To call Nadhem a mere “guide” or “driver” would be an insult. WHAT A ROAD WARRIOR! who never used directions or GPS — also a currency pro, docent, scholar, translator, menu expert, purchasing advisor, and anything else we asked of him. I know we could never have navigated Tunisia as efficiently and trouble-free as we did had it not been for his incredible experience and guidance. We would recommend Mosaic and to all our friends without hesitation.
I’m sure you could tell we were so thrilled to see all the Star Wars sites. As expected, we did regret not staying at Sidi Idriss. Once Grant saw that there was a “George Lucas” room, he regretted not being able to sleep in that room. Having said that, we did really enjoy L’Auberge Tamazret. Grant had a bit of heatstroke that day and didn’t eat much, but I really enjoyed Patrick’s meals.
The hotels were all very interesting. My favorite was the lovely blue and white world of Sidi Bou Said, and the courtyards. It was the perfect time of year to be there while all the flowers were in bloom. I think the only one we likely wouldn’t return to again was Holiday Beach. It was crowded and noisy, and a bit of a departure from the other accommodations in terms of ambience. More to the point, we felt very OLD, hahaha… though I suppose if we had children, it would have been a great spot. We asked them to move our room to be a bit more remote — away from the buildings and busy pools, and they kindly obliged. So we enjoyed a lovely view of the Mediterranean in our second room.
Your pamphlets and informational sheets were amazing. My brother did bring the folder to me, the one that was mailed to my mother’s home, so I’m glad to have that as a keepsake. We read through all the information on the airplane, and were so impressed at how comprehensive everything was. Nadhem took us to restaurants that prepared many of the dishes in there I wanted to try, including ojja, makhroud, brik, harissa (too spicy for me but Grant loved it), tabouna, makloub, and camel meat — it was quite the culinary adventure.
The tipping guide was extremely useful, we followed that closely so we covered everyone we encountered. However, one thing you may want to add (maybe not so much as a tip but as a TRAP) are the people who approach tourists with animals for photographs. While we found them fascinating, we were not prepared for how aggressively they shove falcons or fennec foxes into your hands or onto your heads, and then angrily demand money. We rather regretted that they caught us, because the more we thought about it, the more we felt sorry for the animals. It’s a surprise when it’s happening, and it seems novel — but the way they lunged at us for cash was uncomfortable.
Overall, we had a magnificent time, so we will always remember this as our best couples’ trip! We know it was a bit out of the ordinary to meet a ship instead of a plane, so we appreciate the modifications to accommodate our desire to arrive in Africa by water. Learning about Carthage was an incredible experience, and we were stunned by the mosaics. At no point did we ever ask a historical, artistic, or architectural question that Nadhem didn’t know right off the top of his head. So impressive. His love for Tunisia really comes through, and it was fun to tour around with another Star Wars fan.
