Tunisian beach holiday
My only problem was who I was going to take on this trip, my wife or a family member? I finally made a decision that I should take my wife on this trip, as she never been either, plus we could celebrate our wedding anniversary.
Sami at Tunisia tourism went ahead and booked my wife and I for 7 nights on 08 December flying from London Heathrow staying at Les Orangers Beach hotel on an all-inclusive basis. Our flight was 3 hours in economy class, and we thought the flight went very quickly even though there was no inflight entertainment! We flew with Tunisia Air who served us a complimentary meal with drinks.
When we arrived at Tunis airport, we were given a private transfer with TWS to the hotel, journey time 1 hour to the hotel. The driver was nice, he gave us a bottle of water when we met him at the airport which was a nice touch.
We couldn’t see much of the country as it was night but when we arrived at the hotel, we were given VIP treatment including a welcome drink and cold towel. We were also given a free room upgrade to Seaview room, which was lovely. As we had arrived late, the hotel laid on a special dinner in our room. We had never seen so much food in our lives including dessert and drinks We were both very impressed with this service as most hotels won’t provide any meal after a certain time if the kitchens are closed.
The next morning, we woke up to amazing views of the sea and the hotel surroundings. We had a lovely buffet breakfast with hot or cold choices. The speciality was Tunisia donut which I had to try and it was yummy with chocolate sauce. At the hotel there were two swimming pools, outdoor and indoor, free Laundry service, daily and nightly entertainment, bars and a spa.
The hotel was on a lovely beach stretch of Hammamet with sunbeds, it was not crowded at this time of year. The weather was very pleasant during our stay in Tunisia around 20c. I know in peak season this can be around 40c which would be too hot for me! At lunch we had a buffet with choice of cold or hot dishes plus pizza, wok and crepes. We did try out the wok, pizza and crepes which were all very nice. Drinks were served during the day; local drinks were included. Dinner time was again buffet with a choice of hot or cold dishes plus a cook station for theme dinners.
We explored our four star Les Orangers Beach, the facilities and the beach. The hotel has a good evening entertainment programme and for the kids too.
On our wedding anniversary which was 9 December. We were booked at the a la carte restaurant which was lovely as we had a special meal together with an amazing cake. We were both touched by the lovely service given to us on our wedding anniversary including a note and roses.
The next day we decided to do a site inspection of their sister hotel next door called Les Orangers Garden which is a five-star hotel and had only opened in July. As soon as you enter you could tell the hotel was brand new. We both totally fell in love with this hotel! We saw a few rooms including villas, with 322 rooms they can suit everyone taste and budget?
With an indoor pool plus outdoor infinity pool, it has a buffet restaurant (including “show cooking” of tandoori grill or sushi) with an outdoor terrace with ocean view, 3 à la carte restaurants (Mediterranean, Tunisian and Asian).
They also offer a 24-hour snack restaurant so you can never go hungry! After a site inspection we returned to our hotel which is a four star. I asked Mr Wajdi, who arranged our accommodation, if we could move for the last two nights so we can compare hotel and service. He was very accommodating with our request!
Before we moved, we went into Hammamet town where we had a look around. Journey time from our hotel 10 minutes costing 8.00 Tunisian Dinar. We were surprised by how much there is to see including a Marina, the Medina, but the theme park and waterpark were both closed due to winter season. This destination suits all, but especially families. We did feel safe whilst walking around in Hammamet’s restaurants and shops.
When we moved hotel, our stay was amazing as we were treated to a room upgrade with amazing views. The meals were fantastic, buffet choice for breakfast and lunch with choice of hot or cold dishes. Dinner was a choice of buffet or theme cooking stations which was good. In our room we had a free minibar which was replenished daily and included was Becks beer, cola etc.
After staying at both hotels, our preference is Les Orangers Garden, although both have great things in each hotel. The service at both hotels was amazing, including staff being very helpful. I would say Les Orangers Garden is more suited to couples and honeymooners, and Les Orangers Beach is suited for families, singles and groups. Both share a lovely stretch of beach. We met a beach hawker one day, who was very kind and friendly. He was saying he was sad that the UK market were not coming to Tunisia as he missed them.
We will certainly be going back to Tunisia, as it surprised me how friendly the people are and the amazing food in a year-round destination. Security has been tightened, even on the beach you could see evidence with security guards, so we felt very safe. This is a great alternative to Canary Islands at a cheaper price. On our next visit to Tunisia, we are going to do a Sahara Desert experience, as we missed this on our trip. We had been told it’s an amazing experience and one that you shouldn’t miss! Our main purpose for this trip was a relaxing beach holiday, which we did get. This holiday was better than our expectations.
We owe our thanks to Sami from Tunisian and Mr Wajidi from the hotel for making this trip truly amazing!
Currency is Tunisian Dinar, but it is not allowed to be taken in or out of the country so at the airport they have an exchange to change currency. Tunisia is a great destination including lovely beaches. We highly recommend this destination and will be going back again.