Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Tunisa?

105 replies

Roastonsun8 · 16/05/2022 20:49

Had anyone been to Tunisa with their DC alone? I noticed it's really cheap. Is it similar to Turkey?

OP posts:
Haveatakeaway · 17/05/2022 16:33

I went with my parents as a 14/15 year old girl. Never ever again

TokenGinger · 17/05/2022 17:51

I've been to Port el Kantaoui 6 times and loved it, but this was pre-attack. I went to Hurghada a few years ago and took a day trip to Kantaoui and it all just had a different feel to it. When we went on quad bikes for example, we had an escort with security guards (maybe police?) with guns and whilst I appreciated it was for our safety, I felt very on edge. I'm not sure I'd take my son there, as much as I loved it years ago.

PositiveLife · 17/05/2022 18:02

I've been a few times pre-dc and I loved it. I didn't find it sex-pesty but I did wear long skirts and long sleeve kaftan type tops. All the locals I met were really nice, though I do remember them not being so nice to people wearing vest tops/shorts, etc.

That said, I believe its changed a fair bit over the last few years and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable travelling there now.

whataboutbob · 17/05/2022 20:09

Couldn’t resist reading this as I grew up in the country next door, Algeria. Tunisia was our getaway and we loved it- says a lot about Algeria. It was the 70s and 80s but Tunisia was more westernised, you could buy pork there and at the market in Tunis there were still some of the old Italian market traders. I still remember the old Italian gentleman who held a cheese stall, I think he’d had a stroke as half his face was paralysed, but we loved him as he always gave us kids some free cheese! We’d stay in Hammamet. Algeria was sexual harassment central, weirdly maybe I’ve never been harassed in Tunisia. But I know that’s definitely not everyone’s experience. There is another side to Tunisia, quite a cosmopolitan and cultured one but you won’t necessarily find it in the resorts,it’s in Tunis with music and arts festivals, cafes and nice restaurants etc.

whataboutbob · 17/05/2022 20:11

To echo positive life, I would always dress frumpily in a Muslim country, just the way I’ve been conditioned by growing up in one. I ‘d want to signal “ I am not a sexual being in any way, shape or form”. Makes life so much easier.

TokenGinger · 17/05/2022 21:09

I agree with the comments on dress. I did cover up, albeit in loose clothing to allow airflow, when outside of the hotel out of respect for it being a Muslim country.

whiteroseredrose · 17/05/2022 21:24

What a shame. We went in 2001 and really enjoyed it. Our hotel was lovely and a short walk from Sousse.

We rented a car and drove to the Amphitheatre and Kairoan (very scary roads).

Everyone was really friendly.

However this was pre Arab Spring so it was a different place.

CiderWithLizzie · 17/05/2022 21:32

I wouldn’t go due to the risk of terror attacks:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Sousse_attacks

AnneElliott · 17/05/2022 21:54

I went in 2002 and loved it. But I wouldn't go back because of the terror attacks. Hopefully it will be more stable in future.

El Jem was great but yes there is poverty and you need to wear a wedding ring if you don't want to be pestered.

Figgygal · 17/05/2022 22:01

I loved tunisia
Travelled all over and had a brilliant time
So much history and culture and did a camel.ride in the sahara
Its quite marmite it seems

I do prefer turkey though

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 17/05/2022 22:20

I've just seen something on FB asking people to comment on their worst holidays ever and 99% of them said Tunisia.

tiersta · 17/05/2022 22:29

Don't do Tunisia.
Certainly not just you and DC.
Strange folk around most corners and not particularly clean 😬

Fifi0102 · 17/05/2022 22:34

whataboutbob · 17/05/2022 20:11

To echo positive life, I would always dress frumpily in a Muslim country, just the way I’ve been conditioned by growing up in one. I ‘d want to signal “ I am not a sexual being in any way, shape or form”. Makes life so much easier.

Doesn't stop them. I was 12 not even started my periods or had breasts. I wore a long gypsy skirt and t shirt some very creepy men over there.

SugarNspices · 17/05/2022 22:42

I went to Tunisia when I was 15 and the men were just awful pervy pests I was really scared on occasions. The hotel and resort was ok but outside it, I didn't feel safe. I was so cross with my dad for taking us there as a kid, as he was encouraging them by teasing about selling me for camels.

sickofthisnonsense · 17/05/2022 22:51

We went before the hotel attack. Stayed not fare from where it happened. Hotel was opposite a military airbase?
There wasn't anything in the area that made me want to leave the resort.
The drive there on the coach was depressing, everywhere seemed to be broken and covered in what looked like bullet holes.
I'd looked into going to the star wars set but the foreign office was saying danger of kidnapping and terror attacks in the region.

