although we do not go to cyprus as much now ,i will say this ,in 2004 my daughter decided she wanted to get married in aya napa at the adams beach hotel and i can honestly say that what we got in cyprus ie. reception taxies indeed everything to do with the wedding was far cheaper than what it would have cost me in the uk.and he meal was brilliant not like the usual steak pie or roast beef which is usually on the menu at weddings over here ,as jim said it all depends where you eat , i have had some great meals in cyprus ,such as lamb chops five on a plate with all the trimmings and these are big chops ,got spare ribs once and there was 16 of them on the plate ,loads of things to many to list,still a lot going for cyprus ,jim says about oranges , it is the same in turkey, i can get a carrier bag full of cherries for about 50p ,so i think it is all swings and roundabouts.

bluepeterno1

jdybnsn good morning..

I am well aware this is a holiday web site as you highlight, in fact I have been posting here for a long time, and yes as I did point out in my first post this very point, but it is relevant to holidaying on Cyprus, I was referring to general cost here that do effect your spending money, if you rent a car the cost will go into this, if food prices are high this will have an impact on your eating out cost's, you say this was not one of your comments on Cyprus being expensive, of course this does make a difference, many taverna owners are next to you in the shops buying the same produce, there are no trade food outlets here or very few.

I have noticed when I do go into shops (rarely) that imported items from the UK are a little more than you would pay in the UK, this is why we buy local produce as do those taverna owners, that is why they are cheap to eat in, I could go on, but there is no point in being argumentative if you think Cyprus is too expensive then you may have to find a cheaper destination, I wish you luck finding this..

And on the point of me being a resident not a tourist, I was a tourist here for twenty years!! I do have some relevant information I think for holiday makers, they can take or leave this advice... I am only trying to help you save some money.

regards

In my opionion Cyprus is slightly more upmarket than some resorts in the med. A good meal out in england would probably cost more than in Cyprus. I went to Kafelonia last year and spent 900 pounds in two weeks and we were self catering. We are going to protaras in September for our 8th time and usually spend 1000 pounds in two weeks, so compared with Kefalonia we will only spend roughly 7 pounds a day more. I know many people who go to Cyprus for the first time and come back moaning, whilst i appreciate people have different budgets, the simple message is, if you think Cyprus is too costly, then dont go. It is still one of the most popular destinations for weddings etc.

My wife and i have been going to cyprus twice a year for the last ten years or so as a tourist.

When we first went self catering about 6 years back , i made the mistake of going to the small supermarket which was expensive .

We were then advised to go to papantonio (not sure on the spelling.)
What a difference. Some of the food labels were in greek, so i just asked what they were.

I have found out that the first shop is always expensive (or seems expensive because you have to buy the litttle things that you always have in at home. e.g. salt pepper vinegar the list goes on.

Any way we eat out (local dishes) in kissonerga (paphos) the taverna looks out over the sea . Usually the average bill is around £30 (GB)
That is with drinks all night.. WHERE can you get that in the uk with those views ..

Now i have had my say , roll on 27th June.. cyp here we come

In the Cyprus Mail today!!

http://66.84.25.241/news/index.html

Sorry removed item due to copyright - please follow link and click on news on left hand side.

Kath x

Hi IDYBSN,

It's beginning to sound as if all of us 'Cyprus Freaks' are ganging up on you You do have to excuse us, we're not good at taking criticism ( even if justified.... ) of our beloved island. I know, I know, we are a sad bunch

As Jim says, the big supermarkets are very cheap for meat and veg etc., but as a first time tourist it's natural you are not going to go off the beaten track. Hopefully if you give Cyprus a second chance you can put into practice all the advice thats been given.

You did say you were in your friends villa and I wondered what their thoughts were?

Cheers,
Jinty

Right!

UK take-away fish and chips for 2, no drinks included = damn near £10

Sit-down meal in Larnaca + 1 large Keo, 2 Brandy Sours and a large bottle of water = CY15 (and there are cheaper!) Complementary brandy and liqueur to boot!

Which do you think is the best value?

Why do people insist on saying X is in comparrison more expensive than Y? X is where you chose to go on holiday this time around and the prices are the prices!

