I chose the hotel based on reviews on the Internet and did not regret it. Advantages: 1. Located on the main street of Protaras, you can take a walk in the evening - see the people. Not far from the clean municipal beach - 10 minutes walking distance, two supermarkets on the way. 2. Near the temple of Elijah the Prophet.
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I chose the hotel based on reviews on the Internet and did not regret it.
Advantages:
1. Located on the main street of Protaras, you can take a walk in the evening - see the people. Not far from the clean municipal beach - 10 minutes walking distance, two supermarkets on the way.
2. Near the temple of Elijah the Prophet.
3. From the roof or from the fire exit, you can watch a musical and water show.
4. Classic English breakfasts.
5. Variety of delicious meals for dinner including eating soup.
6. I took the Standard number. The room had two beds - double and single, TV, fridge and kettle.
7. Free air conditioning.
Disadvantages:
1. Expensive drinks at dinner - about three times more expensive than in stores. But you could bring your own bottle of water.
2. Dance evenings (there were two of them in 10 nights) lasted until 23:00. They interfered with sleep - our windows were on the pool.
Advantages:
1. Located on the main street of Protaras, you can take a walk in the evening - see the people. Not far from the clean municipal beach - 10 minutes walking distance, two supermarkets on the way.
2. Near the temple of Elijah the Prophet.
3. From the roof or from the fire exit, you can watch a musical and water show.
4. Classic English breakfasts.
5. Variety of delicious meals for dinner including eating soup.
6. I took the Standard number. The room had two beds - double and single, TV, fridge and kettle.
7. Free air conditioning.
Disadvantages:
1. Expensive drinks at dinner - about three times more expensive than in stores. But you could bring your own bottle of water.
2. Dance evenings (there were two of them in 10 nights) lasted until 23:00. They interfered with sleep - our windows were on the pool.
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Summary: for the money - very good! PROS: 1) great location. Center of Protaras, right next door to McDonald's and dancing fountains. At the entrance is a bus stop. The hotel stands on the main street of the town, all shops, taverns, restaurants - a maximum of 10 minutes on foot. 2) Sea. 10 minutes leisurely walk - and you are on the best beach in Protaras.
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Summary: for the money - very good!
PROS:
1) great location. Center of Protaras, right next door to McDonald's and dancing fountains. At the entrance is a bus stop. The hotel stands on the main street of the town, all shops, taverns, restaurants - a maximum of 10 minutes on foot.
2) Sea. 10 minutes leisurely walk - and you are on the best beach in Protaras. The beach is just magical, I have never seen anything like it.
In general, there are two good beaches in Protaras - Vrissi (this one) and the beach of fig trees (neighboring, a little further).
3) The staff and cleaning are excellent. Daily cleaning of the rooms, change of towels, excellent service by the waiters in the restaurant.
4) Food - 10/10. BOMB! The dinner menu was not repeated once in 7 days. Be sure to have at least 5 types of meat, a huge selection of fresh salads. Dishes are at the level of expensive Kyiv restaurants, and this is at the buffet : -) A small selection of only fruits (usually 2 types), but grapes, for example, were delicious.
All alcoholic cocktails in the evening - 2.50 euros (the price is cheaper than in Kyiv restaurants).
5) entertainment - not bad, for 7 days one evening of Greek culture, combined in a barbecue in the fresh air (amateur performances, amusing) and one evening of live music - a girl sang, very wonderful, really liked it. ATTENTION, from the windows of the fire escape to the left of the elevator, you can freely watch the dancing fountain show! review - better than the audience there! Save 25 euros per person! serious bonus : -)
6) The staff understands Russian. Half the time at the reception sits completely Russian uncle.
7) For amateurs, there is a fairly large pool and a paddling pool for children. The area around the pool is equipped with sun loungers and parasols.
MINUSES: for its price - THEY ARE NOT : -)
NOTES: attention, the number of rooms is OLD. In short, the rooms are like a GOOD Soviet hotel.
If you cannot imagine life without European-style renovation, gilding and plasma panels, you should not go to this hotel.
At the same time - EVERYTHING WORKS, cleanly, the furniture is all intact, the air conditioner worked (but not silently), the plumbing is working and clean.
It is interesting that the renovation and decoration of the rooms is VERY DIFFERENT from the common spaces - the restaurant, the pool area, the reception. Common spaces are decent.
Vacationers - 50/50 Russian family tourists / Western European pensioners. "Tagil!!!! " - missing
Disco, nightlife - absent as a class.
CONCLUSION - an excellent hotel for calm, economical, NON-PATHIC people, for families with children, to take out old parents. oh and delicious food
ADVIСE -
1) On the way to the beach, there is a Golden Star supermarket on the right. This is the best place to buy anything. For example, water - 0.40 euro / 1.5l. (uncompromising price). In the "kiosk" of the hotel everything is expensive.
