HI and thanks for your reply
I understand not many people know Kerkennah but I am quite surprised nobody got back to me on Sousse? Or to help me on other questions in my post
Also, I can not possibly be the only one travelling to Tunisia with my daughter (ie single woman with a kid, well, teenager so again, I am quite surprised and... terrified now LOL

Thanks again
Anna

Anna
Hello - Dont be worried that you got no replies and dont be worried about going to Tunisia with your daughter. Its a lovely country with lovely (99%) people. Just remember when you are there that it is different from Spain, Greece etc. The beaches are wonderful and most of the hotels are of a very good standard. Its a Muslim country and as such their ways are different. Firstly - the Tunisian women, on the whole are very modest. They dont show any flesh and you dont see them having much to do with the Tunisian men. They mostly ignore them outside of the home. So when tourists come along with very short shorts and skimpy bikinis etc and look at them and smile the men think its Christmas. Best thing is to be a bit stand offish and of course careful. Dont give an inch. I have been many times and have not experienced any problems
I have been once to Sousse and its a busy towm with the hotels mostly on the outskirts. There is nightlife but again its not Ibiza.
Anymore that you want to know just ask
Starty

Hi Anna
Sorry - forgot to answer your other questions. How much money to take - well Depends on what you plan. At the moment the exchange rate is good with about 2.22 dinars to the £ and most things are cheaper than here. Again it depends where and how much you eat/drink/shop. Camel rides and boat trips can be booked through your rep or from people selling them on the beach. Its up to you. You may well feel "safer" going with the organised Reps trips. Try Friguia Park - like a zoo its a nice half day out and you can ride a camel for 2TD. These camels are well looked after and the lads that take you are responsible. You dont go far but it will give you an intro on what its like. If you like it take the proper camel ride where you also get to ride a horse if you want.
Starty

Starty - thanks a lot for that
I am not looking for "nightlife" /drinks/discos as I am going with my 14 yo daughter and really want a peaceful break not anything else.

Camel rides, horse rides, other trips - very much interested. HOpefully all will be fine.

We are going on HB basis - are there any cash machines in Sousse or is it better to take cash from here and exchange in the hotel?

Never used travelerrs cheques, not sure how they work
Cheers,

Anna

Hi Anna
Re cash machines - yes there are plenty in the towns/tourist areas but probably not on the island. We always take cash and a couple of credit cards. You will get the same exchange rate all over (its set by the Government) so wont make a difference where you change money. Hotels dont charge. Just remember that you cant take dinars out of the country so its best not to change it all at once.
I have been on camel rides, and horse riding. Check with your rep as some hotels have there own stables (Sahara Beach Skanes did) and you can go horse riding along the beach its great. You dont have to be staying at the hotel to go. Also been on the "Pirate" ship - thats a nice trip usually food and entertainment included, they sail out, drop anchor, then you can swim or fish so take a cosy with you. If you feel like a trip up to Yasmine Hammamet there is a new place called Kathargo which opens about mid-day. Havent been myself but have heard its good. All sorts of things to do in there and you can come out/go back in.
Any more help - just ask and have a great time
Starty

Hi,

Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier, but I haven't been on for a few days. My partner & I spent some time in Sousse earlier this year.

You must go up the tower at the rabat (fort) which is just inside the Medina in Sousse. You get a really fantastic view from the top of the whole of Sousse.

David & I went on the Sahara Explorer trip (4 x 4) and it was absolutely brilliant. There is plenty of information elsewhere in the forum, but we just couldn't go to Tunisia and not see the Sahara and El Djem (Roman colosseum). It is expensive, but worth every single penny. We would do it again in a second.

We also went on the African night out, which is held at a restaurant near Friguia park. We had a great evening watching the dancing. My partner spent most of the evening banging away on the bongo drum, much to the amusement of others at our table. He was also pulled up to try a dance with wellys on the stage. I nearly couldn't stop laughing at his pathetic attempts to copy the routine.

