Airports are my ‘thing’, I could happily spend hours in them. There’s something about so many people from so many different places coming together and heading off in the same manner that I find fascinating. The big downside of airports is the noise.

I’ve long been a fan of airport lounges as a travelling hack: they are an oasis of calm in an often hectic terminal. Club Aspire Lounge invited me to try out their newly refurbished lounge at Gatwick North Terminal on our recent holiday.

I was flying to Crete for a week with Boo and my Mum; after check-in and security, we headed to Club Aspire which is located with the other available-to-all lounges (turn left after security and World Duty Free and follow the signs).

We received a warm welcome at reception and were soon sat enjoying a drink and deciding what to eat. The lounge is like many others offering a light buffet with both hot and cold dishes and a bar stocked with complimentary beer, wine and a small selection of spirits. Sparkling wine and Champagne is available to buy. They don’t have the biggest selection of drinks to other lounges however it is more than ample.

Boo and my Mum decided to choose from the cold buffet with meats, cheeses, bread and salad. I opted to try one of the two hot dishes available. It was a vegetable curry and was seriously good – so much so that I filled up with a second plate meaning I wasn’t hungry for our four-hour flight to Crete.

Here’s Boo enjoying a slice of cake as an afternoon treat which you’ll be pleased to know is available in abundance in the lounge…

When looking to book an airport lounge I would recommend checking to see if you have lounge access included with your bank account or credit card. If not there are plenty of offers available online; a quick Google and you’ll find loads and hopefully one matching your departure airport and terminal.

The Club Aspire Lounge isn’t a first-class experience but it doesn’t claim to be – what it offers is comfortable convenience, which it does really well. When asked about lounges people often ask about value for money in terms of drinks/food available and whilst this is a factor when choosing a lounge especially when travelling with children, I think it’s really important that we step away from viewing lounges as a cost v how much you consume in a set period of time and look at the real value of what is often overlooked… calm. When I book into a lounge I look less at the food and drink available and more at what their maximum capacity is; what you’re paying for is the ability to escape the hustle and bustle of the main terminal and start your trip calm and collected.

The Club Aspire Lounge at Gatwick North Terminal ticks all of the above and more – a great mid-range lounge offering for both business and leisure and a good choice for families.

Club Aspire Gatwick North Lounge prices start at £20.99 per adult and £15.99 per child.

Disclosure: We received complimentary access to the Club Aspire Lounge at Gatwick North Terminal 

Our first full day in Tunisia was spent exploring the wonders of Dougga and as the day drew to a close it was time to head to our base for the next couple of nights. Tabarka is situated in the north west corner of Tunisia and is the border town to Algeria. We checked in to the Itropika Beach Hotel – I think it’s important to say from the start this is hotel is a perfect relic of faded grandeur of a yester-year tourism era. Whilst dated the room was clean and more than made up for it with the beautiful sea view. When travelling I find myself waking up before dawn so I can watch sunrise – whilst I have no desire to be awake at this time at home, there’s something so calming and grounding from seeing first hand the day begin.

But that’s not why people visit Tabarka, it’s a rich source of archaeological merit and is the perfect starting point to explore the Atlas mountains (more on my time exploring the Atlas mountains in the next instalment of my discovery of Tunisia). Famed for its coral fishing and annual jazz festival it’s a destination in Tunisia that is fruitful as it is surprising .

The fort of Tabarka is beautifully preserved and we were privileged to go inside, which always the case for the public.

The hard work that is the climb up is instantly rewarded by archaeological artefacts that tell a story of a fort that dates back to 1540 when it was built by Italian Genoese Family with the purpose of housing a garrison. Originally just under 1km from the mainland of Tunisia (it was joined to the mainland during or just after World War II) its has played many roles throughout its rich history with one of it’s most notable when Nationalist leader Habib Bourguiba, who would later go on to become president of post-independence Tunisia, was exiled here by the French colonial authorities in 1952. You’ll find monuments and dedications to Bourguiba throughout the town as a figure of national treasure.

I found the town to be open and welcoming, with the discovery of the beautiful Café Andalous on Avenue Hedi Chaker – its eclectic collection of bric a brac is second only to the amazing authentic tea they serve. We sat with the locals and caught up on an international women’s football game – good old football being the universal ice breaker!

Tabarka may not be an obvious choice or a destination that could entertain you for a week’s stay but if you head in search of ‘more’ of what Tunisia can offer you, then it’s a perfect jewel in the Tunisian coast.

Disclosure: I was a guest of the Tunisian National Tourism Office for the duration of my stay in Tunisia.