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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Would you travel to Tunisia?

53 replies

Pinkbutton85 · 17/05/2019 06:26

Just that really! Looking to go away in the next couple of weeks for 14 nights.

Tunisia is SO cheap atm. £1500 for a 5* hotel, all inclusive with a sandy path from the pool to the sea!

But.. obviously it's so cheap because of the horrific attack...

OP posts:
notacooldad · 17/05/2019 08:44

I've been 4times.
Once by myself, once with my mother and once as a family and another time with3 friends
I love it and never had any problem. I stayed at Tunis, the capital ,and Gammarth and Hammamet and Sousse.
I would like to go back soon. I found it welcoming and friendly.

CherryPavlova · 17/05/2019 08:53

Yes. We liked Tunisia. I have never felt unsafe despite being there during Arab Spring. Fantastic history at El Gem, excellent trains, nice hotel. Fun souks.
I can’t think it’s more dangerous in terms of terrorism than London. I work in London and have never felt unsafe.

PutyourtoponTrevor · 17/05/2019 08:56

I wouldn't go but that's because it's a shit hole outside of the hotels, we got hassled relentlessly by men, got held against our will in a market because we refused to buy something, constantly followed by men offering to be our guide or trying to sell us cigarettes. Hated every minute of it and we ended up flying home a week early. Never again

AnneElliott · 17/05/2019 08:56

No I wouldn't go now. I went in 2002 and really liked it. But after the terror attacks which targeted Brits then no I won't go back.

BeansOnToastTwiceOver · 17/05/2019 09:40

Tunisia is more liberal than you think.
French is their second language and Tunis especially is as cosmopolitan as London, it’s not a third world country, it has the same technology, industry, prime education system, fashion, arts and other culture as most European cities.
You only have to drop in on Google Earth and ‘walk’ round the big cities to find designer fashion houses and i citizens who look like they’re in New York not North Africa.

I spent 5 weeks in Nov/Dec in a 4* hotel in Hammamet. It was called Le Saphir back in 2002.

They had armed guards at the resort hotel gatehouses back then anyway, but it was to do with keeping tourists safe from locals wandering in and out, not terrorism. There was a fair bit of burglary going on in the hotels.

The sea is perfectly blue and clean. The poster above must have paddled in the beach areas near the sewage outlets, which, yes, go directly into the sea.

It’s respectful to cover up. But in the hotel resorts nobody did.

I did have my bag snatched in Tunis though, and my camera stolen out of my backpack on their tube equivalent, but that happens anywhere.

Yet we hitch hiked round the country and wandered down back alleys in rural villages and never once felt unsafe.
Tunisians are warm, friendly curious people.

The country is fantastically cultural and historic and you can’t beat the nearby Sahara desert trips or Atlas Mountains for a lifetime memory.

If you want a beach holiday, choose somewhere blander.

Tunisia you can only enjoy best if you choose to walk into town at night and eat local food, visit the historic sites, and appreciate how the country is still untouched by Disney type theme park tourist bottlenecks.

There’s as much terrorism risk in Bognor Regis as Tunisia.
Don’t let the terrorists tell you want to do, where to go.

WoahMySocksAreOnFire · 17/05/2019 10:06

Nope. I was kidnapped there whilst on holiday as a toddler. Luckily no harm came to me and I was found very quickly.
I’ve visited twice since then but honestly, it’s a complete shit hole. Vile place.
I wouldn’t go back if I won a free holiday

WoahMySocksAreOnFire · 17/05/2019 10:08

@PutyourtoponTrevor that was exactly my experience too.
I got spat on by a man because I didn’t want to go into his restaurant.
Men are very harassing, especially to fair skinned, blonde women. It was relentless and I didn’t feel safe at all outside of the resort.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 17/05/2019 10:09

I agree with a PP that we shouldn't let terror attacks affect our holiday choices. However for me I absolutely could not relax anywhere in a hotel or on a beach which has armed guards or great security on the off chance of an attack. How on earth can that be conducive to a nice holiday?

And I don't think you can compare a hotel in Tunisia to say, London, there is literally a world of difference. Think geographically of where Tunisia is and I'm guessing its surrounding borders are fairly soft in many places. It's absolutely not a comparison.

It's a shame as it looks like a beautiful country. If I were you OP I'd look for another option.

Galaxy88 · 17/05/2019 11:01

I went to Hammamet around 5 years ago and I have to say that I'd unfortunately never return.
The coach journey to the hotel was a huge eye opener, the streets dirty and looked so so filthy.

