I don't wish to prolong any kind of argument on this, but the timing is good for the thread
From todays Cyprus Mail...

CYPRUS is the third-cheapest euro zone country to holiday in, according to a British survey looking at the price of ten holiday commodities.

The total cost for the items (cup of coffee, Coca-Cola, bottle of Heineken, bottle of Evian, Nivea sunscreen, postcard and stamp, insect repellent, Marlboro Light cigarettes, English newspaper and three-course evening meal for two in a local taverna) came to £41.30.

Full article here
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=32090&cat_id=1

YThanks Ady - Carolh has already linked to the article.

Kath x

Maybe, Ady, but they've been clever in their wording: "euro zone"...

From this article, Cyprus is seventh cheapest. The GBP equivalents are given as:

£16.86 Bulgaria
£24.61 Egypt
£29.21 Thailand
£33.41 South Africa
£33.65 Portugal
£41.06 Greece
£41.30 Cyprus
£44.91 Turkey
£46.42 Croatia
£48.45 Italy
£52.76 Australia
£62.00 France
£65.15 Canada
£65.90 Spain
£69.41 USA

And the items were priced at

Cup of coffee - cafe/bar: £1.85
Bottle of Heineken - cafe/bar: £2.47
Bottle of Coca-Cola - cafe/bar: £1.85
Bottle of Evian (1.5 litre) - supermarket: £0.92
Nivea suncream (factor 15) - supermarket: £3.70
Postcard and stamp for UK - tourist shop: £0.62
Insect repellant - supermarket: £1.23
Packet of Marlboro Lights: £2.77
English newspaper (Daily Mail/Express): £1.23
3 course evening meal for 2 in local restaurant: £24.66

Marion

'Proper' supermarket store finders:

Orphanides

Carrefour

E & S

Papantoniou

Also, in my experience, village and local stores will be on a par with your local corner shop in the UK.

Avoid, if you can, tourist supermarkets. They work on the "captive audience" principal, assuming that most holidaymakers are stuck in the resort and will pay the prices just because of the convenience.

Mark

Oops - sorry Kath - missed that one

Marion, yes, I spotted the deliberate "Euro Zone" bit and looked for the full article that they refer to, but didn't find it, so thanks for that
Ady

Not sure where they got their prices from. These are what I usually pay:

Cup of coffee - cafe/bar: £1.85...............................................Cyprus coffee £1.00 - Nescafe £1.20

Bottle of Heineken - cafe/bar: £2.47.......................................Large Keo/Leon/Carlsberg £1.50

Bottle of Evian (1.5 litre) - supermarket: £0.92.......................6 x 1.5l bottles of local water in 'proper' supermarket £1.50


We rarely have more than a salad and main course but:

3 course evening meal for 2 in local restaurant: £24.66.........With or without drinks? Even without, that's not too bad for 3 courses.

Mark

When I next go to Cyprus I will do a rekkie on these prices
Kath x

Kath just ask...I am a minute away from a supermarket!!! I agree with Mark his prices are on the ''mark''

Crawler!

You're still angling for that Pedigree, I know.

I await Mark in anticipation, but I have found a cheap supply of ''Boddinton's'' in our local supermarket, 60 cents a large can!!!! not Peddies but a lot better than Keo!!

And me a creep...never.

Have read this thread with interest as I am going to Cyprus for the first time in June. My recent holidays abroad have been in Bulgaria and I could have returned but fancied trying somewhere new. Cyprus has already cost me more for the basic package but I'm still looking frward to it and will judge it on its own merits and not compare it to BG.

I would also add that I am admin on a site dedicated to skiing in Bulgaria and members there often compare BG to say North America which is ridiculous cos they are poles apart. I think with any new place you need to keep an open mind and see what you find when you get there.

For me I'm looking forward to Cyprus. Bring it on!!!

BB

Oh dear, oh dear,
I have released a few bees out of a few peoples' bonnets haven't I ?

Well I could start quoting the price of fish at Aldi, or a cup of coffee at MacDonalds, but these individual price marks are rather pointless.

At the end of the day I posted this because I, as the average tourist, with no previous knowledge of the island, with out prior internet research of local supermarkets (gosh, do people really do that before they go on holiday !), found Cyprus expensive compared to other places in the Med. I have recently visited - end of.
Why would I posted this if I did not ?
Its all very well for you ex-pats banging on about how cheap you find things...but that is of little consequence here..to me the tourist.

