Знакомство с Тунисом или Нам нужен и берег турецкий, и африка тоже нужна Acquaintance with Tunisia or We need both the Turkish coast and Africa, too

It is difficult to call yourself sophisticated tourists. The first vacation abroad was in 2008 in Turkey. District of the city of Bodrum-hotel Akasia. Before that, only Crimea. Therefore, in the Turkish recall, involuntary comparisons with the Crimean conditions arose. Impressions after Turkey are expressed in one phrase: “We won’t go to Crimea anymore! ” But the second time I wanted something more, so to speak, exotic. We chose Tunisia with my wife. Of the many hotels (according to reviews on the Internet), we settled on Caribbean Word Nabeul. In addition to the fact that the country itself is located on the northeast coast of the African continent, the town of Nabeul is located in its northernmost part. The price of a non-burning voucher (took a month and a half) was directly proportional to the period of our vacation (from May 17 to May 27) - almost the very beginning of the season. 4 star hotel, all inclusive, first line… 33 thousand for two, for 10 days, especially Africa, you will agree, is a very unclouded amount. We were a little worried about the weather there (Gismeteo predicted it to be rather cool) and the notorious Eyjaflaidlajokull volcano...
I hope someone will find my subjective review (and advice) useful, which is divided into categories for convenience...
FLIGHT

Our flight to Domodedovo of the VIMAVIA company on a Boeing 757 at 21.10 was postponed due to weather conditions for almost three hours. They took off at the first hour of the night in Moscow. The flight took four and a half hours. From time to time there was a small chatter, but tolerable. I didn't like the airplane dinner. Landed at the airport of Monastir normally. When leaving the plane, the flight attendants give everyone the so-called migration cards. Ask for one extra. The cards are filled in before customs control in Latin (exact place of residence, maiden name, you can not indicate the profession - from the lantern, the purpose of the trip - "vacation", strictly exactly - full name and hotel name). There is no customs duty! The customs officer tears off the spine of the card, puts the rest in the passport, stamps it and that's it. Don't lose the card spine! (as well as the documents issued by the representative of the tour / op. at the Moscow airport! ). We find luggage crawling along the conveyor. At the exit, a man with a sign of our tour operator (I will not name, so as not to advertise "BIBLIOGLOBUS"), shows us a bus to a specific hotel. We are loading. Accompanying recalculate and get under way. Even though it’s nighttime, I want to sleep, but it’s interesting to take a look around. The escort gives preliminary advice. Let's move the clock back three hours. That is, on mine it was 5 o'clock in the morning Moscow. vr. , and it became 2 am local time. The journey took over two hours. While the full bus was transported to hotels (through the city of Hamamet) and Nabeul, our hotel was the end point.
A very polite receptionist first of all invited us to a restaurant, where he offered something in film-packed plates, such as dinner, and cool water in plastic bottles. Although we did not want to eat, but it was nice. They drank water. Then they filled in the arrival cards and immediately (! ) received the keys to the room. The exclamation point reflects our surprise, because, for example, in the Turkish body, where we also arrived late at night, we crowded right up to 12 noon, waiting for resettlement.
TERRITORY, HOTEL, ROOM.
A large hotel (there are more, but after the Turkish Akasia, it seemed huge to me) with two three-story wings-buildings, a bungalow and an impressive territory, as if divided into zones. Everything is green, well-groomed, lots of outlandish plants. Pools: in the bungalow area - smaller, from 20 cm to 1.5 m (slides open from 10 o'clock). Sun loungers are comfortable around with mattresses and straw umbrellas. Soft green grass. In another, so-called relaxation zone, there are also several pools, including a large one, 2 m deep. for legs at the exit to the beach and another high one, toilets, urns in the form of jugs every meter... In general, everything is thought out. There is also a beach volleyball court, tennis court, even cars for hire. The hotel lobby is spacious, a lot of upholstered furniture, tables with ashtrays, automatic doors (a trifle, but nice), access to the main restaurant, indoors next to the hall in which billiards, present. hockey, three slot machines (all for a fee). Also in the lobby there are tables with laptops (for a fee). But, I hasten to please the owners of communicators and netbooks with Wi-Fi: In the lobby and within a radius of 10-15 meters around there is an unpassworded access point with a confident reception! Use for free for health. It is forbidden to enter the hall in swimsuits and swimming trunks. For men (in swimming shorts) it is enough to put on a T-shirt, and for women - a cape-pareo.

