| Approximately
10km (6 miles) north of Sousse is Port El Kantaoui ("Garden")
located, a town, that was built from scratch specifically for tourists
30 years ago (1979). Previously, the region was know as "Ra's
Marsa".
Someone expecting to see anything "tunisian" here, will definitely be
disappointed - Port El Kantaoui is rather an apartment houses (almost
all holiday apartments) complex that was built around a marina.
Neither the building style (mauric in a park-like
environment), nor the
street life (almost exclusively tourists), nor the prices (high), nor
the high level of tidyness are typical for Tunisia.
In addition, Port El Kantaoui consists of a large variety of
Restaurants and shops offering the typical tourist souvenirs.
In other words - it is a Disney-style "Tunisia".
Many tourists feel quite comfortable in Port El Kantaoui,
though, most
probably, because it looks like a tourist would imagine a proper
"arabic" town to look like.
In
Port El Kantaoui is one of the two leisure parks of the region of Sousse
located, the "Hannibal
Park". Right next to it, the leisure bath "Acqua
Park" is situated.
Both parcs are only open during the summer months!
North of the center of Kantaoui is a Golf
Course, in the center is a small botanical garden.
North of Kantaoui is a large hotel zone located, which spans over 3km
(2 miles) to the suburb "Tantana".
Tantana consists mainly of apartment houses (mostly holiday
apartments). The only hotel in Tantana is the "Diar
Meriam".
The only austrian Cafe-Restaurant in Tunisia, "Gabys
Cafe", is also located in Tantana.
Behind Chott Meriam, then approximately 10km (6
miles) away from Kantaoui center, there are two more
hotels: "Tennis
Mediterranee" and "Tergui
Club" - quite deserted, since there is hardly any
infrastructure around anymore.
And even further north, ca. 15km (10 miles) away from Kantaoui center,
is the small village of Hergla.
25km (16 miles) north of Kantaoui is the new tourist airport Zine
El Abidine Ben Ali International Enfidha (starting
operations by 2010). |
