I don't know that hotel personally but believe it has a good reputation. If you look at the map below you will see exactly where it is situated.

http://www.holidaymaps.de/afrika/tunesien/port%20el%20kantaoui.html

You won't have much trouble getting a beer in Tunisia: you can try the Golf Brau near the Golf Residence amongst other places. The red wine is good, particularly the Magon, but unfortunately for your wife Martini may be more difficult to locate and probably rather expensive if you do manage to find it. My favourite tipple is Cedratine - a lemon-based liqueur which is quite strong and very cheap (about 2.5/3 dinars (£1.25) a shot).

What trips you decide on will partly depend on how long you are staying but there is plenty to see in Tunisia. Unfortunately the musical fountains in PEK about which you have no doubt heard are closed for repair and when I was there a couple of days ago no-one seemed to be working on them, so I doubt they will be up and playing by April. Sidi Bou Said is a very pretty place, El Djem has the largest coliseum outside of Rome and Carthage is steeped in history. Changing Ladies is a very good drag show and takes place in various hotels and at the Casino in Sousse on Wednesdays evenings. The Mausoleum at Monastir is fantastic, all gold and jewelled. Your rep will organise trips but many can be done independently, though you will need to go into Sousse for the trains, metro or buses. I booked a 2 day Sahara trip through Saphir Voyages for about £65 p.p. including overnight accommodation and meals (+216 72 240 168) and they were very good, though there is a lot of coach travel involved and you will need to say you want an English speaking tour. You can also arrange to hire a taxi and driver for the day (price negotiable) which is a good option, especially if you can share the cost with another couple. Taxis are cheap and louages (shared taxis) are even cheaper.

You can change money at your hotel or at most banks. I've never bothered with travellers cheques but just take sterling notes and credit/debit cards for the ATMs which are plentiful. The exchange rate is set by the government so is the same wherever you change your money.

I hope this has managed to whet your appetite and that you have a lovely holiday. Don't hesitate to ask if you want any more specific information as one of us will probably be able to help you.

thanks for the info aslemma
just one futher question regarding money do the notes we take have to be in good condition eg no tears/writing on them as we normally go to bulgaria and this is the norm there

happy

I don't actually know the answer to that one as any sterling notes I take usually come straight from the ATM in England and they tend to be in fairly good condition anway. Incidentally you mentioned £10 and £20 notes, but they also accept £5 notes but no coins. Another useful thing is that you can get as little as 10 dinars from ATMs there, which is handy if you just need a little bit extra on your last day.

we stayed in this hotel a couple of years ago - loved it. food was so good we never bothered eating anywhere else. It's right on the beach too. You'll love it.

stop it kev i am starting to get excited now looking forward to my first ice cold beer
is it much like turkey cos we loved turkey

oh,oh now i am in trouble
question from the wife
what are the things to buy in the markets she fancies a bit of haggling

never been to turkey, but a nice cold beer next to the pool sounds really good right now.
wifey will have lots of chance to haggle - you get grabbed at every shop you walk past.....lots of pottery, leather goods and jewelry.

if you don't mind spending ages on a coach, the desert trip is well worth doing. takes 2 days, and you do an awful lot of travelling, but you get to see some fantastic places + end the first night dressed as an arab, on a camel in the Sahara as the sun goes down....

I stocked up on pashminas this time as they are very pretty and extremely cheap. I paid 5 dinars each in the Medina in Sousse for some which were 70% cashmere and 30% silk though there are plenty of others around. I also stock up on sunglasses - never pay more than 10 dinars. The place is awash with shoe shops and jewellery is a good buy, especially the silver. They always make a big show of weighing it to work out the price but then you start haggling. Walk away if you aren't happy and if you've actually offered a fair price they will call you back. Kaftans are nice and the fairly plain ones can be useful at home if you are going away for a weekend and don't want the bother of taking a dressing gown. Be aware that you can't haggle everywhere as some places are 'fixed price'. I suggest you have a look in the Soula Centre in Sousse, which is a very large fixed price store selling everything from carpets to key rings (toilets on top floor through carpet department :wink:) which will give you some idea of a starting price. You will find many Arabic phrases on here which will come in useful, particularly 'la shokran' (no thank you) and 'gahli barcha' (too expensive) Enjoy your holiday and happy haggling.

looks like im shopping till i drop then
will give it ago so long as she buys me a nice ice cold beer (or two)

We came back from Maharba Palace in November,lovely hotel,food was good with plenty of choice.Sun beds around the pool are free but you pay 2 dinars if you want a mattress,free on the beach.Hotel entertainment is very poor,but there is the Puka Irish Bar over the road which was popular when we was there,and drinks were a lot cheaper than the hotel,they bring you nuts and crisps with your drink.We got a taxi to the Royal Kenz a couple of evenings,entertainment was good there 5 dinar each way.Safe deposit room behind reception 2 dinars a day,cleaner did a lovely job on the room every day,hope you enjoy it.

ive been to turkey more times than i can count over 26 years and tunisia twice, we loved PEK but didnt like hammamet , it is similar in some ways, markets, buildings etc similar, but you get loads more hassle in tunisia than turkey , i think tunisia is slightly cheaper than turkey now as turkish prices over the last year or 2 have increased a lot. the weather in tunisia we found isnt quite as hot as turkey, but there seems a lot more white sandy beaches in tunisia than turkey, so theres + & - for both countries, but if i had to pick as much as we loved this years holiday in tunisia it has to be turkey , i find the turkish people slightly more genuine and easier to handle lol

Can echo the comments made by 'crispy'.

We stayed at the Marhaba Palace Hotel last July, and we had a great time on our 2nd visit to Tunisia.

There wasn't much entertainment of an eveing at the hotel, so we would generally have a few beers at the Puka Irish pub which is literally straight across the road from the hotel. Its a good little pub, but just a word of warning... i hope you like Riverdance!!

The Marhaba Palace is in an excellent location, being only 5 minutes walk from the Marina and town square of Port el Kantaoui.

Any more questions, just stick them in here!

Hope you have a good holiday!

do we need to worry about mozzies?
cant spell moskitos lol

We have been to Maharba Palace twice,March no Mozzie bites,November 2 bites,so it might be ok in April,they dont like me much anyway.

Last year we went in July, and in 2006 we went in September - no bother with the Mozzies either time for us - in fact, we've had more bother with Mozzies in Spain (Canaries & Balearics) than Tunisia.

we like to walk whats near and worth seeing

nothing

Perhaps a bit unkind of Ali but basically right. You can see where your hotel is on the map and it is quite nice to stroll round the Marina itself or, if you want to spoil a good walk, you could always play golf. There isn't much of either scenic or cultural interest in PEK itself and although you could walk into Sousse it would be a very long trek. I'm sure you will find plenty to occupy yourselves with

ok nothing to walk to BUT what about busses etc
can we catch a bus to anywhere or where to go in a taxi how much should we expect to pay?
do we agree the price first or are the prices set?