Abou Nawas Nejma

The beach and its promenade are right outside, with just a one-way road between the hotel and the sand. Traffic brings a lot of noise and heavy smog, though closing the balcony doors makes both fairly tolerable. The sandy beach stretches about 2 km, is roughly 20 meters wide, and has soft, powdery sand that could be cleaner in spots. The sea was still pleasantly warm and crystal clear when we visited. The Medina is about 700 meters away for souvenir shopping, and the museum is around 500 meters from the hotel. Port el Kantaoui, about 10 km away, is a lovely marina with restaurants, shops, and a small amusement park. You can get there by taxi for 4 dinars, tourist train for 1.5 dinars, or horse-drawn carriage. Outside, there’s a pool, two cafés, a chilla café where you can smoke a water pipe and watch TV, a seafood restaurant, and a souvenir shop with beach toys for children at reasonable prices. Our room was spacious but not very clean. Fresh linens and towels arrived daily. It had a sea view, furnished balcony, kitchenette with just one pot, refrigerator, dining area, double bed, and sofa bed for the children. The bathroom was tiny but had a bidet, and there was a large built-in wardrobe in the entrance. Amenities included a radio that didn’t work, a 51-inch TV with two German channels, telephone, and air conditioning/heating. Room service came regularly but was superficial. The staff were friendly, though not always helpful; everyone spoke good German, French, English, and Arabic. Our request for a colander went unanswered. The beds were fine for our two-week stay. We had half-board and were generally satisfied. Breakfast was repetitive, with unappealing coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice, rolls, baguettes, croissants, cake, garlic sausage, cheese, two jams, and boiled eggs. Dinner was much more varied and plentiful, with a European dish and two Tunisian dishes each evening. Drinks were extra and cost only a few cents.