Mimosa Tabarka — Hotel in Maghreb

There were just a handful of guests when I arrived for my 3-night stay at Les Mimosas in March 2020, as the Coronavirus crisis was starting to bite; and by the time my stay ended, I was the only guest. One drives uphill on an anonymous street from the start of the town's main avenue (named, inevitably, after Habib Bourguiba) to reach Les Mimosas, which is behind a wall and gate. Inside, there are wonderful grounds with lush plantings, and a large pool that shimmered unused (as I say, it was March) and adjacent clubhouse.||||The P.M. reception clerk was a warm and welcoming gentleman, Ahmed Bouchnak, and when my Arabic failed me he was able to fill the gap with either French or English. He gave me a room at the upper level, from whose window and balcony I had a dazzling view across to the Genoese fort and the Mediterranean. It was good that he did, because he informed me a short while after check-in that Tunisian health authorities had called to say that, as someone who had arrived early that morning in Tunisia after two days near Rome, I had to be kept under quarantine in my room for the duration of my stay.||||Both Ahmed in the evenings and Kareem, desk clerk in the mornings, were very welcoming, and both quickly relaxed the stricture requiring me to stay in my room. This was vital, because the hotel's Wi-Fi is only available in the lobby, not in the rooms, and I was ended up spending a lot of time frantically searching for flights that would take me out of Tunisia at the end of my planned week there, flights that kept getting canceled hours after I would book them. I was the only guest to use a side room off the lobby with a view of the pool and across the town to the sea, and that is the room in which I was served every meal, which the hotel duly provided to its restricted guest.||||My room at the upper level had two twin beds placed side by side, and a balcony with great views. The furnishings inside were limited and tired, and the lighting inadequate at night: the only light bright enough to read by was in the vestibule just inside the door, where there was no place to sit. The bathroom had the essentials, but the bathtub looked battered and uninviting. I did not use it for either a bath or a shower.||||I was delighted, on my third morning, when the staff informed me that the hotel management wanted me to leave. (I was afraid I might be held under lockdown for two weeks, and perhaps the hotel feared this foreigner might get sick on them.) So a place where I had come to feel very comfortable, even if confined, would now be a memory -- and a pleasant one at that. The bill, including all meals, came to $98 for three...

I stayed there for one night because I did not want to stay in the tourist places at the coast. If you want a flashback to the colonial times this is the place for you. Apparently they did not change very much since. In the vitrines you can still see a dedication from the french poet Louis Aragon who died in 1982. If you can, stay in the old part of the hotel. The rooms are quite big, there was a bathtub but no bung. The room and everything was clean and a little bit neglected, but still ok. Internet access could be improved, WLAN access was weak and not working when I was there. The breakfast was one of the best I had in Tunisia, and they had real coffee, not this instant water. Unfortunately I could not test the restaurant. If you book the hotel directly you can stay there (single room) for 50-60 DInars (25 Euro) - this is definitively a bargain and you support a part of the cultural heritage of this place. I will...

We had a nice stay in the Mimosa, was great value for money, and the food was good when we ate there, plus the staff were friendly and helpful. We were determined to avoid the cheesy tourist zone further along the beach, and wanted a place that would have locals staying at it, and this wast he Mimosa. Pool was clean and nice to use, bar was well priced with good selection, overall I'd recommend for a middle of the road hotel. The walls aren't thick though, so if you have loud people in next room, you will hear them, but only had that on one night. It's right in town too, so 2 minute walk from shops, and maybe five minute walk at slow ambling pace to get to the beach, and another few minutes to the marina with some of the restaurants there too. We learned a few words of Arabic, and this delighted and amused the locals, and the hotel staff no end, recommend for any trip to Arabic speaking parts, always gets...