• traveled 6 years ago
We chose an economy class hotel for 2 weeks - a complete disappointment - there is a construction site nearby, the noise is terrible; a chipper, a drill is working, they throw building materials down ! ! Furniture rooms in the style of IKEA, ascetic.
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We chose an economy class hotel for 2 weeks - a complete disappointment - there is a construction site nearby, the noise is terrible; a chipper, a drill is working, they throw building materials down ! ! Furniture rooms in the style of IKEA, ascetic.
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The hotel is a decent 3-storey treshka on the seashore, interiors without "troubles", in the style of "Ikea". Meals are half board, although it is possible for an extra charge and all inclusive. Russian-speaking employee at the reception, works 5 days a week - 2 days off. The rest of the staff in Russian do not "boom-boom" at all.
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The hotel is a decent 3-storey treshka on the seashore, interiors without "troubles", in the style of "Ikea". Meals are half board, although it is possible for an extra charge and all inclusive. Russian-speaking employee at the reception, works 5 days a week - 2 days off. The rest of the staff in Russian do not "boom-boom" at all. Wi-fi 10 euros per day throughout the hotel. There is a free gym on the ground floor. The rooms are spacious enough. The "Standard" has a view of the neighboring building and a piece of the sea, the room has 2 single beds, a TV (3 Russian channels), air conditioning, a hairdryer, a safe (extra charge), a shower in the bathroom, shampoo and liquid soap are always in abundance . It is possible to borrow a mini fridge for a fee. Cleaning daily, change of linen and towels 2p/week. The hotel has a small swimming pool and a slab area for relaxing by the sea. Umbrellas and sun loungers by the pool and the sea are free of charge, you can take towels from the room. Entrance to the sea along the ladder, for comfort, sandbags were placed under the feet.
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The review was written personally by me following the results of a recent trip 07/24/16-08/03/16. Negative impressions in the review, please do not delete! This is the third version of my review, edited. I chose the hotel for the price - it's a cheap C grade (3 *), after a recent renovation. Therefore, I was ready for some restrictions in amenities.
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The review was written personally by me following the results of a recent trip 07/24/16-08/03/16. Negative impressions in the review, please do not delete! This is the third version of my review, edited.
I chose the hotel for the price - it's a cheap C grade (3 *), after a recent renovation. Therefore, I was ready for some restrictions in amenities. However, what I really encountered ruined the whole holiday!
RESETTLEMENT. The hotel serves Russian tourists (95% of the guests), but there are no talking managers at the reception. So communication problems are your problems. Similarly, in the bar and in the dining room (you can’t call it a restaurant, I’ll write about it below). The absolute majority of the rooms on the right side of the hotel overlook the wall of the neighboring building, which stands almost close to the hotel. So the sea side room is to stick your nose into this wall, despite the fact that I wrote to the hotel in advance about my preferences, having received the prior consent of the hotel. The managers did not want to change the number, even if there were vacant numbers of my category on the left side. Yulia Kopeikina, a hotel guide from the BiblioGlobus travel agency, is very reluctant to help in resolving issues with the hotel, and there was no practical result of her negotiations with the hotel.
NUTRITION. The menu is very limited and does not change throughout the tour. So you will eat the same thing for 7-14 days! No fish, only pangasius. There are few vegetables, tomatoes and cucumbers are in short supply. The most fruity months passed, but there was practically no fruit in the hotel: either crumbling grapes or watermelon. But in the neighboring store there is a complete variety of fruits and vegetables, but the prices there are high. So get ready to pay extra out of your pocket not only for drinking water, but also for fruits and vegetables.
SERVICE is practically non-existent. There is no security at the hotel at all, no one is worried about the safety of tourists. It took me 4 days to fix the non-closing lock on the balcony door of the room. There is no refrigerator in the room, the safe is paid, wifi in the hotel is paid and very expensive. Nothing to do in the evening after dinner. Tourists are forced to wander through the neighboring shops out of boredom.
SEA. The sea beach at the hotel is located on a concrete slab, small but clean enough. There are few sunbeds, not enough for everyone, you have to take a seat early in the morning. Moreover, on plastic hard beds there are no necessary mattresses. The sea in this place is cold, there are currents, and very shallow. The bottom is covered with boulders, it is dangerous to enter even in special slippers. Minor injuries among vacationers are not uncommon: someone twisted his leg on the stones, someone scratched his knees on the stones in the water. At 18 o'clock the beach is covered with a shadow from a neighboring building, and swimming becomes uncomfortable. In addition, at this time, hotel employees begin to pull out sunbeds from under vacationers and collect them for storage. Here is a limited sea in this hotel! I did not go to the pool, because the water in it does not change, the bottom is not cleaned. What kind of hygiene are we talking about here?
Overall, the hotel did not live up to my expectations. I do not recommend taking tours here. Draw your own conclusions.
I chose the hotel for the price - it's a cheap C grade (3 *), after a recent renovation. Therefore, I was ready for some restrictions in amenities. However, what I really encountered ruined the whole holiday!
RESETTLEMENT. The hotel serves Russian tourists (95% of the guests), but there are no talking managers at the reception. So communication problems are your problems. Similarly, in the bar and in the dining room (you can’t call it a restaurant, I’ll write about it below). The absolute majority of the rooms on the right side of the hotel overlook the wall of the neighboring building, which stands almost close to the hotel. So the sea side room is to stick your nose into this wall, despite the fact that I wrote to the hotel in advance about my preferences, having received the prior consent of the hotel. The managers did not want to change the number, even if there were vacant numbers of my category on the left side. Yulia Kopeikina, a hotel guide from the BiblioGlobus travel agency, is very reluctant to help in resolving issues with the hotel, and there was no practical result of her negotiations with the hotel.
NUTRITION. The menu is very limited and does not change throughout the tour. So you will eat the same thing for 7-14 days! No fish, only pangasius. There are few vegetables, tomatoes and cucumbers are in short supply. The most fruity months passed, but there was practically no fruit in the hotel: either crumbling grapes or watermelon. But in the neighboring store there is a complete variety of fruits and vegetables, but the prices there are high. So get ready to pay extra out of your pocket not only for drinking water, but also for fruits and vegetables.
