My sister stayed in the Sahara beach with her 2 kids a few years ago and enjoyed it but I can't personally recommend it as I havent been myself.

Have you looked at the Abou Sofiane in PEK? I would recommend it as it is situated on the beach and the marina in PEK is just a couple of mins away by taxi or a nice walk along the beach. I always enjoyed the food and they have plenty of snacks etc to suit even the fussiest eaters.

If you are looking for nightlife without being prejudiced Tunisia has none sorry will amend that Sousse has none it is the only thing that lets it down we have just come back Sunday but will never return.
Geovil

Billy-boy is asking for hotel recommendations , as they want AI maybe hotels provide this , more so than other hotels , was the hotel you stayed in AI .

Most of the entertainment is hotel-based and if that provided by your own hotel is not to your taste you are free to visit any of the others. As the OP mentions a young daughter, I doubt she's interested in night-clubs, though there are certainly some in both PEK and Sousse. Ignore any mention of the Casino Caraibe in brochures, as it has been closed as a casino for many years, though some shows are still put on there, in particular Changing Ladies, which is a great laugh and one of the best drag shown I've ever seen. Do bear in mind that Tunisia is very different from Spain however.

good comment Aslemma .

Sorry but We went to see changing ladies and it is one of the most pathetic drag acts we have ever seen,we spoke to people who stayed in the Merhaba Club hotel and they told us the shows were none existant there we spent our holiday mainly at the Marabout hotel which did have a bit of entertainment or at the Rose & Crown Legends Bar or on the front of the Kaiser Hotel we loved the days but Nights.
Geovil

Sorry to hear the entertainment didn't come up to your expectations. I haven't seen Changing Ladies for a while but in the past they have had a fantastic reputation so I'm sorry if their show has deteriorated. I'll try to fit in a visit next week. At least you enjoyed quite a few things about your holiday so it wasn't a complete waste. Incidentally I have never yet found a hotel which included drinks with meals for half-board guests, and these invariably have to be paid for separately.

Incidentally I have never yet found a hotel which included drinks with meals for half-board guests, and these invariably have to be paid for separately.

Sorry going a little off topic here but I felt I had to agree with Aslemma. If you want a drink with your meals you need to go AI.

Billy Boy
Just wondering if you had given any thought to the Abou Sofiane? If you are looking for a little more info about this hotel you can find it here http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=119593

Or if you are still interested in the Sahara Beach we have a topic here http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=125721

We have been halfboard in a number of Countries and have always had tea or coffee with our evening meal I was not meaning alcohol there was a table set up in the restaurant with drinks on it which no one was looking after and ourselves and quite a number of other people poured themselves a drink not realising we were then asked to pay for the drinks in front of the whole restaurant which was very embarassing there was no sign but the drinks were for A/I residents.
Geovil
There were only 2 people in changing ladies how many when you saw them

Four or five and they were all excellent. The other two drag shows, the Golden Girls and another whose name escapes me, were also OK but not the same standard.

wife and i are going to the riu bellevue port el kantaoui in 2 weeks but the sol el mouradi, abou sofiane and the royal kenz all get reasonable writeups, we have enjoyed good ai hotels in mexico and dom republic in the past,we did consider egypt and turkey but since in our experience entertainment is mixed in most ai hotels (and the hassle shopping is the same in all moslem countries) the 3 hour flight to tunisia really made up our minds.

Hi Johnny

We stayed at the Sahara Beach 2 years ago. At the time it was in need of a refurb but I believe that has happened. We had a great time although I believe that was helped by the fact that we factored in about £50 for tips for the week for the pool bed guys, waiters, bar staff and cleaners, and found that this gave us excellent service all round. The food was good for an AI and generally we enjoyed it.

This year - leaving Sunday - whoop! - we are going to the Abou Sofianne in PEK and the main reason for that choice is because Skanes, where the Sahara Beach is located, is not a resort, it is just a row of hotels built on a strip of coastline. The resorts of Monastir and Souse are both about a 10 dinar taxi ride away. We are aware that the Abou is about a 20 min walk or 4 dinar taxi ride from PEK - but that is more do-able. We have read on reviews that tips are not expected at the Abou but we will probably give them anyway as hotel workers in Tunisia are very poorly paid. Just a dinar or 2 here or there makes a big difference.

Have a great holiday.

Maggie

Hope you have a lovely holiday Maggie. I'll be on my way to Sousse on Tuesday. As you say, small tips are appreciated as hotel workers don't earn much, but almost as welcome is a smile and pleasant greeting. The way some guests, particularly the Russians, treat the staff is appalling.

On our arrival at Monastair Airport we came through passport control quickly for a change.
But it took us an hour and a half to get our suitcases. Because a Russian plane had landed a few minutes before our flight landed which meant that we had to share the conveyer belt with the Russians. Which resulted in Chaos Chaos Chaos.. the Russian passengers pushed and shoved everybody who was waiting at the conveyer belt; for their luggage. They were so aggressive and bad mannered; behaviour which I have never seen before at an airport!! An incident which I hope I never have to witness again.

Jasmine the op was asking for hotel recommendations and perhaps your comments about the airport and baggage reclaim would be much better suited in a seperate topic as they have nothing to do with hotel recommendations.

hope this helps map of hotels

http://www.alloftunisia.com/map.htm?region=kantaoui

If you are looking for nightlife without being prejudiced Tunisia has none sorry will amend that Sousse has none it is the only thing that lets it down we have just come back Sunday but will never return.

I'm sorry to hear that you were so disappointed with your holiday in Tunisia - your longer review of your holiday makes it clear that it wasn't what you were expecting. Let's hope that other first-timers can profit from your experience and it's perhaps worth re-capping a few key points for their benefit. Even though Tunisia is a secular state and a great deal more liberal than many in the Eastern Med - culturally, Islam is still very important to most of the population. Visitors do, therefore, need to accept that compromises have been made on both sides as part of the development of the tourist industry there.

1) Imported alcohol is available but it is expensive and the range of brands could be limited too. During Ramadan, tourists are likely to encounter restrictions on where and when food and drink can be consumed in public away from the hotels.

2) There isn't a local bar or pub culture in Tunisia because the consumption of alcohol is still regarded as offensive by many of the locals and while not all Tunisians are tee-total - there wouldn't be the local spirits etc if they were - alcohol consumption is likely to be contained within the home or at least mainly done in private settings.

3) For the same reason, there is not a large disco/nightclubbing scene either.

4) For all the above reasons, the evening entertainment activity for tourists tends to centre on the hotels with a limited range of bars etc aimed primarily at tourists in such purpose built resorts as PEK or Jasmine Hammmamet or within the 'zones touristique'.

The result is that there simply isn't the sort of infrastructure that people might be more used to enjoying in places like Portugal and Spain or other destinations popular with British tourists in the Med. This can be one of the attractive aspects of a holiday in Tunisia for many visitors but it can also be one of the least attractive aspects for others. It's been said many times before here but Tunisia really is one of those destinations where you do need to research what is on offer compared to what you might be looking for before you take the plunge and book a holiday.

SM