2) It is elementary to go to the water park: right next to the entrance to the hotel, sit down on the state.
bus number 102, go to the final. The water park opens at 10-00, you can arrive 20 minutes in advance to buy a ticket. Back - bus number 101, get off where you sat down. travel - 1.5 euros.
3) Arrange a promenade along the beach to the cape of fig trees. In the evening - beauty indescribable
4) Be sure to try the fish (and meat) meze. VERY GOOD fish meze at Yianna Marie beachfront restaurant. Meze is prepared for at least two, the price is from 14 euros per person.
PROS:
1) great location. Center of Protaras, right next door to McDonald's and dancing fountains. At the entrance is a bus stop. The hotel stands on the main street of the town, all shops, taverns, restaurants - a maximum of 10 minutes on foot.
2) Sea. 10 minutes leisurely walk - and you are on the best beach in Protaras. The beach is just magical, I have never seen anything like it.
In general, there are two good beaches in Protaras - Vrissi (this one) and the beach of fig trees (neighboring, a little further).
3) The staff and cleaning are excellent. Daily cleaning of the rooms, change of towels, excellent service by the waiters in the restaurant.
4) Food - 10/10. BOMB! The dinner menu was not repeated once in 7 days. Be sure to have at least 5 types of meat, a huge selection of fresh salads. Dishes are at the level of expensive Kyiv restaurants, and this is at the buffet : -) A small selection of only fruits (usually 2 types), but grapes, for example, were delicious.
All alcoholic cocktails in the evening - 2.50 euros (the price is cheaper than in Kyiv restaurants).
5) entertainment - not bad, for 7 days one evening of Greek culture, combined in a barbecue in the fresh air (amateur performances, amusing) and one evening of live music - a girl sang, very wonderful, really liked it. ATTENTION, from the windows of the fire escape to the left of the elevator, you can freely watch the dancing fountain show! review - better than the audience there! Save 25 euros per person! serious bonus : -)
6) The staff understands Russian. Half the time at the reception sits completely Russian uncle.
7) For amateurs, there is a fairly large pool and a paddling pool for children. The area around the pool is equipped with sun loungers and parasols.
MINUSES: for its price - THEY ARE NOT : -)
NOTES: attention, the number of rooms is OLD. In short, the rooms are like a GOOD Soviet hotel.
If you cannot imagine life without European-style renovation, gilding and plasma panels, you should not go to this hotel.
At the same time - EVERYTHING WORKS, cleanly, the furniture is all intact, the air conditioner worked (but not silently), the plumbing is working and clean.
It is interesting that the renovation and decoration of the rooms is VERY DIFFERENT from the common spaces - the restaurant, the pool area, the reception. Common spaces are decent.
Vacationers - 50/50 Russian family tourists / Western European pensioners. "Tagil!!!! " - missing
Disco, nightlife - absent as a class.
CONCLUSION - an excellent hotel for calm, economical, NON-PATHIC people, for families with children, to take out old parents. oh and delicious food
ADVIСE -
1) On the way to the beach, there is a Golden Star supermarket on the right. This is the best place to buy anything. For example, water - 0.40 euro / 1.5l. (uncompromising price). In the "kiosk" of the hotel everything is expensive.
2) It is elementary to go to the water park: right next to the entrance to the hotel, sit down on the state.
bus number 102, go to the final. The water park opens at 10-00, you can arrive 20 minutes in advance to buy a ticket. Back - bus number 101, get off where you sat down. travel - 1.5 euros.
3) Arrange a promenade along the beach to the cape of fig trees. In the evening - beauty indescribable
4) Be sure to try the fish (and meat) meze. VERY GOOD fish meze at Yianna Marie beachfront restaurant. Meze is prepared for at least two, the price is from 14 euros per person.
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Settled quickly, the room was changed without problems, did not like the view from the window on the McDonald's sign. The rooms are clean, but everything is old (but 2 years have passed, maybe updated) The food was very good, there were also entertainment shows in the evenings. The road to the beach is long, at first we were nervous about this, but then we found it a plus - to walk along the streets past shops and bars .
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Settled quickly, the room was changed without problems, did not like the view from the window on the McDonald's sign.
The rooms are clean, but everything is old (but 2 years have passed, maybe updated)
The food was very good, there were also entertainment shows in the evenings.
The road to the beach is long, at first we were nervous about this, but then we found it a plus - to walk along the streets past shops and bars . . Wi-fi worked poorly, mostly only on the 1st floor.
The territory is small, the pool is normal.
Bonus view from the balcony to the show of dancing fountains, for which tickets are not cheap. Watched it 3 times and then got bored.
Excursions, bars, transport, local supermarket - everything is nearby.
I recommend for not very whimsical, economical tourists.
The rooms are clean, but everything is old (but 2 years have passed, maybe updated)
The food was very good, there were also entertainment shows in the evenings.
The road to the beach is long, at first we were nervous about this, but then we found it a plus - to walk along the streets past shops and bars . . Wi-fi worked poorly, mostly only on the 1st floor.