SERVICE is practically non-existent. There is no security at the hotel at all, no one is worried about the safety of tourists. It took me 4 days to fix the non-closing lock on the balcony door of the room. There is no refrigerator in the room, the safe is paid, wifi in the hotel is paid and very expensive. Nothing to do in the evening after dinner. Tourists are forced to wander through the neighboring shops out of boredom.
SEA. The sea beach at the hotel is located on a concrete slab, small but clean enough. There are few sunbeds, not enough for everyone, you have to take a seat early in the morning. Moreover, on plastic hard beds there are no necessary mattresses. The sea in this place is cold, there are currents, and very shallow. The bottom is covered with boulders, it is dangerous to enter even in special slippers. Minor injuries among vacationers are not uncommon: someone twisted his leg on the stones, someone scratched his knees on the stones in the water. At 18 o'clock the beach is covered with a shadow from a neighboring building, and swimming becomes uncomfortable. In addition, at this time, hotel employees begin to pull out sunbeds from under vacationers and collect them for storage. Here is a limited sea in this hotel! I did not go to the pool, because the water in it does not change, the bottom is not cleaned. What kind of hygiene are we talking about here?
Overall, the hotel did not live up to my expectations. I do not recommend taking tours here. Draw your own conclusions.
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• 8
We rested in October 2012. We were going to go at the last moment, so we didn’t read the reviews and relied on the tour operator (Biblio-Globus). Before this trip, I had several vacations on the mainland of Greece and on the islands, so I can perfectly imagine what “three stars” are in the understanding of the Greeks, and what kind of variation in the quality of service is possible.
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We rested in October 2012. We were going to go at the last moment, so we didn’t read the reviews and relied on the tour operator (Biblio-Globus). Before this trip, I had several vacations on the mainland of Greece and on the islands, so I can perfectly imagine what “three stars” are in the understanding of the Greeks, and what kind of variation in the quality of service is possible. But this hotel really surprised me. We booked a room with a side sea view - it turned out that "side sea view" means "direct view of the construction site" with all the accompanying sounds and construction dust. The hotel building is very old, it has not been renovated, it seems that since the moment of construction (1986), the furniture has not changed either. The rooms are very rundown, with an unpleasant smell, either from the furniture, or from the flooring (ancient carpet with old stains). The plumbing in the bathrooms is old, not working in all rooms (either the tank does not work, or the shower “on the snot” keeps). The hair dryer, daily cleaning and change of linen 3 times a week, declared in the booklet of the Biblio-Globus, also turned out to be a myth. But the main thing - it's a shame for any Greek, in my opinion - the food at Crusader Beach was impossible to eat. At all. On past trips, I have come across the fact that even in very modest small hotels for breakfast, hospitable Greeks offer yogurt, feta, fruit, and, well, scrambled eggs / sausages / bacon as an addition. Always great coffee, fresh juices. Here, only toast and jam were edible. Juice - a la Yupi (if anyone remembers this))), coffee - instant Nescafe, and even then not always, cream for coffee - milk diluted with water. Sometimes there were croutons, scrambled eggs, cheese, thoroughly oiled sausages, but these dishes looked worse than in the Soviet-style canteen. Tea at dinner is paid - 3 euros, there are no kettles in the rooms. Why I focus on food - because when you check into this hotel, they insist on half board or All Inclusive; they don’t have a BB option or no power at all.
Well, a couple more pebbles in the garden. In a 6-storey building, only one elevator worked (it was unprincipled for us, but older people also have a rest). The beach (probably to maintain the overall style of the hotel) is a shabby concrete platform, quite high and without a fence (take care of the children); you can go down into the water along a ladder touchingly covered with a peeled green rug. At the same time, the neighboring hotels (either on the right or on the left) have beautiful sandy beaches, the beach on the left near the Apollonia hotel is especially good.
The advantages of Crusader Beach are the location on the first line in that part of the tourist area of Limassol, which already borders the city itself (if you wish, you can walk to the old town, and go to the beaches in the tourist zone - they are more comfortable here). The plus, probably, is also the price, but it depends on what is more expensive - the saved 100-200 euros or the spoiled mood (besides, the money paid for food at Crusader Beach was wasted). Perhaps someone will benefit from the presence of Russian-speaking staff in the hotel. In general, as far as we noticed, 100% of the guests and 50-60% of the Crusader Beach staff are our compatriots; Perhaps this explains the specific atmosphere of the hotel.
Total: if you are a poor student or an unpretentious young man and you are satisfied with the service of a pioneer camp, if you are not going to stay in a hotel longer than required for sleep, if you are going to swim in the sea and ride around the island and do not want to spend extra money - you can consider this hotel as the "-eleventh" option. But if you are traveling with your family, plan to relax on the beach near the hotel, drink Cypriot wine on the balcony, eat without leaving the hotel - in no case look towards Crusader Beach.
Well, a couple more pebbles in the garden. In a 6-storey building, only one elevator worked (it was unprincipled for us, but older people also have a rest). The beach (probably to maintain the overall style of the hotel) is a shabby concrete platform, quite high and without a fence (take care of the children); you can go down into the water along a ladder touchingly covered with a peeled green rug. At the same time, the neighboring hotels (either on the right or on the left) have beautiful sandy beaches, the beach on the left near the Apollonia hotel is especially good.
The advantages of Crusader Beach are the location on the first line in that part of the tourist area of Limassol, which already borders the city itself (if you wish, you can walk to the old town, and go to the beaches in the tourist zone - they are more comfortable here). The plus, probably, is also the price, but it depends on what is more expensive - the saved 100-200 euros or the spoiled mood (besides, the money paid for food at Crusader Beach was wasted). Perhaps someone will benefit from the presence of Russian-speaking staff in the hotel. In general, as far as we noticed, 100% of the guests and 50-60% of the Crusader Beach staff are our compatriots; Perhaps this explains the specific atmosphere of the hotel.
Total: if you are a poor student or an unpretentious young man and you are satisfied with the service of a pioneer camp, if you are not going to stay in a hotel longer than required for sleep, if you are going to swim in the sea and ride around the island and do not want to spend extra money - you can consider this hotel as the "-eleventh" option. But if you are traveling with your family, plan to relax on the beach near the hotel, drink Cypriot wine on the balcony, eat without leaving the hotel - in no case look towards Crusader Beach.
