welcome to HT

if you are looking for sandy beaches then the east of the island would be best, take a look in the members resort report forum and have a read on Protaras/Permera and Agia nappa [dont be put off by its young brits abroad reputation] which has some nice hotels and sandy beach away from the main area

wizard

Thanks wizard I have started thinking about Protaras. It sounds quite good. Now how about AI against B&B and eating out. Are the restaurants expensive or not too bad?

Cheers

BB

if you want the full Cypriot experience then go s/c or b/b and eat out the best advice i can give here is try to use restaurants as far away from the resort center as possible these will usually be a lot cheaper.. some of the best Greek taverna are in Paralimni a short taxi ride away[ or try this one] when i go on holiday it makes no difference where i avoid taverna& bars with boards saying sky sport/john smiths/full English etc and i listen for those where i can only hear the customers speaking the local language and those are the ones i try,, if you have not tried any Greek style food to give you some idea look on the Greece and other islands thread where we have a recipe topic

hope this is of assistance and i will now let the Cyprus experts take over

wizard

There are lots of very good restaurants in Protaras all of which are very friendly. You can get an excellent meal for less than £10 including fillet steak. There are lots of places with much cheaper dishes too and many offer set price menus. There is always a buzz about the place and lots of the bars have some kind of entertainment in the evenings if you want it.
We have never done all inclusive there as there is so much choice in the resort but some of the self catering apartments offer an upgrade once you are there which gives you the chance to try out their food first before you commit. The beaches in Protaras are beautiful, by the way, and it is nice to take a walk along in the late afternoon when it's getting quieter.

Yes, Protaras would be perfect.

Hello Bansko Babe

The beaches on the eastern side of the island from reading the forums are superioir to those on the west, however you can find some wonderful secluded coves and natural beaches further along the coast, in particular on the Akamas Pennisular. Here you can find Lara Bay where turtles return to lay their eggs.

Paphos has more to offer than just beaches.

Paphos is a vibrant town, not just a tourist resort with many restaurants and bars that cater for locals as well as the tourists.

There are many places of interest in the local area including the Historic Mosaics, Tombs of the Kings and Aphrodite's Baths.

The region has its own wonderful sandy beaches at Coral Bay, just a short 20 mins bus jouney from Paphos.

The Troodos Mountains are easliy accessible via car and a welcome relief from the heat of the day.

As for Hotels I have now reccommendations unfortunately but this forum has.

Good luck

Have a great trip

Thanks all I think Protaras it is and will go for B&B. Been to Greece many times and know and love the food. Just wondered about the cost but sounds very reasonable so looking good. Now just got to find the right accommodation.

Thanks again. Just love these forums as you get to talk to people who have actually been there. I am admin on a Bulgaria ski forum so know how helpful they can be to a newbie.

BB (Alias Val)

Val
You might be better to contact a hotel direct as you will be stung for supplements if you book through charters,

You might want to look at http://www.kapparis.info belongs to Marion who has an appartment in Kapparis which is just outside Perner and Protaras, you will find lots of information there.and covers all the resorts.

Elizabeth

elizabethmcphee wrote:

You might be better to contact a hotel direct

I couldn't agree more!
I do all my booking direct, cutting out the middlemen.

The villa we had in Pissouri last year cost us just over £500 Sterling for the villa. Booking through an agent would have cost us just under £400 EACH! A saving of almost £300.

I book our car hire direct too, via email. Pay on collection at the airport.

Mark

Sunrise Beach Hotel looks really nice although have never stayed there. Right on the best part of Flamingo beach and also in the centre of Protaras. We were looking at the option of a villa. There are are lots of very nice reasonably priced ones around. However, if you want to stay actually IN Protaras and be quite close to beach and amenities especially for walking home at night (although Cyprus is very safe) most of the villas seem to cost in excess of £700. If you choose this option double check exactly where your villa is situated as many that are advertised as being in Protaras are actually in Pernera/ Kapparis areas or out towards Cape Greco in the other direction. This can be a 20 min walk into Protaras or even a car/taxi journey. If I was going on my own I would tend to stay centrally with everything on my doorstep in a nice hotel of which there are several. However, everyone likes different things and you may prefer to be away from all the hustle and bustle. Whatever you decide on there is certainly plenty choice.