Trip Reports - LCA Trip Report

Trip Schedule:
Original

May 28 - YYZ-MXP
May 30 - MXP-LCA
Jun 03 - LCA-MXP
Jun 04 - MXP-YYZ

Revised
May 28 - YYZ-MXP
May 30 - MXP-LCA
Jun 03 - LCA-MXP
Jun 09 - MXP-YYZ

Made a change on Thursday May 25th with Nico for a stopover in Milan on the way back. He was prompt in returning the call and was relieved that it was just a simple change. :D He asked me to call Orbitz and remove the extra leg. He also asked me to show up at YYZ airport early to get it stickered. Orbitz after sending me around 3 agents was able to fix it.

May 28th: Showed up 3 hrs before the flight to get the stickers. They were quite polite and verified and issued the sticker. With a warning that this is the last change I can make to the ticket. They were curious to know who made the change - "Alitalia Ticketing" was my answer, since now I have 2 stopovers in MXP - Onward and Return.

May 28th: Checked in with only carry-on luggage. Was quite pleasant and nobody was perturbed by the fare paid. Added my NWA number too. The gate was at 523. Had to take the bus to the other side of the terminal and was given lounge access with AC Maple Leaf Lounge which is right after you get off from the bus. Dont try any of the other Maple Leaf Lounges, they only have agreement with the one at the 500 gates.

Boarded the flight and left on time. The 767 is an old one. There were no individual TV Screens. The layout is 2 1 2. It was 25% full and everyone had a window seat. The food was something that you could miss. Quite bland and tasteless. With 100+Mph tail winds made it 1 hour ahead of schedule.

May 29th: Got through Customs and Immigration. Took the Malpenza Express train to downtown Milan - 11 Euros onway - 40 mins. The return ticket works only if you return back on the same day - 14.50 Euros. I did not have any major hotel points to burn and hence reserved a nice little place from Venere.com (also got 4% off with a coupon on the internet)- Mignon Hotel. It had some great reviews and went with it.

Italian women rock!!! I asked for directions at the train station and the women helped me get around to the hotel. Once you get your bearings, Milan is quite easy to navigate.

May 30th: Got to the airport and went to the Alitalia line to check in. They asked me to head to the Cyprus Air check-in. (The check-in was not open, hence checked with Alitalia, what the heck). When they opened, found it was operated by some agency and not Cyprus Air nor Alitalia. They made me check in my roller bag (Standard US 22" roller board). This was at the B gates. I went to the Alitalia lounge and was allowed inside based on my NWA Plat. I was Y class on the onward flight to LCA. The lounge does not have free internet access - 6Euros for 1 hour. The facilities and couches were a bit old. Could have spent the time outside people watching instead.

Cyprus Air is boarded like Southwest, no row calls. Just everybody troops in and boards. The seats were so closely packed, my knees were on my chin. The first class is nothing to be coveted for. The seats were covered with leather but still a 3-3 seating behind a curtain. So Y class or D class makes no difference in their A320. Make sure you get an exit row seat. It is worth it. I had ordered for Veggie meal and got it on Cyprus Air (quite good, compared to the usual chicken or beef option :-).

Landed in LCA ontime. There are no gates in LCA. Everybody is bused to the terminal. Which is a giant hangar. Two queues - EU and Others. Not many questions asked by the Immigration folks. Once you pass it another Wal-Mart sized warehouse where the baggage carousels are. There are ATM machines and a Tourist Center. I was using both waiting for my bag.

Came out and was told the only option to get to town was by Taxi. Got into one. The guy turned on the meter. When we were 200 mts before the hotel, he turned it off (was 4.35 pounds by now). Then at the hotel he said the bill was for 7 pounds. I said what, he said "for you - 6 pounds". I said - "Who asked you to turn off the meter". He threatened to take me back to the airport. I said - "Sure, lets go". Raised the usual hell about my lineage, questionable parentage etc etc. (FYI: They are all sound. Seen too many cab drivers in my life ;) Finally accepted 5 pounds and drove off in a fury. Maybe cost him more on tire and gas for that takeoff than what he did not get from me. Key: Stick to 5 pounds to downtown LCA and 10 pounds to the resorts. Anything else, note down the cab number and complain.

A last note for now: Plan on bringing your own towel(s). I brought mine. Much better than using their questionable ones. BTW smokers, this is your paradise. There are no restrictions whatsoever in Cyprus.

