Hammamet, Tunisia + Detroit, Michigan
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Alison is re-obsessed with Vikings. It’s the perfect accidentally-stay-up-til-3-am binge-watching show. Lulu is re-obsessed with sauces. All the sauces.
Alison is wishing for Fancy Sprinkles’ edible prism powder. She was sold by the Facebook Ad with the girl putting glitter in her glass of rosé. Lulu just wants to go to a cocktail bar. Fancy food, good drinks, people to watch, people to talk to, just get her out PLEASE.
Half-way through researching her day, she realized that a lot of the things she was interested in doing, Lulu had already done while visiting Tunis, Tunisia.
Even though Hammamet is only an hour away, Alison decided to proceed with her location choice as she is very excited about the adults only resort she found - La Badira. She of course invited her husband, Chris, spending over $4,000 on his roundtrip premium economy ticket. She is staying in one of the hotel’s Legend Suites, so named after legendary visitors - Paul Klee, August Macke, Georges Sebastian, Wallis Simpson - who frequented the North African locale. Specifically, Alison has reserved the Jean Cocteau Suite, a vision in black and white decor boasting a sea view. A separate living area with dining and lounge arrangements along with a bathroom with separate shower and bathtub are nice, but its the terrace with a sun bed and the private infinity pool that have Alison drooling. The resort has all kinds of desirable features - in addition to the views and kid-free serenity of course. There are more dining options than one would have time to take advantage of, two on-site boutiques, and…
…a spa! Not just any spa, this is an oasis retreat. There are hammams, yoga and fitness rooms, a tea room, a heated pool, and massage rooms. Alison books the Duo Privilege Ceremony for her and her husband. You spend two hours going through an oriental hammam ceremony, traditional exfoliation in private hammam, a soak in a japanese duo bath, followed by a massage of your preference. You can upgrade and get an additional facial treatment. All of this for less than $200 per person!
Alison makes the hour drive over to Tunis, Tunisia to eat lunch at the rooftop restaurant of the Dar El Jeld Hotel & Spa. She is looking forward to sampling all of the Tunisian wines.
Next she’s going to embark on this 3-Day Tunisia Sahara Desert Camel Trek. Only problem is she doesn’t want to go for a whole day, perhaps just a few hours? I don’t think Alison is accounting for the effort it takes to get into the desert on a camel, or the time involved, but let’s say the guides agreed to a shorter tour, there is also the issue that this tour leaves from Douz, a five hour drive from Hammamet. Alison loves the Tunisian terrain so much she didn’t realize how far zoomed out she’d gotten on her Google Maps window. So if you are planning on visiting Douz, or are interested in a three day camel safari, eating delicacies from both Bedouin and Berber cuisine, and learning about the cultures and terrain of the desert, then this is the trip for you!
Wanting to do a little shopping, Alison heads back towards Hammamet and stops in Sousse, where the Soula Center is located. After reviewing the reviews, it seems like it is part shopping mall, part bazaar, part tourist trap…but a few souvenirs couldn’t hurt! Alison plans on dropping $1,000 on handicrafts, jewelry and more!
This Sahara Desert Romantic Dune Dinner Experience is sure to be the perfect end to her adults only day. She did have to drive back down to Douz. There a 4x4 drives you across the dunes to a traditional Berber-style camp, where a welcome drink and a three course dinner await you, and you can spend the night looking up at a clear desert sky.
Lulu is very excited to be staying at the Shinola Hotel, a stunning contribution to the downtown Detroit scene. Gorgeous decor and elevated amenities create an upgraded residential experience to your hotel stay. That’s a fancier way of saying “you’ll feel right at home…if your home had some taste and some money thrown at it”. The suite comes with a turntable and vinyl collection in-room, as well as comfy-luxe decor aka perfectly insta-worthy backdrops. Some great dining is in store for you as well, they have an Italian restaurant, a cocktail bar, a beer hall, and a fried chicken spot all right there on-site.
Lulu grabs some breakfast at Sweet Potato Sensations, where she notices they have a “sweet” menu and a “savory” menu. A little bit of btohw ould be nice! SHe has J.T.’s special, which has you choosing a sweet potato waffle or sweet potato pancakes topped with either 3 whole chicken wings, 4 house spiced turkey sausage patties, a turkey chop, or 2 crispy salmon croquettes. There are also LOTS of pies! She could have gone for the classic Sweet potato pie, but she had to go with their three-layer German chocolate cake. The whole cake!
Shinola Hotel sits on Parker’s Alley, which has loads of unique retail, a charitable flower shop and a coffee bar! It also has Shinola’s branded goods store, where Lulu purchases:
the Detrola watch in a peony color that really pops! - $395
the Guardian travel clock, waking you up, analog style! - $195
and a bicycle, the Runwell is made for women and for men - $2950
After her shopping spree it’s time for some lunch at Central Kitchen and Bar, where she has had one of her best meals of her life, in real life. Lulu is happy to be getting their cauliflower tacos, which are unlike any other. She’ll probably get some french onion soup as well.
Next Lulu visits Third Man Records, where she is excited to use their vintage recording booth. For $20 you can record something for two minutes, and get it pressed onto vinyl! How awesome does that sound?! Lulu’s not using the provided acoustic guitar, oh no. She purchased a Excalibur XR Reedless Ultralight MIDI accordion from Reverb.com that will surely help usher in her rock star status.
After her 2-minutes of fame, Lulu heads to Aura Aura to get her energy captured in a portrait. She also gets the in-depth interpretation offering, because there’s more to this than what your mood ring can tell you!
Now that she’s had her musical and mystical afternoon, Lulu is off to dinner at Selden Standard. She orders the grilled cabbage salad, the grilled ribeye, Tea service, and The Fluffernutter - banana pudding with peanut butter caramel and marshmallow. The child in her is ecstatic about that dessert, the keto-follower less so.
Lulu’s final stop in Detroit is The Siren Hotel, because she’s realized that some of the best bars can be found in hotels these days. This one most certainly does not disappoint! Candy Bar is a cocktail bar where red and pink furnishings and decor set the tone for the confectionary-inspired variations on classic cocktails you hear calling your name. The “Lady Diana” is complex - pistachio-infused Aquavit, gin, yellow Chartreuse, and bay leaf tea honey - served with a candied bay leaf garnish that’s leftover from making the tea honey. Second drink is a variation on the Old Fashioned that sounds wonderfully sweet thanks to Werther’s caramel bitters and walnut liqueur.
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