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• 9
It all started with the fact that on 07/07/12 I arrived at the hotel at 22-00... we were not fed and the girl at the reception Olga said that it was your tour operators' fault that they did not warn us in advance! The next day, our guide said that they had been warned in advance. You need to buy an adapter - 2 euros, towels and bed linen did not change at all.
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It all started with the fact that on 07/07/12 I arrived at the hotel at 22-00... we were not fed and the girl at the reception Olga said that it was your tour operators' fault that they did not warn us in advance! The next day, our guide said that they had been warned in advance. You need to buy an adapter - 2 euros, towels and bed linen did not change at all... at first she left a tip for the maid, then she stopped because. cleaning was disgusting! The last 2 days have not been cleaned at all. The food is monotonous, fatty and it was sometimes unclear what kind of dish it was! Fruit portion per person: unripe plums for lunch or 1 peach per person! The only plus is its own mini-beach and clear sea!!! !
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• 3
Hello. I am writing a review for the first time and only because I read horror stories about this hotel before the trip. We traveled with 2 families: 2 adults + 8 year old child and 2 adults + 10 year old child + 6 month old baby!! ! We did not find any horrors written here. So, in order The flight from St. Petersburg was at night, after ordering a minivan taxi, we moved to the airport in a friendly and cheerful company.
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Hello. I am writing a review for the first time and only because I read horror stories about this hotel before the trip. We traveled with 2 families: 2 adults + 8 year old child and 2 adults + 10 year old child + 6 month old baby!! ! We did not find any horrors written here. So, in order
The flight from St. Petersburg was at night, after ordering a minivan taxi, we moved to the airport in a friendly and cheerful company. We arrived much in advance, thanks to which we sat in the same row in the same row all together. Cypriot airlines are a miracle, they have never flown better. Arrived in the morning, there were no problems with transfer and check-in. We were all accommodated as it should have been: a room with a sea view and a balcony. Take it - you won't regret it.
There are a lot of Russians in the hotel - 95% of them are Ukrainians + a bit of Muscovites, we are from St. Petersburg + quite a bit of foreigners. 2 times a week disco at the hotel by the pool when dinner starts. Cheerful.
The food at the hotel is decent, all the horrors - there is nothing, "like pigs" - this is nonsense. We always take ALL, despite the fact that we take all the alcohol from home and buy more in the dutik. If you compare Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt with a bunch of trays, deep fats, sweets, then you need to go there. There is always chicken and meat, 3 types of garnish, 4 types of salad (who traveled around Europe will understand me), even our picky men were fed to satiety. Drinks such as "cola", juices, tea, coffee - packaged or bottled as in stores. You can drink draft beer, we did not try whiskey vodka. The attitude throughout Cyprus, including the hotel, is friendly. Cleaned every day, towels and bed every 3 days. The tip was left 1 time, and for the second time, the husband gave the cleaner champagne for 250 rubles. The moral is a little bit of generosity and the room was always clean, cleaned, with soap, paper, etc. To enhance the feeling of scolding, rent cabriolets, an expensive pleasure - 800 euros for 2 days, but it was worth it... Ai-Napa, Paphos, got lost and reached the capital - Nicosia, night skiing without children... The hotel is located in the center of the tour zone, so there was no disco. We didn’t go opposite the hotel, where there are a lot of ours, but a little to the right to the “local” one - 3.5 hours drive...
In conclusion, I will sum up: three-ruble notes from 4 do not differ in anything, the first line, the center of the tour zone, friendly staff, and most importantly, a POSITIVE attitude and a desire to relax, and then no one will spoil your long-awaited vacation. GOOD LUCK! !
The flight from St. Petersburg was at night, after ordering a minivan taxi, we moved to the airport in a friendly and cheerful company. We arrived much in advance, thanks to which we sat in the same row in the same row all together. Cypriot airlines are a miracle, they have never flown better. Arrived in the morning, there were no problems with transfer and check-in. We were all accommodated as it should have been: a room with a sea view and a balcony. Take it - you won't regret it.
There are a lot of Russians in the hotel - 95% of them are Ukrainians + a bit of Muscovites, we are from St. Petersburg + quite a bit of foreigners. 2 times a week disco at the hotel by the pool when dinner starts. Cheerful.
The food at the hotel is decent, all the horrors - there is nothing, "like pigs" - this is nonsense. We always take ALL, despite the fact that we take all the alcohol from home and buy more in the dutik. If you compare Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt with a bunch of trays, deep fats, sweets, then you need to go there. There is always chicken and meat, 3 types of garnish, 4 types of salad (who traveled around Europe will understand me), even our picky men were fed to satiety. Drinks such as "cola", juices, tea, coffee - packaged or bottled as in stores. You can drink draft beer, we did not try whiskey vodka. The attitude throughout Cyprus, including the hotel, is friendly. Cleaned every day, towels and bed every 3 days. The tip was left 1 time, and for the second time, the husband gave the cleaner champagne for 250 rubles. The moral is a little bit of generosity and the room was always clean, cleaned, with soap, paper, etc. To enhance the feeling of scolding, rent cabriolets, an expensive pleasure - 800 euros for 2 days, but it was worth it... Ai-Napa, Paphos, got lost and reached the capital - Nicosia, night skiing without children... The hotel is located in the center of the tour zone, so there was no disco. We didn’t go opposite the hotel, where there are a lot of ours, but a little to the right to the “local” one - 3.5 hours drive...
In conclusion, I will sum up: three-ruble notes from 4 do not differ in anything, the first line, the center of the tour zone, friendly staff, and most importantly, a POSITIVE attitude and a desire to relax, and then no one will spoil your long-awaited vacation. GOOD LUCK! !
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• 6
The hotel is really located in the 1st line, the territory of the hotel bar smoothly turns into the beach - a concreted area 5 * 20 meters with free sunbeds (a rarity for Cyprus). The entrance to the water is from a pontoon along a ladder, like in a pool. In principle, it is very convenient, you go down into the water and you are immediately waist-deep (you can swim) and the water is clean.
