While Nabeul was becoming more and more holiday center, the nearby Hammamet has already been one since the 1920s. A Romanian millionaire built the first villa in a small fishing village. The building hidden in the shadow of tropical bushes, palm and eucalyptus trees is still a cultural center. Its park is a venue for open air concerts and theatrical plays. The millionaire found several followers since artists, businessmen and politicians have built their holiday houses here giving a strong push to tourism.
The story is similar to one of the French Riviera. The sea side is similar too, with the palm trees, the old fort and the restaurants beneath it. Although the Casbah used to be the barracks of the French Foreign Legion, nothing reminds the visitors of this fact.
French cuisine is still very popular. One can buy baguette, campania and bruschetta in the snack bars. There are more authentic things as well like the Arabian Sea shop pie which can be found in every café and in the shops of the bazaar.
There is no holiday resort without first class hotels and there are lots of them. Usually, they have their own beaches and pools, European and Arab restaurants and clubs. The usually four to five star hotels try to outdo each other in terms of services and the winners are the guests.
There are places with sauna, Jacuzzi, Turkish spa while in others, there are fitness, wellness and thalassotherapy centers while some of them emphasize the presence of clubs, discos and sports.
Tunisian cuisine is a mixture of Arabian, Balkan and Mediterranean flavors. What one likes in the restaurants of Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece or Turkey can also be found here with a different name and along with that, many foods of Morocco and Egypt. There are couscous, tajin, merguez, kifta, dolman and brik. The dominant meat is mutton which is usually roasted.
Olive oil is used for all kinds of cooking. The flavors are somewhat hot thanks to the spicy, chili cream called harissa. French and Tunisian cuisine live side by side not only in the hotels but also on the streets.
In the evenings, hotels offer shows for their guests.
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