Houses for rent in Ghar El Meleh

Ghar El Meleh, which many spell Ghar El Melh and history books call Porto Farina, is an old town of fishermen and market gardeners set between Djebel Nadhour and the lagoon. People come for the port and its Ottoman forts, for fish in the evening and above all for Sidi Ali El Mekki beach, at the end of the cape road. A house for rent in Ghar El Melh therefore means two separate markets: summer lets, by the week or the month, and yearly rentals for people who work in the area.

Very little is listed: a single house listing was online at the last update of this page, posted by a private owner. Most houses are still let through acquaintances, or with a sign on the front wall at the start of summer. On Houni, the owner posts the listing and you call them directly. To compare with Raf Raf, Ras Jebel or the city of Bizerte, see all the houses for rent in Bizerte governorate.

Summer: Sidi Ali El Mekki, the port and the lagoon

From June to September, demand changes scale. Families from Tunis, Ariana or Manouba, emigrants home for the summer, groups of friends: they all want a house a few minutes from Sidi Ali El Mekki, whose calm water and pale sand make it one of the busiest beaches in the governorate at weekends. Summer houses are often simple builds, a ground floor with two or three bedrooms, a courtyard and sometimes a terrace looking out over the lagoon or the sea.

To rent a house in Ghar El Meleh in July or August, you need to start early, in spring: the good places are booked year after year by the same families. Prices are quoted by the week or the fortnight, and rise sharply around 15 August. Late June and September remain the best times for a quieter stay and a more reasonable rent.

Year-round: the town, Ousja and Zouaouine

Out of season, Ghar El Meleh goes back to being a small farming and fishing town. Year-round houses are mostly in the town itself, around the old port and in the streets climbing the hill, with old stone dars and newer houses built by local families. Tenants are teachers, public sector staff, and people working at the fishing port or on the farms nearby.

Ousja and Zouaouine, the delegation's other two sectors, are more rural: village houses with a courtyard, sometimes a garden, away from the summer crowds. Rents there are modest, often well below what the city of Bizerte asks, but you need a car for shopping and work. Arabic searches such as « منازل للكراء في غار الملح » or « شقق للكراء غار الملح » show that people also look for flats, but a flat for rent in Ghar El Melh is still rare: housing is almost all detached. The page of homes for rent in Ghar El Meleh brings together houses, upper floors and flats when there are any.

What to check before renting

For a summer let, ask for recent photos, the exact address and the real distance to the beach, the water supply in August and whether there is a tank, because pressure drops when the town fills up. Be clear about what is provided: bedding, crockery, air conditioning, gas. A down payment is customary to book: get a written receipt with the dates and the total amount, and pay the balance on arrival once you have seen the house.

For a yearly rental, a written contract registered at the tax office protects both sides, with the deposit, the term and the inventory of fixtures. Old houses near the lagoon get damp in winter: visit after rain if you can, and look at the state of the roof. Anyone who would rather build their own holiday home will find the land for sale in Ghar El Meleh.