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Sun, Sea and Sahara - Moorish Luxury in Southern Tunisia
By Catherine Quinn If you're looking for sun, sea, and desert dunes, Tunisia offers a rare chance to see all three. And as accessible introduction to North Africa it's an ideal destination for a short break. Like Morocco, Tunisia draws visitors keen to get the most from their English pound.
But unlike its well-trodden neighbour, Tunisia teams a beguiling combination of popular tourist spots with virtually untouched areas. For holiday-makers keen to enjoy souks and medinas without constant attention from eager touts, areas to the south-west of the country are a welcome contrast to nearby Marrakech. But for those who tire of traditional villages and hand-made rugs, there are also relaxing beach resorts.
If you've a generous budget it's entirely possible to do both - culture vulture one day, and beach bum the next. And with only a little planning you can experience a proper slice of the diversity on offer in Tunisia in only a few days. To get a real taste of traditional Tunisia, head south to Tozeur. Tunisia is a small country, easily reached from the UK, and served by a number of internal flights. Many holiday-makers take the three hour trip from England, and don't budge much past the capital city of Tunis. Take a mere one hour flight south east and you'll be rewarded with a Sahara landscape which visitors to the beach resorts miss entirely.
Up until recently Tozeur was a desert in more ways than one as far as visitors were concerned. But nowadays several tour operators and smart new hotels have opened up offering exceptional value for money. A stay at the eminently luxurious Sofitel Palm Beach Resort, for example is around £88 a night for a double room.
If Tozeur is your first introduction to Moorish architecture then prepare to be impressed. And even those who have travelled extensively in Morocco will find this a classically beautiful city. Some of the oldest buildings date back to the 14th century, and everywhere sun-baked yellow bricks form vaulted archways and impressive buildings. If you like shopping, you will need to haggle. Department stores are few and far between, with markets and stalls offering the pick of un-priced merchandise. But for the extensive array of attractive ceramics and hand-woven carpets - all at bargain basement prices - it's certainly worth talking shop. A metre by half metre hand-woven Berber carpet will cost even the most inept barterer no more than twenty pounds.
If you speak French you'll be at an advantage. Tunisia is a former French colony so the second language of locals is francais rather than English. And a few words of Arabic is always appreciated - particularly if you're haggling over money.
The Gallic influence is also evident in the local food, which is a traditional mix of French and African. Expect tagines, cous cous, and plenty of good wine - all for extremely reasonable prices. Vegetarians will have a hard time of though. Tozeur is strictly Muslim, and meat with every meal is an aspiration of the religion. From Tozeur you can take a short forty-five minute flight to the other side of the country, to experience a different Tunisia entirely. The island of Djerba on the east coast is a beach-lovers paradise. Alongside Majorca and Minorca this white-sand-ringed island is thought by many to be the Land of the Lotus Eaters described in Homer's Odyssey. This was a paradise island populated by dreamy beach-dwellers, content to do nothing but laze on the sand and eat fruit. Whether or not this actually was Homer's lotus eating land, it certainly has that appearance nowadays.
All over the island happy holiday makers enjoy a languid time of it stretched out under the sun. Djerba is also small enough to negotiate on bike or foot. With pretty olive groves, and whitewashed mosques peculiar to this part of the country it's well worth a look.
But for many visitors, it is the nightlife and carnival atmosphere which makes this area such an interesting contrast to the traditional areas. As a popular destination you certainly won't be short of hotels, restaurants, and bars to cater to your every whim. And with bars and clubs open all hours, you can party until dawn in a fashion which they haven't quite discovered yet in other parts of Tunisia.
So whether you want to immerse yourself in culture, gaze at Moorish architecture, lie on a beach, or haggle for a carpet, this is an area of the world which has it all. Just so long as you leave buying stuffed camels to the other tourists.
WHERE TO STAY
Sofitel Palm Beach Hotel, Tozeur
166 dollars
(+216) 76453111
The ultimate in Tunisian luxury. This five-star hotel is two kilometres from the airport, and comes equipped with fantastic bar and pool area.
Hotel Phedra, Tozuer
90 dollars
(+76) 452 185-76 452 697
Comfortable establishment with a pool overlooking Belvedere Rocks.
Hotel Movenpick, Djerba
190 dollars
020 7836 4999
Superb resort, with a state of the art thalassotherapy centre offering water-based spa treatments.
Hotel Marhala, Douz
From 80 dollars per night
0870 333 4001,
This hotel's strange warren corridors featured as an alien disco in the original Star Wars - worth a look for this alone.
Chott El Djerid Salt Flats
Experience the original desert mirage
If you have a half day to spare, take a trip out to the salt flats of Chott El Djerid. This fantastical landscape is thought have given birth to the desert mirage. The salt flat was once a part of the Mediterranean ocean, before it retreated under the glare of the desert sun. Now the remaining expanse of salt crystals wash the sand in an eerie white glow. During certain times of the day the reflections of the salt can manifest in any number of strange images.
Given the searing heat of the Sahara, it's easy to understand tales of early explorers driven made by the mirages. Buses leave regularly, and many hotels also offer transportation.
This could be Underwater Love
Thalassotherapy at Hotel Movenpick
Tunisia is home to the Hamman, or steam-bath - a relaxing way to get super clean. No surprise then that the country also pioneers thalassotherapy, or water-therapy. The country's most well-know centre is at the Hotel Movenpick in Djerba, which offers a four or six day course. This includes seaweed wraps, whirlpool baths, jet showers, massage, and a host of other treatments.