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The hotel is really located in the 1st line, the territory of the hotel bar smoothly turns into the beach - a concreted area 5 * 20 meters with free sunbeds (a rarity for Cyprus). The entrance to the water is from a pontoon along a ladder, like in a pool. In principle, it is very convenient, you go down into the water and you are immediately waist-deep (you can swim) and the water is clean. Literally 5 meters away there is a sandy beach, but the water there near the shore is unclear, in general, I practically did not go there to swim.
The hotel has rooms with a balcony and without a balcony, the former, of course, are more spacious and comfortable. To the left of the hotel (if you stand facing it, and your back to the sea) construction is raging, and, judging by the pace, it will drag on until at least 2012, so it’s better to ask for a room on the right side, it’s much quieter there. Builders come to work at 7 am and work non-stop for hours until 4 pm. True, there is a downside to the coin, construction is a good reason to get up early.
I recommend to go along the promenade towards the hotel Appolonia 5 *. If you go another 150 meters beyond it, there are quite wild places, no one bathes and the water is simply the purest and most transparent.
NUTRITION
I had HB, in principle, everything was enough. Although the food was not particularly plentiful, and not particularly tasty. But this is my subjective opinion. With fruit - strained. They gave only one fruit, mostly watermelon (in July), or plums, apples.
Here it is worth pouring a little tar. The fact is that the guests in Crusader Beach are mainly from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus, because this is a Natalie Tours package hotel. Scoops, in a word, and scoops are not familiar to the buffet. As a result, they either fill up full plates, then leave a lot of half-eaten food, or shamelessly shove food into pockets and purses in front of all honest people. Hence the conclusion - there may not be enough food, so collect food immediately in one go. But just as much as you eat, do not become like foolish pigs.
RECEPTION
At the reception, English-speaking and Greek-speaking Cypriots are mainly on duty (and what did you think, Cyprus, by the way, is a former British colony), in Russian they don’t boom-boom, they only know numerals to give out the keys to the room. There is a bottom Russian-speaking young lady, from ours, she has been living in Cyprus for a long time, but she has not forgotten Russian . You can contact her for any question.
Another fly in the ointment due to the completely "soviet" composition of the hotel. Once I saw a beautiful picture. A fat English-speaking woman was on duty at the reception (well, how unlucky she was) and then two completely drunk girls from Moscow arrived with a new arrival. It was evident that they began to take alcohol on the plane. When they were brought to the hotel, they were already pretty drunk. So, the oil painting: at the reception desk there is a liter unfinished bottle of whiskey, the desk of the receptionist is flooded with Pepsi-Cola, and two drunk Russian girls shout “I’m sorry, I’m awfully sorry” at the interruption.
Then one of them says to the other in Russian: “We must shout louder, otherwise they won’t believe it. ” Nearby stands a completely drunk man of about 60, also Russian, who is holding on to the reception desk so as not to fall. The woman receptionist at the reception, of course, was completely stunned by such visitors and that day, until the end of her shift, she looked askance at everyone very suspiciously. I suspect that she even wanted to quit, but then changed her mind - after all, 2.000 euros a month are not lying on the road. By the way, those girls were the first to be placed in the room, although several more people were waiting for the settlement. Looks like they were afraid that they would smash everything there.
THE INTERNET
Near the reception there is free Wi-Fi, the speed is quite high and works stably, but it does not catch in the rooms. By the way, for non-specialists, advice is that you can connect to Wi-Fi and quite far from the reception, but the principle of Wi-Fi technology is such that the farther you are from the access point, the lower the speed.
Hence the conclusion - if you want high-speed access, sit closer to the reception.
HOTEL GUESTS
As already mentioned, the hotel is almost 100% filled with tourists from the CIS. On the one hand, it's good, there is always someone to talk to. On the other hand, it’s bad, because in the evenings some of the Soviets get drunk in a snipe and make a brawl: a loud Russian swearing begins on the embankment, swimming with and without clothes, screaming, etc.
TOURS
Unlike, for example, Turkey, excursions in Cyprus cost a lot of money. A trip to the Troodos Mountains and the Kikos Monastery with lunch - 65 euros, a trip to the places of the erotic glory of Aphrodite - 45 euros without lunch, etc. In general, the cheapest excursion is 45 euros. Basically, all companies carry on the same routes. But there is an alternative - the operator "Biblio Globus" takes pilgrims and all those interested in Orthodox shrines, and there are enough of them in Cyprus.
With their help, you can get to the monasteries, which ordinary travel agencies do not carry, and public transport does not go there, except by car.
RENT A CAR
Gasoline in Cyprus is cheaper than in Europe: 1.2 Euro instead of 1.5 Euro, as in other countries. The cost of the car very much depends on the season and the ability to bargain. As a rule, a car is rented for at least 3 days. If you want less, you have to look. In general, the cost of a category "A" car is about 30 euros per day, if taken for at least 3 days.
Despite the fact that Cyprus is part of the EU, there are almost no European cars on the streets, except maybe BMW and Mercedes. Basically, everyone drives Japanese and Korean cars. I took Kia Picanto - I didn't like it. The engine is weak, it barely goes uphill in 2nd gear, but at the same time, gasoline consumption with the air conditioner on is about 7 liters. It seems to me that for a class "A" car, this is a lot.
Insurance: it is best to take Full CDW with no Excess. The latter means that you have zero deductible.
But this rarely happens, usually offices offer insurance with a deductible of 400 Euros. In this case, the amount of 400 euros must be paid in cash (they will give it to you later) or this amount will be blocked on your card. If you take "...with no Excess", then the rent will cost more.
There are also options with gasoline: either you take the car with a full tank and return it with a full tank, or you immediately pay for a full tank of gasoline, then you can return the car with an almost empty tank. I note that the first option is more profitable in terms of money, but in this case they ask you for a deposit, for example 50 euros, or block an amount of 50-100 euros on the card. If you return the car with a full tank, as expected, then the deposit will be returned to you, or the same amount will be released on the card (approximately 2 weeks later).
The car can be delivered directly to the hotel, then after the end of the rental period, just leave the keys at the Reception.
In general, rental offices work there conscientiously, usually there are no problems.