In the buildings, “they” call the second floor - the first, the third - the second. We got the third one, according to ours. The room is quite spacious, near the wide beds pushed together (three pillows for two beds), a thin blanket, sheets, a bedspread) on the floor - mats. Built-in wardrobe with hangers and the same with shelves (in the closet on the shelf there is a safe, paid, we didn’t take), Bedside tables, table, table, ottoman, wall lamp, mirrors, TV on the table (21 inches, but shows normally, Russian channels -first and RTR), telephone (didn’t work for us), the air conditioner downstairs on the wall is strange (I still don’t understand how it turns on, perhaps centrally). There is no electrical outlet other than a TV outlet in the room. Transparent sliding shutters open access to the loggia. It is spacious, a plastic table with an ashtray and two chairs. Bath room is not cramped. Washbasin, bathtub with a curtain (it would be better if it was a shower cabin), there is a hair dryer (we didn’t bring ours from home in vain). Towels large and small, a hanging reservoir of liquid soap, several rolls of toilet paper, a toilet bowl, an urn with a pedal. Socket for hair dryer and regular. You can't drink water in the room! Brush your teeth and get used to it. Reminds me of a desalinated sea. I can assume that for people prone to allergic reactions, such water can spoil the rest. The front door to the room slams shut, the key is only needed to open from the outside. Even rooms of the hotel have a sea view. We were given an odd number, we were not upset.
NUTRITION.
Breakfast: 7.00-8.30. Fine. Own baking. Amazing quality long thin baguettes. Croissants, biscuit, etc. Rice porridge with raisins not every day. Hard boiled eggs, casseroles, yoghurts (three types), muesli, jams. With you, an omelet with greens is fried. True, a small queue of omelettes is formed. Good coffee from the tank, cream... There is no particular abundance. Do you need it for breakfast? For a fee - freshly squeezed (with you) orange juice. Separately, there is a microwave oven - whoever wants to can warm up.
Between breakfast and lunch you can have a bite of hamburgers and pizza prepared in front of you in a small snack cafe
Well, from 10 o’clock bars begin to work (there are several of them, but in the lobby they are paid): coffee, cola, Schweppes-type sprite, beer (not bad), local fig vodka “buha” (moonshine to taste) just vodka (naturally diluted ), martini, a lot more for cocktails that are mixed at your request. Cups are glass. Excellent table wine! Red and White. They pour from bottles in front of you, uncorking the corks with a shopkeeper. There are practically no restrictions on the number of orders and queues. Sometimes there are not enough glasses. Bartenders scurry around the territory, collecting empty ones. You can bring them to the counter, but you don't have to. There is no bar on the beach.

Lunch (12.30-14.00), dinner (19.00-21.30). The start may be slightly delayed. We almost did not sit in the internal restaurant, but went out into the air. There are many tables under the thatched roof. Tables are wooden, chairs are semi-soft. (there was plastic in Turkey), serving: knife, fork, napkin. Salt and pepper shakers are not on all tables (we wisely brought our own salt shaker from home, sometimes it came in handy). Dispensing windows in the premises of the main restaurant (their location there sometimes changes depending on the influx of tourists. It is more convenient when the distribution is in the middle. ) Meals for not particularly picky heaps. And gourmets are unlikely to remain dissatisfied. Soups, broths, meat (beef, lamb, chicken, rabbit) in gravy and slices, various pasta with spices, salads in various combinations (cucumbers, tomatoes, seaweed, a lot of cabbage), olives, eggplant, seasonings... Fish - not very (some kind of fried roach). Desserts: pastries, cakes, eclairs, etc. Ice cream - "chemical" (didn't like it). Fruit, depending on the season. We had: lumpy watermelon, oranges, peaches, strawberries. At lunch and dinner in the restaurant - drinks (wine, cola). Smoking is allowed in the air area of ​ ​ the restaurant.
On Thursdays - Tunisian cuisine: unusually cooked meat, salads, dessert.
Two more free restaurants work separately: Tunisian and Italian. They just need to sign up in advance. We didn’t go, because it’s unlikely that they can surprise there, and drinks are paid.
In general, the food is quite tolerable.
CLIMATE, BEACH, SEA.

