Quality Holidays For Single Parent Families |
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Hotel Mediterranee - Hammamet |
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Hotel Mediterranee - Hammamet TRAVEL ITINERARY
Your Small Families host for this holiday will be Liz
Your
Small families hosts, whilst not carers or childminders are friendly but
unobtrusive. They look after any travel arrangements, act as hosts at
dinner and activities (where applicable), liaise with local
agents/guides regarding any group excursions that may be requested and
generally make sure that everything runs as it should. Your host will of
course, also help resolve any problems you may have whilst on holiday. TRAVEL ADVICE
LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE
HAND LUGGAGE (Important, please read)
LUGGAGE LABELS
(IMPORTANT INFORMATION) Please note - Due to automated check-in becoming more widely used by airlines and also the wider spread of check-in desks available, it can be harder for our host to spot you at check in. If this is the case and you miss your host at check-in, we suggest you meet them and your fellow Small Families travellers at the meeting point in the departure lounge approx. 1 hour before the flight departure time. AIRCRAFT SEATING: Occasionally a situation occurs where the aircraft seating process splits up family members, please check your boarding cards at check-in to ensure that all your family members are seated together. To avoid this risk, please try to arrive for check-in in plenty of time.
Check-In is at London Heathrow Terminal 2 and we recommend you do
so no less than 3 hours before the published flight
departure (please allow for possible traffic delays).
Please check the TV monitors for
full and up to date information.
MEETING POINT IN DEPARTURES
PASSPORTS AND VISAS Where a visa is not required, passports must be valid at least for duration of your stay. For security reasons, it is very important you check that the NAMES ON YOUR FLIGHT TICKETS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE NAMES IN YOUR PASSPORTS (middle names excepted, note: we also use the titles Ms, Miss and Mstr on air tickets and electronic ticket vouchers - where issued), please be aware that you may be denied travel should the two not match. Note - Once issued, airlines will charge to re-issue tickets if names do not exactly match your passport.
CURRENCY You may sign many hotel purchases to your room and then settle the account just before you leave by either credit card or cash. Personal cheques are not accepted in the hotel. Please be aware that you are not allowed to bring Tunisian Dinar out of the country and it is not accepted in the Tunis airport duty free shops, however, Dinar are accepted in the airport coffee bars.
ARRIVAL IN TUNIS After immigration, pass into the baggage hall and collect your luggage from the carousel (trolleys are available). Once you have your luggage you should pass through the "Green - Nothing to Declare" exit. As you leave the customs area, you will make your way into main airport hall where you will be met by your Small Families host. When the whole group has arrived, you will be shown to the coach for the 1-hour private transfer to Hammamet.
TIME DIFFERENCE
ARRIVAL AT HOTEL As our arrival to the hotel is quite late, the restaurants will be closed. You will have had a hot meal during the flight; however, if you do fancy a snack, there are restaurants opposite the hotel. Complimentary water will be given on the transfer and you will receive a complimentary bottle of water in your room on arrival.
DAY ONE
EXCURSION TO FRIGUIA WILD LIFE PARK So impressed were we with this park that we have included this visit as a part of your holiday. Exact arrangements will be advised at the hotel. A coach will arrive for us at the hotel reception*, it will be assumed that anyone not arriving at the coach on time does not wish to attend the park. We strongly advise you take sun cream and water with you and you wear a hat while at the park, there are areas around the park to buy ice cream and refreshments and have a rest in the shade, (*timings to be advised).
