On December 30, 2020, we decided to go on a trip to Sousse which is around a 2 hour drive from Tunis. We used our Marriot points to book at Pearl Marriot Resort and Spa which is right next to the beach. The hotel was fantastic and the service was outstanding with an indoor pool, spa, and a couple of restaurants. We received a complimentary upgrade to a suite and also free snacks because of our Gold Elite status I believe. For lunch, we went to Gourmandaise and had burgers and pasta before playing with Aiden on the beach.
After snacking, we went swimming in the indoor pool and then did a sauna for 20 minutes. Came back to the hotel room and read to Aiden before he slept around 8:15.
Day 2 we decided to go to El Jem which has an amphitheater. It took around two hours to get there from Sousse and it was quite impressive. Gladiator was filmed there and Sona/Aiden took a camel ride. We toured the place for 2 hours and took a lot of pictures. On the way back, we decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe where he had fajitas and drinks to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Returned around 4 and hung out at hotel until dinner at 8 where we went to the hotel restaurant for a buffet. Went to be bed around 11 but hard to sleep since AC wasn’t working right.
Day 3 was touring Ribat and the Medina. Ribat was amazing and we were the only ones at the fort. Climbed up the 100 or so steps to the top and got a fantastic view of central Sousse. We ate at an authentic Tunisian place and had couscous while Aiden had spaghetti. Sona booked a massage for us at 4 so we retuned early to get ready for that. The massage was divine and we hired a babysitter to watch Aiden.
Dinner was the Asian Fusion place at the hotel and the food was so-so. Sushi was okay but the pad thai noodles wasn’t authentic along with the Tom Yum soup.
The next morning we checked out around 10 to head to Friguia Park which is a zoo on the way back to Tunis. Saw some unique animals like the White Tiger and White Lion and Aiden fed some lemurs which was cool. Perfect weather to walk but the animals were kind of lazy and not in the mood to engage with people. We got back home around 4:30 and the Sousse adventure is complete. We will definitely go back in the summer and probably stay at the same hotel since the customer service was outstanding!