We stayed in the resort, the holiday reps were very stark with their warnings about wandering about.
The toilets kept backing up because they aren't designed to take toilet paper and Europeans just can't understand putting dirty paper into a bin rather than flushing.

It was a nice holiday the hotel were great with my daughter allergies and the chief took great delight in bringing her special deserts he'd attempted just for her.

RampantIvy · 17/05/2022 22:59

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 17/05/2022 22:20

I've just seen something on FB asking people to comment on their worst holidays ever and 99% of them said Tunisia.

It's the same on mumsnet as well.

We had such a shit holiday in Tunisia we decided to go to California the following year. Now that was spectacular.

Darbs76 · 18/05/2022 14:41

I have been twice. I definitely wouldn’t travel there alone with children. In fact I wouldn’t return personally

11GrumpsaGrumping · 18/05/2022 14:53

Absolutely awful, horrible place with horrible people.

I covered up full whilst there and was still harassed within an inch of my life.

I have a gynae issue whilst there. Middle of the dessert. 40+ degrees and j was fully covered. Bleeding heavily. No one would help me, NOT EVEN WOMEN.

Anaesthetist followed me into a lift once I was able to leave and groped me.

On the fancy resort, the minute my (male, Muslim) friend left my side, who by the way we told was my husband, I was harassed and yes, groped again.

Had my camera stolen.

Was proposition for sex on more than one occasion, once whilst at a 5* restaurant when friend went to loo.

Once, again fully covered, walking in the market, an older man came up to me and ran his fingers from my vulva to my breasts and across them. I was walking right next to my (Muslim, male) friend who again was masquerading as my husband. No one did a thing.

Horrible horrible horrible place.

Turkey is lovely. Have been all over, both with male friends and alone, and loved it. A bit of harassment in busier places but nothing physical, nothing sinister, and nothing a forceful fuck off doesn't sort!

Also been to Morocco, no troubles. Always dress appropriately.

11GrumpsaGrumping · 18/05/2022 14:54

Sorry for typos. Even thinking about that horrible place makes me shaky.

Lasana · 18/05/2022 15:07

I've been to many different places across the world but would never again go to Tunisia. We mostly stayed in our hotel resort thing and it was quite hostile leaving the resort, even though we knew to dress modestly etc. The beach was pretty in terms of warm water, nice sand, but lots of hassle from men so we stayed by the pool. The drive from the airport to the hotel was alarming, we passed through some terrible places and saw some men heaving guns about. Did not feel safe herded onto a huge coach obviously full of tourists. Never again and certainly never with DC.

whataboutbob · 18/05/2022 20:19

@11GrumpsaGrumping that just sounds awful and I’m so sorry it happened to you. I think there’s a toxic mix of anti western feeling, sexual frustration and misogyny in most of North Africa sadly. The west is corrupt, western women are sluts, women are inferior to men, we’ve been hard done by = it’s ok to grope tourist women. Not all the men think like that but certainly enough do to make it very uncomfortable. That’s what I endured when I was growing up in Algeria and I left at 15, one year before the rest of my family because I couldn’t bear it anymore. Tunisia didn’t feel like that, to me at least on visits in the 70s, 80s and 90s so I’m very sorry to hear of yours, and other posters’ bad experiences.

RunningFromInsanity · 18/05/2022 20:26

I like Tunisia! Been several times and booked to go again in July.
Stay in the hotel and only go on hotel booked excursions.

Roastonsun8 · 20/05/2022 17:46

@RunningFromInsanity can I ask what hotel you stay in please? I looked at one called the Sahara with TUI.

OP posts:
Newgirls · 20/05/2022 17:53

We had a great trip to Tunisia about 6 years ago. We explored on various trips and stayed in a good hotel. Genuinely no hassle tho I was with my husband and kids.

hotel was full of French people who love it

I feel sorry for those who want to work on tourism but it does sound like the government need to make some big changes to make it enticing again

ilovesooty · 20/05/2022 18:07

I went several times on my own about 15 to 20 years ago.

I stayed in Port El Kantoui and covered up when I went to Sousse. I found Egypt and Turkey a lot more intimidating than Tunisia. I went on a brilliant 2 day trip to the south and rode a camel across the Sahara desert.

I have some great memories but I'm not sure I'd want to go back now.

Swipe left for the next trending thread