The territory is small, the pool is normal.
Bonus view from the balcony to the show of dancing fountains, for which tickets are not cheap. Watched it 3 times and then got bored.
Excursions, bars, transport, local supermarket - everything is nearby.
I recommend for not very whimsical, economical tourists.
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We rested abroad for the first time. We were satisfied. Good weather, clear sea, friendly Cypriots, good food - these are the impressions of Cyprus. Nature is rather poor, but there are other advantages, I wrote about them above. I liked the hotel very much, settled in a superior room. Cleaned every day.
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We rested abroad for the first time. We were satisfied. Good weather, clear sea, friendly Cypriots, good food - these are the impressions of Cyprus. Nature is rather poor, but there are other advantages, I wrote about them above.
I liked the hotel very much, settled in a superior room. Cleaned every day. At the reception, the workers are very pleasant, smile, willingly answer all questions.
I advise you to visit the Tropical dream cafe, near the hotel of the same name, the owner of the cafe Konstantin is very friendly, knows the names of all his customers : )
I liked the hotel very much, settled in a superior room. Cleaned every day. At the reception, the workers are very pleasant, smile, willingly answer all questions.
I advise you to visit the Tropical dream cafe, near the hotel of the same name, the owner of the cafe Konstantin is very friendly, knows the names of all his customers : )
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Budget vacation in fairly comfortable rooms, if you consider that you have to pay extra for almost all the services (prices in the photos). The hotel is not up to the stated three stars in any way. Its advantage is that it is located in the center next to singing fountains, shops, McDonald's, cafes. To the sea (municipal beach) 10 min.
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Budget vacation in fairly comfortable rooms, if you consider that you have to pay extra for almost all the services (prices in the photos). The hotel is not up to the stated three stars in any way. Its advantage is that it is located in the center next to singing fountains, shops, McDonald's, cafes. To the sea (municipal beach) 10 min. on foot. The hotel has its own tennis court, large and children's pools. Types of meals: breakfast or half board. Suitable for young people although the hotel is full of older people.
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A very decent 3* hotel in the center of the resort. Family run, friendly staff. To the sea 600 m. Near McDonald's, near a laser show of fire and water, many cafes, restaurants, shops. Good food, simple but spacious rooms. Quiet hotel, but there is evening entertainment. For all.
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A very decent 3* hotel in the center of the resort. Family run, friendly staff. To the sea 600 m. Near McDonald's, near a laser show of fire and water, many cafes, restaurants, shops. Good food, simple but spacious rooms. Quiet hotel, but there is evening entertainment. For all.
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Old hotel, design of the 90s. Good food for 8 balls. There is where to go. From the rooms of the hotel you can see the singing fountain show, which takes place nearby. Safe, internet for a fee.
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Old hotel, design of the 90s. Good food for 8 balls. There is where to go. From the rooms of the hotel you can see the singing fountain show, which takes place nearby. Safe, internet for a fee.
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We rested in Cyprus from 26.09. 2012 to 06.10. 2012. They flew from Sheremetyevo F, the airline "Transaero". We were very satisfied with the service of the airline, the flight was wonderful, we can say that the vacation began already on the plane, right from the friendly service of the crew and a delicious breakfast.
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We rested in Cyprus from 26.09. 2012 to 06.10. 2012. They flew from Sheremetyevo F, the airline "Transaero". We were very satisfied with the service of the airline, the flight was wonderful, we can say that the vacation began already on the plane, right from the friendly service of the crew and a delicious breakfast. We flew to Paphos for 3 hours, and about the same time we got a transfer to our hotel.
Cyprus met us with stunningly bright sun and warmth, especially considering that when we flew away from Moscow, it was something like +9 degrees. For some time I had to stand in a huge queue for passport control, as 2 Boeing 747-400s landed at the same time, and there were a lot of passengers. The Cypriots opened all the counters to make the process go faster. But now, passport control has been passed, luggage has been safely collected, the host (we were traveling with Natalie Tours) met us and directs us to the bus for further transfer of ourselves, precious ones, to hotels. Slightly intoxicated by the heat, we did not even immediately catch that the doors on the bus were on the wrong side! And only in the bus, blissful from the coolness of the air conditioner, do you realize that the traffic in Cyprus is left-handed. (Well, yes, a former British colony, logically). It seems that theoretically we knew this, but practically it is still unusual and it seems that we are about to “hook” someone, but we are turning the wrong way! However, you quickly get used to it, and now you joyfully see the Cypriot landscapes and resort towns.
For the first time in Cyprus, we probably imagined everything a little differently. And, to be honest, the first feeling from the resort towns was a kind of slight disappointment. Expected to see something like "Ah! " or “Wow! ”, and here... little white houses, lack of greenery, a lot of empty sites, construction sites, and a feeling of unkemptness, or something. Everything seemed to be immaculately clean. Perhaps it was the impression of last year's Spain, where the city was impeccably licked, there was a lot of greenery, It seemed that Cyprus would be even more impeccable... However, this in no way can spoil the feeling of relaxation.