We didn't go to Friguia park itself, but from what I understand it is not too far from Sousse and is essentially a wildlife park / zoo. Most reports on here have been good and many decide to go under their own steam. However, I do believe that there was an arranged trip that we could select if we wanted.

If you get approached by anyone offering you something do not pick it up. Just say no (and mean it) and walk away. A small boy tried to give us a flower outside the Sola Centre in Sousse (Fixed price tourist shop in Sousse in front of the Medina). If we had taken it he would have charged us for it.

We also went to PEK to see the marina there. It is a lovely area to just walk around and relax. We took the Noddy train to get there, which is very cheap. You won't be able to miss the trains. However, we found them to be a little bumpy, but its great fun.

The rest of our time was spent exploring the Medina and generally walking around relaxing and enjoying the sunshine.

I'm sure that you'll have a great time.

rachel

Thanks a lot everyone - I am noting all this down
By the way, found a site about Kerkennah:

http://www.kerkennah.com/

And they had a Guest Book which unfortunately is closed now due to some "not so nice person" posting abuse, shame really as found a lot of good infor there.

Thanks again,

Anna

hello there...
I went to Kerkennah twice last year ...
You will be fine over there - the panarama crew will take care of you...
There are some good dolphion trips that are arrranged by my friend Columbia - he's lots of fun & will make sure you have a great time - he is an entertainer for the family too....ask him to bring out his bongos..
The Grand is nice - take your mosi repellent for the eves...Or my God youll get it! - more so on the mainland...
Hope youre having a great time...
there is a lovely pizzeria up the road from there - great fruit smoothies!
Couple of clubs...not bad either...
May go over in August as there are a few weddings happening out there.
I made friends with many families out there - big hearts - hard workers!

Thanks again for all the replies everyone.


Our tickets arrived yesterday so..... off we go soon.

Any tips on how much money should I take for the 2 weeks considering we on HB basis and my daughter will probably want to see the dolphis at least 123456789 times

Hello Anna
Not long now - I envy you and your daughter. I was looking on another review web site and found one on the hotel Grand Kerkennah. I'm not sure if I can copy the whole piece (and its long) so I will just quote some of it. Hotel was rated very good and resort excellent.
"The journey from Gatwick was long it was worth it though. Hotel is a bit shabby in places but has many advantages. Each room has a fan at no charge and is cool. Beds were clean and sheets changed twice a week, clean towels every day. Hotel staff - friendly. Very low key entertainment daughter was free to join in with karaoke, watch mr Fakir (and his swords,lizards and hypnotised cobras), Bingo etc as the resort is very safe. Went on a sea picnic with Fredj a real character. Ate beutiful fresh fish with salad and went swimming while he prepared chicken and pasta. A brilliant day out you shouldnt miss. We also went on a horse and cart ride round the island with Nerfil another real character.
The food was fantastic various salads, soup, fresh fish, beef, turkey, chicken.
The bad points - Toilets on the ferry - dont use them. Ferry staff really rude. Dont drink the water buy bottles. Dont sunbathe topless on the beach.
We will definately return as soon as we can.
Hope this helps
Starty

Starty- thanks a lot for that, can you give me the link to the full article please?

Cheers,

Anna

Hello Anna
The link - http://www.holidays-uncovered.co.uk
Then select Tunisia Misc from the list at the top and hit get reviews
Scroll down and look through - its in alphabetical order and the Grand comes up after a few other hotels. There are several reviews.
Starty

Thanks all - flying this Wednesday and doing last minute packing.

What is the electricity like there ? Want to take hairdryer and iron - can someone pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee tell me what adaptor do I need?



Thanks,
Anna

Anna
You will need the two pin adaptor for Tunisia - (most makes list the countries they are suitable for on the pack) make sure you take with you as I have never seen them over there. The electricity does go down sometimes if there is a storm but at this time of year you will be ok.
Have a great time - look forward to hearing your report on your return
Starty

Starty - thanks a lot for that. Sure will report when we get back as there seems to be very little info on Kerkennah (Grand) and Sousse (Royal Beach)
Flying tomorrow, packed/unpacked 12345t67890 times so far LOL.