June 3rd: Took the bus from LCA downtown to the airport for 70c. The ride takes only 15 mins. Beats having to deal with Taxi Drivers ^ ^ ^ . The bus timings are 7:30AM, 8:30AM, 9:30 AM...Mon - Sat.

There are no separate queues for Business class and Coach Class with Cyprus air. I was checked in by 8:10AM. They had mentioned atleast 2 hours before departure. Since the departure was at 9:40AM, I thought anything before 8:10AM should be adequate. Assuming that the "regular tourists" all check-in before 7:40AM :D :D :D There are plenty of flights leaving in the morning hence there were 4-5 agents working.

Got my boarding pass and did not have to check-in any bags. Went to the lounge upstairs. It is just before the smoking area (on second thoughts you can smoke everywhere in this airport :). Take the elevator (or lift) to the second level (first floor). The boarding pass is sufficient (D class) to get you through. This lounge is better than the Alitalia lounge in MXP. There is free internet access via their computers but you cannot connect your laptop.

Must add the Immigration and Customs for Non-EU queues were quite "a***". They asked me more questions when I was leaving than when I arrived. The check-in lady took my passport and handed it over to a supervisor to photocopy different pages. The supervisor was taking his own sweet time for it. The check-in person saw me glaring and tried to speed it up. I was irritated that she did not ask my permission for it nor inform me about these requirements. Guess she tried to speed it up since I was flying D class. Just another meaningless excercise in photocopying documents for "your security and your safety". :D

The flight left on time. We were all bused to the aircraft from the "warehouse terminal". I was pleasantly surprised that it had regular first class seats - had a D class ticket on this leg. It was 3 rows, 2-2 on an Airbus A319. I guess if you have a Y class then it must be on an Airbus A320 with no first class (you cannot consider leather covered coach class seats as first class :eek: ) and if you have a D class it must be on an Airbus A320 with first class seating. Food was pretty good. No individual entertainment systems. Arrived on time.

I had a flight from MXP-AMS upon arrival. Tried out the Alitalia lounge and the Air France lounges in the A gates. The Air France lounge was much better than Alitalia. The snacks there were infinitely better. Plus the lady at the desk went out of her way to help me locate hotels near the airport for a night before my return to YYZ. Must say again - Women in Italy rock!

LOUNGES: Thought it would be better to write a seperate section on this.

YYZ: AirCanada Maple Leaf Lounge near the 500 gates (you get bused there). Free WIFI internet access. Decent snacks and free drinks. Business Class Alitalia ticket required.

MXP:
A Gates.
Alitalia lounge. No free internet access. WIFI available at 6euros/hour. So so snacks. Free drinks. Business class ticket or SkyTeam elite plus membership. There are showers in the restrooms. Not sure if they supplied the towels. Timing: 6:00AM - 11:00PM.

AirFrance Lounge. No internet access. Much better snacks (all in french lettering). Free drinks. Business class ticket or SkyTeam elite plus membership. Did not notice showers.

B Gates.
Alitalia Lounge. No free internet access. WIFI available at 6euros/hour or 12.60 euros for 24 hrs. So so snacks. Free drinks. Business class ticket or SkyTeam elite plus membership. There are showers in the restrooms. (not much water pressure though :td: ). Timing: 6:00 AM - 11:00PM

LCA: Free internet access available through their computers. Sandwiches, chips (crisps) etc. Wide variety of drinks. Business class ticket.

SEATING:

YYZ-MXP - B767 with 2 1 2 seating. No personal entertainment system.
MXP-LCA - A320 with 3 3 seating. No first class seats. Leather covered coach class behind a curtain only. Go for exit row seats. Do not remember which row.
LCA-MXP - A319 with 2 2 seating. Regular first class seats (similar to CO domestic first class seats, a bit hard). No personal entertainment system.

FF:

YYZ-MXP - NWA. Was posted within a week. 50% class bonus, 125% Platinum elite bonus and 100K mileage dash bonus - 3K miles.

MXP-LCA and LCA-MXP to be posted on Alitalia after all NWA credits are done.

These are just some of my observations. Not trying to be an expert.