We arrived at the hotel by the time we checked in, so we didn't have to wait. They filled out some small questionnaires, then they took our passports (we did not quite understand why, but the next day they were taken away without any problems). And now - we are already in our room, on the third floor, with a view of McDonald's, the entrance to the "Singing and Dancing" fountains and a side view of the sea. The room is quite standard, the safe is only at the reception (but we didn’t take it), you can rent a kettle and a refrigerator (1.5 euros per day, “wholesale” is cheaper - but somehow we didn’t need it either), there is a hairdryer in the room , air conditioning, the TV was immediately with a remote control (there are hotels where the remote control needs to be taken to the reception on bail, but this is not the case). It was not entirely clear why the TV was standing right in front of the mirror and blocking the view of itself, loved ones. It's kind of funny to see mainly the back of the TV in reflection, and not your person, but it's just funny, and certainly didn't cause any problems for us personally. There is an ironing board and an iron on the floor, in a "niche" near the second elevator. But, if there is a need to iron something, it is better to bring an iron from home, since the ironing board seems to have gone through a difficult battle path, experienced and seen a lot, and its relief resembles, rather, a distant “relative” - a washboard. In any case, I did not manage to iron my skirt or my husband's shirt, although I honestly tried, and even dragged a blanket from the room to cover the ridged relief of the board. But where is it! She returned to her room and took out her iron. (Cyprus has a different mains voltage, and they have different sockets. You need a special adapter adapter. We borrowed it from friends who had previously vacationed in Cyprus in advance of the trip, but in principle, you can buy it in almost any store, for about 2 euros . ) Judging by the trace on the carpet, we were not the first to iron in the room. Someone before us left a mark from the sole of the iron on the floor near the table But we adapted to iron on a small table.
We were able to get to the sea right on the first day. Walk not far, about 5 minutes, there are, of course, a lot of people on the beach. But sea! It's just a fairy tale! Clean, transparent, azure. . . Amazingly warm (+28). . . Corals grow in places near the shore, but finding a soft, velvety, sandy entrance is not a problem. The depth increases gradually, which is especially good for those with children. We traveled a lot, but I have never seen such a sea that you fall in love with right away.
After such a sea, all thoughts of some kind of disappointment and that we were waiting for something else - disappeared on their own. Especially since dinner was ahead.
As for the food, it was amazing. Yes, indeed, breakfasts are less varied, dinners are simply delicious (we didn’t take lunches, so I can’t say anything about them). Among the waiters there are many who speak Russian, the menu for drinks is also in Russian (drinks for dinner are paid, we preferred large fresh juice - 0.5 liters - 4 euros, fruit punches for 2.5 euros, and small decanters with local wine). On the tables, when you come, candles are lit. The drinks are decorated beautifully, the waiters are very friendly and efficient. The food is beyond praise! And when there were meat tables, shish kebabs!... It's such a delicious treat! With fruits, however, not so lucky. The grapes and oranges were delicious. The melons were kind of cottony. And the pears were tasteless. But these are trifles.
And after the first dinner, we already understood why the guide accompanying us on the bus said that by the end of the rest we would begin to sing a certain set of songs. Uh-huh... Fountain show... No, the repertoire, of course, is wide - from the classics - Ravel's Bolero, Khachaturian's saber dance, to Sirtaki, Kalinka-Malinka, Besame Mucho and the final chord - the composition of the Europa group - "The Final countdown". But the music is very loud. True, if the balcony is closed, it’s as if it’s not so audible, but then it’s hot. You turn on the air conditioner. And it hums like a good-powered lawn mower. And how boring! But it is located in such a way that it does not blow directly on a sleeping person, and this, of course, is a plus. The entrance ticket to the fountain show cost, as we were told, at a table without dinner, 23 euros. But for the residents of our hotel, watching the show was not a problem. A magnificent view opened from the roof of the hotel (it did not close, access to it is free), and from the landings, where everything was perfectly visible and audible through the open windows, people attracted chairs from the room, sat down and enjoyed. Very nice, bright and colorful. But, in principle, one time is enough to see.
