Where has Stephen gone?

Hammamet, Tunisia, December 2007.

Gail and I paid £253 each for a 7 night all-inclusive holiday at Hammamet in Tunisia. We booked this holiday with Thomson and the price we paid included the extra to sit together and have the in flight meals. Without these extras the cost would have been an unbeatable £229 each! We flew from Birmingham International Airport at 15.15 on Sunday 2nd December 2007 because this season Thomson were not flying from Bristol or Cardiff. A lot of holiday makers in Tunisia were moaning about the reduced number of flights from the UK. We parked our car at APH Hams Hall, Faraday Avenue, Birmingham B46 1AL which is near junction 9 of the M42 for an incredible £19.92 - they provide a transfer bus to the airport. Our return flight from Monastir was at 20.20 on Sunday 9th December 2007 and the flying time is 3 hours and 15 minutes. The coach transfer to our hotel was 90 minutes from Monastir as we were the first drop off and 2 hours on the return as we were the first pick up.

We stayed at the Riu Park El Kebir in Hammamet. This hotel has 274 rooms on 3 floors and is situated on the beach 2km north of the centre of Hammamet. We have stayed in many all-inclusive hotels and 3 other Riu hotels so we know what to expect. The Riu Park El Kebir is similar to the other hotels we have used and I am very pleased with what you get for your money. The holiday experience is similar to the other holidays featured in this blog, which is the type of holiday I am in the market for. This hotel is big and set in lovely grounds. Your initial impression is one of cleanliness and space. The rooms are the usual high standard with an private balcony that has walls on both sides. The reception lounge and bar is huge. The is another bar where some entertainment takes place and a theatre. The open air swimming pool is too cold at this time of year, I went in as far a my waist before I legged it back out. The indoor pool is nice though. The food is an excellent buffet style - take as little or as much as you like of the food and drink. The tomatoes are gorgeous, the salad counter first class, some lovely cheeses and deserts to die for. The beer is OK and the red wine is lovely. The barmen do a cocktail called a sunset which is lovely and I am not a spirit drinker.

The weather during the day ranged from about 16C to 23C depending on the level of sunshine. We sat around the outdoor pool talking and reading. This was very pleasant and there were plenty of sunbeds around the pool and on the beach. There were also plenty of tables and chairs between the pool and the bistro bar - very French in style. My holiday reading this time was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. In places this book made me cry, the reader gets really drawn into the characters. The story although set in Afghanistan is very easy to relate to and appeals to both men and women.

I went to the usual welcome meeting and the trips on offer were the same as on our previous holidays to Tunisia, so I did not book anything. I walked maybe 40 minutes from the holiday to the Medina at the centre of Hammamet. It is an easy walk past many small shops and businesses - nobody bothers you, it is like walking in an average town back home in the UK. I also walked both ways along the beach in front of our hotel. I wondered why the beach was so quiet, almost a private beach. This was because if you walked maybe 15 minutes each way there were rocks blocking your path along the sand so there was no through traffic. This beach was only used and accessed by the hotels built along it.

What we got from this holiday was refreshment. 7 days on a wonderful site strolling around, sitting here, sitting there. Enjoying the time together, the food and drink. Everything we wanted was there within walking distance, no transport was needed. There is no hassle, it is like being at home but everything is done for you. You are not cooped up in a little hotel but have the freedom of a rambling estate. Back home you go to a pub for a meal and you get the impression they want you to pay, eat and drink up, then go away. At the Riu Park El Kebir you feel at home, you eat, drink and then maybe sit somewhere else as though you own the place. Fancy another beer? Fine, just go to the bar and get one. Just want to sit there and read your book? Fine just sit there, nobody will bother you - not like in a cafe or bar in the UK where they want sales. You are not in a tourist trap, you have paid your money and they leave you alone. It feels like home, a very large comfortable spotlessly clean home with willing servants.

The entertainment is typical of all-inclusive hotels the world over and the only English language television is BBC World. But this is a holiday and it is good to take yourself out of the loop. It is great for me, no work, no driving and no shops. 7 days of leisure without a care in the world and not having to go anywhere.

Would I wish to return to this holiday palace again? Yes please, at prices like this it makes me wonder why people pay more.