ACCOMODATIONS: There are two types of accomodations available in Cyprus. You can go for the Resort types or the Apartment types. The resort types are usually away from the main town and are all inclusive varieties. You can book with everything included except for drinks. The other option is to book the apartment types which is similar to the long term stay suites in the US. Kitchen - electric stove, some pots and pans along with the cutlery. Living room with separate bedroom. Both come with Air Conditioning. It gets quite sultry in summer.

I went with the apartment type just behind the town hall of LCA. Decent, nothing too shabby, except the towels had a damp smell to them. Mostly tiled floors similar to Milan. Which was good, since you get to know what was on the floor unlike the carpets :)

I read the reviews on tripadvisor.com and found that pretty much all resorts had a bad story written by past guests from UK. Was not sure I wanted to get stuck away from town and hating every minute of it. Esp after reading the reviews. I made my booking at the Achilleos Hotel Apt via bookings.net. This one had no reviews to be found on the internet - ignorance is bliss.

When I got into the cab from the Airport, the driver offered to get me accomodations at a great deal - 20 pounds. He asked me what I had paid for mine, I fibbed 25 pounds and he said he could have done better like 20 pounds. I had actually paid 15 pounds via bookings.net, hence knew I was in the ballpark. Did not see any roaches or dead stuff like the reviewers found at other places.

TRAVEL: There is not much of a public transportation system to speak about. There were some scheduled intercity buses. But to get around after that one has to rent cabs. The organized tour packages were not appealing to say the least. Same stuff about taking you to Point X and then showing you stores and idyllic villages. So think about renting cars. They range from 15 pounds to 30 pounds per day. Depending on the size of the car and time of the year.

If you are just thinking about staying on the beach most of the time, pick the Island corner you like the most and find a hotel nearby. There is nothing like staying in the water all day long. Yes, there are historical forts and churches, which you can cover within a day or two and get back into the water :cool:

PEOPLE: The local folks are mostly of Greek descent. Saw plenty of Greek flags all over the place. Quite helpful and reasonable folks. There are some bad apples, but overall very nice people. Dont feel bad about stopping someone and asking for directions or help.

FOOD: There are restaurants that fill every need. If you are missing McD, KFC, PizzaHut. They are all on the main promenade. Plus every other ethnic type. A suggestion from the locals: Step 2 streets deep (parallel) to the main street on the beach front and the prices drop significantly.

BUSES: Took the LCA-Aiya Napa bus. Quite convenient. Takes 1 hour and is 5pounds round trip or 3.5 pounds oneway. The timings were kept to about 10-15 mins.

LANGUAGE:
English is widely spoken. Some of the store fronts and signage all looked greek to me. (it is Greek). :D

DRIVING:
Left hand side of the road. If you hear someone honking it could mean either:
- Ask a question to your friend on the other side of the road.
- Bus driver wanting to know if you want a ride.
- Greetings to your friend walking on the street.
- Get the attention of attractive looking women on the road.

There does not seem to be any respect to speed limits. Folks tearing up the roads quite frequently.

POWER ADAPTORS:
UK style power adaptors. Same voltage too - 230V, 60 HZ.

Again my views on having spent some time here.

What to do: The best you can do is with stuff related to the sea. Soaking up, snorkelling, kayaking etc. If you have seen the churches in Italy, the ones here are very spartan. In most cases you would be disappointed if you spent all that money on a cab and drove up there. So my suggestion, is locate a nice city where you can enjoy the sea. Find an apartment there. Go shopping at the supermarkets nearby for breakfast and snacks. Take the lunch and/or dinner at the restaurants nearby. There are plenty of british pubs, danish cafes and swedish restaurants. I guess they are the most frequent visitors.

Money: ATM machines accepted my US issued cards without any problem. The concern was more with the exchange rate of more than $2 per pound. Made you feel like you were in UK, only a worse exchange rate. Credit cards are also accepted widely.

Internet access: Most places provide you with internet access. The cost ranges from 1 -3 pound per hour. I had my Powerbook with me and could connect pretty much everywhere. Most places did give me internet connection for 1 pound per hour since I had my own computer. The better thing would be to bring the device that checks the availability of free wireless signal. Plug in your computer on the spot and check your emails. I did get plenty of @linksys@ SSID all over Milan :D :D :D

Look for a FlyerTalk tag on your fellow passengers' baggage on the MXP-YYZ flight on June 9. :D

Ah, make sure you take some pics if you can. And let us know where you stay, and any other "must know" tips for Larnaca. :)

I'm looking forward to any comments about seating on the AZ and CY flights and lounge access.