The hotel overall was nice and clean, maids and staff friendly. The only thing I would say was the men in the hotel would leer and would make the rounds around the women.
When we left the hotel, we were harassed by sellers and pulled into a store and the door locked behind us. It was so scary.

DerrenBrownings · 17/05/2019 11:02

OP

NO

Figgygal · 17/05/2019 11:08

I don't know we went in 2010 we enjoyed it
went to Tunis stayed an overnight in the desert rode camels went to Carthage, the zoo which was impressively clean and the animals and enclosures were very good.

Went out of the hotel into the main resort town walked around unmolested and unbothered went out of the hotel to eat a couple of times which was perfectly fine hotel was good, food was pretty good no problems with any staff.

Felt like turkey maybe 20 years ago and had no problems while there. Still not sure if Id go back though it wouldn't be because of fear of terrorism

AngeloMysterioso · 17/05/2019 11:19

Not in a million years. Even without the terrorism issue, the attitude of men towards women in general, western women in particular, and blonde women most of all is absolutely dreadful. You’d only be safe if you have a scary looking DH who is built like a brick shithouse and never leaves your side.

BillGiggeloe · 17/05/2019 11:53

No, I've been once and wouldn't return.

So much hassle once you left the hotel, scammers and the like and I'm not one to be confined to a hotel when I'm on holiday.

I stayed between Sousse and Port el Kantoni

Gth1234 · 17/05/2019 12:10

No. Next

That's why it's cheap. It's not very safe.

Osirus · 17/05/2019 12:21

Just not worth it. No way!

Debbiedough · 17/05/2019 15:46

I've just returned from Tunisia, all I can say is never again, I felt so scared and nervous of the constant attention of the tunisians, they dont leave you alone, they are hungry for money and attention, please if you fo decide to go, be careful x

Pomfluff · 17/05/2019 15:54

NO

NurseButtercup · 17/05/2019 16:08

@nrpmum

Please could you post a thread after you return from Tunisia in two weeks?

PutyourtoponTrevor · 17/05/2019 16:40

I don't know if others also had this issue but the young Tunisian men would come into the hotels in the evenings and make a beeline for the older female guests. Some of these men looked barely out of their teens and they weren't chatting to the groups of younger women. I wondered whenever I saw them whether they were doing it from choice, as they all seemed to appear at the same time and split up

Smolo · 17/05/2019 16:42

I wouldn't go. I don't know anyone who has been to Tunisia (and Egypt too) that hasn't had awful food poisoning.

fairgame84 · 17/05/2019 16:51

I'm going to hammamet for a week on Monday. The reviews for the hotel on TripAdvisor are brilliant but I am a bit worried about what it will be like outside of the hotel.
I will update while I'm there.

MissB83 · 17/05/2019 17:01

I loved the country and the sights, didn't have any security concerns (we went pre the attacks) but did find that men could be quite hassly. However that's not unique to Tunisia, had the same problem in Morocco.

Arabuella · 17/05/2019 17:06

The sea is perfectly blue and clean. The poster above must have paddled in the beach areas near the sewage outlets, which, yes, go directly into the sea.

Nope it was at Sousse at the Scheherazade Hotel. It was really grim tbh.

Grumpasaurus · 17/05/2019 18:05

I went before the attacks to sousse, tunis, an somewhere in the desert and had an awful, horrible, time- including in the "five star" resort I stayed at where the staff harassed me as soon as my friend left my side.

He was Male and Muslim and we had to pretend to be married just to share a room. I am white and blond and was clearly seen as free game. He has to attend a conference during the day and the second he left the male staff would swarm around and harass me so much I opted to read in my room most of the time.

In town I was followed twice by threatening men and groped a number of times. I was fully covered.

Before I met my friend in Tunis I was alone in sousse, and the staff told my room number to random men who put letters under my door and knocked all night. I was terrified.

I also had a cervical infection whilst there that needed to be cauterised. The anastetist asked if I was married whilst i was ON THE TABLE and the doctor followed me to the lid to ask if I was married.

When I bled so much I soaked through my clothes and had to use my scarf to sit on, the women tutted at me and wouldn't help me.

A taxi driver told me all western women are whores- and that is precisely how I was treated.

Oh also my camera was stolen and one restaurant wouldn't serve me as I was dining alone.

It's awful.

For reference I have been repeatedly to Turkey and Morocco and love both.

Yogagirl123 · 17/05/2019 18:11

No never!

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