Important: in Cyprus, there is left-hand traffic, that is, the steering wheel in the car is on the right, and the gear knob is on the left. A couple of notes on the rules of UD: the rule of the left hand (instead of the right) applies, when entering a roundabout (round about), you must always give way to those cars that are moving along the junction.
In general, when you sit behind the right wheel, the main thing is caution, because everything is very unusual. At intersections, leave only when you see that you are giving way.
TRANSPORT
There is no railway in Cyprus, but there are excellent roads, and all of them are free. A bus from Limassol to Larnaca or Paphos costs 3 euros one way or 5 euros round trip for one day. Taxis are very expensive: they charge about 3 euros for landing and 1.5 euros for each kilometer.
HITCH-HIKING
Hitchhiking is possible but not recommended and should only be used as a last resort. Once we missed the last bus from Paphos to Limassol. The prospect of spending the night on the beach in Paphos was not particularly encouraging. Since the taxi was very expensive, there was only one option left - to catch a ride. From the bus station to the exit to the autobahn, one of the bus station employees gave us a free lift in his jeep. By the way, he went specially to take us, and told us in detail where it is best to catch a car, for which many thanks to him.
In general, we had to stand for quite a long time. Many cars passed by, but no one stopped, there were not even hints. After about 10 minutes, a large jeep stopped, a woman was driving, a bunch of children were in the back seat. However, she did not go to Limassol, she offered to give me a lift somewhere halfway to Limassol. I had to refuse.
I note that the Cypriots treat the British quite well, although they are their former colonialists. They say that the British at one time did a lot for the development of Cyprus and are now investing a lot of money in Cyprus.
I tried to tell you that Ukraine is also investing a lot of money in Cyprus, because for our oligarchs it is offshore zone No. 1. But they didn't support me.
By the way, there are still a lot of British tourists in Cyprus, while I almost never saw the ubiquitous Germans there. Looks like everyone is in Turkey.
WHAT ARE THEY, CYPRUS?
The population of Cyprus (excluding its northern part) is mostly Greek, but unlike their continental brothers, the islanders are considered more enterprising and hardworking. The driver of the car that drove us to Limassol said that many of them work two jobs. I was surprised that continental Greece got into huge debts, but at the same time the Greeks still do not want to work.
The crime rate in the country is very low. In general, a tourist is a “sacred cow” for them, therefore, no matter what happens, they try to create all the conditions for them. For example, everyone knows that in July an ammunition depot 25 km from Limassol exploded. The only powerful power plant in Cyprus, Vasilikos, was blown to smithereens, and it provided 60% of the electricity for the country. And what: a rolling blackout occurs only in the depths of the country and in residential areas, but not in the resort area. In hotels, water and electricity are not turned off even for a minute.
The hotel has rooms with a balcony and without a balcony, the former, of course, are more spacious and comfortable. To the left of the hotel (if you stand facing it, and your back to the sea) construction is raging, and, judging by the pace, it will drag on until at least 2012, so it’s better to ask for a room on the right side, it’s much quieter there. Builders come to work at 7 am and work non-stop for hours until 4 pm. True, there is a downside to the coin, construction is a good reason to get up early.
I recommend to go along the promenade towards the hotel Appolonia 5 *. If you go another 150 meters beyond it, there are quite wild places, no one bathes and the water is simply the purest and most transparent.
NUTRITION
I had HB, in principle, everything was enough. Although the food was not particularly plentiful, and not particularly tasty. But this is my subjective opinion. With fruit - strained. They gave only one fruit, mostly watermelon (in July), or plums, apples.
Here it is worth pouring a little tar. The fact is that the guests in Crusader Beach are mainly from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus, because this is a Natalie Tours package hotel. Scoops, in a word, and scoops are not familiar to the buffet. As a result, they either fill up full plates, then leave a lot of half-eaten food, or shamelessly shove food into pockets and purses in front of all honest people. Hence the conclusion - there may not be enough food, so collect food immediately in one go. But just as much as you eat, do not become like foolish pigs.
RECEPTION
At the reception, English-speaking and Greek-speaking Cypriots are mainly on duty (and what did you think, Cyprus, by the way, is a former British colony), in Russian they don’t boom-boom, they only know numerals to give out the keys to the room. There is a bottom Russian-speaking young lady, from ours, she has been living in Cyprus for a long time, but she has not forgotten Russian . You can contact her for any question.
Another fly in the ointment due to the completely "soviet" composition of the hotel. Once I saw a beautiful picture. A fat English-speaking woman was on duty at the reception (well, how unlucky she was) and then two completely drunk girls from Moscow arrived with a new arrival. It was evident that they began to take alcohol on the plane. When they were brought to the hotel, they were already pretty drunk. So, the oil painting: at the reception desk there is a liter unfinished bottle of whiskey, the desk of the receptionist is flooded with Pepsi-Cola, and two drunk Russian girls shout “I’m sorry, I’m awfully sorry” at the interruption.
Then one of them says to the other in Russian: “We must shout louder, otherwise they won’t believe it. ” Nearby stands a completely drunk man of about 60, also Russian, who is holding on to the reception desk so as not to fall. The woman receptionist at the reception, of course, was completely stunned by such visitors and that day, until the end of her shift, she looked askance at everyone very suspiciously. I suspect that she even wanted to quit, but then changed her mind - after all, 2.000 euros a month are not lying on the road. By the way, those girls were the first to be placed in the room, although several more people were waiting for the settlement. Looks like they were afraid that they would smash everything there.
THE INTERNET
Near the reception there is free Wi-Fi, the speed is quite high and works stably, but it does not catch in the rooms. By the way, for non-specialists, advice is that you can connect to Wi-Fi and quite far from the reception, but the principle of Wi-Fi technology is such that the farther you are from the access point, the lower the speed.
Hence the conclusion - if you want high-speed access, sit closer to the reception.
HOTEL GUESTS
As already mentioned, the hotel is almost 100% filled with tourists from the CIS. On the one hand, it's good, there is always someone to talk to. On the other hand, it’s bad, because in the evenings some of the Soviets get drunk in a snipe and make a brawl: a loud Russian swearing begins on the embankment, swimming with and without clothes, screaming, etc.