Like most people, I have no desire to spend precious holiday time trekking around the back streets looking for bargain outlets or driving miles in pursuit of inland supermarkets.....we go with what is generally around. What was generally around, in the Paphos area at least, as far as souvenirs, supermarket food and profit making leisure activities I consider to have been expensive (and pleeease don't go on about eating/ drinking out.... if you took the trouble to read my posts none of my observations have referred to this being an example !!!!).

Of course we keep a keen eye on the prices between various places as we go, but we do not have the ability to visit each and place, nor do we have the benefit of the local knowledge to direct us to the cheapest shops !

Expensive or not, Cyprus is well worth a visit.......for anyone who has not been, you will love it I'm sure, just as we did.

Off for a swim now ...at the local baths

You loved Cyprus???? you have not seen the place...you will never have that knowledge if you just cant be bothered to look! you are missing out big time believe me!! but your loss, thankfully not mine...

Gosh Judy, You have caused a stir, as someone said earlier it seems like they are all ganging up on you and disputing how you found it!

I am interested in Cyprus for Summer 08 for my family, the 2 hotels I like the look of are 'The Alexander Beach Hotel' in Paphos and 'the Sunrise Beach Hotel' in Protaras. Both are 4* on B&B only.

Alexander beach is 3910 quid and Sunrise is 3923 quid for a fortnight going on 15th July 2008. This is with Eclipse who are supposed to be the cheaper arm of First Choice & normally competative.

On top, I anticipate that I would need a very minimum of 1400 pounds spending money. That is only 25 pounds per person per day. I am not sure I would be able to get lunch and dinner for that as the price of a 3 course meal for four according to Mark is 50 quid.

Plus all the drinks we would need in that climate. We also like to do a few trips over a fortnight to get to see the place we have travelled to, or alteranately have a car for 3 or 4 days.

It's a real dilema. That is a minimum of 5.5K for a beach holiday.

Nearly 4K for a holiday, wow, no way would I spend that, why don't you hire for that sort of cash a big villa with your own pool near the beach, and not have all that formality you have in a hotel, for that kind of money you could do this and have a good class hire car in the price, it will beat any hotel...

I don't think we are ganging up on the Judy I certainly am not!!, but not many of us agree with with her comments, it seems to me that she has not a clue about Cyprus, simply because she never bothered to look around the island, and why because she thinks it is a waste of her holiday time, ridiculous I think.

If Judy does come back (unlikly looking at her comments) I would gladly show her just how good the real Cyprus is... and how cheap it can be..without losing much of the suntan time either.

Jimbox, I'm intrigued as to how you knew where we went in Cyprus

OK. so now I don't even have the right to say I loved it .

Come here and give us a kiss there's no point in falling out with people - we are all friends here (I hope !) As Kath says it would be really useful if you could compile a list of the cheaper places to go rather than argue the toss. Promise I'll read it for next time.

Unfortunately Jim with two teenagers hiring a villa is not an option. We need the more 'sociable' atmosphere of being at a hotel.

It's not that we wish to 'foist' ourselves on others in a hotel we just need a few others around us and the potential for the kids to chum up even if in reality that doesn't happen.

I think villas work best when two families are involved, or one extended family with multiple generations, ie gran, gramps, Mum, Dad etc. go.

It's probably a destination we may have to hold on to for when we can go in June or September & we don't have to take school hols in to account.

As an outsider looking in the one thing I will say, most hotels in Cyprus look superb. Presumably the standards are higher than other places in the EU and that may well be reflected in the prices.

I have a good friend who has a fantastic detatched villa in Coral Bay, three big bedrooms, large balconies off the bedrooms, and all have there own bathrooms, plus a loo at ground level, it has a fantastic private pool and Sky Sat system, and only a minute walk (one minute) from all the high life of the shop, bars and restaurants on Coral Bay plaza, it would suit any family with kids, the beach, a proper one in fact the only real beach up this end is a five minute walk away, this will cost you a fraction of that hotel cost! and that minute away from just about every type of eating house you could think of, plus all that entertainment your family may need, why spend all that money on a stuffy hotel???

why spend all that money on a stuffy hotel???

Some of us prefer to Jim lol.

You know me and I know you. You know when we visit Cyprus that although we like to visit a lot of the island, we prefer to be waited on in a (as you say) 'stuffy' hotel.

Although I have to say we don't consider them to be stuffy - just a lovely treat after working hard to be able to relax and be looked after. Just personal wishes.

Each to their own. Now if you want to get me a super discount for next year and a maid to clean up after me - then who knows ?
See you soon Jim

Kath x