger bag.
Enjoy it.
 
I was in hammamet about six years ago. There are a lot of positives about the country, many of which are listed above but it is a country I would not re-visit. I found the cats that roamed everywhere, including restaurants, very off putting. It is not a destination I would recommend for a ladies only holiday as the male attention you get although not agressive can be a bit i[FONT=&quot]ntimidating.

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Thoroughly agree with Daisy Jones.. I was in Port El Kantoui. My memories were too of cats, flies and tummy bugs. I personally would not go back.
 
Dozylass, I will admit that the hotels we visited are not the standards they think they are... our 4* was more like a 1*, for a 4* I would expect at least a hairdryer in the room, working lights, a battery in the tv remote....
I didn't bother buying anything in the Medina as I was being put under pressure to spend... its worth a trip but decide what you want in one of the fixed priced shops and if you are up to the haggling work to try and get it for about 15-25% less than the fixed price. But be prepared to work it for haggling, they will happily spend an hour arguing over a euro difference!
A lot of the places we visited did feel 'tired' and in need of a refresh in decor and menu, if you're in a hotel you can expect to see the same breakfast / dinner at every meal...
There is pressure for lots of tips, wherever you go, if you're happy enough to ignore this you'll be fine, otherwise decide what you're happy to spend on bad service and what you're prepared to spend on good service!
You will find a lot of nice restaurant around the place offering very good food for an excellent price, I recall a 2 course mean with 1 bottle of wine for around Eu25-30.
Tunisia is a good sun holiday, you will get good weather and with a nice location the sea is excellent and pools appeared to be in good nick.

I'm not sure I'll rush back to visit, but should I need a cheap and cheerful last minute deal I wouldn't disregard it!
 
A further question

Any recommendations on currency for Tunisia.

I believe they have a closed currency so how do I get some?

Do ATM's work there with our cards and which credit cards are accepted.

Thanks
 
You can get money at the airport Bureau de change and most of the hotels will also change money for you - watch out for the opening hours in the hotel, some were convenient some weren't! They do recommend that you keep your receipt so that when you leave the country they will exchange it back, but when we left it wasn't requested.
Visa is widely accepted, I'm assuming Mastercard would also be.
For a week last year we ended up spending around Eu300-400 between us, which was pretty good, but as I already mentioned we didn't buy much in the medina.
 
Just to let you all know that i am just back and had a great time.
Would advise anyone to go.
 
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