Enjoy your trip, TravelingMan.

What did you carry on and how much?

Ah, make sure you take some pics if you can. And let us know where you stay, and any other "must know" tips for Larnaca. :)

Make sure to eat at La Veranda - the food is fantastic! The stuffed mushrooms and the mushrooms al a creme starters are AMAZING! Prices are reasonable.

Right behind the restaurant (hard to describe but ask the waiter to point you in the right direction) is a great very friendly bar called Marco Polo. The owner, whose name I cannot remember, is a very cool young guy and makes everyone feel welcome. They have two or three computers with nearly free internet access and at least one pool table. It's a tiny place so you'll talk to everyone there. Bonus if you bring him a funny tourist bumper sticker or any airline logo stickers - he'll promptly put it up on the wall! Just don't hog the computers and buy some cocktails and you might not get charged for the internet acces but it was really cheap anyway.

Have fun!!!

Which FFP are you crediting these trips to?

I am interested to see what your MXP-LCA segments would count for in the MilleMiglia program as you booked D and sat in Y.

Thanks

They made me check in my roller bag (Standard US 26" roller board).
Yow - when did 26" become standard? For the longest time, 22" was the largest that was generally airline-acceptable.

Yow - when did 26" become standard? For the longest time, 22" was the largest that was generally airline-acceptable.

Sorry, it was the 22". Confused with all the math between " and cms. :rolleyes:

Crediting only the AZ flights to NWA. Cyprus Air would go against Alitalia or Cyprus Air. Wanted to get the AZ flights posted to NWA before sending in the boarding passes for Cyprus Air flights to AZ. Dont want to have 2 FF# and get all confused with nothing being posted right.

Which FFP are you crediting these trips to?
I am interested to see what your MXP-LCA segments would count for in the MilleMiglia program as you booked D and sat in Y.

Thanks

Had my laptop backpack and the 22" rollerboard carryon. Sure they broke all the European weight limits on carryon :cool:

AZ flight from YYZ-MXP, I was allowed both bags since I was in Business Class. Cyprus Air allowed only my laptop bag. Had to check in the rollerboard.



What did you carry on and how much?

Cyprus Air is boarded like Southwest, no row calls. Just everybody troops in and boards. The seats were so closely packed, my knees were on my chin. The first class is nothing to be coveted for. The seats were covered with leather but still a 3-3 seating behind a curtain. So Y class or D class makes no difference in their A320. Make sure you get an exit row seat. It is worth it.

Which row is the exit row? CY's seatmap (http://www.cyprusairways.com/main/default.aspx?it=1&tabid=58&itemid=360) for the 320 is rather unhelpful in this regard.

Do not remember off the top of my head. Will remember to note it down when I fly back this weekend.

My top tip for Larnaca: dive the Zenobia (http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/)! It's a ro-ro that sunk on its maiden voyage, evidently due to a bug in the computer running the ballast system, and it's quite a sight, if you'll allow me to highjack this thread with a few thumbnails:

http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/Mark_FloatingAlong_tn.JPG (http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/Mark_FloatingAlong.JPG) http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/Wreck_Truck2_tn.JPG (http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/Wreck_Truck2.JPG) http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/Wreck_Propeller_tn.JPG (http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/Wreck_Propeller.JPG)

The cargo inside varies from trucks to eggs, still intact after all these years. It's located about 15 min off the coast by boat and can be seen from the plane during descent on a good (sunny) day.

My top tip for Larnaca: dive the Zenobia (http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/sub/Zenobia/)!

Thanks for the pics. I'm diving the Zenobia on July 1.

What dive operator did you use?

An outfit called Dive In Cyprus (http://www.dive-in.com.cy/). No complaints, they know their stuff and have a good attitude. Some other random notes at the rather bare-bones Wikitravel Larnaca (http://wikitravel.org/en/Larnaca) page.

How organized were the check in procedures for business and coach with Cyprus. How much time did you allow for check in at LCA

Thanks for the ongoing report. Love reading it.

Is English widely spoken in Cyprus?

Thanks for the ongoing report. Love reading it.

Is English widely spoken in Cyprus?