Still some things not sure about but too late now to ask so.....

See you all (typing) on the 11th August when we get back.

Cheers,

Anna

Hi all,

Just got back today and will be writting a proper review pretty soon.
Just very quick thanks all and big for everyone I have met at Kerkennah (some of them read this website as I have found out in the outdoor bar ;).
After my first week in Kerkennah, I have decided to cancel my transfer to Sousse and stay put at Grand as we were having the time of our lives and I did not want to take a risk and spoil what started as wonderful holiday.

Proper review on Grand, Kerkennah, Dolphin Trip, Sea Picnic, Village Trip, 2 Day Safari (yup-we done them all) coming soon.

Cheers,

Anna & Monika

Hi all,

I have just got back from a 2 week holiday at Kerkennah (Hotel Grand) organised by Panorama.

There seemed to be very little recent info on this particular hotel/village before my departure so I thought someone may find it useful.

On the 28th July, after a 3 hour flight from Gatwick, we have arrived in Sfax where we were met by few Panorama representatives and directed to our coaches for transfer to the resort. Our luggage was taken care of from the moment we left the airport, we spent about 20 minutes on the coach and got on to the ferry for 1 hour 15 minute crossing to and then another 15 minutes on the coach to get to the hotel.

The ferry has a mini bar with soft drinks (we were offered a drink each for free), toilets, upper deck with benches and lower deck with places to sit. Not a luxorious ride but comfortable enough for just over an hour crossing.

The whole transfer from Sfax to the hotel took just over 2.5 hours but the time passed fast as most of the transfer time was spent on the ferry and only a total of 30 minutes on the coach (15 minutes from Sfax to ferry and another 15 from ferry to the hotel).

Still at the ferry we were given our room numbers and forms to fill in and hand over the the hotel reception staff.While on the coach we were told about the safety deposit boxes available to use free of charge through the hotel's "bank" at reception, meal times and all the other useful info.

At the hotel we were met by most of the staff waiting for ous outside the front door with drinks and big smiles - lovely.

The hotel Grand's accomodation consists of 3 separate building - blocks A, C and B and some "apartments/bungalows" which I never had the time to go and see so not able to comment on those.

Block A is the the left pf the reception/restaurant building, block C to the right, and block B further to the right.

All 3 blocks consist of ground and first floor acomodation - room and bathroom with a shower.

All rooms have big balconies and all rooms have sea view.

I was in block C and saw block B - they both have front and back entrance, the back will take you to the beach in 5 seconds :). Block A does not have beach right outside but is the closest to the pool/restaurant and all room also have see view.

Rooms are very basic (please remember this is a 2 star hotel so do not expect satin bedsheets and marble tiles ;)) - beds, dressing table with a mirror, bedside cabinets, build in wardrobes with shelves and hanging rail in the "hallway" between the room and the bathroom, bedside lamp, chair and tiled floor. Usual bathroom with toilet, wash basin and shower fixed to the wall (you can not "detach" the shower, it is fixed but I understand some rooms have bathrooms witha bath - those can be requested at the time of booking and i believe there is extra charge for this).

Rooms/bathrooms are cleaned every day and our beddng was also changed every day (!!!), excellent room maid service.

Small tip - the towels are collected in the morning and they do not come back till midday. I have learnt to "hide" one towel in the dressing table as some day wanted to have an extra shower between breakfast and lunch. The "hidden towel" came very handy on those occasions - otherwise would have to wait for the new ones to arrive later on.

Breakfast was served between 6.30 and 9.30 am. Not sure about lunch as on half board and was having lunch somewhere else. Dinner between 7.30 and 9.30 pm. All guests have allocated table for the duration of all stay and if you start a bottle of wine one day and do not finish it, it will be kept for you for the next day (with your table number written on it). Again - excelent service.