As for the excursion program, it was here in Cyprus that we tried an individual excursion for the first time. Its cost from our tour operator was 320 euros for two. But, given that we liked three of the standard set of excursions, and the cost of each was about 60 euros per person, we probably won. Since the individual tour included a trip by car for about 8 hours (we ended up with a little more) with a guide, only my husband and I. We chose the time of departure and the route of the trip ourselves. I want to say right away that we were just amazingly lucky with the guide! Elena, that was the name of our guide, had a magical tour for us. We saw both what we planned ourselves and what she suggested to us along the way. Infinitely pleasant in communication, interestingly telling, not imposing anything! Despite the fact that the tour lasted longer than it should have, she did not show any haste and gave us the opportunity to enjoy everything where we wanted to stay. We visited the village of Omodos in the mountains, where they make indescribably beautiful lace and silver products, visited a winery, where we enjoyed Cypriot wines, and tried the famous “Commandaria” - they put the emphasis on “i”, Local moonshine “Zivania”. We chose some of the wine and home, of course. We had lunch in one of the restaurants overlooking Olympus (Of course, not Greek, but somehow, it turns out that Cyprus has its own Mount Olympus) . . We did not even have time to announce that we would like to try the Cypriot national dish " kleftiko”, and Elena has already gone and ordered it for us. As well as a local delicious apple pie. Rather, they are baked apples, topped with large crumbs of crumbly dough and with a white delicate cream on a plate... Prices in a mountain restaurant were two times lower than in a resort town. And the food melted in your mouth. Everything was so delicious, so fresh! Washed down with local homemade lemonade. Even the memory is salivating!
We visited the monastery of Troodotissa, stayed in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. However, in the local language it is called Levkosia, and the signs on the motorway are all to Levkosia. The capital, like Berlin once, is divided by a wall separating the Greek and Turkish parts. If you have a passport, you can get through the border checkpoint and to the Turkish part. You fill out a small migration card - Name, Surname, passport number and citizenship, and you go. Stamps are put only in this card, no marks are made in the passport. Of course we went there too. The difference is immediately visible - you get from Europe to the Turkish market. Just like in our movie classic - "The Diamond Arm" - Nicosia is a city of contrasts!
All in all, the excursion was amazing. Informative, voluminous, interesting, and most importantly - you don’t have to wait for anyone, everything is just for you personally. And all in one day. So I strongly advise if you want to visit several places and they are not completed in one “ready-made” excursion - take an individual one and comfort will be provided.
But we ordered a walk on a sea boat at the Nissiotis pier, there are ticket offices there and for 10 euros per person we ordered an excursion walk with a “swim” towards Famagusta, and then to Cape Greco. And a half-hour stop in the Blue Bay for swimming in the open sea. They said that the depth there is 6 meters. But the water is so clear that you can see the bottom!
Swimming was a delight! Comparable only with a parachute flight from a boat (25 euros per person). If there is no fear of heights - it's worth a try, Raise high, fly, soar over the sea, the beauty is below, and it takes your breath away from the feeling of endless happiness! And then they also give you a certificate that you flew at an altitude of 300 meters, on such and such a date, and in general, that's what a fine fellow you are!
However, on vacation everything should please! Moreover, the Cypriots are infinitely friendly and benevolent people, they treat Russians very well, they learn Russian themselves and in almost any shop they can speak Russian with you. And they are also very happy when we try to answer them in their native Greek. At least the same "thank you" - "efharisto" - and they just shine with a joyful smile!
In the town itself on the mountain there is a chapel of St. Elijah. there you can climb the stairs to see the whole of Protaras at a glance
If you wish, you can go to the neighboring towns and the water park yourself. The street on which the hotel stands is one-way, and buses stop at two stops - right outside the hotel. They are signed - on one you can go to Ayia Napa, and on the other to Paralimni and the water park (this is in the opposite direction to Ayia Napa). And buses run regularly, including at night. So, if you wish, you can visit the party-disco Ayia Napa and go back without any problems).
As for shops, we bought food in a shop on the way to the beach. It was very inexpensive. You can walk a little further, 10 minutes walk, there is a Lidl supermarket. There you can buy local Halloumi cheese.
Naturally, there are many souvenir shops for every taste. Lots of shops with watches (? ). Alcohol in some stores is even cheaper than in Duty Free. In any case, we bought a Martini (1 liter) for 6 euros, and in Dutik the price was 7.5. Although this, by and large, is not important. By the way, you can also buy Cypriot sweets - Turkish delight and suzukos - in Dyutik. But we did not know and bought a couple of boxes for treats back in Protaras.
The weather kept us happy throughout our stay. It rained once, and then for 40 seconds. But on the day of departure at the airport, we were met by a thunderstorm, but our flight was delayed with a departure from Moscow, and just because of this, we missed the thunderstorm. And they were already flying into the sky, on which two large beautiful rainbows flaunted across the whole sky... A gift with love at parting from the island of Aphrodite...
Cyprus met us with stunningly bright sun and warmth, especially considering that when we flew away from Moscow, it was something like +9 degrees. For some time I had to stand in a huge queue for passport control, as 2 Boeing 747-400s landed at the same time, and there were a lot of passengers. The Cypriots opened all the counters to make the process go faster. But now, passport control has been passed, luggage has been safely collected, the host (we were traveling with Natalie Tours) met us and directs us to the bus for further transfer of ourselves, precious ones, to hotels. Slightly intoxicated by the heat, we did not even immediately catch that the doors on the bus were on the wrong side! And only in the bus, blissful from the coolness of the air conditioner, do you realize that the traffic in Cyprus is left-handed. (Well, yes, a former British colony, logically). It seems that theoretically we knew this, but practically it is still unusual and it seems that we are about to “hook” someone, but we are turning the wrong way! However, you quickly get used to it, and now you joyfully see the Cypriot landscapes and resort towns.
