Camels? Sand? Desert?….well that is what I thought, but having just returned from a 10 day trip to this lovely country, I can tell you there’s much more to it than you think.

You can fly from either London Gatwick (on charters) or London Heathrow (scheduled services) in just under 3 hours. Currently Tunisia is on the same time as the UK, but in winter is an hour ahead.

I travelled with my niece and we had a choice of resorts, accommodation and flights, which made the decision where to go the most difficult. The flight timings from Gatwick were not the best so we opted for scheduled flights from Heathrow to Tunis, and chose Hammamet as this was the closest available resort to Tunis airport. We chose the Bel Azur hotel in north Hammamet, one of three hotels in the same grounds, which allowed us to use the facilities of all three hotels. The hotels in Tunisia are of a high standard, and ours was very comfortable, having recently been refurbished. Most hotels operate an entertainment programme, but who wants to play volleyball, when you can lie in the sun ?

But if you do want to get out and about, as with all tourist destinations there are numerous excursions you can choose from. We took an excursion to Tunis, the ancient city of Carthage, and the village of Sidi Bou Said. This journey takes you through part of the main agricultural area of northern Tunisia. The main places of interest in unis are the Bardo Museum, which houses a superb collection of Roman mosaics and other artefacts, the Medina, and the Avenue Habib Burguiba named after the first president of Tunisia after independence from France in 1957.

The remaining sites of Carthage are spread over a wide area, surrounded by an upmarket residential area, and you can get a train from Tunis, giving easy access to all the main sites. We just visited two; The Tophet, where it is rumoured the ancient Carthaginians sacrificed their first-born sons, and the Thermes d’Antonin (roman baths) Sidi Bou Said sits on a cliff top, and is really pretty with its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses with bright sky blue doors.

In contrast we then took an excursion south to Kairouan, Sousse and Port el Kantaoui. The land around Kairoan is mostly desert. Kairouan is the 4th most important site in the Islamic world and the most important in North Africa. Non Muslims are not allowed into the prayer room of the mosques, but you can visit the outer courtyard and admire the decorative hand painted tiles. Sousse is a major port, and the beaches of golden sands stretch down for miles to the marina of Port el Kantaoui.

Hammamet is a sprawling town and as we found out on arrival, it takes about half an hour to get from the south to the north part. The hotel we stayed in is in the north half of Hammamet, close to the medina and the main part of the town. There is a lot of building work going on all over Hammamet but more so in the southern part as they are building a new leisure complex and harbour, which will have hotels, restaurants etc. Every Thursday there is a market, which is well worth having a stroll round, even if you don’t buy anything. Fruit and vegetables are cheap (but not the best quality), and spices are sold loose and cost 1 dinar for a tumbler full.

Everything in Tunisia seems ridiculously cheap, good buy are leather bags, and pottery. Eating out is very good, with prices around £3.50 for a main course and £2 for a starter. Fresh orange juice is delicious, and about 60p a glass (depending where you get it). The Tunisians make extremely good wine, and although a Muslim country is easy to get. In the medinas bartering is the name of the game, which hardly seems fair when prices are so low to start with. One word of warning about the medinas, which seemed to be a particular problem in Hammamet. The traders can get very invasive, and sometimes grab your arm to get you into their shops. The best way is to ignore them, or say very firmly that you are not interested. They will cat call after you but ignoring them is the best policy. Elsewhere, from all accounts, it did not seem to be so much of a problem. There are fixed price shops, controlled by the government where you cannot barter, but the prices are still ridiculously low. Don’t wait until you get to the airport for your souvenirs…. they are much more expensive (at least at Tunis). Beware of fake designer jeans….dirt cheap (£15 a pair… but not the real thing). The unit of currency in Tunisia is the dinar (about 2TD to £1) but you can only get it when you get there. The rates are fixed, so there not need to shop around.

Tunisia is a Moslem country, but is very liberal, which is a legacy of Bourguiba’s policy of tolerance. However, away from the main touristy areas it is best to dress modestly (no short shorts or skimpy tops for the women; and no shorts and bare chests for the men) especially when visiting holy sites.

This was my first visit to Tunisia and I was pleasantly surprised. The weather was a bit unsettled for a day or two, but other days the temperatures hit a very pleasant mid 70’s average for March/April. Tunisia is well adapted to tourism; most people within the main resorts speak English (and French, German and Italian!!!), and is excellent value for money, suitable for everyone. There are some all-inclusive hotels, so you really don’t need to leave the hotels, but that would be a great shame as Tunisia has so much to offer.

For more information, call Genie Travel on 0845 388 8805 or e mail sales@genietvl.co.uk.