TOURS
Unlike, for example, Turkey, excursions in Cyprus cost a lot of money. A trip to the Troodos Mountains and the Kikos Monastery with lunch - 65 euros, a trip to the places of the erotic glory of Aphrodite - 45 euros without lunch, etc. In general, the cheapest excursion is 45 euros. Basically, all companies carry on the same routes. But there is an alternative - the operator "Biblio Globus" takes pilgrims and all those interested in Orthodox shrines, and there are enough of them in Cyprus.
With their help, you can get to the monasteries, which ordinary travel agencies do not carry, and public transport does not go there, except by car.
RENT A CAR
Gasoline in Cyprus is cheaper than in Europe: 1.2 Euro instead of 1.5 Euro, as in other countries. The cost of the car very much depends on the season and the ability to bargain. As a rule, a car is rented for at least 3 days. If you want less, you have to look. In general, the cost of a category "A" car is about 30 euros per day, if taken for at least 3 days.
Despite the fact that Cyprus is part of the EU, there are almost no European cars on the streets, except maybe BMW and Mercedes. Basically, everyone drives Japanese and Korean cars. I took Kia Picanto - I didn't like it. The engine is weak, it barely goes uphill in 2nd gear, but at the same time, gasoline consumption with the air conditioner on is about 7 liters. It seems to me that for a class "A" car, this is a lot.
Insurance: it is best to take Full CDW with no Excess. The latter means that you have zero deductible.
But this rarely happens, usually offices offer insurance with a deductible of 400 Euros. In this case, the amount of 400 euros must be paid in cash (they will give it to you later) or this amount will be blocked on your card. If you take "...with no Excess", then the rent will cost more.
There are also options with gasoline: either you take the car with a full tank and return it with a full tank, or you immediately pay for a full tank of gasoline, then you can return the car with an almost empty tank. I note that the first option is more profitable in terms of money, but in this case they ask you for a deposit, for example 50 euros, or block an amount of 50-100 euros on the card. If you return the car with a full tank, as expected, then the deposit will be returned to you, or the same amount will be released on the card (approximately 2 weeks later).
The car can be delivered directly to the hotel, then after the end of the rental period, just leave the keys at the Reception.
In general, rental offices work there conscientiously, usually there are no problems.
Important: in Cyprus, there is left-hand traffic, that is, the steering wheel in the car is on the right, and the gear knob is on the left. A couple of notes on the rules of UD: the rule of the left hand (instead of the right) applies, when entering a roundabout (round about), you must always give way to those cars that are moving along the junction.
In general, when you sit behind the right wheel, the main thing is caution, because everything is very unusual. At intersections, leave only when you see that you are giving way.
TRANSPORT
There is no railway in Cyprus, but there are excellent roads, and all of them are free. A bus from Limassol to Larnaca or Paphos costs 3 euros one way or 5 euros round trip for one day. Taxis are very expensive: they charge about 3 euros for landing and 1.5 euros for each kilometer.
HITCH-HIKING
Hitchhiking is possible but not recommended and should only be used as a last resort. Once we missed the last bus from Paphos to Limassol. The prospect of spending the night on the beach in Paphos was not particularly encouraging. Since the taxi was very expensive, there was only one option left - to catch a ride. From the bus station to the exit to the autobahn, one of the bus station employees gave us a free lift in his jeep. By the way, he went specially to take us, and told us in detail where it is best to catch a car, for which many thanks to him.
In general, we had to stand for quite a long time. Many cars passed by, but no one stopped, there were not even hints. After about 10 minutes, a large jeep stopped, a woman was driving, a bunch of children were in the back seat. However, she did not go to Limassol, she offered to give me a lift somewhere halfway to Limassol. I had to refuse.
I note that the Cypriots treat the British quite well, although they are their former colonialists. They say that the British at one time did a lot for the development of Cyprus and are now investing a lot of money in Cyprus.
I tried to tell you that Ukraine is also investing a lot of money in Cyprus, because for our oligarchs it is offshore zone No. 1. But they didn't support me.
By the way, there are still a lot of British tourists in Cyprus, while I almost never saw the ubiquitous Germans there. Looks like everyone is in Turkey.
WHAT ARE THEY, CYPRUS?
The population of Cyprus (excluding its northern part) is mostly Greek, but unlike their continental brothers, the islanders are considered more enterprising and hardworking. The driver of the car that drove us to Limassol said that many of them work two jobs. I was surprised that continental Greece got into huge debts, but at the same time the Greeks still do not want to work.
The crime rate in the country is very low. In general, a tourist is a “sacred cow” for them, therefore, no matter what happens, they try to create all the conditions for them. For example, everyone knows that in July an ammunition depot 25 km from Limassol exploded. The only powerful power plant in Cyprus, Vasilikos, was blown to smithereens, and it provided 60% of the electricity for the country. And what: a rolling blackout occurs only in the depths of the country and in residential areas, but not in the resort area. In hotels, water and electricity are not turned off even for a minute.
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In July, we rested with my family in Cyprus, at the Crusader Beach Hotel in Limassol. The two main advantages of this hotel are the location and the price. On the first line (the sea is clean) plus in the city center - a great combination! The tour was bought in Natalie, chosen by price - finances do not allow a luxurious vacation now, but I really wanted to go to the Mediterranean.
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In July, we rested with my family in Cyprus, at the Crusader Beach Hotel in Limassol. The two main advantages of this hotel are the location and the price. On the first line (the sea is clean) plus in the city center - a great combination! The tour was bought in Natalie, chosen by price - finances do not allow a luxurious vacation now, but I really wanted to go to the Mediterranean. They escorted us, met us well, settled without problems.
The hotel is quite worthy for its three stars. I don’t see the point in taking “all inclusive” - this is a big city, there are a lot of restaurants, bars, etc. around, I want to try everything, portions of hoo. So we took half board. The breakfasts are not bad, although they cannot boast of variety, and the dinners are delicious, not boring. Twice a week at dinner - entertainment in the form of local songs and dances)
We lived in a room with a balcony (a table and two chairs on the balcony) and a side sea view. Number for their money fully satisfied. I didn’t observe any problems with cleanliness described in other reviews - yes, they don’t lick perfectly, like in five stars on the Thai islands, well, the price is appropriate, but there were no obvious flaws - perhaps the euro helped for tea on the very first day and a couple more to come. Linen was changed every 3 days. The plumbing worked well. I didn’t have a chance to meet the cockroaches described in one of the reviews) The staff is friendly, not everyone speaks Russian. Really free WiFi!
