Djerba with kids: planning a family holiday

A holiday village is not a hotel with a corridor. Here, twelve two-storey houses, the diar, stand around the gardens and the pool. Children go from their building to the pool and from the pool to the beach without ever crossing a road. It is that layout, more than any list of amenities, that makes family holidays simple.

Where to sleep when there are four or five of you

The village has 67 rooms and 12 apartments. Rooms sleep 2 to 3 people, with a balcony facing either the gardens or the pool. Apartments take up to 5: the space of a real holiday house, inside the village.

• Garden-view room: quiet, light filtered through the palms, the dar for sleeping in.
• Pool-view room: village life under the balcony, handy for keeping an eye on the children.
• Family apartment: up to 5 people, balcony, stocked fridge on request.

A cot is available on request and should be mentioned when booking. Every unit has air conditioning, wifi, satellite television, a minibar and a bathroom with both shower and bathtub, which is no small thing when you come back from the beach covered in sand.

The pool and the private beach

The central pool is the meeting point of the day. It sits in the middle of the village, ringed by the houses and terraces: from a pool-view balcony you can watch your children swim while you finish your coffee.

The private beach is at the end of the path, a few minutes on foot. Sunloungers and parasols are reserved for village guests. In season, jet ski and parascending are available on the spot; these watersports are chargeable and settled with the operator.

Evenings, without leaving the village

In the evening, life splits between Layali Baris, the show restaurant, and the Salsa Pub, where the mood stays family-friendly. For a quieter end to the day, the Smile Café stays open until midnight: mint tea and fresh juice, a few steps from the houses.

Opening hours, the thing families actually plan around

With children, a day is built around meals. Here are the real service times at the village.

In between, the Smile Café covers the afternoon gap: fresh juices, mint tea, pizzas and sandwiches until midnight. It is the answer to late snacks and late dinners after a day on the beach.

What you find without leaving the village

• Guarded parking at the entrance and wifi across the whole village.
• Hair and beauty salon: cuts, colour, beauty, manicure, pedicure.
• Spa with three treatment rooms, hydrotherapy, hammam and Turkish bath at extra cost.
• Bicycle, scooter and moped rental; horse riding available nearby.
• Digital menus by QR code, shuttles and transfers on request.

Outings that work with children

Djerba Explore, 5.1 km away, combines a museum, a reconstructed traditional village and a crocodile farm: the most reliable half-day with children. The golf club is 1.5 km away, and Djerbahood, the open-air street art museum in Erriadh, takes one to two hours on foot, 20.2 km from the village.

Otherwise the best plan is the simplest one: pool in the morning, beach in the afternoon, one outing every other day. Tell us who is travelling in your booking request and reception will suggest the right accommodation, with an answer within 24 hours.

Which day trips work with children from Midoun?

The whole island sits within 22 km of the Midoun tourist zone. Here are the sites within reach of the village, with their real distance by road.

Are Houmt Souk, Erriadh and Guellala suitable for children?

Yes, as long as you pick the right time. The 13th-century Borj El Kébir fortress takes about an hour to visit. The harbour of Houmt Souk and its lanes are best in the late afternoon, about twenty minutes by car from Midoun. In Erriadh, Djerbahood is a free walk of one to two hours (bring good shoes), and the Ghriba synagogue, in the same village, requires modest dress. Guellala, at 21.6 km, is the farthest outing: the pottery workshops can be visited freely and children watch clay take shape.

How many outings should you plan on a family holiday?

One outing every two days is enough: pool in the morning, beach in the afternoon, and every other day a half-day out. A rental car is the most practical if you plan several outings; a taxi suits a return trip within the day, to be agreed with the driver before leaving. Reception also arranges shuttles and transfers, on request and at an extra charge.