Yes. English is widely spoken in Cyprus. Was an English colony at one point. Which answers for driving on the left side of the road, Cyprus Pounds as the currency (not sure if it has to be at a worse exchange rate than UK pounds :eek: ), UK power adaptor...

How organized were the check in procedures for business and coach with Cyprus. How much time did you allow for check in at LCA

There are no separate queues for Business class and Coach Class with Cyprus air. I had taken the 7:30AM bus from downtown and was checked in by 8:10AM. They had mentioned atleast 2 hours before departure. Since the departure was at 9:40AM, I thought anything before 8:10AM should be adequate. Assuming that the "regular tourists" all check-in before 7:40AM :D :D :D There are plenty of flights leaving in the morning hence there were 4-5 agents working.

I remember this from a trip to Venice. I was on a return flight from Venice to AMS, I checked in 1 hour before the flight with only carryon. The entire check-in area was deserted. I was wondering if I had the time wrong or the flight was cancelled. The check-in lady smiled and said I was the last to check-in. I asked "Is this a real tourist flight?". We were all cracking up...

Let me know if you have any other question on the YYZ-LCA trip that I could help with? I have updated the first page with all my observations.

Let me know if you have any other question on the YYZ-LCA trip that I could help with? I have updated the first page with all my observations.
Would you mind describing the plane food a bit more? Some of us are freaks about airline food. :-)

Had to take the bus to the other side of the terminal and was given lounge access with AC Maple Leaf Lounge which is right after you get off from the bus. Dont try any of the other Maple Leaf Lounges, they only have agreement with the one at the 500 gates.

Did AZ give you a lounge pass or did you just use your boarding pass?

Let me know if you have any other question on the YYZ-LCA trip that I could help with? I have updated the first page with all my observations.

Would you mind providing some more commentary on the service onboard the AZ flights, as well as your specific perceptions of the 767 Magnifica seat?

I flew YYZ-MXP on Saturday. Check in was exactly as described above. I came three hours early, nervous by the very recent report of rude treatment by someone reticketing at YYZ. Check in could not have gone any more smoothly. I asked about changing my seat, but was told that the cabin was full. Off I went.

Terminal 1 is very modern, very new. There are lots of shops should you like that kind of thing. I went immediately to the down escalator to get on the bus to go to the infield terminal. Once you arrive there, do not follow the folks streaming to the left to go up the escalator. Rather, go to the right to the Maple Leaf Lounge.

The lounge must hold about 200 people. I was the first to arrive. By the time I left, there were perhaps 12 folks there. There are 3 computers for public use, as well as cables for your own computers. There are various snacks, none very impressive - olives, bread, butter, soup, salad, raw vegetables, crackers and cheese.

There is no immigration formality. You can leave the lounge about 45 minutes before flight time, The gate is at the top of the escalator.

I had never seen so many people in wheelchairs loaded on a 767. About 12 folks were loaded first. then all the families with children. Finally business class was loaded. The plane is loaded from the front door, so once onboard, all the passengers continue to go by.

Seating is 2 x 1 x 2. Both AA and UA have 2 x 2 x 2, so this was really comfortable shoulder width. As stated, the only entertainment is a screen at the front. The seat controls are electronic, and work reliably - a pleasant contrast to UA and AA seats. The amenity kit is nicely designed and certainly exceeds that given by UA.

Service was brusque. We finally got water, juice or champagne after all the coach passengers were on board. The menu was unremarkable. It was 2 pastas, 2 mains, cheese, and dessert. They set your tray before bringing around the first drink.

I asked for my meal to be served as an executive meal, which meant I got pasta, cheese and dessert on my tray all at once. I highly recommend this as it is only a 7 1.2 hour flight. I had my meal finished before they had even finished serving pasta to others.

Despite being told the cabin was full, there were 9 of 25 seats empty. I managed to get 2 seats for myself, which is a great luxury in biz cabins these days. I slept til breakfast.

While Alitalia's biz class is a notch below UA and AA, it is tolerable. Don't have high expecations and you will end up pleased.

Did AZ give you a lounge pass or did you just use your boarding pass?

Just used my boarding pass. The interesting thing is that at no location did any check-in agent ever mention that I can get lounge access.

