Great holiday in Cyprus
There are several reasons to visit Cyprus in autumn. Firstly, there is no sweltering heat (in summer we have enough heat of our own). Secondly, prices and the influx of tourists are smaller. And besides, this is such a way to prolong the summer a little, when everyone at home is freezing in anticipation of the heating season).
We chose Panas Village Holiday in Ayia Napa for several reasons:
1. In terms of price-quality ratio, the hotel is the most optimal, and we do not regret that we chose it (description separately).
2. The region has something to see, where to go if you get tired of a beach holiday.
3. The city has several beaches to choose from, worthy of attention.
So, our vacation turned out to be quite short - only 5 days / nights, everyone did not have time, but tried to make the most of these days.
On the first day after the settlement, of course, we went on reconnaissance in search of the nearest beaches. The hotel doesn’t have its own (like everyone else), but it doesn’t matter, since entrance to all beaches is free, and sun loungers and umbrellas cost the same everywhere (2.5 euros per day). The shore in the vicinity of the hotel is rocky, entering the water is not only inconvenient, it is even dangerous. The nearest sandy beach - Pernera - is 5 minutes away, along a beautiful promenade path. The sea is very clean, but salty, even if you dive with your eyes closed, it stings your eyes.
Further behind the cape in a beautiful bay is Sandy Bay Beach, although the water is not so clean there. If you go further - the famous Nissi Beach, which has a bar with a foamy disco 3 times a week. The water there is clean, it will take a very long time to go into the sea. If you go in the opposite direction from the hotel, behind the port there will be Pantahou beach, quite long, but the water there is not so clean. All beaches are equipped with toilets, showers, changing rooms, everything is relatively clean, free of charge, except for the sun loungers mentioned.
In the evening it is nice to walk along the main street of Ayia Napa with bars and shops. There is an amusement park, but we did not stop there, we have one. There is also a monastery in the city where you can go during the day, and a museum of the sea, where we were not recommended to go - there is nothing to see. There is a sculpture park, and a cactus park - for those who live nearby or howl from idleness, otherwise I would not go there on purpose. Coincidentally, during the days of our rest opened a medieval festival. Also as an option, a kind of entertainment. In the evenings, concerts are held in the park near the monastery, costumed processions go. But this is also true, for an amateur, obviously all such events are held to attract tourists.
As for shopping, there are several grocery stores, I can’t single out something better in terms of prices. It makes sense to buy wine there - the cheapest is from 2.80 euros a bottle, and there is no powder. We scored how much you can spend on the plane, the rest - we bought food for lunch (a hotel without lunch), bottled water (it’s better not to drink from the tap), nothing more. This is the place to do bargain shopping.
The next free day we decided to go to Cape Greco, which is located 10 km from the city. Moreover, they planned to do this on rental bikes, but it didn’t work out because of fear of the physical capabilities of all family members.
Regarding bicycle rentals: there are many rental points, prices are from 7 to 10 euros per day, and do you need to specify? what they mean by day - a day or from 9 am to 6 pm. There was a rental point at the hotel, for 8 euros, but the quality and choice left much to be desired, so it's better to go looking around the city. Car rental - from 30 euros + insurance + gasoline, so let everyone decide? which is more convenient. For some, it may seem like a problem with left-hand traffic (for me, it would be a real problem, in particular, in terms of crossing intersections). By the way, there are many bike paths in Ayia Napa and even between neighboring towns, one might say, a paradise for a cyclist, but more often such 3-wheeled hoverboards with a seat (I don’t know what they are called) ride on them. They cost 10 euros for 2 hours, such a pleasure.
We went by bus. No. 101 passes through Ayia Napa, Protaras, Paralimni. He returns back with number 102. The fare costs 1.5 euros, the price is adequate, given that it runs between towns. Buses are clean and air conditioned. At Cape Greco, we walked under the scorching sun, took a few photos. To be honest, you can see it once, but there is not much to do there.
Our most decisive step on vacation - we took a tour from the hotel guide (through the tour operator Join Up), called "The Heart of Cyprus". Maybe we got excited, overpaying a little for street agencies (adult - 65 euros, children - 40 euros), but it was worth it. The tour was a whole day and included the following:
Departure from Ayia Napa, passing through Larnaca, Nicosia. The guide Alex tells a lot of interesting things, in particular about the Turkish occupation (the bus travels along the border of the demilitarized zone), it all touches the soul. Throughout the tour, we learned a lot of interesting things from the guide, in combination with jokes, he made the tour unforgettable, so I respect him a lot. Next stop in the village, you can see how ordinary Greek Cypriots live, then we stop by the Troodos Mountains. It is difficult to describe the beauty, we are driving along mountain serpentines. Next stop is the monastery of Kikos among the mountains. There is something to see, there is a church with miraculous icons, relics. Next - lunch in a cafe, also among the mountains. It's a pity, there was little time to walk around and breathe in the mountain coniferous forest.
Next - wine tasting at the winery. But everything went very quickly, the host let the tour groups through as if on a conveyor belt, although they tried 5 types of wine, some people bought it. Next - a visit to the Greek village of Omodos with all the paraphernalia: narrow streets, taverns with Greeks singing and drinking inside, a church. But it smelled a bit of something touristy, although I won’t hide it - everything looked very atmospheric. The next stop was a visit to the beach in front of the stone of Aphrodite. The beach is so-so, the water is muddy, but like everyone else, I swam around the stone 3 times (I don’t remember why : )). Next - return to Ayia Napa already along the highway along the coast past Limassol, Larnaca, we arrived just in time for dinner.
The next day I decided to go to the neighboring town of Protaras myself, on the same bus 101/102, to walk along the local beaches. Passed Fig tree beach, Vrisi beach, Potami beach. Protaras is located on the other side of the island, and there the sea was stormy, red flags were flying on the beaches. Nevertheless, the daredevils bathed. In general, I noticed that we are in the Mediterranean Sea for the 2nd time, and the sea has always been relatively calm after the Azov and Black Seas, on which I rested the previous 40 years of my life. Maybe it coincided? In general, there was nothing special to do in Protaras, so I came back and managed to relax in our hotel water park and swim on the beach for the last time.