The season opens from May. On the first day of our arrival, the sea seemed very cold, and it was by no means hot on the shore. The locals generally wore jackets. For them, temperatures up to 25 are considered winter. The weather changes surprisingly quickly. The beach is sandy, the sand is gray-white-yellow. The bottom is flat, sandy, occasionally come across small pebbles - pebbles. The sea is Mediterranean, the water is very salty (it is recommended to rinse in the shower after the sea), when it is not stormy, it is very transparent. The breeze from the sea always blows, sometimes decent. The beach is located just outside the territory. At the exit sits a guard who can politely shoot a cigarette. Immediately from the exit there are steps and the road is seven meters. Cars occasionally pass along it, the local population walks, horses harnessed to tarantasses decorated with greenery and flowers often stand for a ride for tourists. And straight to the beach. The same umbrellas, sunbeds. If there are no free ones, the attendant quickly brings you a sunbed and a mattress. The territory of the beach is not formally fenced, but it is obviously forbidden for locals to swim in a piece of the sea limited by the perimeter of umbrellas. Near the pier, where local youth hang out, fishermen with fishing rods. Of course, locals can walk along the bank, look sideways at vacationing girls, especially fair-haired ones, splash nearby, jump from the pier, but we didn’t notice any frantic. And in general, the locals do not bother and the beach guards are on guard. Well, maybe crossing the road, it smells a little of the smell of horses. Of the entertainment on the beach from 10 o'clock, plastic kayak boats (canoes) lie free of charge. It is only necessary to warn the attendant and be sure to put on saved. vest. And paddle… The buoys are far away. The fact that there are no jet skis, bicycles, bananas, etc. - rather a plus. You don't have to be on the beach at all. Paid off and on the territory. There is a shower, and closer to drinks)). During our 10-day vacation, rainy weather was only once - the day was prudently devoted to a trip to the city.
CAPACITY, ANIMATION, SERVICE
In "our" period, there were approximately: Russians 50%, Germans 20, Poles 20, and French -10%. There are a lot of children, starting from the age of three. Came across very elderly tourists, foreigners, even disabled people. The presence of compatriots did not cause negative emotions, there were no cases of inadequate behavior. Of course, it is better and more fun to go initially with a small company. We flew with friends - the same married couple. You can call between hotel numbers (with a working phone) by pressing "four" and the room number. For example (4-281). At the reception - "nine".
There is a special attitude towards children there, there are always some entertainment events, games, funny mini-discos, round dances in the evening. They don't get bored.
I am not a fan of annoying animation. At the same time, you can understand these guys, because - "this is the work. " Constantly someone comes up to the tables, sunbeds, tries to talk, joke, warns about events (exercises, aqua-step aerobics, volleyball, archery) A purely Russian animator, or rather an animatress - one girl Dasha. There are also cool characters with nicknames on T-shirts (Zico, BBC, Sisko, KiKi, etc. ). One was taught to the question “How are you? ” answer "Like soot is white. " He nicknamed me “Kaksazhyabelya”.
Constant musical accompaniment, not distinguished by variety: basically, something like a Brazilian lambada with variations, neutral, apparently so as not to hurt the feelings of vacationing nationalities. Sometimes Tunisian tunes are heard.
In the evenings - a rumbling disco (in a special place in the lobby), bingo lotteries, trains, all sorts of costumed showtimes (in the style of "Forty Cuffs", a la Pierrot and Harlequin from the "Golden Key"). The humor is very peculiar, some people have fun. In short, for an amateur...