For the first time in Cyprus, we probably imagined everything a little differently. And, to be honest, the first feeling from the resort towns was a kind of slight disappointment. Expected to see something like "Ah! " or “Wow! ”, and here... little white houses, lack of greenery, a lot of empty sites, construction sites, and a feeling of unkemptness, or something. Everything seemed to be immaculately clean. Perhaps it was the impression of last year's Spain, where the city was impeccably licked, there was a lot of greenery, It seemed that Cyprus would be even more impeccable... However, this in no way can spoil the feeling of relaxation.
We arrived at the hotel by the time we checked in, so we didn't have to wait. They filled out some small questionnaires, then they took our passports (we did not quite understand why, but the next day they were taken away without any problems). And now - we are already in our room, on the third floor, with a view of McDonald's, the entrance to the "Singing and Dancing" fountains and a side view of the sea. The room is quite standard, the safe is only at the reception (but we didn’t take it), you can rent a kettle and a refrigerator (1.5 euros per day, “wholesale” is cheaper - but somehow we didn’t need it either), there is a hairdryer in the room , air conditioning, the TV was immediately with a remote control (there are hotels where the remote control needs to be taken to the reception on bail, but this is not the case). It was not entirely clear why the TV was standing right in front of the mirror and blocking the view of itself, loved ones. It's kind of funny to see mainly the back of the TV in reflection, and not your person, but it's just funny, and certainly didn't cause any problems for us personally. There is an ironing board and an iron on the floor, in a "niche" near the second elevator. But, if there is a need to iron something, it is better to bring an iron from home, since the ironing board seems to have gone through a difficult battle path, experienced and seen a lot, and its relief resembles, rather, a distant “relative” - a washboard. In any case, I did not manage to iron my skirt or my husband's shirt, although I honestly tried, and even dragged a blanket from the room to cover the ridged relief of the board. But where is it! She returned to her room and took out her iron. (Cyprus has a different mains voltage, and they have different sockets. You need a special adapter adapter. We borrowed it from friends who had previously vacationed in Cyprus in advance of the trip, but in principle, you can buy it in almost any store, for about 2 euros . ) Judging by the trace on the carpet, we were not the first to iron in the room. Someone before us left a mark from the sole of the iron on the floor near the table But we adapted to iron on a small table.
We were able to get to the sea right on the first day. Walk not far, about 5 minutes, there are, of course, a lot of people on the beach. But sea! It's just a fairy tale! Clean, transparent, azure. . . Amazingly warm (+28). . . Corals grow in places near the shore, but finding a soft, velvety, sandy entrance is not a problem. The depth increases gradually, which is especially good for those with children. We traveled a lot, but I have never seen such a sea that you fall in love with right away.
After such a sea, all thoughts of some kind of disappointment and that we were waiting for something else - disappeared on their own. Especially since dinner was ahead.
As for the food, it was amazing. Yes, indeed, breakfasts are less varied, dinners are simply delicious (we didn’t take lunches, so I can’t say anything about them). Among the waiters there are many who speak Russian, the menu for drinks is also in Russian (drinks for dinner are paid, we preferred large fresh juice - 0.5 liters - 4 euros, fruit punches for 2.5 euros, and small decanters with local wine). On the tables, when you come, candles are lit. The drinks are decorated beautifully, the waiters are very friendly and efficient. The food is beyond praise! And when there were meat tables, shish kebabs!... It's such a delicious treat! With fruits, however, not so lucky. The grapes and oranges were delicious. The melons were kind of cottony. And the pears were tasteless. But these are trifles.
And after the first dinner, we already understood why the guide accompanying us on the bus said that by the end of the rest we would begin to sing a certain set of songs. Uh-huh... Fountain show... No, the repertoire, of course, is wide - from the classics - Ravel's Bolero, Khachaturian's saber dance, to Sirtaki, Kalinka-Malinka, Besame Mucho and the final chord - the composition of the Europa group - "The Final countdown". But the music is very loud. True, if the balcony is closed, it’s as if it’s not so audible, but then it’s hot. You turn on the air conditioner. And it hums like a good-powered lawn mower. And how boring! But it is located in such a way that it does not blow directly on a sleeping person, and this, of course, is a plus. The entrance ticket to the fountain show cost, as we were told, at a table without dinner, 23 euros. But for the residents of our hotel, watching the show was not a problem. A magnificent view opened from the roof of the hotel (it did not close, access to it is free), and from the landings, where everything was perfectly visible and audible through the open windows, people attracted chairs from the room, sat down and enjoyed. Very nice, bright and colorful. But, in principle, one time is enough to see.
