At a Glance
- Perched on Sidi Bou Saïd cliffs, La Villa Bleue captures Tunisia’s coastal beauty and calm.
- Its 13 rooms blend handcrafted design, Mediterranean light, and Arab-Andalusian heritage.
- Guests enjoy slow living with fine dining, sea views, and serene hammam experiences.
La Villa Bleue, a 5-star luxury hotel located 700 m from Majorelle Gardens, isn’t the kind of hotel you check into; it’s the kind of place you quietly sink into. Situated on the cliffs of Sidi Bou Saïd, it is one of Tunisia’s most enchanting boutique hotels.
Overlooking the Mediterranean, this Arab-Andalusian-style retreat blends handcrafted Tunisian design, sea-view terraces, and the calm rhythm of village life.
For travelers seeking culture, comfort, and coastal serenity, La Villa Bleue offers a rare window into Tunisia’s timeless charm. Once a private home, the villa has been turned into a small, 13-room retreat that keeps its soul intact.
The woodwork is hand-carved, the tiles are old zellige, and the walls seem to remember the lives that passed before. Yet nothing feels dated. The touch is light, almost invisible — comfort without fuss, history without the weight.
A heritage kept alive
Architect Tarek Ben Miled imagined La Villa Bleue as a quiet nod to Tunisia’s Arab-Andalusian past. There are vaulted corridors and shaded courtyards, wrought-iron balconies that open to the wind, and tiled fountains murmuring softly in the corners.
Inside, Italian designer Edoardo Palermo added warmth and ease, linen curtains, antique mirrors, and the kind of furniture that feels collected over time rather than bought all at once.
Every window has its own view of the Mediterranean, and every terrace seems to drift toward the sea. It’s a place where you can sit for an hour doing nothing, watching the light change, the color of the water deepening as the day fades.
Life above the sea
Sidi Bou Saïd has long pulled in dreamers, painters, poets, travelers who come for the blue doors and stay for the silence. From the villa’s terraces, you can see the ruins of Carthage, the curve of La Marsa Bay, and the faint line of Tunis far in the distance.
Mornings begin slowly: a pot of mint tea, the sound of the village waking. Later, maybe a walk through the cobbled streets, a stop at an artisan shop, or a visit to Café des Délices, where the whole coast seems to hang in the air beneath you. Nights often end under the stars, the hum of conversation mixing with the sea breeze.
Rooms with a soul
Each of the 13 rooms feels different, some with their own terraces, others with arched windows framing the horizon.
The bathrooms are marble, the linens crisp, the decor simple and local. There’s no sense of excess; everything belongs. The feeling is more “gracious home” than “hotel.” You half expect a friend to appear with a glass of wine and a story.
Dining by the water
The villa’s restaurant looks straight out to sea. The menu changes often but leans toward Mediterranean flavors touched with Tunisia and France, grilled dorade, octopus brushed with harissa oil, oranges sliced thin with olive oil and mint.
You can eat inside, on the terrace, or by the pool, where the palms move with the breeze. It’s not the kind of place where meals are rushed. Dinner stretches out; conversation lingers.
Rest and renewal
La Villa Bleue also has a hammam, a small spa, and two pools hidden among the gardens. Treatments use oils scented with jasmine and citrus, made nearby.
Yet wellness here is less about indulgence than quiet, a chance to breathe, to slow down, to listen to the world without noise.
People sometimes rent the whole villa for small weddings or private celebrations. The terraces fill with candlelight, and the sea becomes a backdrop more beautiful than any decor. It’s intimate, almost cinematic.
A quiet escape
More than a destination, La Villa Bleue feels like a pause, a gentle space between the noise of travel and the peace of belonging somewhere. It gathers everything that makes Tunisia’s coast special: the old houses, the endless sea, the smell of jasmine at dusk.
For travelers who love places with soul, it’s not just a stay. It’s a small piece of Sidi Bou Saïd itself, graceful, sunlit, and full of life.
