Break away from the package brigade on the Tunisian island of Djerba says JANE COMMON

THE desert horizon stretched ahead of us, unbroken except for a camel train on the skyline.

We’d been deep in the Sahara for two hours, driving along the dusty road south in a 4X4 and the scenery was a stark scorched orange of sand and sun.

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A flat tyre halted us for ten minutes so I stepped out on to the roadside, sand pricking at my eyes and  skin, forcing me back inside my
 air-conditioned  bubble.

Tyre replaced, we drove into the desert again and soon saw a sign pointing to Pansea Ksar Ghilene.

Our driver took a right and suddenly we were in the middle of a lush green oasis, passing a palm-fringed swimming pool and a bar as we walked through a sprawl of cool white tents to our camp for the night.

I’d been on the island of  Djerba enjoying a bit of five-star luxury in a swanky hotel but, with the desert only three hours away, it seemed silly not to step outside  package-ville and experience the Arabian night.

This camp, though, offered desert lite – no  self-respecting Bedouin camel  herder would rest his sun-weary head here.

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But I like my travel  experiences comfortable and, as I took in my tent and its en-suite bathroom, hot shower and air con, I breathed a
sigh of relief.

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Dinner was a feast of lamb baked in a French pot called a gargoulette in the flames of our desert bonfire.

The bread was cooked in  traditional nomadic style – rolled flat and buried in the embers of the fire.

The accompanying  Tunisian white wine emboldened us to join the Bedouin  dancers in a sort of conga under the stars.

And what stars they were, undimmed by man-made light,.

After the best kip I’ve ever had camping, it was time to head back to Djerba.

Sticky with sand, my friends and I headed to the hammam for a sweat and hose down before mooching around in our fluffy robes.

Tunisia is carving a niche for itself in thalassotherapy, which was developed in France in the 19th Century and uses seawater as its selling point.

Djerba is at the centre of this push, with 18 of the country’s 40 centres on the island.

Floating in the indoor seawater pool at our spa hotel, the Yadis, our feet and heads were  wiggled about by the thalassotherapists.

But we were hankering after some retail therapy, which we found in the souk of Djerba’s main town, Houmt-Souk.

My friend bought a white wrought iron bird cage (not for birds but for plants) for £20 and I picked up an Arabic-looking scarf for £2.
Vendors were friendly but not pushy and you can browse without being harassed to buy.

There are some attractive eateries too.

Pretty
Le Restaurant Dar Ejerbi caught our eye and the prices are  reasonable – £1.70 for a local beer and just over £2 for Couscous Royale.

But when it comes to dinner there’s no need to leave the Yadis, with its five restaurants and a  Moorish café.

For those whose pockets don’t extend to luxury hotels, Houmt-Souk boasts a pretty little hostelry of its own – Hotel Sinbad, bang in the centre of town. While the rooms aren’t far above backpacker standard, there’s no  arguing with the beautiful blue and white-tiled
courtyard bursting with pretty pink flowers and the price tag – a tenner a night.

The one disadvantage of travelling independently in Djerba is that many of the best beaches are attached to the resorts but, as Hotel
Sinbad’s owner assured us, there are some that are open to all.

Hire a beach buggy and guide – £60-odd for two hours – to take you or, if there are a few of you, charter a local taxi for the day for a fairly reasonable £30.

A twice-weekly flight from  Gatwick with Tunisair has made Djerba a bit more accessible.

With a half-hour stop en route in Monastir, the journey takes just over four hours – perfect for a long weekend of beaches, bartering and Bedouin adventure.

FactFile
■ TUNISAIR flies from London Gatwick to Djerba (via Monastir) twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays, with return flights on the same days. Return flights to Djerba start at £220. See tunisair.com
■ Jane stayed at the five-star Yadis Hotel, Djerba. Rooms start at £65 per person per night on a bed and breakfast basis. See yadis.com
■ Overnight stays cost from £43 per person per night for bed & breakfast at the linen tents in the desert at Pansea Ksar Ghilene. Call 00216 75621 870 for more information.