TUNISIA

A land of ancient exotica spiced with modern luxury

 by Sabine Cassar-Alpert

A holiday in Tunisia costs surprisingly little, especially during winter time. The cooler months are a fantastic time to explore this country, and it takes just 45 flight minutes to get there from Malta! Of course, as usual, coming from Gozo spoils that somewhat as several hours are added to the overall travelling time!

Last winter we left all arrangements for a long overdue fortnight’s break in the good hands of Paradise Travel, and took off over the Christmas/New Year’s period. We stayed at the four-star Riadh Palms Hotel in Sousse, which proved a very comfortable base for our holiday.

Two weeks are a long time to stay put in one spot. Having explored Sousse itself and the surrounding villages and towns, we took off for a two-day round-trip through the country that took us all the way down to the Sahara. It definitely was the highlight of our vacation.

Getting There:

The flight from Malta to Tunis takes 45 minutes, transfer from Tunis to Sousse, however, about 2 to 3 hours. Have breakfast before boarding the plane, you won’t get anything to eat for a long time! Unfortunately there are no flights to Monastir in winter, which is just ‘around the corner’ from Sousse…

Overland bus rides are usually extremely boring, don’t expect any spectacular sights. You won’t see much more than kilometres of olive groves, interspersed with hundreds of discarded plastic bags. Tunisia could be a rich country, were it to introduce a levy on those!

Weather:

Temperatures are very similar to those in Malta.  A warm coat will help against the wind that can get nasty at times!

Alcohol:

Don’t be fooled if someone tells you that there’s no wine in Tunisia. There actually exist some excellent Tunisian wines, and prices are reasonable, too – but expect them to shoot up for celebrations on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve! (Although Christmas is not a Muslim feast, it is definitely catered for in tourist resorts.)

Another myth in connection with alcohol is that you can get rich if you take a few bottles of whisky with you. Tunisians have less money than we do, and while it is true that they do like a certain brand of whisky, not many are prepared to pay you in cash for it. You'll live happier without carrying the surplus baggage!

Traffic:

Driving is on the right. We did not hire a car as traffic looked pretty dangerous to tackle; the Tunisians’ driving style surpasses ours! Important: don’t cross a zebra-crossing as you would in Gozo, unless you want to end your life there and then!

Public Transport:

Within the limits of Sousse we got around easily on foot, the neighbouring renowned tourist village of Port El Kantaoui is reached in about 5 – 10 minutes by “train touristique” (an electric vehicle resembling a train) and the Métro takes you to Monastir in ca. 15 minutes. Taxi prices are also easily negotiated.

The Souk:

The market inside the medina is probably the first place you’ll want to check out for souvenirs. Negotiating with hawkers can get exhausting but is worth the hassle.  Never pay the asking price! Don’t show the slightest interest unless you’re really interested! If you need to cross the Souk to get somewhere else (it often is the shortest way!), try to do that at lunchtime. That’s when hawkers get hungry like everyone else and seem to loose all interest in selling.

Begging children:

Especially at the Souk’s entrance you’ll be greeted by small ‘gangs’ of children who are begging for money. We found it very effective to always have sweets in our pockets – that seemed to make them quite happy. Perhaps because they had to deliver the money to their families but could keep the sweets to themselves!

Currency:

1 Maltese Lira =  ca. 3.75 Tunisian Dinar
1 Tunisian Dinar =  ca. 0.27 Maltese Lira

Tipping:

One or two dinars are usually an acceptable amount. Leave some small change and/or sweets in your hotel room for the maids – they will be grateful and take special care of your room!