The sea is excellent, we swam so much that in the evening everyone had red eyes, I didn’t want to get out. The beach is a stone slab, we didn’t see anything terrible in this, but if you walk a little, you can find sand. The beaches are municipal, so rest on any. Sunbeds by the pool are free. The pool is located in such a way that, while relaxing near it and turning the sunbeds to the sea, you get the feeling that you are lying right on the beach - great.
We were in Cyprus for the first time. Usually we rent a car everywhere, but here we were afraid because of the left-hand traffic. In the end, they decided, and it turned out that you get used to it very quickly. We traveled around everything that we were interested in without any problems. Paphos (with a mandatory visit to the necropolis), Larnaca, Mount Olympus (yes, there is also an Olympus here, but the original, of course, in Greece), the place where Aphrodite came out of the foam - they still swim around the rock of Aphrodite three times to stay forever young) I will not expand on the beauty of nature. The Mediterranean is truly a blessed land and Cyprus is one of the best places to experience it.
The hotel is quite worthy for its three stars. I don’t see the point in taking “all inclusive” - this is a big city, there are a lot of restaurants, bars, etc. around, I want to try everything, portions of hoo. So we took half board. The breakfasts are not bad, although they cannot boast of variety, and the dinners are delicious, not boring. Twice a week at dinner - entertainment in the form of local songs and dances)
We lived in a room with a balcony (a table and two chairs on the balcony) and a side sea view. Number for their money fully satisfied. I didn’t observe any problems with cleanliness described in other reviews - yes, they don’t lick perfectly, like in five stars on the Thai islands, well, the price is appropriate, but there were no obvious flaws - perhaps the euro helped for tea on the very first day and a couple more to come. Linen was changed every 3 days. The plumbing worked well. I didn’t have a chance to meet the cockroaches described in one of the reviews) The staff is friendly, not everyone speaks Russian. Really free WiFi!
The sea is excellent, we swam so much that in the evening everyone had red eyes, I didn’t want to get out. The beach is a stone slab, we didn’t see anything terrible in this, but if you walk a little, you can find sand. The beaches are municipal, so rest on any. Sunbeds by the pool are free. The pool is located in such a way that, while relaxing near it and turning the sunbeds to the sea, you get the feeling that you are lying right on the beach - great.
We were in Cyprus for the first time. Usually we rent a car everywhere, but here we were afraid because of the left-hand traffic. In the end, they decided, and it turned out that you get used to it very quickly. We traveled around everything that we were interested in without any problems. Paphos (with a mandatory visit to the necropolis), Larnaca, Mount Olympus (yes, there is also an Olympus here, but the original, of course, in Greece), the place where Aphrodite came out of the foam - they still swim around the rock of Aphrodite three times to stay forever young) I will not expand on the beauty of nature. The Mediterranean is truly a blessed land and Cyprus is one of the best places to experience it.
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And I liked Cyprus !! ! I don’t understand why people go to Turkey and Egypt several times, if there are much better countries, though I myself have been to Turkey 2 times and I won’t go there again. If you need to go for service and eat a whole day and drink for free, then you should not go to Cyprus, though you can buy everything here much better and tastier with food and drink, the prices are cheaper than in Turkey and there is no point in bargaining, I already understood and felt the difference.
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And I liked Cyprus !! ! I don’t understand why people go to Turkey and Egypt several times, if there are much better countries, though I myself have been to Turkey 2 times and I won’t go there again. If you need to go for service and eat a whole day and drink for free, then you should not go to Cyprus, though you can buy everything here much better and tastier with food and drink, the prices are cheaper than in Turkey and there is no point in bargaining, I already understood and felt the difference. The hotel itself is normal, you can go if you don’t bother with furniture and food. There are some nuances, but you shouldn’t pay attention to it, but I saw a little during the trip, but I don’t want to, because I still plan to return there and I advise everyone! The country is international and beautiful, the main thing is to tune in to a positive holiday, and read less negative, everyone spoils his own vacation as he wants !!! ! Cyprus is super !!!!!!!!! ! Even here no one will pester you, as it is in Muslim countries, the beaches are all public and you can sunbathe and swim wherever you want, no one will kick you out.
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well, to begin with, there were no more than a dozen of our brother Khokhl, 90% of our "older sister" Mother Russia ". Because this is not Turkey and not everyone had the coveted "all inclusive" youth and active There were also not many representatives of freebies. The main and overwhelming majority were young families and grannies over 60!! ! behaved worse about them and more; We went in small groups of 4-5 people.
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well, to begin with, there were no more than a dozen of our brother Khokhl, 90% of our "older sister" Mother Russia ". Because this is not Turkey and not everyone had the coveted "all inclusive" youth and active There were also not many representatives of freebies. The main and overwhelming majority were young families and grannies over 60!! ! behaved worse about them and more;
We went in small groups of 4-5 people. At the sight of food at dinner, as if by the blow of a gong, they rushed in a sprint for food, pushing everyone and everyone with their elbows. They served generously, sometimes with a mountain, two plates for each of the pensioners. They pretended to be a ladle and believing citizens, although they ate meat as if they were passing through a meat grinder. EVERYTHING and everything was criticized. In the mornings, for some reason, they didn’t constantly warm up the milk, and the worst thing was that the waiters and kitchen employees did not all speak Russian, which made the grandmothers very angry... It was suggested to the grandmothers to learn a couple of phrases in English, they said that they were no longer at that age , although you can’t tell by their races from a low start... in the end, the grandmothers flew away, the kitchen breathed a sigh of relief.
Kitchen; well, yes, no one was hungry, but no one left much enthusiasm for food either. Breakfasts are generally predictable, always boiled eggs on Mondays, fried eggs on Tuesday, scrambled eggs on Wednesday, and again in a circle. From desserts, oranges and watermelons (this is from edibles), the rest is chemistry in the form of puddings with bright colors. There were always a lot of watermelons, but with oranges it’s more difficult, we personally got them only twice, although we were far from the last to come.
