It’s Hamma TIME

by SPLASHING in the waves and building a castle out of golden sand, my two sons seem to have the whole beach to themselves. destination. Our holiday began with a camel ride for my boys on the beach at Gammarth, a popular resort north of Tunis.

Louis and Remy clung on tightly as they were led along by the camel keeper, who told us we had been his only customers that day.

In the afternoon, tour r guide Fathi Bouguezzi took k us to the ruins of ancient Carthage.

Fathi’s knowledge was incredible. There was nothing he didn’t know about the 2,500-year-old civilisation – or those that followed.

Fluent in six languages, he wowed my normally reluctant boys with fascinating nuggets.

Did you know it was the Romans who came up with the word “Africa” – right where we were standing – to mean the land of the Afri people? Fathi did. And now we do too.

Next day we went to the pictur- esque hilltop artists’ hang-out Sidi Bou Said, where every building must conform to the traditional whitewash and cyan colour scheme – making it a must for every visitor.

Here there seemed to be plenty of tourists browsing for souvenirs – but few were British.

It was the same the next day in Nabeul where we haggled for a toy camel with an overjoyed market trader who seemed delighted to be negotiating in English again.

We split our time between Tunis and Hammamet’s Les Orangers Be Beach Resort, which has several out outdoor pools and an indoor pool wit with magnificent views at sunset.

I Its facilities were ideal for families, with children of all ages. famT

The entertainment team had endless enthusiasm and were up on stage for the disco every night, which Remy loved.

Want sporting activity? You couldn’t ask for more.

Want to top up your tan? There’s plenty of room to rest undisturbed in the lush grounds or on the beach.

Our hotel had guards on permanent patrol on site and at the beach. Soldiers and armed police are a discreet but reassuring presence.

After our exceptional week away, it’s hard to imagine a better protected and more inviting place to spend a holiday next summer.

The friendliness of every person we met – working in tourism or not – is the most striking thing of all.

National carrier Tunisair has one flight a day from London to Tunis but will restart charter flights from April, with larger aircraft.

They plan to provide services to Enfidha and Monastir, the closest airports to the main resorts.

Make no mistake, Tunisia wants Brits back. FACTFILE: Tunisia Tourism: www. discovertunisia. com/ en. Tunisair operates the only daily direct flight from Heathrow to Tunis. Return economy flights from £ 199pp including tax and subject to change. See tunisair.com or 0203 056 8998. Les Orangers Beach Resort: tunisiaorangers.com