As for the excursion program, it was here in Cyprus that we tried an individual excursion for the first time. Its cost from our tour operator was 320 euros for two. But, given that we liked three of the standard set of excursions, and the cost of each was about 60 euros per person, we probably won. Since the individual tour included a trip by car for about 8 hours (we ended up with a little more) with a guide, only my husband and I. We chose the time of departure and the route of the trip ourselves. I want to say right away that we were just amazingly lucky with the guide! Elena, that was the name of our guide, had a magical tour for us. We saw both what we planned ourselves and what she suggested to us along the way. Infinitely pleasant in communication, interestingly telling, not imposing anything! Despite the fact that the tour lasted longer than it should have, she did not show any haste and gave us the opportunity to enjoy everything where we wanted to stay. We visited the village of Omodos in the mountains, where they make indescribably beautiful lace and silver products, visited a winery, where we enjoyed Cypriot wines, and tried the famous “Commandaria” - they put the emphasis on “i”, Local moonshine “Zivania”. We chose some of the wine and home, of course. We had lunch in one of the restaurants overlooking Olympus (Of course, not Greek, but somehow, it turns out that Cyprus has its own Mount Olympus) . . We did not even have time to announce that we would like to try the Cypriot national dish " kleftiko”, and Elena has already gone and ordered it for us. As well as a local delicious apple pie. Rather, they are baked apples, topped with large crumbs of crumbly dough and with a white delicate cream on a plate... Prices in a mountain restaurant were two times lower than in a resort town. And the food melted in your mouth. Everything was so delicious, so fresh! Washed down with local homemade lemonade. Even the memory is salivating!
We visited the monastery of Troodotissa, stayed in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. However, in the local language it is called Levkosia, and the signs on the motorway are all to Levkosia. The capital, like Berlin once, is divided by a wall separating the Greek and Turkish parts. If you have a passport, you can get through the border checkpoint and to the Turkish part. You fill out a small migration card - Name, Surname, passport number and citizenship, and you go. Stamps are put only in this card, no marks are made in the passport. Of course we went there too. The difference is immediately visible - you get from Europe to the Turkish market. Just like in our movie classic - "The Diamond Arm" - Nicosia is a city of contrasts!
All in all, the excursion was amazing. Informative, voluminous, interesting, and most importantly - you don’t have to wait for anyone, everything is just for you personally. And all in one day. So I strongly advise if you want to visit several places and they are not completed in one “ready-made” excursion - take an individual one and comfort will be provided.
But we ordered a walk on a sea boat at the Nissiotis pier, there are ticket offices there and for 10 euros per person we ordered an excursion walk with a “swim” towards Famagusta, and then to Cape Greco. And a half-hour stop in the Blue Bay for swimming in the open sea. They said that the depth there is 6 meters. But the water is so clear that you can see the bottom!
Swimming was a delight! Comparable only with a parachute flight from a boat (25 euros per person). If there is no fear of heights - it's worth a try, Raise high, fly, soar over the sea, the beauty is below, and it takes your breath away from the feeling of endless happiness! And then they also give you a certificate that you flew at an altitude of 300 meters, on such and such a date, and in general, that's what a fine fellow you are!
However, on vacation everything should please! Moreover, the Cypriots are infinitely friendly and benevolent people, they treat Russians very well, they learn Russian themselves and in almost any shop they can speak Russian with you. And they are also very happy when we try to answer them in their native Greek. At least the same "thank you" - "efharisto" - and they just shine with a joyful smile!
In the town itself on the mountain there is a chapel of St. Elijah. there you can climb the stairs to see the whole of Protaras at a glance
If you wish, you can go to the neighboring towns and the water park yourself. The street on which the hotel stands is one-way, and buses stop at two stops - right outside the hotel. They are signed - on one you can go to Ayia Napa, and on the other to Paralimni and the water park (this is in the opposite direction to Ayia Napa). And buses run regularly, including at night. So, if you wish, you can visit the party-disco Ayia Napa and go back without any problems).
As for shops, we bought food in a shop on the way to the beach. It was very inexpensive. You can walk a little further, 10 minutes walk, there is a Lidl supermarket. There you can buy local Halloumi cheese.
Naturally, there are many souvenir shops for every taste. Lots of shops with watches (? ). Alcohol in some stores is even cheaper than in Duty Free. In any case, we bought a Martini (1 liter) for 6 euros, and in Dutik the price was 7.5. Although this, by and large, is not important. By the way, you can also buy Cypriot sweets - Turkish delight and suzukos - in Dyutik. But we did not know and bought a couple of boxes for treats back in Protaras.
The weather kept us happy throughout our stay. It rained once, and then for 40 seconds. But on the day of departure at the airport, we were met by a thunderstorm, but our flight was delayed with a departure from Moscow, and just because of this, we missed the thunderstorm. And they were already flying into the sky, on which two large beautiful rainbows flaunted across the whole sky... A gift with love at parting from the island of Aphrodite...