Small note on people on half board - if yu decide to take lunch at the hotel's restaurant, it will be 10 dinar per person per day on a on/off basis but if you decide to upgrade to full board for a week (for example) - you can do it at the reception and then it will cost you only 6 dinar per person per day.

There is tea/coffe/juice free with breakfast. For drinks with lunch or evening meal you will have to pay extra. Lemon squash 1 dinar, coffee 2 dinar, fanta 1 dinar etc.

I have to say that after 2 weeks the breakfast got very boring, always the same selection - plain and chocolate crossaints, french bread, some "cake type of bread", butter, 2 jams (some dark variety ones, not my daughter's favourite strawberry ;)), 2-3 cereals, milk, tea, coffe, 2 choices of soft drink squash type, 2 eggs varieties (3 minute and 5 minute eggs LOL), fruits (melon and water melon).

Dinners were good, nice choice of meet/fish/salads/rice/potatoes/couscous/cakes etc.

Me and my daughter were mostly having lunch at the beach restaurant, part of the hotel complex (open air) where you can have pizza (margarita 5 dinnars), soft drinks at 1 dinnar, grilled fish (with chips and veggies) for 12 dinnars, ice cream for 1, 1.5 dinnars, various sea food dishes and sandwiches at reasonable prices.

There is also a beach bar and the regular bar serving soft and not so soft drinks all day till about 1am. Staying by the pool there are waiters running up and down every few minutes - very good service. Gold medal for Kamel, he had NEVER got an order wrong and tends to remember your choice after just one order (!!!). If you see him, please give him a hug from Anna and Monika - you can not miss him, tall big chap with glases and huge sense of humour
Please note there is no bar/waither service on the beach as such.

There are beach chairs and loungers for hire - you pay for those at the reception and show the receipt to the pool guys who will happily position your chosen bit of furniture wherever you want to have it. Please note there is not that many umbrellas by the pool so if you desperately want one, book your spot early. Beach chairs are 2 dinars per day, loungers at 4 dinars per day.

There is 3 pool guards by the pool, one of them always smiling Sam.. No matter how many times kids various ages pushed him into the pool - this guy was ALWAYS smiling. Excellent with the kids of all ages pushing them in/fishing them out of the pool (whatever was needed) and keeping all kids happy. Again - if you meet him, give him a hug from Anna and Monika please
You can hire pedalos or kayaks from the reception too. They are 10 dinars each per hour.

There is a "bank" at the reception too, open between 9am and 9pm - you can keep your valuables there in safety deposit boxes (free of charge) and change your money/travel cheues too.

My daughter is 14 and did not use one but I know there was a kids klub for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon, split into 2 age groups and having the time of their lives with excellent kids reps girls, all kiddies loved them - Jenna and Joanne, congratulations for your patience.

The Reps had their official hours but did not mind anyone bothering them pretty much all day. How did they manage to do all they did and always have time for us and a big smile- I will never know Please give Rachid and Marylin a HUGE hug from Anna and Monika if you see them.

On the first day, we had a metting with the reps and all the "trips people". Me and my daughter have decided to book all there was so:

2 day Sahara trip - absolutelly excellent, fantastic driver and guide with incredible knowledge and great people skills. Please give Ibrahim (driver) and Nouredine (guide) big hug from Anna and Monika if you met them This trip can not be covered "among others", it deserves a separate review really with its Sahara sunset camel ride, Salt Lake, Star Wars scenes, waterfalls, horse and carriage ride, Fatima's cave and 4 hours four wheel drive in the Atlas mountains... Absolutely amazing but please note early start (4.45 2 days in a row), and long periods on the coach may not be good for younger kids).

See Picnic - half a day on the boat with Freddie and his stories/cooking. Shallow water, kids were jumping off/ swimming around the boat while Freddie enternained guests with his stories and cooking skills
Village trip - with Ibrahim and Nouredine again. About 3-4 hours on the coach with Nourdine sharing his local knowledge with the guests. Seeing the mirrage on salt lake was great but may be a bit boring for younger kids.

