Hi Stacy.Soviva isnt a very good all inc hotel in PEK,but if you stayed in a 3* hotel in Turkey it will probably be better than that.Currency is Dinars approx 2 to the £,easy enough to convert,you can only get the currency when you get into Tunisia and not before,they have exchange booths in the arrivals terminal or you can change in your hotel.We have always found it safe walking back to our hotels in the late evening.Taxis are cheap,about 4 to 5 dinars to the port,and about 7 to Sousse.If you wanted to walk to the port,it would take you about 35 minutes,thats on the road or the beach.Soviva is one of the furthest hotels from the port,but there are other hotels around you,ie Royal Kenz is next door.There are cafes and shops just over the road from Soviva very reasonably priced,the cafes are very clean and serve good food if you fancy a change from hotel food.There is an Irish bar just before the port opp Marhaba Palace,not very Irish!but a popular place in the evenings that have Karaoke and show the football on Tvs.Coach transfer is about 35 min from Monastir airport.

Many Many Thanks Crispy :-) We had previously been to Turkey for 7 years and each year it got worse so we decided to brave a change. Its so finiky, but food is our main concern this time, just because we had such a bad time with food in Turkey.

Dont suppose you would know what the avarage temp would be June/July time? Its our first time without parents, so im probably going to be on here quite alot asking silly little questions lol

Thanks again :-)

Hi Stacey.
You will find Tunisia very very different from Turkey, you dont have the bars and loud music or night clubs that Turkey has , it is more relaxed and laid back. The only resemblance to Turkey is people trying to get you into the restaurants and shops . The money is dinars which you can exchange on a daily basis at your hotel or the post office just inside the harbour. The people are wonderful and friendly . You will be very safe walking around , taxis are cheap but if used once or twice a day everyday will become expensive. Your hotel is a long way out from the port , and is a nice walk which will take at least 35-40minutes . i stayed at the Marhaba Palace hotel and used the Irish Bar which is opposite , local transport into Sousse is very very cheap especially the tractor train .

Thanks llindy :-) I have been reading some of the posts on here about shop hassel, but thats no problem.

Think i might be a pain on here in the next coupe of months, all these questions keep comming to mind and im in need of guidence lol

Our holiday group all have a disgusting habit... *cigarettes!* Are they easy enough to pick up from shops or should we buy a box at the airport?

Many thanks for all your help x

I went to Port el Kantoui on my own for 4 days in August. I expected some low grade 'how are you' hassle as, like most youngish women, I've always had some in Turkey when I went out of the hotel without my husband. However, Port el Kantoui was relaxing and very safe. I walked round the marina shops on my own at night, went on beach on my own and had no hassle at all. If you are exceptionally attractive you might find it different, but that would be the same anywhere! (you'll definitely be fine in a couple).

That part of Tunisia is nowhere near as beautiful as Turkey, though (we went to Olu Deniz and Turunc). The sea is warm and sand very soft and white. Lots of jet ski etc limit where you can swim, though, and sea weed can be a problem in August.

Temps - about the same as Turkey but check the Weather underground site for the exact year by year history.

i find this site very helpful , so whatever you think of post and somebody will help , as for buying cigarettes as a non smoker i really dont know if british brands are available in the shops , but i did buy on the plane for others and paid £34 for 400 Lambert and Butler i think other brands were the same price , so if i was you i would buy on the plane , unless others are not fussy what they smoke

Thanks everyone, you've been really helpful xx

Could anyone let me know if English bacon or sausgae is around in Tunisia?

Thanks again

stacey

HI Stacey and welcome to HT!

Feel free to ask all the questions you want, that is what the site is for and our members are only too willing to answer where they can.

Remember to check out our hotel reviews via the link at the top of the screen. Also, the Search facility is very useful for looking for previous topics on a wide range of subjects.

luci

Hi, StaceyfromStoke. I see you are a new member on here and just wondered if you had looked at the hotel reviews and resort reports? You will find these at the top of this page and they are well worth checking out I really enjoyed my holiday in Port el Kantaoui but as you are young and I am an OAP, I'll let some younger ones help you out. I found the food was not a problem as there was such a choice. I'm sure you will not get British bacon or British sausages, but they do have their own sort of bacon as they would have had in Turkey, and they have little spicy sausages which I liked,but I was prepared to try anything, maybe you wouldn't. You will definately get answers on here for any problem. It is quite quiet on here just now but as it gets nearer holiday time it will be busier. If you search back the pages on Tunisia you will get loads of tips too. I am a non smoker too so cannot advise on prices there, but I did buy 200 Regal Kings on the plane for someone else and I think, but not sure, that they cost about £40. If I can help you in any way, just ask.

For Luci. I'm sorry Luci, for repeating what you just said. I took so long getting my thoughts submitted that I hadn't read your advice to Stacie until after I had submitted mine. So sorry.

No problem at all digby. It's good to get feedback from members and I'm just glad you agreed with me!

luci

:thanks, Luci.