If you feel the need to have a Meldrew moment, have it when you get home. Ask you local chippy owner why they charge so much. Then ask him how come he can drive around in a fairly new 5 Series BMW, as does my local chippy owner.

Mark

Ok looks like we will all have to agree to differ.

Some members think it's expensive others don't.

I think it all depends on what you want to do on holiday and where you stay. I don't find it particularly cheap because I eat near the coast in some of the various restaurants. I know I could find plenty of tavernas cheaper, but the majority would involve a drive and I like to drink with my meals - so I don't drink and drive
Also the hotel I stay at isn't particularly cheap but I chose to stay there. However, I wouldn't question what one person thinks is expensive and the other thinks cheap as we all have various budgets.

Kath x

Couldn't have put it better myself Kath!

( Did try tho )

Cheers,
Janet

True Kath but this is a discussion forum..we all have out own opinions, but most others are of course wrong in my opinion

Thanks Kath - yes, agree to differ we must -

I never posted with any intention to wind you expats up (sorry if you have seen it that way).... and I did not post to moan about it either...... but to aquire some answers !

We loved Cyprus, and hope to return at some point ...cost is not an issue as far as that goes. ..if it was twice the price we would be back !!!!

Thanks to all, both those that agreed and those that didn't...all your opinions/views have been interesting and I hope no offence has been caused by my post, and none has been taken on my part.

I think I have made this point before.... It depends on where you are comparing Cyprus to.. by comparing it to other holiday destinations [ not just Europe] then yes many places are cheaper, if you get away from the main sea front area then it is a lot cheaper, however I always compare my holiday cost to those at home in which case no matter where i have been around the med its always cheap compared to the UK

wizard

Hi Judy

I wondered where you had been hanging out. Really glad you had a lovely holiday in Cyprus. I have read the thread with interest as I have often thought about visiting as it is supposed to be so pretty. probably should have gone before there were four of us.

I will say that when you mention Cyprus to people at work who have been 9 out of 10 say "but off course it's very expensive". I work with someone who has stopped visiting.

Like Kath we like to drink and eat near the sea as the settings are often as important as the food, also I dont want to drive 20 mins to find the cheaper places and not be able to have a glass of wine. I agree with you it is a holiday discussion site so cost of council tax is a bit irrelevant. Glad you had a good one though.

Doe xxx

so cost of council tax is a bit irrelevant.

Ouch!, you ready to duck, Doe

Cheers,
Jinty

Why Jinty, it's a holiday forum? I can honestly say that on all my holidays abroad over the past 35 years I have never paid council tax. Unfortunately at home here it's a different matter.
Cheers, Doe

Love your sense of humour Doe

Look forward to you coming on more when you get round to going to Cyprus

Cheers,
Jinty

Doe...

How about three minutes to get food at half the cost you are paying near the coast, and in fact just up past Coral Bay absolutely on the beach you can eat all you can for a fiver...as for council tax (no such thing here) this is relevant to the cost here, the tavernas and bars etc also pay low yearly rates as home owners this is the reason it is cheap to eat and drink in Cyprus, provided you drive those three minutes away from the tourists traps, as in any holiday destination I have ever visited in the EU..

I know Kath well she knows me personally, I tell the truth and how it really is in Cyprus...I was a tourist and for sure when I first arrived here we paid over a UK £ for a coffee on the harbour in Pafos, that was twenty years ago, soon found a cheaper way though..but if you have deep pockets (I don't) then carry on..it's only money as they say.. off for a swim..

Awwww .....I wanted to have the last word...its a woman's right !

I have followed this post very carefully, as i also thought cyprus was quite pricey compared to somewhere like turkey. (yes i know turkey is not in the EU) Jimbox I think it would be really helpful if perhaps you could run a post with the reasonable priced supermarkets and tavernas you speak of I'm sure those of us that love cyprus and would really enjoy getting better value for money. I know that wherever I go for the first few days i always end up paying over the odds for things we generally find the places the locals use a day or so before we fly home.
We plan to buy out in cyprus next year and would love to know how to make our money stretch the best.

Many thanks for such an interesting post.

hugs la x