Dolphin trip - long day going into deep waters and yes, we did see the dolphins Great day out but I understand some people were not so happy. There was a nice English speaking guy called "Colombia" on the boat with us so we were kept happy but I understand if he is not around some guest were complaing about lack of guide when he is not around...

Ali Baba trip - we have booked this one with Sameer (you will find him and another guy called Saber - both with their horses and carriages outside the hotel's main gates).

You can spend about an hour or so at Ali Baba - it is a souvenir shop with a twist Kids will love to walk around and plaing with the animals there (cats, dog, cameleons, turtles, guinea pigs) while you can sit down with a nice cup of tea in the lovely courtyard (nice and cool) and admire your purchases :). It takes about 15 minutes to get there by horse and carriage and costs about 8 dinar per person (return trip of course).

Sameer has a "farm" near the hotel where all the kids loved to go just to play with the animals (horses, dogs, camels, chickens, cats, sheep, goats - you name it, it will be there. Please note the animals are not kept in conditions our in UK are... They seem happy enough though.

You can book horse and carriage drives, camel and/or horse rides with Sameer. Camel/Horse rides are about 15 dinars per person for an hour ride. Sameer's camels/horses are very well behaved and there is usually him and another man handling them - enjoy

Again - please give Sameer a big hug from Anna and Monika when you meet him
There is a souvenir shop run by Suhil next to the hotel, he has a good selection of bits and pieces to take home and a lazy white and ginger cat called Scotch sleeping right outside.

What else?

Security is great - if you are travelling with the kids and looking for a place where you can really "let them loose", Kerkennah and Gand are definitely for you. Kids will love it and you will be able to really relax. Pool guys are great with the kids, security watches them too ( wanders on the beach late at night while parents are having a drink on the terrace are perfectly safe as any adult approaching kids will be "torchlighted" by security appearing out of nowhere :)), cars coming in and out of the hotel grounds are checked, taxis are booked through the reception (return trip to a cash machine in the capital Remla is 8 dinnars), see is very shallow and you can keep on walking and walking and walking in before you can try to swim - great from small kids of course.

Very limited entertainment - bingo, lucky 6, raffle, fakir show (fire and scorpio eating guy - pretty good), folklor night (this one none of the guests I spoke to liked but seem to be a tradition so.....), karaoke, kids disco and that is about it. Lots of people seemed to like going into "Residents Club" (about 20 minute walk) for some loud music and dance but can not comment as did not go there myself.

This is not a place for party loving people but great for the rest of us Some people I spoke to have been staying in Grand for 15 years every summer (!!!).

My and my daughter definitely plan to keep on going back there too. Kids make friends very easily there

If anyone plans a holiday there mid July next year andhave kids around my daughters age (will be 15 next year) - please get in touch
Ach- almost forgotten... I have originally booked a week in Kerkennah and a week in Sousse but having such a good time in Kerkennah, we have decided to stay there for the second week and no regrets.

We both had absolutely amazing time
Hi to our bar table mates:

Anette, Kevin, Sue, Vic, Tom, Max, Louis, Kirsty and the girls, Fiona, Loyd and Brook, Keith and Janine, Tessa and Alan, Tara, Jess, Alice, Felicity, Elvin and all the others we have met :)

See you all again next year...

Special thanks and big hugs to Marylin and Rachid, Panorama Reps at Grand (Kerkennah) excellent service and loats of kisses on departure. Marylin escorted us the the airport and waited for the plane to take off......

Also big hugs to Kamel, Salim, Sameer, Sami (Andy), Ibrahim, Nouredine, Freddie, Columbia and everyone else - whos names I did not mention but whos smiling faces will always remember.

See you all next year

Anna and Monika

Lovely report Anna and Monika glad you both had such a great time.