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• 5
We arrived at the hotel and immediately we were lucky. At the reception was the administrator Yuri, who speaks Russian. After 10-15 minutes we received a magnetic card - the key to the room. Yuri consulted on all issues of interest to us, gave valuable advice. I forgot my phone charger, so he brought his own from home and gave it to use for my entire stay.
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We arrived at the hotel and immediately we were lucky. At the reception was the administrator Yuri, who speaks Russian. After 10-15 minutes we received a magnetic card - the key to the room. Yuri consulted on all issues of interest to us, gave valuable advice. I forgot my phone charger, so he brought his own from home and gave it to use for my entire stay. You could say he saved me. Thank you very much for your kind and caring attitude. We settled into the room. The rooms are clean. They clean every day, the linen is constantly clean, and they do it somehow not noticeably. You come from the sea, everything is already clean and tidy. Things were left quietly, nothing was ever lost. The hotel has a wonderful restaurant. Buffet. From the abundance of various dishes, starting with salads, ending with desserts and fruits, eyes run wide. The food is divine. I like to eat delicious food, I like to cook myself, but here I simply did not eat a decent amount of food. I wanted to try everything. There are 7 types of salads, all varied, freshly prepared, for every taste. And with vegetables, and co-products, and with fruits. We had full board. Breakfast lunch dinner. Nothing arrived. For breakfast, various types of muesli, fruit soup, scrambled eggs, divine oranges, grapefruits - I couldn’t stand them, but I ate them in large quantities, very tasty, you can’t list them in short. Lunch - delicious local potatoes cooked in different ways, local zucchini, meat and fish, chicken, turkey, cooked each time in different ways and with different sauces. You can't list everything. Dinner is just as varied and delicious. Seafood is served - octopus, oysters, shrimps. . . Desserts are divine. Such diversity is hard to imagine. Everything is very light and often you don’t know from what and how it is made. Just melts in your mouth. Despite the abundance, you only feel satiety and stupor of dishes, you don’t feel any heaviness from eating a large amount of cooked food. Everything is grilled and there is no discomfort from food to which I am not used to. Thanks a lot to the chef. Special thanks to the waiters for their professionalism, courtesy, pleasant attitude. They always come up, say hello, smile, ask how you are doing. . They, like magicians, know how to notice when it is necessary to clean the dishes. Once everything is clean. Very fast, invisible and comfortable. Special thanks to Angel, Stephanie and Vera. We thank them for their very warm welcome. They speak Russian and tried to help and brighten up the evenings. On Thursdays, the hotel has an outdoor dinner by the pool. Local music sounds, a colorful show with local folklore is arranged. In national costumes with the attraction of vacationers at will. The hotel has a bar. Denis works there. Very pleasant bartender. Always with a smile and good mood. Thanks for the pleasant evenings. Next to the hotel is a grandiose show of singing fountains. Tourists from all over Cyprus come to see it, and we have it at hand. At first, loud music is not usual, but these are mostly works in Russian and our classics, but then if there is no show, you can’t fall asleep anymore, something is missing. The sea is clean. The sand is made of special shell rocks and is transparent from the very shore. The beaches are municipal and Cypriots come to relax on weekends. Very beautiful nationality. A very colorful sight. . On the beach they left all things, handbags, went for a swim and nothing was ever lost. Vacationers of different nationalities gathered on the beach, but there were never any conflicts or misunderstandings. Everyone got along with each other and the local population very peacefully. Nobody bothered anyone. The hotel is on a busy street. Lots of shops, bars. . . Almost everywhere there is a staff who speaks Russian. If not, you can still explain. They try to understand and help you. The prices in the stores are very reasonable. In general, the holiday was a success. I just arrived, but I already want to go back. Don't readjust at all. My soul and heart were there. I advise you to go on excursions to the Troodos mountains and a boat trip. Unforgettable impressions.
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• 3
We arrived at the hotel late in the evening from Paphos. We were late for dinner. We settled in very quickly. At first, the rooms and the interior of the hotel were disappointing, carelessly painted doors, everything is very tiny and slightly outdated. But looking closer, it became clear that everything was in order, very clean.
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We arrived at the hotel late in the evening from Paphos. We were late for dinner. We settled in very quickly. At first, the rooms and the interior of the hotel were disappointing, carelessly painted doors, everything is very tiny and slightly outdated. But looking closer, it became clear that everything was in order, very clean. The hotel is located in the center near the show of dancing fountains, so I don’t recommend it for lovers of a quiet holiday, because music from nearby restaurants rumbles until one in the morning. McDonald’s is nearby and my daughter was delighted with it. The guide turned out to be an absolutely amorphous and indifferent person, all the information had to be obtained We fed well, but monotonously. For dinner, they didn’t give tea and drinks with an existing dessert, but offered to buy a cup of tea for 3 euros.
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• 9.5
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