Cyprus is the first impression.
date of visit-June 2016
We were lucky to take a last-minute trip to Ayia Napa, Tsokkos Holiday Hotel No. 2, the price is generally pleasant 128 euros for a week. with flights per person, no meals.
the weather was beautiful - warm, not very hot, there was no strong wind.
I liked the hotel - located in the very center not far from Main Street (street of nightclubs and discos), I got a two-room suite with a mini kitchen, fully equipped with utensils, microwave, stove, toaster and refrigerator, Wi-Fi paid, conder, hair dryer and TV-through the deposit, the money is returned. The hotel has three pools in which, according to the old tradition, I didn’t swim, the sea is nearby. Cleaning every day, everyone cleans very carefully and even wash the dishes. the guests are mostly British-Irish youth, less often Russian-speaking, the main entertainment of young people is discos until 3-4 am and then they will show up at the hotel and bawl until numb near the pool, it seemed to me that they like screaming near the pool at night more than shaking your limbs at a disco. It's probably a price to pay for a cheap ticket. I highly recommend bringing earplugs.
The Ayia Napa resort itself - (you can throw me slippers) - is not a beach resort, there are VERY few normal beaches, we took a scooter for three days near the hotel, agreed for 30 euros / 3 days. there was an opportunity to travel all over Ayia Napa, Protaras, the entire beach in 99% is sharp stones on the coast and in the sea, there is no vegetation, trees, palm trees, lawns, parks, fountains, there are no, in the center there is a kind of park with a fountain and a dry grass is a shame for such a city.
The first is the most famous beach in Ayia Napa, Nassi Beach, located on the street of the same name, it sucks, the dirtiest beach, probably in all of Cyprus, I didn’t even think that there are such beaches, there are a lot of people. The water, as you can see in the photo, is red.
There is a beach near the port, large, clean sandy, but by 10.00 there are already so many people that you don’t want either the sea or the beach, just a rookery of seals, if you go to the end of the beach, you will see beautiful bays and grottoes made of stone, I swam in one grotto all the way end
if you go further you will see a stone bridge.
the beaches in Cyprus are municipal, sunbed-2.5, umbrella-2.5, which is interesting, having paid once, you can go to any beach and with this ticket you can take any sunbed without paying extra.
Normal beaches in Ayia Napa are Makronisos, Sandi, Landa, in Protaras, Konnos Beach. We went to Cape Cavo Greco-grottoes, a beautiful view, you can swim, but the second time, it makes no sense to go there, even looked at the baths of Aphrodite, some bum laid out stones in a circle and put them on maps as an attraction. In Protaras there is a Lidl supermarket, and in Paralimni Carafur it is better to buy there. One day was allocated for a trip to Famagusta on a scooter, this is the territory of Northern Cyprus, when crossing the border, take a passport and you will have to additionally buy Turkish insurance, a scooter - 10 euros, a car - 20. I definitely recommend to go, first of all, Famagusta is a very beautiful city with its fortress moor, a Gothic cathedral and a port.
secondly, it is quite a modern city. after Famagusta we went to see the ruins of the old city of Salamis, to the museum, so as not to pay, we went from the side of the beach through a hole in the grid, or you can walk along the beach for about a km. there is no fence at all, and the museum is very large, the alley with columns and the amphitheater are well preserved.
What deserves attention is the beach, sandy, there are practically no people, the sunset is excellent.
If you come across a ticket to Northern Cyprus, take it without hesitation.
Moreover, information for reflection, on the same day I was on the beach in Ayia Napa and Protaras - in Ayia Napa it was quiet and calm - the wind was blowing in Protaras, maybe because Protaras is located on the eastern side of the island and Ayia Napa from southern.
be careful every day at low tide in the sea, I swam 20 meters from the shore and could not go back - a strong ebb current, rowed for 30 minutes to the shore, I was already thinking of calling for help. After me, a girl went to swim, so she had to call a lifeguard.
The result is such that I want to go to Cyprus again, but not to Ayia Napa.