LAST DAY
IMPORTANT: To avoid any misplaced or forgotten luggage, please
ensure you see the porter put your luggage onto the bus before
departure. GENERAL INFORMATION SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES - These are available at a cost of *1 Dinar per day at the hotel reception. HAIR DRYERS – If required, please bring along your own hair dryer with universal travel adapter, as rooms are not fitted with them. There is a hairdresser in the hotel spa centre. TOWELS - Are supplied in the rooms but must not be taken to the pools or beach. Towels for use at the pool and beach are not provided. POSTAGE - You can purchase postcards in the hotel or at local souvenir shops, stamps should be purchased at the same time. Postage for cards back to UK is 0.600* Dinar (30p) TELEPHONES - There are telephones in each room. Please note the charges before making international calls. To call the UK, dial 00 44 the number you wish to call, omitting the initial 0. (i.e. 0044 1767 650312). The number for the Hotel Mediterranee from the UK is 00 216 72 280 433. If you are planning on taking your mobile phone abroad to call home, please call your network provider before you travel and make sure you have this facility activated. For contract phones this tends not to be a problem but if you are on Pay As You Go, it is very common that you can’t receive or make calls and texts. Also, please note it can be very expensive to use a mobile phone from abroad because you are also charged for calls received. EXCURSIONS - Whilst we do not openly promote excursions, we can arrange with our agent, ‘Eden Tours,’ to advise you what is available should you wish to see more of the area. NOTE - People are often approached on the beach and in the street by other companies selling tours, we cannot recommend these other companies nor guarantee the quality of the excursion, if you should purchase from these people, it will be at your own risk. EXCHANGE – The exchange at the hotel opens daily from 8am to 10am and 2pm to 5pm, (these times are subject to change without notification). There is a cash machine in reception but please note that if you are using a debit card it is essential that you inform your bank that you are travelling to Tunisia so that you don’t have problems taking out cash on your debit card. CLIMATE and CLOTHING - Northern and Central Tunisia enjoy a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The coastal resorts are hot and sunny from mid-May to mid-September, although at either end of the season the evenings can be a bit chilly, so please be aware of this when packing as temperatures may be less predictable early and late in the year. Respectable clothing should be worn if you are away from the beach or hotel, especially in mosques and other Islamic monuments - long trousers or skirt and long sleeved shirt or blouse are best. SUNBEDS – There are plenty of sunloungers around the hotel grounds and on the beach, which are free of charge. POWER SUPPLY - 200v/50hz is standard. An adapter for two-pin sockets will be needed. MEDICAL CARE - There is NO free health care for visitors to Tunisia - all medical services must be paid for. The hotel has a doctor on 24 hour call. You MUST NOT leave home without adequate insurance, preferably including cover for an emergency repatriation flight home in the event of serious injury or illness. Please advise your tour leader of your insurance emergency contact details in resort. TIPPING - It is customary to offer a tip for services rendered. 200 millimes is usual for cafe waiters and porters. If a taxi driver uses his meter, then tip 10-15% of the fare; however, if you agree a price before hand, nothing extra will be expected. Gratuities for the hotel restaurant, airport coach drivers, airport and hotel porters have already been paid by Small Families; however, please note, gratuities are not included for your personal room maid or bar staff. WATER SPORTS - Pedalos, Dinghies, and Windsurfers are free of charge but you may be required to show your room key
MINI GOLF & TENNIS - are also free of charge but a small
deposit is required for equipment. This is usually around
SNOOPY DISCO – Especially for the youngsters, takes place between *8.00 & 8.30pm, Adult disco opens about 10.30pm through until 1:00am SHOPS – There are a number of small shops, cafes, bars etc close to the hotel. TAXI'S - There are always taxis outside the hotel and they are cheap. The fare into Hammamet is roughly 2.000* DT (£1.00). HEALTH & BEAUTY THERAPY - We can recommend the company offering this within the hotel but please note that payment must be in cash.
THALASSOTHERAPY You can have just single treatments of your choice, (experts are on hand to advise on the most appropriate treatment for your needs) or a full treatment package over a number of days. Those choosing a complete treatment package will undergo a medical check-up with a doctor before commencing treatments. Generally treatments last between six and twelve days with four treatments per day. Between treatments one can take advantage of the swimming pool, hammam, sauna and fitness salons. Beauty treatments are also available. There is an excellent Thalassotherapy centre at the Hotel Mediterranee. Some typical Thalassotherapy treatments are:
Tunisia is second only to France in the development of Thalassotherapy
GOLF IN
TUNISIA There are no membership requirements and while golfers with their own kit are welcome, for those who prefer to travel light, everything from clubs to caddies are available for hire - all at very reasonable rates. A typical round (18 holes) will cost approx. *£26.00, while the hire for a full set of clubs costs around *£9.00. Many hotels will arrange pre-set tee times and even provide complimentary transfers to and from courses
GOLF CITRUS, HAMMAMET
HAMMAMET YASMINE GOLF CLUB
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
TUNISIA The biggest name in Tunisian history is Carthage – arch rival of Rome in the second and third centuries BC and a Phoenician trading post founded at the end of the 9th Century, that developed into one of the most prosperous and powerful cities in the western Mediterranean. By the end of the 6th Century BC it was one of the main powers of the Mediterranean. During the second and third centuries BC, Carthage came to blows with Rome, one of the other great powers of the Med, in the infamous Punic Wars. Despite successful battles waged by Hannibal, the general who had lead his army, backed by elephants over the Alps into Italy, Carthage suffered in the final war, when the city was destroyed by the Romans, and its people sold into slavery. The Romans colonized most of Tunisia, building magnificent towns, such as Dougga and Sbeitla along the way. In AD 436 Tunisia was invaded by the Spanish Vandals, who ruled until the Arabs arrived in AD 670 and spread their power across North Africa. The Arabs were later followed by the Ottoman Turks and then the French in the 19th century. Tunisia was granted independence from the French on 20th March 1956 and Habib Bourguiba became Tunisia’s first President.
