The North African country of Tunisia is known for its golden beaches, sunny weather and affordable luxuries. The new 260-room Radisson hotel, in the former French colonial port city of Monastir, is no exception.

The Radisson Blu Resort & Thalasso, Monastir (www.radissonblu.com/resort-monastir), above, sits on 12 acres along the Mediterranean and has three restaurants, five bars and an indoor and two outdoor swimming pools, including one just for children. At the beach, there's water-skiing, Jet-Skiing or sand volleyball.

But the biggest attraction may be its sprawling 150,000-square-foot spa, of which a third is devoted to thalasso (seawater) therapy from Brittany-based Thal'lion Thalasso Cosmetics. Scheduled to open in January, the resort's spa will feature saltwater pools, clay and seaweed wraps and steam bath scrubs.

Best of all, rooms start at 82 Tunisian dinars (about $65 at 1.31 Tunisian dinars to the dollar), making a night in Tunisia a relative bargain.ELAINE GLUSAC


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