Hi Stacey

I think you have made a good choice in choosing PEK for your first visit, the locals are very friendly and you get very little hassle in the resort and it is perfectly safe to walk around.
If you are taking a taxi always remember to haggle and agree the price before you get in and expect to pay about 5 Dinar from your hotel to the port area.

There is a good choice of restaurants in the marina area that are very nice for a meal away from your hotel should you wish to eat out.

Graham

Hi,

Ask all the questions you like - it's what we're all here for I am a smoker (I know - I've tried a few times to give up & will keep trying!), & have not usually had any problems buying cigs in Tunisia. Foreign brands are around TND3.60ish for a pack of 20, and can go up to TND6 in the disco bars etc. But as this is about £3 it's still much cheaper than here.

One thing to note is that last time I was over there (mid October) there was a big shortage of marlboro lights. To the extent that in a week we only managed to find 2 packs in all of Hammamet! Not sure if this is still the case or if it was the same in PEK - but worth bearing in mind if this is your preferred brand. I switched to Camels which were an ok alternative.

A.

Many thanks everyone for your replies.

Sunstruck thatnks for the tips too.

Stacey x

Hi again Stacey,Im a smoker,and advise that you only buy them on the plane going out or dutyfree at the airport,people walk along the beach selling cartons of English ciggarettes,dont buy them,they are fakes,most of the English ones they sell inside Tunisia are fakes.I also holiday in Turkey twice a year,but when I go to Tunisia its a chill out holiday.The beaches are lovely here.As for breakfast,you wont get a full English anywhere,but the hotel breakfasts I have had have been lovely,usually a chef doing omelettes and fried eggs,and pancakes,then a selection of scrambled eggs,doughnuts,breads,salad,cheese,breads,coussients,sometimes fried potatoes,spicy sausages,the nearest to bacon has been smoked belly pork cooked well done,and cereals,I dont think you will be disappointed.When we stayed at the Royal Kenz we was on half board,and went over the road to the Formular One cafe for lunch a couple of times,lovely friendly staff,we had quarter cheese burgers,fries and salad,with a milkshake,for 2 of us was 11 dinar,around £5.An excellent evening excursion is Alzara Park for sound and lights,some tour ops have a different name for it,well worth the £26 each we payed for it inc our meal and drinks all night.To be honest,I still find Turkey cheap,but Tunisia is cheaper again!!.

Hi Staceyfromstoke...
We have been going to Port el Kantaoui for about 5 years now, mostly in May, but a couple of times in August. 2 years ago, my son and his girlfriend (24 and 23) came with us and we did worry that they wouldn't like it. Not much in the way of nightlife or bars I'm afraid. Anyway, they loved it, had a very laidback holiday and enjoyed the Tunisian sunshine. My hubby and son play golf at the El Kantaoui Golf Course, I usually walk the course with them and it is a fab view from the top of the hill all across Kantaoui and Sousse. You can walk the paths round the course without playing golf. The people are very friendly, but you do still get the haggling at the shops, just like Turkey I'm afraid. Just a polite "no thanks" usually does it. Food wise.....we have never gone hungry, done the half board option most times. Going full board this time, can't tell you what its like AI though. Breakfast is the usual buffet style,omlettes, fried egg, cereal, spicy sausages, crisped bacon!! Plenty of fresh fruit, bread, jams, tea coffee. All edible and we have never been ill. Lunch and dinner are usually buffet style and your hotel may have an A la Carte restaurant with waiter service. I like to have choices and buffet suits us just fine. We have sometimes gone to a restaurant in the Marina called "La Meditarennean" upstairs at the Port. Always lovely food, we have steak but they do fresh seafood too. It is quite a walk from your hotel to the Marina, but a nice saunter to the Port in the evening wont do any harm, you can get a tuk tuk, or a taxi back again. We stay near the Port, Marhabba Palace or Kanta Hotel, only because they are so close to the golf course.
I always get my cigs at the airport duty free, never smoked Tunisian cigs. Tunisia is a bit expensive for spirits, but I don't know what you will get being AI. Tunisian wine is quite nice, (magon). Don't worry about asking questions......we are all here to help if we can. I really hope you enjoy Tunisia, it is very different, but we have never found anything to complain about. The 4* hotels are more of 3* to me but hey...I'm on holiday and somebody else is cooking so I don't care.....Enjoy, Love Elsa

Hi,

Re fake cigarettes I agree with Crispy re avoiding beach sellers. However, in the shops check that the packs you buy have the 'blue ticket' on and they'll be fine. The blue ticket is like an official stamp - like the strips on packs in most European countries that have the price on them (the Tunisian ones don't have the price, just the number of cigs). This was advice given to me by a Tunisian friend - and you can tell the difference between these and the non blue ticket ones.

A.

Another smoker here I'm afraid. As others have said, avoid the boys selling them on the beach or round the cafes but if you buy in the proper kiosks you should be fine. I smoke Superkings in the UK but have always bought Royales in Tunisia - 'normale' are the regular ones, 'menthe' (menthol) in green packet and the light (legere) are much smaller, in a blue 'soft' packet. Mars are the most popular in Tunisia and Crystal are less than 50p if you are desperate