CARTHAGE
CULTURE The official religion is Islam, although there are also small Jewish communities in Tunis and Djerba, as well as approximately 20,000 Roman Catholics living in Tunisia. Tunisia is the most liberal of Islamic countries and the women enjoy more freedom than in other Islamic states. Polygamy has been outlawed since 1956. Hammams, (public bathhouses), are still a prominent part of life in Tunisia and are seen as a way to unwind and socialise. Every town has at least one hammam, with separate areas for men and women. Hammamet is possibly the best-known resort in Tunisia. It has changed greatly from the small fishing village it once was, evolving into a sought-after holiday resort in the 1920’s. Known as the ‘garden resort’, it is backed by olive, orange and lemon groves and lines of cypress trees. Hammamet’s centre is a miniature cape jutting out into the sea with the well preserved 13th century Kasbah offering pleasing views over the gleaming domes of the Medina, (the old walled city) and the white sands of the coastline. The newer quarters of Hammamet with shops, cafés and restaurants spread out from the Medina.
YASMINE HAMMAMET There is a sophisticated new medina, with luxurious boutiques, cafés and restaurants, theatres and museums and a fabulous residential complex. The apartments within the site are the epitome of luxury and comfort and surround magnificent swimming pools.
BLUE ICE – YASMINE HAMMAMET During the day the ice rink offers training sessions to those who wish to learn to ice skate, or those just wanting to perfect their style and is open to adults and children alike.
CARTHAGELAND – YASMINE HAMMAMET Set in the scene of ancient Carthage adults and children alike can go back in time and relive the Punic Wars, the conquering of Rome over the Alps, a journey through Africa and the Turkish pirates on a number of thrilling rides.
TUNISIAN CLIMATE During the winter there are approximately 5 – 6 hours of sunshine a day and temperatures are in the region of 18 – 20°C while the desert region will always be a few degrees warmer. In terms of annual rainfall, it ranges from 1000mm in the north down to 150mm in the south, although some areas of the Sahara go for years without any rain
FOOD & DRINK In restaurants customers will always be served fresh bread, olives and harissa, which is a hot chilli dip made of crushed, dried, red peppers, garlic and spices. A variety of starters are available in Tunisia and amongst other food, fresh fish and seafood is always readily available, prepared in different ways – grilled, fried or served with a sauce. Couscous is the national dish and is a vegetable stew with lamb, poultry or fish served on a bed of semolina. The semolina is steamed and served covered in a sauce. The ingredients of the sauce give each type of couscous its own unique taste. ‘Agneau à la gargoulette’ is another traditional dish and is a delicious lamb stew slowly cooked in an earthenware jar over a charcoal fire. Grilled fish is also favoured due to the great abundance of fresh fish available on a daily basis. Deserts are often fresh fruit or sweet pastries and custards. ‘Baklawa’ is a popular honeyed pastry.
WINE LIQUEURS - There are two traditional liqueurs in Tunisia: Thibourine and Boukha. Thibourine is made from dates and Boukha is a fig brandy. BEER - Celtia is the refreshingly light local beer. International beers are also available in Tunisia. MINT TEA - Traditional drink of Tunisia, served with fresh mint leaves and pine nuts in some regions. * Note – All timings, costs, charges, exchange rates etc. were correct at the time of printing but are subject to change. And finally – worth remembering…..
The Tourist Ten Commandments 1 Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast left them at home, for thou hast left home to find things different. 2 Thou shalt not take anything too seriously, for a carefree attitude is the basis for a fine holiday. 3 Thou shalt not allow other tourists to get on thy nerves, for thou art paying good money to enjoy thyself. 4 Remember to take only half the clothes thou thinkest thou needest and twice the money 5 Know at all times where thy passport is, for a person without a passport is a person without a country. 6 Remember that if we had been meant to stay in one place, we would have been created with roots. 7 Thou shalt not worry, for he who worrieth hath no pleasure 8 When in Tunisia thou shalt be prepared to do somewhat as the locals. 9 Thou shalt not judge the people of a country by one person who hath given thee grief. 10 Remember, thou art a guest in other lands and he that treateth his host with respect, shall be honoured.
We would like to wish you a most enjoyable holiday in Tunisia
* Note – All timings, costs, charges, exchange rates etc. were correct at the time of printing but are subject to change. |
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