A Tunisian holiday resort with beautiful, endless sandy beaches
A hotel beach is all you need for an action-packed holiday in Skanes, with a wide variety of water sports on offer, from jet skiing to paragliding.
The holiday resort of Skanes, with its seemingly endless sandy beach, is a suburb of the port town of Monastir, which is a veritable tourist Mecca. Monastir’s revamped medina is crammed with souvenir shops and restaurants, and a number of buildings have been developed and featured in movies and TV series.
Skanes is well connected to the ancient city by a tourist road train and a plethora of cheap taxis. Its grand hotels are set in lush gardens, and most have their own well-maintained sandy beaches and provide a variety of night-time entertainment and dancing. Parasols mushroom on the beaches between water sports equipment stands and local vendors parading with a variety of wares, particularly pottery.
Those needing a break from the sun will find plenty of interest in Monastir, with its 8th century fort, or visiting the mausoleum of Habib Bourgiba, with its magnificent gilded dome. Many holiday-makers enjoy a cruise in a felucca or a camel safari, and golfers will be in seventh heaven, with a choice of two renowned 18-hole courses in easy reach of Skanes. The medina in Skanes is the place to haggle for bargains, and more traditional shoppers can take advantage of the modern shopping centres in both Skanes and Monastir.
Outside the hotel restaurants, Skanes has little to offer the gourmet diner, but Monastir has a great variety of eating places, especially in the marina area, where restaurants, cafes, pizza parlours and snack bars abound. Most cater for European tastes and serve alcohol, and many accept Euros. If you want to try some genuine local fare, head for the back alleys, where spicy dishes are served up with unleavened bread at rock bottom prices.
If Skanes makes it onto your holiday radar, come to Co-op Holidays for a great deal.