For families with children, even of different ages, the question of choosing a place of rest is acute. Tunisia is one of the recognized resorts. This is a Mecca for families, as adults and children will find activities to their liking.
Features:
Tunisia is located in western North Africa and has a population of 11 million. This is a country with a rich history. Romans and Byzantines, Berbers and barbarians, Arabs and Turks walked on sandy sands, and Tunisia was also a French colony.
Entertainment
Tourists should visit the famous Carthage. There is a legend about the founding of this city. The Phoenician queen Dido wanted to buy a plot of land from the local Berbers to build a city. Berbers did not want to see the Phoenicians on their land. They made a condition that they would sell as much land as a bull's skin could cover.
Dido found a solution to this problem: she cut the skin into narrow strips, connected them and covered a large area of land. So the queen outwitted the locals. The excursion will be informative for children of middle and senior school age.
Children of all ages will remember visiting Phrygia Zoo. Although zoos for families with children are a common pastime, they are well worth a visit. There are animals that cannot be found in zoos in Russia and the countries of the post-Soviet space: the symbol of Tunisia is the fox of the Fenech desert, scorpion hunters are meerkats, lemurs are movie characters from the cartoon "Madagascar".
After visiting the zoo, provided that the children are not used to going to bed early, you can spend the evening at the Shaka restaurant, where guests are entertained by the Zulus Show. In fact, these are just fiery ethnic dances. The "highlight" of the program is a dance with elements of balancing act, when clay pots are placed on the dancer's head one on top of the other. Why clay pots? It is also one of the symbols of Tunisia.
For a small fee, any hotel organizes excursions to pottery workshops. Tourists are not given the opportunity to make the pot themselves, but you can enjoy how the master creates ceramics. Tunisian pottery is a great souvenir to take with you.
Best season
For families with small children and those who are planning outdoor activities outside the hotel, it is best to plan a vacation in June - early July or September - October, as in August the heat is unbearable and hot air blows from the Sahara Desert.
In June, the water temperature is 22 degrees Celsius, in August it reaches its peak of 29 and by the end of October it again drops to 22 degrees. If you fly to the resort earlier or later than the season, then each hotel has a pool with heated water.
Rains in Tunisia are not torrential all day long. Lasts a maximum of 10-15 minutes, after which there are no puddles, as moisture evaporates quickly.
The best resorts
Hammamet
The most popular resort in Tunisia among Europeans is Hammamet. This is a city that lives exclusively on tourists. From spring to autumn there is a huge influx of local residents to work.
Hammamet is a descendant of a thriving Roman city. As you know, the Romans were famous for their love of baths, which was the name for the modern polis. Hammamet means “bathing place”.
The beaches here are favorably distinguished by a smooth entrance to the sea and soft sand, which is very convenient for children. The first line hotels have their own beaches.
The pride of the resort is the Flipper water park, Sebastian's house, the ancient Kasbah fortress and the “city within the city” Medina. All these attractions are convenient for the whole family.
Djerba Island
A small island located in the southern part of the country. Here the temperature of water and air is always 1-2 degrees warmer than in the rest of the country. The island has its own airport, from which the farthest hotel is a 40-minute drive.
A visit to a crocodile farm and a photo session with its inhabitants will be interesting for children.
Mahdia
A relatively new resort that began its development in the late 90s. Unlike about. Djerba is quiet here and there are no night discos. This corner is ideal for families with small children who want to relax and enjoy the silence. The resort is not on a par with Hammamet in popularity.
The locals are fishing. Local restaurants serve amazing freshly caught fish dishes. And on Friday the "bazaar" is held. Where tourists can buy everything that is only found in local waters.
In addition, Mahdia is famous for olives, olive oil and soap, cosmetics. Olive oil and soap are included in the list of souvenirs taken away by tourists. The soap has unique healing and anti-aging properties, perfect for baby skin (of course, in the absence of allergies). Very beautiful and unique handicrafts made from olive wood.
The art of jewelry, as well as the manufacture of silk and wool is developed.
Sousse
This resort rivals Hamammet in popularity. An advantageous difference is the lower prices, but there are many hotels that do not have their own beaches and are located across the street from the coastline.