Or you can sit after dinner at outdoor tables under palm trees not far from the hall, sip beer or wine, smoke a cigarette, or connect via Internet, Skype or ace via Wi-Fi with distant Russia. What we did))
At 11.00 pm - complete silence, lights out. At 10.00 the guards stop letting you out of the hotel. Such an order. The soundproofing in the rooms is far from perfect. Moving furniture, loud conversation in the next room, footsteps and conversation in the hallway can be heard clearly.
The hotel employees are polite to everyone, and a Russian-speaking girl, Maria, also works in shifts at the reception. Another Russian-speaking girl Eva works especially for Russian tourists. She is like a consultant on general issues, she happens both in the afternoon and in the evenings before dinner.
The waiters in the restaurant and bars are normal, some with humor. Others, when pouring, understand the order in Russian. In general, we did not feel the language barrier.
MONEY, EXCURSIONS, CITY.
The local currency is the dinar. A little less than a dollar, about 25 rubles. Exchange of dollars in unlimited quantities, at certain hours of the day and evening, with a special polite employee at the reception, who also issues receipts (keep at least one just in case, you may need it if you want to change dinars for dollars at the airport upon departure) But usually everything dinars are squandered to the smallest detail. Exchanged dinar banknotes can be both decrepit and different in pattern. Never mind. Coins of 5 dinar are copper-white, 1 dinar are large white, ½ dinar are smaller. 1 dinar is equal to 1000 milims. There may be coins of 100 miles, 20 miles (such as a trifle). The most popular coin is 1 dinar.
We immediately changed 200 dollars. Received 296 dinars.

The aforementioned girl Eva the next day after arrival, having told us about the features of the rest, offered a choice of several types of excursions, which can be conditionally called "Sahara", "Carthage", "Zoo", "Pirate ship" "Quads". Moreover, the last two, according to Eva, are very obsessively advertised by one local comrade (I don’t remember his name, but the smile is dazzling). And another obsessive comrade pesters to constantly order T-shirts with your name or nickname (20 dinars / piece). Some order. But after a day or two, all the hilling stops, the “molesters” cool off towards you - after all, the process of constant arrival of new potential buyers-tourists does not stop.
We swept away the Sahara: desert and desert, 150 dinars per person, it is a pity to waste two days on a bus.
We chose a one-day trip to Carthage (150 dinars for two). With a stop in the capital of the country - also Tunisia and the so-called Blue City. There was also a ceramics museum. Interesting! We left early in the morning, had breakfast and returned for dinner. Lunch was in one of the hotels of the Caribbean network. On the way, the guide (Russian-speaking Tunisian) named Monder, informatively, with a touch of humor, talked about Tunisia. The capital is called "Tunisian Marseille". I've never been to Marseille so I can't compare. There we went through a big market (mostly souvenirs). We climbed through some courtyards to the top, admired the city from above (the so-called Medina Panorama). In Carthage (they call it Cartagage) they looked at the excavations of the ancient Roman city, from afar - at the residence of the President of Tunisia, which is forbidden to photograph... The museum of ceramics is interesting, but stuffy. In general, you can choose some kind of excursion, for the sake of interest and depending on the number of days of rest and financial capabilities. Ideally, it is good if the tour falls on rainy weather.
Independently a couple of times made foot forays into Nabeul. Exit from the hotel is free: the guard opens the gate and walk. Nabeul is a small town, it is difficult to get lost. The people are peaceful. 90% of the population are Arabs, the religion is Islam, but without fanaticism. There are no women in the veil. Lots of youth. There are also pretty pretty girls - Tunisians. I called them "Orthodox". They look erotic in their own way in their closed clothes. Passers-by look at the Russians with curiosity: men, especially blondes. It is clear: for them we are like "Negros for us. " "Pure blacks", by the way, Africans come across very rarely. There are a lot of cars: Fords, Renaults, Fiats, mopeds, bicycles, occasionally cool cars. The roadway is narrow, there are almost no traffic lights, traffic rules, in my opinion, too. The traffic controller without a baton, with a whistle in his mouth, is constantly on the move, constantly chirping, but it seems that little attention is paid to him. There are few benches to sit on the central alley, and even those are busy. There are many tea, hookah, cafes where only men sit. They sit in flocks on the lawns, contemplate, talk. Women are busy at work and housework. (East is a delicate matter) There are no homeless people. Hooligans did not come across. On the street, on the go, only tourists smoke. Urns are few. There are practically no cigarettes on the market. Or very expensive ones (for example, a pack of Camel Light - 4 dinars). In Tunisia, you can bring with you a block per person. (Smokers - stock up).

