Djerba is in my view about 10 years behind main Tunisia (very easy going) which is good in my opinion and can be very windy which is good in high season to get the breeze ohhhhh and avoid the Jewish festival there its chaotic

Thanks for your reply. I quite like a sea breeze although it's easier to burn without realising it. It IS a breeze isn't it? Not a gale

Is Djerba overall alot quieter than the mainland and is there much to see/do?

Hi Roswell,

For information about Djerba you may find this link to a previous thread useful:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=149896

I have stayed at the Palm Azur, but this is many years ago, before it was part of the Riu chain and I expect they have changed many things. However, I do remember enjoying it. I remember there being a huge pool, which I would have thought would still be there and that the rooms were a decent size, pleasantly decorated and clean. However - rooms are frequently things that do change a lot under new management. The Riu chain seems to be a good one though so I doubt that any changes made would be for the worse.

Am sure you will enjoy your hols

A.

Hi Sunstruck,
Thanks for your reply and the link to the thread. I found your post on there really interesting and helpful. I had a look at the trips that Thomsons do from Djerba and we quite fancy seeing Tatouine (having done the Sahara trip already). We were also looking at the trip around Djerba and were wondering whether we might be better doing it under our own steam. Are there buses/taxis readily available?

I was looking at reviews on the hotel on TA (there's nothing here on HT) and the two most recent were when the kitchen blew up and the guests had to be moved to another hotel. Both reviewers said that hotel was ok in the four days they stayed until the explosion.

Is is blowy most of the time or just bad when it IS breezy?

Hi Roswell,

Gosh - I don't remember anything as dramatic as kitchens exploding at any of the hotels I've stayed at in Tunisia

I'm glad you found the link useful. I don't think it was really windy the whole time, but yes when it's windy you definitely notice it!

I didn't use buses or louages in Djerba, but it is certainly possible to hire a taxi for a few hours and I expect this would be possible for a whole day too. While in Djerba I hired a taxi for an afternoon and visited Guellela (pottery workshop and the museum), El Ghriba synagogue and El Fadloune mosque. It took about 4 - 5 hours and I had time to visit everything at my own pace, with the added bonus that my taxi driver showed me round El Fadloune and explained a bit about it. The cost of the taxi was about 30-35TND (at that time around £15). This was several years ago so the price will undoubtedly be much higher now, but even if it were double that I would still consider it a good deal, especially for the abillity to create your own itinerary.

It would probably be best to try and organise a taxi via the hotel and, unless you speak French, check that your driver speaks English - it will make it a lot easier! While in other Tunisian resorts many locals do speak excellent English, UK tourism to Djerba hasn't had as strong a presence as other parts of the country so there German and Italian are more common. Although - over the last couple of years this too may have changed.

A.

Hi Sunstruck,
Sorry I haven't replied to your post until now. We've been in Yasmine Hammamet for the last week (yes, we've got the Tunisia bug!).
Thanks for the info re Djerba especially about booking a taxi to see the island. That sounds better than the usual herding on and off coaches for a half-hour visit to each place. It would be great to make up our own itinerary and the price doesn't sound too bad even if it has risen slightly for what you get.
One other question - what's the airport at Djerba like? We flew into Monastir once and it was a complete nightmare (Enfidha is so much better). Is Djerba fairly organised or total chaos?!

Hi roswell
I can answer your question about Djerba airport, it's devided on tow parts, the old one wich started at the early 80's ( actually for internal flights) and the new one, wich make it the 2nd biggest airport after Enfidha in Tunisia of course, started at 2005, it's an international and IATA standard with all facilities: duty free, restaurants, bar, bagage handler, security and controls, Wifi connection, infirmary...For all the tours in Djerba and around, here's a good link wich can give you better ideas: "Moez rassaa Djerbatravelguide". enjoy

Thanks Goldfeet. Only 6 months to go