Sousse has excellent transport links: proximity to the airport and a large number of motorways and railways. Also a convenient geographical position in relation to the main attractions of the state
Hotels with kids clubs
Children's clubs are "kindergartens" where animators are engaged with kids. The program is quite rich: games, songs, dances, drawing, modeling, quests.
Hotels with clubs for children from 4 to 12 years old and playgrounds are located in the hotels Lti Mahdia Beach 4 *, Primasol El Mehdi 4 *, Thalassa Mahdia 4 *. Thalassa Mahdia 4 * also has its own mini-water park with water slides. All hotels are located on the first line. Animators work with children.
In Sousse, Thalassa Sousse 4 * and Marhaba Resort 4 * are hotels with children's pools, mini-clubs, playgrounds and their own equipped sandy beaches.
On the island of Djerba, the Iberostar Mehari Djerba hotel provides babysitting services, parents can safely enjoy each other's company while the child is under supervision.
Hasdrubal Prestige is a hotel with a unique layout and many swimming pools. Here animators conduct quests for children on nautical themes: pirates, travelers, unseen animals.
Tips for choosing a hotel
Not all animators and nannies speak Russian, so you should find out in advance about the staff of children's clubs.
Almost all hotels adhere to the system of two and three meals a day. Hotels below the 4 * level do not include breakfasts and dinners in the price of accommodation, it is also necessary to find out in advance.
Pros and cons
Like a vacation in any other corner of the globe, it has a number of pros and cons. Minuses:
- You must be very careful on the roads of Tunisia and watch out for children. Local residents do not consider it necessary to follow traffic rules, and local authorities do not react to this situation in any way. Therefore, categorically it is not recommended for families with children to choose hotels with a crossing of the road.
- Drink only bottled water and non-local producers. Otherwise intestinal infections are guaranteed. The tap is not drinking water. In Djerba, it will be desalinated sea water.
- The heat spoils food very quickly. The maximum shelf life is 6 hours. Otherwise, you can get poisoned.
- As in any tourist country, locals are used to making money on naive tourists. Therefore, on the first day, it is better not to buy anything until you have more or less orientated yourself in prices. Often the prices in souvenir shops are lower than in pottery shops.
- Local cigarettes are smuggled from neighboring Libya, from what and how they were made, few people know. Wherein locals smoke everywhere, both indoors and outdoors.
- All areas bordering Libya are dangerous for tourists due to possible armed robbery.
- The fruits from the date palms that grow on the territory of the hotels are inedible, nobody removes them.
Pros:
- Tunisia has enough budget vacation, and even more so for a family with children.
- Locals, like all eastern and southern people, are more emotional and welcoming. They love children very much and they try in every possible way to make the little guests as comfortable as possible.
- Very cheap taxi.
- Mild climate, except for several months, without sudden changes in weather.
- From Moscow the flight is only 4 hours. This time is comfortable for any child.
- Many hotels have a wellness program "Thalassotherapy". There is "sea treatment" - sea water, stones, mud, algae.
- There is no need to spend a lot of time collecting documents for a trip to the resort. No visa required.
You can learn more about thalassotherapy in the following video.
Important nuances
Food in hotels with a local flavor, slightly spicy. There is a separate children's menu for children, but it's best to try it before giving it to the child.
Acclimatization quickly passes in children, if there is no big difference in time zones in relation to their native place of residence. However, it is recommended to limit physical activity on the first day of rest. And be sure to make sure that all family members are in hats and smeared with sunscreen with the strongest SPF protection factor.
Vaccinations and health
Tunisia is a country with a hot climate and a set of diseases that are different from Europe. Vaccinations must be given at least two weeks before the flight, a list of which will be given at any travel agency. For children, consultation with a local pediatrician is required.
List of vaccinations: vaccination against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles-rubella-mumps, typhoid fever, yellow fever, diphtheria-tetanus, rabies.
Children receive most of the vaccinations before the age of 2.
The main sources of infection are local people, food and insect bites.
Reviews
Reviews about the rest are completely different. There are both positive and negative. Basically, family vacationers speak positively about 4 and 5-star hotels, far from discos and casinos.
Tunisia is really worth a visit for families with children. The choice of a resort, of course, depends on the financial capabilities and age of the children.
Watch the following videos about holidays in Tunisia.
See the program "Heads and Tails - Tunisia" below.
