If thats the type of holiday you are looking for to just chill out and watch the world go by then P.E.K is just right for you. I have been 6 times now and absolutely loved it. Although I did go to Morocco this year in July and loved that too. Along the same lines as Tunisia almost exactly the same in some respects. There are plenty or organised trips and yes you can wear shorts and t.shirts whilst out and about outside your hotel. Everybody does even some of the local lads.

Hi

I think Yasmine Hammamet sounds perfect for you both. It's a purpose built resort for tourists and most of the hotels are of very high standard. Most hotels also have their own beaches too. I've been there a few times and it really is nice, you're free to do wear what you want, watch the world go by, take a stroll at the marina. Personally, I think it's alot nicer than PEK. They also have a medina in Yasmine which is alot more relaxed than it's neighbouring medina of Hammamet. You can leave Yasmine, or you may decide to stay in the complex and not do much, it's so nice. Reminds me of somewhere in California.

The hotels offer excursions, but you can also book some boat trips at the marina and with Eden Tours or other excursion agencies when you are there.

Search for the thread booking tours without rep as I've listed the contact details of all offices for Eden tours throughout Tunisia.

However, PEK is nice too, just choose a hotel near the marina and you'll be fine. Sousse I like alot, very busy, not just a purpose built tourist area but a thriving working city. Maybe a bit hectic if you just want to relax.

Monastir is nice, very tranquil. Lovely marina, but not much to do at night. Most of the hotels are located in Skanes which is a bit far from everything really, you have to take a taxi into monastir.

Not sure if I've confused you more

Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy your stay in Tunisia

Yes I am even more confused where to go-Is there a lot of difference between Tunisia and Morocco for those of you who have been to both??
I am not the sort of person who can just sit and sunbathe on the beach all day (I get board) I have to go visiting sites etc. If we choose PEK can anyone recommend any good hotels, it would be nice to have a beach as well as a pool when we do have a lazy day.
Thanks all for your input and Tunisia does sound like my sort of place.

Thanks Briar for your info, The Marhaba Palace is one of the hotels I have looked at and it does look beautiful. I would be a bit worried with it being minutes from the Marina as I am a light sleeper and would think the noise from the harbour would keep me awake at night or would it??. With you having stayed there did you find it noisy at night or was it OK??. Apart from where Star Wars was filmed are there many organised day trips to go on and if so can you book them there. I have been advised not to hire a car there as they drive worse than in the UK. I cannot sit on the beach for 14 days as I think my hubbie would end up killing me and going home on his own. More help please!!!!!!!!!

Hi ginnynick

re excursions, there are loads, but what we are going to do is catch a plane down to Tozeur and have a few nights there to explore the oasis (it's a huge town), see the very start of the date harvest (hopefully), look at the architecture, have an overnight desert trip on a camel (sleeping in a bedouin tent) etc. Will post report when I come home.

It's also easy to go to Tunis for the day on the train, you don't see as much as on a organised trip, but we have found the last twice we have been to Tunisia that the trips just cover the highlights, and barely scratch the surface of this exciting country!

Re places to stay, if you want to see the real Tunisia, then by staying in PEK, Sousse is just a few dinars taxi away, and of course the above mentioned train service to Tunis. We are staying in Sousse again this year, and like to visit both the city centre, for the frenetic atmosphere, and PEK square and harbour for the calm!

Have a lovely time whenever you go
mgb

Like Briar said Marhaba Palace is lovely, but I can also recommend the Royal Kenz in P.E.K. This is one of my favourites. The beach is also at the back of the hotel just down a small path which takes you direct to the beach. The hotel is a adult only hotel so no kids staying there under 16. Everything about this hotel was great. Although abit further along than Marhaba Palace there are always plenty of taxis waiting outside the main gates. It is also a nice stroll along the beach in the day down to the marina but takes about half an hour. You will not encounter any noise at night as P.E.K is very low key for night life and all the entertainment usually centres around the hotels and is usually all finished well before midnight. Although there are a few night clubs these usually dont get any bother and like you I am a light sleeper and I never lost any sleep.
Having also stayed in Morocco this year it has the same customs and cultures in alot of ways as they are both muslim countries. I can not advise on any trips in Morocco as we never did any this year due to the heat and also the kids being teenagers now and not wanting to leave the site. Although we enjoyed it there I would have to say that Tunisia is still my favourite

Hi All
Many thanks for your info but I am still confused. I saw on a web site that the Iberostar Royal Kenz is being taken over next May so a bit dubious about staying there. I have been told that Hammamet and Sousse are nice places to stay with them being a bit old and I read that you can walk round PEK in 10 mins. What do we do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and where do we go. It would be nice to go somewhere that there are a few bars (2 or 3 will do) that we could go to before we have our late evening meal as we are not into discos. Marhaba Palace is still in the top position but will PEK be too quiet in the evenings.

came back this morning from Iberostar Belisaire YH, to be honest it was a lot better than we expected. Hotel really nice, 10 mins walk to start of shops heading towards the marina, the marina is a good 40mins walk, quite plush looking , plenty restaurants. The beach from our hotel was across the road 3mins walk. I would definately recommend this hotel which was 4*, especially if you dont want to do much.