Yes, the rooms are small with old, one might say OLD furniture, early 90s. The bathroom is ugly, tiles like in the USSR, a curtain instead of a shower cabin...
The ventilation in the room is not bad; it is centralized and it was always very comfortable +22 (they set it for themselves), it worked very quietly. The rooms were cleaned daily (they vacuumed and took out the garbage), towels were changed every three days. There is no animation, except for the evenings "over 40" on Mondays and Thursdays after 20 o'clock. . And for dinner on such days, food was displayed under bright red lamps (no kidding). The food under them is all red and that everyone there could only guess, but they took it without hesitation. Only later, at the tables, they considered that the meat was overcooked or burnt.
Regularly men of dubious appearance of local cut like "retired macho" come over 50 years old! They mow like gentlemen, treating girls and ladies "in a simpler way" with local spill wine for 2 euros. Ladies, in anticipation of a stormy holiday romance, accept courtship, but what's next... think for yourself... On the next day, a new "delivery" of new ladies and so on ad infinitum, so the local "MACHOS" have grown old. You will not confuse them with anyone, they stand out for their color and bright clothes.
The beach is small, the entrance to the sea is like in a pool. Near the left, the coast is better and more pleasant, but that is no longer the territory of the hotel, although the entrance is open to everyone. It is not clear why it was impossible to make a normal birch tree for those who come to the hotel? Many locals say that the owner of the hotel is bad, he drinks and does not work in the hotel, well, you yourself will feel it if you go. The disaster is just with sun loungers and umbrellas... they are sorely lacking. The people occupy (in particular, our older brothers RUSSIAN) 5 sun loungers at once, for themselves and the region adjacent to Voronezh... An hour passes, another, out of 5 occupied 3 are free, (towels sunbathe in them, waiting for their owners, who still do not know that they have ALREADY taken a place under the sun and sleep peacefully until dinner). On the territory of the hotel it is forbidden to consume food and drinks bought in a supermarket (across the road from the hotel is not expensive), they tried to eat their watermelon, kicked out, they said you can in the room. The service staff of the hotel, many come from the scoop, they know Russian, but the Cypriot waiters are also trying to speak.
such a cheerful hotel, only its proximity to the sea saves it. Personally, I didn’t like the service at the hotel at all, I felt like in a pioneer camp, where everything is strictly according to the charter of the camp. Turkey is better in this regard, and the Turks are happy to trade, which is not at all in Cyprus.
I wish you a good rest in this hotel, I hope you have better luck! GOOD LUCK!
We went in small groups of 4-5 people. At the sight of food at dinner, as if by the blow of a gong, they rushed in a sprint for food, pushing everyone and everyone with their elbows. They served generously, sometimes with a mountain, two plates for each of the pensioners. They pretended to be a ladle and believing citizens, although they ate meat as if they were passing through a meat grinder. EVERYTHING and everything was criticized. In the mornings, for some reason, they didn’t constantly warm up the milk, and the worst thing was that the waiters and kitchen employees did not all speak Russian, which made the grandmothers very angry... It was suggested to the grandmothers to learn a couple of phrases in English, they said that they were no longer at that age , although you can’t tell by their races from a low start... in the end, the grandmothers flew away, the kitchen breathed a sigh of relief.
Kitchen; well, yes, no one was hungry, but no one left much enthusiasm for food either. Breakfasts are generally predictable, always boiled eggs on Mondays, fried eggs on Tuesday, scrambled eggs on Wednesday, and again in a circle. From desserts, oranges and watermelons (this is from edibles), the rest is chemistry in the form of puddings with bright colors. There were always a lot of watermelons, but with oranges it’s more difficult, we personally got them only twice, although we were far from the last to come.
Yes, the rooms are small with old, one might say OLD furniture, early 90s. The bathroom is ugly, tiles like in the USSR, a curtain instead of a shower cabin...
The ventilation in the room is not bad; it is centralized and it was always very comfortable +22 (they set it for themselves), it worked very quietly. The rooms were cleaned daily (they vacuumed and took out the garbage), towels were changed every three days. There is no animation, except for the evenings "over 40" on Mondays and Thursdays after 20 o'clock. . And for dinner on such days, food was displayed under bright red lamps (no kidding). The food under them is all red and that everyone there could only guess, but they took it without hesitation. Only later, at the tables, they considered that the meat was overcooked or burnt.
Regularly men of dubious appearance of local cut like "retired macho" come over 50 years old! They mow like gentlemen, treating girls and ladies "in a simpler way" with local spill wine for 2 euros. Ladies, in anticipation of a stormy holiday romance, accept courtship, but what's next... think for yourself... On the next day, a new "delivery" of new ladies and so on ad infinitum, so the local "MACHOS" have grown old. You will not confuse them with anyone, they stand out for their color and bright clothes.
The beach is small, the entrance to the sea is like in a pool. Near the left, the coast is better and more pleasant, but that is no longer the territory of the hotel, although the entrance is open to everyone. It is not clear why it was impossible to make a normal birch tree for those who come to the hotel? Many locals say that the owner of the hotel is bad, he drinks and does not work in the hotel, well, you yourself will feel it if you go. The disaster is just with sun loungers and umbrellas... they are sorely lacking. The people occupy (in particular, our older brothers RUSSIAN) 5 sun loungers at once, for themselves and the region adjacent to Voronezh... An hour passes, another, out of 5 occupied 3 are free, (towels sunbathe in them, waiting for their owners, who still do not know that they have ALREADY taken a place under the sun and sleep peacefully until dinner). On the territory of the hotel it is forbidden to consume food and drinks bought in a supermarket (across the road from the hotel is not expensive), they tried to eat their watermelon, kicked out, they said you can in the room. The service staff of the hotel, many come from the scoop, they know Russian, but the Cypriot waiters are also trying to speak.
such a cheerful hotel, only its proximity to the sea saves it. Personally, I didn’t like the service at the hotel at all, I felt like in a pioneer camp, where everything is strictly according to the charter of the camp. Turkey is better in this regard, and the Turks are happy to trade, which is not at all in Cyprus.
I wish you a good rest in this hotel, I hope you have better luck! GOOD LUCK!
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