Visitors to Tunis familiar with the Novotel’s sleek, reliable selection of hotels won’t be disappointed. The Novotel Tunis was completed in 2012 and it has all the design features, great lighting, spacious rooms and attention to detail that you’d want from an upmarket business hotel. A fifteen-minute walk from Avenue Habib Bourgiba – Tunis’ answer to New York’s Fifth Avenue or London’s Oxford Street – the Novotel is also a short, 7km cab ride from the airport: ideal for the beginning or end of a Tunis work trip or adventure.

The rooms (doubles from Eur120) are sleek, shiny and cosy. Ours came with a comfortable double bed, a hip sofa and a sizeable widescreen television. There was a minibar, housed in a sleek glass fridge, and a dressing area. The bathroom wasn’t cramped, either; it had a full bath and a stylish sink. If you’re visiting for work, worry not; the rooms have desks and comfortable chairs that won’t strain your shoulders. The Wi-Fi is speedy on all floors of the hotel, and there’s adequate soundproofing to ensure a good night’s sleep.

The views from the rooms aren’t much to write home about, but we can forgive that when the Novotel has such a great rooftop pool bar. Don’t stay here without zipping up to the top floor and checking it out. During the daytime, you can quietly swim while the Tunis traffic hums below; after dark, the space becomes a party in the sky, complete with DJ sets, local music heroes and a wine bar. Gazing down on the palm-lined avenues of Tunis, you’ll get a new perspective on the great Maghreb city.

We liked the Novotel for most everything except the extra charge for breakfast. If you don’t mind the US15 addition to your check, you can tuck into pancakes, hot dishes, fruit salads, freshly-ground coffee and charcuterie plates to your heart’s content. There’s a good lunch and dinner menu here, too, and it’s a nice place to have a business meeting; the main restaurant/bar is filled with light and has more than enough plug sockets to go round.