Djerba 2015

Now we have already arrived in the year 2015. Since we moved in together in March of this year, we didn't think we would go on vacation again. After all, the money was needed elsewhere. But then a promotional brochure from TUI fluttered into the house and unexpectedly it was Luke who found the advertisement for the new TUI Sensimar Palm Beach Palace in Djerba appealing. Unfortunately, he mentioned this directly in front of me, so we were in the travel agency shortly afterwards to book the trip ;) So, in June, for two weeks, we were going to Tunisia for the second time. This time to Djerba, of course again all-inclusive.

Tunisia: the Second Time

From Frankfurt, we headed towards Djerba. When we arrived there, the weather was beautiful. That's how it should be! The airport was also much less busy here than in Tunis. But that may also be because of the early hour at which we arrived. So, after landing, everything went pretty quickly. Immigration, picking up luggage, and then having it brought to the hotel. This time the way there wasn't very far either. Djerba is not very big.

Actually, there's not much to tell about this vacation. Unfortunately, we didn't go on any excursions. There would have been a few interesting ones, but because Luke felt unsure due to the tense situation, which did not exist during our first vacation in Tunisia, we didn't go on a single excursion but spent the entire week just in the hotel. So, I will have to limit myself to telling a little bit about the hotel, otherwise I will let the pictures do most of the talking.

Our Room

What do you do first after arriving? Of course, settle in the room. They were really big and super clean. The only thing that bothered me a little was the location on the ground floor. Well, it doesn't bother me that much, but Luke prefers it when the room is on a higher floor. He feels more comfortable that way.

Hotel Facility

The facility itself was really nice. Since the hotel had just opened, everything looked very fresh and modern. Of course, there was also the pool as part of the facility. Or rather, the pools. The hotel had two. A quiet pool and a large main pool. But it was generally quite peaceful in the hotel because - attention - it was an adults-only hotel and there were no children here! To our great delight :D The animation was also very discreet. You hardly noticed anything of it. So, no loud music echoing throughout the complex.

The Beach

One very important thing: the beach! It was quite nice, but unfortunately often dirty with algae. We didn't have that in Sousse back then, the beach was a bit nicer there. But otherwise, it was wonderfully quiet, the beach chairs had plenty of distance between them, and from time to time, you could see a camel walking along the beach. However, what was misleading was the constant wind. Because of that, it was quite pleasant to stay in the sun, and despite using a lot of sunscreen, we were punished with a deadly sunburn. That's why even today I still have a light patch on my back where my skin peeled. Luke's nose eventually burst open from sunburn, even though we mostly stayed in the shade. Yes, I know, not very healthy!

Food

We spent most of the time lying on the beach or by the pool, and eating. Another very important thing in an all-inclusive hotel. The food at the hotel was really good. The buffet restaurant was very diverse, and what I also loved was that there was a corner with local cuisine! Very delicious, we indulged in it very often. There was also fresh grilled fish often. I don't eat fish, but Luke enjoyed it. There was also an à la carte restaurant that we were allowed to visit once during our stay. The menu, translated into German and English, was really interesting. Too bad we didn't take a photo of all the funny translations, but we had a lot of fun with them! :D The food at the restaurant was okay, but it could have been better. I don't have many photos here, these were taken while eating on the terrace there:

Evening Entertainment

The evening entertainment was also taken care of. It took place on the terrace above the pool and sometimes it was rather bad than good, but we also had fun with the nice singer who unintentionally interpreted songs like 'Killing me softly' differently :D But the acrobats were not bad either.

A rather unpleasant topic

Two days before our return flight, the attack in Sousse happened at a hotel not far from the one where we spent our first vacation in Tunisia. And even right next to the hotel where a friend of mine also spent her vacation two years ago. This just showed that something bad like this can happen to anyone. Our phones were buzzing that day, even though we were far away from the events on the mainland. We assured our families that we were okay. After all, we would soon be returning home. I have to admit that we spent our last day of vacation in a somewhat somber mood. How could we still enjoy our vacation when just a short distance away, people had died on the beach where we had vacationed a few years ago? And all of this through an act of pure violence and hatred... I probably don't need to mention the police presence on the beach now. When we flew back the next day, the plane was almost full, almost overcrowded, as everyone wanted to go back home. We arrived there safely as well.

Conclusion

Despite the rather unpleasant ending, we had a great time at the Sensimar Palm Beach Palace. The hotel is really great! Good food, a beautiful facility, great pools, and most importantly, tranquility. In all-inclusive hotels, it can often be quite noisy and bustling, but that was not the case here. We had a whole week of peace and relaxation. But: I would never spend a whole week on vacation again without going on a single excursion! It may be nice for a few days, but for a whole week, it was quite boring. Eventually, I just didn't feel like lying around all day and doing nothing. I also have to admit that we really overdid it with the eating (and that's exactly what it was). I won't mention how much weight we gained after the week :D But the food was just too good ;)