Thursday 26 April 2012

I'm Back!

Well, I have been for a while now but I have to confess that I just haven’t found the time to blog – naughty, naughty!

We had a lovely relaxing holiday – well until my husband fell off a camel that is (more about that later)! The weather in Tunisia wasn’t brilliant – sometimes it was quite hot and that was great, but when the clouds came over, it was really quite cold.  The weather changed for the better on the day we left so what does that tell you?  The swimming pools were freezing which was a bit of a disappointment for us all.

The hotel did have its own private beach though, which was lovely.  It was great to be able to read my book(s) to the sound of the waves, without having to schlep for miles to find it in the first place. The boys loved playing in the sand too which definitely compensated for the swimming pool.

When we booked we didn’t realise that the tourist parts of Tunisia shut down over the winter so we were there right at the start of the season and it was really quiet.  I couldn’t believe how few children were there considering that it was the Easter holidays. That was good in one way but meant that the boys didn’t really make any new friends which they love to do on holiday.

The staff at the hotel were absolutely fantastic. We didn’t have to lift a finger it was A-MAZ-ING.  They couldn’t do enough for us and were so friendly and welcoming (we did tip a bit so maybe that helped but I think the service would have been excellent anyway).  Instead of the usual queuing at bars and drinks in plastic glasses, proper drinks in proper glasses were served to you at the table which was quite a unique experience in an all-inclusive hotel.  However, the fact that we were really spoilt makes it harder now that we are home.  Maid service? Oh yes, that me. Waiter service –me again. Chief cook and bottle washer – yes you guessed it!

The Tunisian people were lovely, lovely people but they were a bit desperate and because of that whenever we went out of the hotel complex we were constantly bombarded by people trying to sell us things we didn’t want to buy. Don’t get me wrong, they were lovely and polite about it but they were incredibly tenacious and reluctant to take no for an answer.  A lot of the stalls had colourful but bulky pottery items which would have been impossible to get in our suitcases, let alone survive the journey home intact. Although the constant bombardment was irritating, you had to admire them for their work ethic and desire to provide for their families. It’s a shame that a lot more people in this country aren’t prepared to work so hard for such little reward.  Let’s face it, there are many people in this country who don’t think that they should work at all – they just want everything handed to them on a plate.

Meeting the Tunisian people was a wonderful experience and it was a truly relaxing holiday.  Shame that it already seems like such a long time ago!

2 comments:

  1. We went to Tunisia once, and all those sellers would put me off going again. Maybe one should carry one empty purse to shake at them!

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  2. I must admit it did put me off abit, and I suspect that most of the resorts are pretty much alike in what they have to offer. I'm not sure I would go again, except if I wanted a truly relaxing holiday where I didn't venture from the complex. A week is enough I think.

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