Hi Ginnynick,

The thing to remember about Tunisia in general is that most of the facilities and entertainment aimed at tourists is very hotel-based. Whilst Tunisia is a secular state the majority of the population is Muslim and as such there really isn't much of a culture of drinking alcohol in public and hence there aren't that many bars away from the tourist enclaves.

I'm not that keen on PEK myself, not because it is quiet but because it all feels a bit false to me - it tries to re-create the northern Med ambience and it doesn't quite come off. I personally prefer Sousse though I did enjoy staying in Hammemet once too, but there aren't many bars of the sort I think you're looking for there either. If you want bars and restaurants that you can go to outside of the hotel of an evening that are comparable to what you get in even the smaller quieter resorts in places like Spain or Greece etc then there are few alternatives to places such as PEK or the new marina development at Jamine Hammamet.

I love Tunisia because I love the history, the historical sites and truly amazing museum collections and I equally love mooching around the souks and medinas. I've never found the hassle that bad though others sometimes do. So I tend to spend very little time during the day around the hotel itself, spending my days getting out and about, and have been content to stay half-board, have dinner in the hotel and a few quiet drinks in one of the hotel bars (I tend to go when thankfully the hotels tend to be quiet with very little entertainment on which suits me!) and usually being tucked up in my bed with a good book by midnight :-)

The prohibition on alcohol consumption in Islam means that even if individuals do drink alcohol they are more likely to do it in private than public and local norms of behaviour mean that there has never been much of a pub or bar culture in countries where the bulk of the population are Muslem. Similarly Tunisian women rarely wear Islamic dress (and they had the vote before women in many European countries were allowed to vote!) and I've only ever seen quite elderly women wear any sort of head covering in public but there isn't a big culture of mixed-sex socialising either. The men tend to sit together and the women sit together away from them.

Reminds me a bit like pubs in my youth in working class Liverpool! You never saw women in the public bar and it was not uncommon for the husband to be with his pals in the Public Bar and the wife to be with hers in the Lounge - complete with him having a port and lemon sent through to her on a regular basis :-) Even if in the same physical space it was not uncommon for the men to be sat at different tables to the women. The same thing seems to still apply in bars and cafes frequented by Tunisians.

It sounds to me that perhaps you should really think about whether Tunisia is able to provide you with what you're looking for. I haven't been to Morocco so can't comment but I think there is a good chance that the same will apply.

SM

i have to agree that Port el kantoaui is not the real Tunisia. Even the waiters in the Kanta say they don t consider it to be Tunisia and recommended that I go to Sousse or Monastir which I loved so much more. Port el kantoui could be anywhere in the world.
But for a first time or for some one who hasn t been abroad much PEK is a good option. I know my dad would not be able to stand Sousse but PEK would be alright for him.
With regards to dress code Tunisia is definatly not a strict country. By the pool I had a big robe thing to cover myself to eat at the outside bar. while other sat in their swimsuits. They seem very used to tourists. I went there thinking I would have cover . So I brought some of my most consverative items only to find it made me stand out as every one else was t shirt and shorts Still I wouldn t recommend mini skirts and belly tops just normal tourist gear knee length shirts, t shirts. If you don t wear it at home don t do it abroad!
I would agree with what every one else says about alcohol. Its fairly liberal. But unfortunatly my partner doesn t drink but i enjoy one glass of wine with my evening meal. We would order a wine and a coke and the wine would always be given to my partner and the coke to me. It was really embaressing having to switch around and I d get some very funny looks from the waiter even though it was me who ordered it for myself. This happened in every resteraunt we went to. It made me feel a bit awkward so I decided to not drink on the second week. But thats understandable as its a different culture.
Go to Tunisia! Its really different. I would like to Morrocco as well some day. I m sure that which ever country you choose will be great!

Hi All
Not that bothered about Alcohol as hubbie has Gout and it tends to make it worse, (I can make do with a couple of glasses of wine like you said we will have to swap glasses as well) it's just what we have done on previous visits abroad (med) had a drink before evening meal but not been anywhere where pubs are hotel based before. Is there enough restaurants out and about (specially in Hammamet) as we are thinking of booking half board but, missing a few meals and trying restaurants out (only works out about £3 to go half board per night in most hotels so this is nothing). I am also worried that there won't be enough places to visit and things to do while there. I have a problem with my back (I need to take a special cushion everywhere with me) and wondered if the 2 day Safari would be ok for me and any other trips. I don't want to visit Tunisia without seeing the REAL Tunisia. Like I said before I cannot just stay at the hotel and sunbathe I have to see where I am visiting. Is it easy to book trips etc when you get there (travel agents usually rip you off). I have looked at Hammermet and it does look a lot nicer than PEK as the Medina really takes my fancy. I am not bothered about bartering as did that in Bali and quite enjoyed 'THE CHALLENGE'.
Cheers everyone

Hi All
Just booked it our first Tunisian holiday, we are staying at the Royal Azur Thalasso Golf in Hammamet. There were a lot of excellent reviews and Hammamet looks so nice and pretty. We will visit other places, especially Sousse but it looks a bit too big and commercialized as a resort for us that is why we chose Hammamet.
Will definitely do the Sahara trip as cannot go to Tunisia and not go to the Sahara. Still a bit worried about my back problems so will face that when we get there. Every time we speak to someone who has been to Tunisia they have nothing bad to say, so am really looking forward to July.
Thanks all for helping make our minds up and all the great info.
Cheers Ginny
XXX