hi...we have stayed at the papantonia hotel with our 2 children...the hotel is very nice,we couldnt fault it although we went self catering so could not comment on the food...it is very spacious both inside and around the pool area...it is situated in the quieter pernera area where there are a few shops and restaurants..the walk into the main protaras strip should take you 10/15 mins..you can go by the coastal route though ,which is an enjoyable walk..we have been to protaras twice before and are scheduled to go again this year again...we will be staying at the rising star hotel,if anyone has any information on this hotel we would love to read your posts .....we love it in protaras and think its the ultimate family holiday destination...hope this helps

Hi there, sorry to butt in on this thread, but notice you've said how good Protaras is for children. I have been to Ayia Napa 3 times, the last time 8 yrs ago before the children came a long and loved it. The last time we went though I decided if I returned it would be to Protaras. My children are 3 and 7, and I'm thinking about how suitable it might be for next year's holiday. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks, Nic.

hi...protaras is very suitable for children of all ages...it is a very family orientated resort..you will not find a lager lout insight just nice families having a great time...the restaurants cater well for even the fussiest of children and nothin is too much trouble ..may i suggest the diva restaurant, the corner restaurant and flinstones for great food the red indian restaurant is a must for large portions at a very reasonable prices (i bet you cant eat a whole burger there!!), having said that most restaurants are of the highest standards. if you want to know anything else please ask away we are more than willing to advise...

Thanks a lot for your reply...I see from your previous post that you are staying at the Rising Star apartments this year. I really like the look of them and would definately be interested in them for 2009. We'd probably have to book during school holidays and was wondering if you can give me any idea on how much we should expect to pay for 2 weeks, 2 ad and 2 ch(I can't get any internet prices at the moment). We are off to Menorca this year but I know Cyprus tends to be more expensive in comparison. Thanks, Nic.

hi nic...your best option for booking at the rising star hotel is with a company called direct holidays but shop around as things can change from company to company as im sure your aware..we are also 2 adult 2 children and we pay between 2000 and 2500 during the school holidays this can be either on a b&b or s/c...if your lucky you may find a half board holiday for that price if you book early enough..but to be honest there are many nice restaurants in protaras and for us it is nice to eat out rather than stay in the hotel..but each to there own and evereybody has a right to holiday how they please..one tip if booking in the school holidays is to book early to avoid disappointment as protaras is ver popular...we have stayed at the capo bay hotel which was great and also the papantonia which was good too..i havent heard any gripes about any hotel in the resort to be honest...hope this helps

That's great thanks for your reply. We'd definately go SC as we prefer to eat out rather than be restricted to the hotel. Would want to pay as close to £2K as possible. Have just had a quick look on Direct's website and they have prices for next year. The cost at the moment is around £2500 but they are not offering free child places yet so I will keep checking.

Hi Nic,
We are going to the Rising Star in May for the first time, we are 3 adults (eldest child is 16 so classed as adult) and one child, we are going for 2 weeks which is one week in school holidays and one during term time and it has cost us £2200 self catering.

We booked on the mytravel website who own airtours and direct holidays but they have now been taken over by Thomas Cook so I imagine that it will be best to book through thomas cook for next year.

I would agree with brad/angela's recommendation to book early as I booked last September and about a week later there was no availabilty at this hotel. Also I could have had the holiday for £100 cheaper but by the time I'd discussed it with my hubby and he'd agreed the price had gone up.

A good site to try is travelrepublic.com, they are quite cheap. The brochures for next summer are due to be released at the end of this month so you should be able to check out prices then.

We can't wait to go..........only 34 days!

Dawn

Just to add, I checked prices for May and June as well as August and there wasn't much difference in the price. I also compared the cost of my holiday that's booked for this year and it's £500 more for 2009,I booked this in Aug last year and got a free child place so think I'll definately be sitting tight for the time being.

Hi Dawn, sorry I posted before I saw your reply. Direct Hols prices for 2009 are now on their website and they are taking bookings but as I mentioned in previous post no free child places so will wait. Thanks for your reply.

hi Dawn we would welcome any feedback you could give us after your trip to the rising star...we hope you have a great time

We have a topic on the Rising Star HERE where you should find plenty information.

Please post any queries on the apartments in that topic.

Thanks.

luci

The water park in ayia napa is a must, one of the biggest around, word of warning though put on pleanty of sun cream as the sun reflecting off the water can burn you in half the time it takes normally. Also i would reccommend taking a pair of flip flops to get between slides/rides as the walking surface there gets hotter than the sun!