The market is a separate place, a local Cherkizon in miniature. There are a lot of ceramics, various souvenirs, chasing, products from "camel skin". (bags, belts, wallets, slippers, etc. ). Russians are instantly distinguished, but confused with Poles. Barkers-sellers give out all the phrases they know in Russian: they say hello, “how are you”, they praise Russia, Putin, the appearance of your companion, their prices. Even the phrase “Russo-tourist-image of morale” flashed by... There is only one advice: bargain, bargain and bargain again! For example. You love the product. The merchant immediately invites you to go inside his shop. Without a purchase, you can’t get out of there, it’s checked! The show begins: the price is announced to you, as a rule, overpriced by 5-10 times. Feel free to name your undervalued 15 times from the proposed one (which is three times less than the one that seems reasonable in your opinion). Most likely, it will be, as it were, real. After that, the salesman plays out a one-man theater scene called "Madame. . . Sabotage". This is also in the rules of the circus. Stand your ground, say something like "no money, Russian bankrupt. " In the end, you will agree. Treating with a cigarette is perceived by the locals with gratitude. They may ask for a dinarchik and a cigarette as a reward for an allegedly unsuccessful deal for the seller. But do not rush to rush to the first tout. Go ahead, inspect everything to the end, ignoring the hails. In addition, a little further on the market, there are small shops, where prices are fixed, perhaps real. For example, a good leather belt - 5 dinars, a purse -8, a travel bag from 20 dinars. In short, "tarapitsa nenado. " For small date palms (we have them on average for a thousand rubles per piece), there the real price is 1 dinar / piece. Buy before leaving and pack in luggage (at the exit from Domodedovo, they may be delayed). By the way, on Tuesdays on the territory of the hotel, in the relax zone”, a small branch of Cherkizon is organized. The same thing, until the evening, at wild prices. Some bargain and buy, rejoicing and not realizing that in the city market the same can be bought 2-3 times cheaper... Or maybe they are afraid to go outside the territory. There is also a gift shop in the lobby of the hotel. I had to, out of necessity, buy a lighter there for 1 dinar.
Not far from Cherkizon, there is a small supermarket. Pay attention to olive oil, dates, coffee, wine. The price of oil is much lower than in Russia. But how many will you take away?
French is spoken in all establishments and shops. This is the second state language. It is not recommended to photograph policemen (with M-16 rifles) and state institutions close by.
MISCELLANEOUS, CONCLUSIONS.
Five days before departure, the sea warmed up noticeably, and even hot weather set in. Now it seems that the rest flew by instantly. It seems inappropriate to take a ticket for less than 10 days. Currently, the prices of tours to Tunisia have risen sharply, as the season is approaching its peak. A few words about tips. Cleaned in the room daily, until about noon. If for some reason you are in the room at this time, hang a special “Do Not Disturb” label on the outside of the door handle. On the second day, we left one dinar on the table and in the evening we found a kind of distinction: a white bedspread decorated with fresh flowers and petals on the bed and an LED night lamp on it. But even without a tip, there is a normal strict cleaning. The maids smile and greet. In recent days, it has become stuffy to spend the night in the room, despite the open loggia. There were mosquitoes. The outlandish air conditioner did not work. (mosquitole will not hurt, as well as after-sun cream). We didn't worry about things in the room. On the day of departure, the room must be vacated by 12 noon. For things you will be given a key to a temporary common room. We piled up there and still managed to swim before the bus.
At the airport, the customs officer picks up the roots (they were mentioned above), then the usual routine. In the "Dyutik" everything is "in euros". We flew off on schedule on a huge B747. Normal, but also shook sometimes.

So, my story on the topic “Come children to Africa for a walk” comes to an end. Acquaintance with Tunisia took place. If we have to go there again, we will choose a hotel of the same chain - "Carribian... " (they are both in Hamamet and Djerba), but in another place, for example in Djerba, they say it is even better there.
Of course, everyone will find their pros and cons. They are everywhere. . .
It is definitely POSSIBLE to go to Tunisia, you NEED to go!
Thank you for reading to the end... I hope this tedious story will do good service to those who choose Tunisia for the first time, and connoisseurs will compare their impressions.
Feedback is welcome.