When we bought this vacation, I didn’t think I would even write about it. Actually, it didn’t even occur to me at first. After some time in Tunis, I realized that there is indeed something to write about. Tunisia and Hammamet have a lot to offer, and no, it’s not just a nice resort where you can buy a vacation. So come and take a look with me.
A Vacation Cheaper Than Living at Home
This was the first time I flew somewhere with a travel agency, and I have to say, it’s pretty good. Or like on my own, it will probably always be more pleasant and fun for me, but when you don’t want to deal with anything, like absolutely nothing, then it’s absolutely ideal. When Terka came up with the idea that she would like to go on vacation somewhere, I didn’t hesitate and realized that I also needed a vacation. She searched for a long time and it looked like Egypt, then Tunisia, then she also found Greece, but that was gone within an hour. In the end, two days before departure, we bought Tunisia, Hammamet for CZK 6,090 for a week. Yes, per person, including the flight, all-inclusive in a 4* resort. If you’d rather go on your own, I recommend looking for flights on Skyscanner.
The flight to Tunisia is just over 2 hours and the time difference in the summer is only -1 hour. After arriving at Enfidha, we had about an hour’s transfer to the El Hammamet hotel. When we arrived at the hotel and got the room, we already understood that it was for such a price – anyway, the room should have looked different, because we “paid extra”… 😅 So when we had a meeting with the delegate the next day after arrival, we discussed it with her and they changed the room for us. And yes, that was an acceptable room that we should have had.
Tunisia Doesn’t End at the Hotel Gate
In addition to lounging by the pool or by the sea, which we wanted and both needed, we occasionally wanted to go somewhere outside the resort. Tunisia is not like Egypt and you can experience and see a lot outside the resort.
We started by walking around the hotel area and found a lot of great places to spend time – right after arrival we went to the cafe/restaurant The Antique Cafe right next door, during our stay we visited Da Noi Hammamet, where we had a great shisha, which was almost free and mainly more than half cheaper than at the hotel. We walked through many local shops and fed and cuddled a lot of cats. We also didn’t know, but in Tunisia there are stray cats on every corner, and when I say on every corner, I really mean on every corner. For example, in Old Hammamet, which we visited, 3,000 people live and over 4,000 cats live. They probably should do something about it, otherwise it will be unsustainable.
In Tunis, in addition to resorts, cats, and tourist activities, you can of course also find a lot of clutter, dilapidated buildings, and the like… When we one day went to the 10-minute drive away Old Hammamet, where the ride cost us 7 TND (about CZK 50), we visited the Hammamet Medina, which is surrounded by the Kasbah fortress and then huge cemeteries of sailors, Christians, and Muslims.
Like many other Tunisian cities, Hammamet also has its Medina, or historic part, where there are old buildings, picturesque alleys, and various marketplaces. This area in the case of Hammamet covers an area of about 200×200 meters. The dominant feature is of course the fortress and the large entrance gate, behind which a completely different world opens up. When walking through the alleys of the Medina, you will come across many local shops, from the obviously tourist ones to the pleasant local home businesses. Great views.
Luxury in the Desert
One day we also went in the opposite direction to Yasmine Hammamet, which is a completely new luxury resort built 5 kilometers southeast of the original city and resort of Hammamet.
Roughly in the middle of the area is a large marina for private boats and yachts. Due to the ubiquitous luxury, you sometimes catch sight of very interesting boats and interesting people, but also a lot of dust, dirt, and people trying to pluck tourists as much as possible, for example by taking a photo with a parrot and the like.
I Read a Book After 10 Years
In Hammamet, maybe even elsewhere in Tunisia, it blows quite a bit of wind, so in addition to other water sports, surfing was also offered to me, which I quite enjoyed and the waves looked like you could relatively surf on them in places, but because no one else was surfing there and I came to relax, I skipped it. I’d rather read a book.
I also, as a non-reader, read a book after about 10 years – Forbidden by Tin Hrnčiar, which is absolutely great. I recommend it to everyone who is interested in entrepreneurship, marketing, or just the Life Is Porno brand – I made a resolution to read more. Feel free to send me tips on great books.
Want to Switch Off? Go There
Of course, it can’t be compared to my wandering around Sri Lanka, but if you really want to switch off for a few days for a few bucks and not deal with anything, I definitely recommend Tunisia. Ideally, buy a package deal one or two days before departure. You can get the price down to half of what it would be if you were planning the vacation sometime in the spring. For that money, it’s worth it to be home. Plus, in Tunisia you’re not condemned to stay just in the hotel area, you have far more options than in other destinations of this type.
