Tunisian Coastal Hotel With Eclectic Decor And Fine Food

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Kissing the Mediterranean Sea, boutique edifice Maison Dedine is an oasis of calm connected the northbound seashore of Tunisia blending an eclectic premix of modern and accepted architecture and decor.

Named aft its proprietor Nebil Sinaoul, truthful adjacent is this five-room, marble-floored mansion to the sea, guests are serenaded to slumber by the rhythmic waves riding successful from the Gulf of Tunis. Floor-to-ceiling windows successful a lounge connected the archetypal level assistance panoramic vistas crossed the h2o arsenic birds flit crossed the glittering waters. 

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Soft armchairs, a sofa and shelves of books embracing subjects arsenic divers arsenic art, cinema, architecture and Tunisian past heighten the relaxed ambiance here. 

Another panoramic presumption is offered from the hotel’s ample extortion terrace, often utilized for wedding receptions, which overlooks a adjacent harbor filled with yachts.

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Purchased sixty years agone successful the upscale coastal municipality of Sidi Bou Said, Maison Dedine underwent large renovations astir 2 years led by designer Sandra Sinaoul earlier opening its doors to adults-only guests implicit 4 years ago. While staying determination recently, we met planetary guests including Belgians and Americans. 

Service is businesslike and warm, led by affable location manager Sana.

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Overall, the spacious interior of Maison Dedine is agleam and uplifting with a divers scope of furnishings. Large-scale modern paintings and achromatic and achromatic photographs by Sabri ben Mlouka adorn the walls with a big of decorative artifacts specified arsenic accepted woody cabinets featuring mother-of-pearl marquetry, elephantine ceramic supplication beads hanging from a partition and phantasy sculptures of what look similar comical ant-eaters successful a spicy premix of colors perched connected agelong bladed pedestals by section creator Rym Karoui. A postulation of astir 30 framed achromatic and achromatic photographs connected 1 partition pays tribute to the owner’s extended household dating backmost respective generations.

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Our room, entitled ‘Uncle’ with its doorway adorned by a full-length photograph of Nebil’s uncle, comprised a comfy chamber with tile and carpet flooring, built-in closets, duplicate armchairs and java table, walk-in ablution and a large surface TV.

A backstage terrace accessed done sliding doors featured plot chairs with brushed cushions and a java array with views retired to oversea successful beforehand and a hillside down filled with cacti, agave and aloe plants.

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While Maison Dedine doesn’t person its ain restaurant, guests tin petition successful beforehand a backstage eating experience. While there, we were fortunate to person enjoyed 1 and feasted connected a multi-course meal (more similar a nutrient feast) prepared by section cook Mohamed Arbi Jelassi. It included 2 accepted soups - hsou, a spicy and hearty soup with beef balls, and chorba zaara with chicken; 2 salads - mechouia, a grilled crockery of tomatoes, roasted reddish peppers, garlic, olive lipid and herbs, and a Japanese-style tataki crockery with chicken. There were besides briks, oregon bureks, triangular-shaped filo pastry pockets filled with egg, chopped onion, tuna, harissa and parsley. 

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Main dishes included tournedos, souris of lamb and chickenhearted with greenish capsicum and bluish food sauce. Add to this couscous and calamari farci positive desserts specified arsenic assida, a pudding with pistachio and Aleppo conifer seed cream, and zrigua, a saccharine biscuit with roseate water, and you tin recognize however we staggered, satiated from the meal table.

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And it’s not conscionable meal dishes that are deliciously divers astatine Maison Dedine. You cognize you’re successful for an enjoyable meal erstwhile accompaniments see 5 types of virgin olive lipid (lemon, rosemary, garlic, capsicum and pure), 4 antithetic peppers, 2 salts and 4 assorted honeys. 

As for the nutrient itself, assorted cheeses, acold cuts, effect salad, homemade granola, eggs, salmon and pastries springiness an thought of the variety. Not to notation accepted dishes specified arsenic meloui, a benignant of Tunisian bread; b’sissa, a Berber crockery featuring roasted wheat and vegetables including chickpeas and lentils, and madmouja, a dessert of puff pastry, honey, dates and dried fruits.

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After breakfast, unbend with a accepted java successful the cozy Bedouin-style country overlooking an infinity excavation and the rolling waves beyond.

Sight-seeing opportunities are adjacent by with the charming hill-top municipality of Sidi Bou Said, replete with restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops and museums, with rewarding views down to the larboard and crossed to Tunis, lone a 15-minute locomotion away. 

As the way is up a steep winding seashore road, it whitethorn beryllium worthy taking the abbreviated taxi thrust there. As for the superior metropolis itself with its bustling medina, it's a specified 20-minute thrust away.