Would you mind describing the plane food a bit more? Some of us are freaks about airline food. :-)

They offered orange juice/water when we got in and settled down. The first serving was mixed nuts with option of a drink. This was followed by pasta in tomato sauce and artichokes in a white sauce. I only took the pasta option that was served from a tray. This was followed by the main course of fish or beef. I took the fish option. The traditional tray with the usual bread, crackers, cheese was served. The fish looked "grilled" - completely tasteless. This was followed by deserts - some italian sweets like custard. Finally followed by cheese and/or fresh fruits. I tried the custards, a bit disappointing. I finally went for the fresh fruits option, the strawberry was good but the kiwi fruit was too raw.

Breakfast was served from a tray - scrambled eggs, button mushrooms, canadian bacon. The mushrooms tasted great, eggs needed a lot of garnishing to make it palatable. The bread offered were crossaints, brown roll, white roll and some danishes. Plus yoghurt in many flavors.

The best part is that I had ordered for Vegetarian option to get something different. They never even mentioned that I had asked for a special meal. I thought the fish would be better. But on the return journey, I will ask for my special meal. Hopefully that will be better.

Would you mind providing some more commentary on the service onboard the AZ flights, as well as your specific perceptions of the 767 Magnifica seat?

The food service is as described above. As SanDiego1K mentioned the service is quite brusque. In terms of the seat, it was covered with a off-white colored leather. The seat had a foot rest that folded out of the bottom. The seat was three piece and if you are more than 6' tall, then you cannot have your feet on the footrest and recline comfortably. There is also a wheel knob for adjusting the lumbar support. Lot of space around you but the seat is the typical 767 business class seat. The ones on the A330 WBC on NWA are much better.

How was the meal service on the CY segments?

And are alcoholic beverages complimentary in coach on CY?

How was the meal service on the CY segments?

And are alcoholic beverages complimentary in coach on CY?

The service on CY was more brusque than AZ. Onward from MXP-LCA, I was flying on Y class. I got my vegetarian meal - risotto rice with lentils and some spaghetti in it. Was a bit wierd to look at but tasted awfully nice plus a huge helping. Felt like they had cooked it just for me and dumped the entire contents onto my pack :D . There were two small containers of fruit - the usual melons, pineapple, strawberries. A bread roll that felt like it had been flying in coach class for the last few months - hard. The others had the option of chicken or pasta with one of the side dishes being a desert. If I remember right, they did have complimentary wine and liquor in coach.

Return from LCA-MXP, I was flying D class. They offered beverages before take off. Following take-off, another round of beverages and cashew-nuts. The meal offering was beef or fish. I enquired about my vegetarian option since I did not want to risk fish again. They did have it on board and it was spaghetti in tomato sauce. Tasted quite good. Couple of bread rolls, a container of cheese and grapes, salad with feta cheese and dressing. Pretty stumptious helping.

The scary thing is I normally dont remember my seat number nor hotel room number after a week. I seem to remember everything I ate and did on this trip :confused: :confused:

I fly quite a bit with Cyprus Airways. Sadly, since they started having labour trouble (ring any bells?!), their service has deteriorated. Food is quite decent, though, no cutbacks here, except on their shortest routes (LCA-DAM/BEY/CAI/TLV/AMM) where they no longer serve a hot meal (flight times are between 30-50 mins). Food and presentation might not be as "modern" as on other carriers but at least the portions are substantial and you almost always get both salad and dessert. In Business (Apollo) Class you get even more. All drinks are complimentary in both classes (except champagne, only in C) and they have thankfully changed wine suppliers so at least now you get quite decent Cypriot wines (Aes Ambelis, I especially like the red).

The service on CY was more brusque than AZ. Onward from MXP-LCA, I was flying on Y class. I got my vegetarian meal - risotto rice with lentils and some spaghetti in it. Was a bit wierd to look at but tasted awfully nice plus a huge helping. Felt like they had cooked it just for me and dumped the entire contents onto my pack :D . There were two small containers of fruit - the usual melons, pineapple, strawberries. A bread roll that felt like it had been flying in coach class for the last few months - hard. The others had the option of chicken or pasta with one of the side dishes being a desert. If I remember right, they did have complimentary wine and liquor in coach.

Return from LCA-MXP, I was flying D class. They offered beverages before take off. Following take-off, another round of beverages and cashew-nuts. The meal offering was beef or fish. I enquired about my vegetarian option since I did not want to risk fish again. They did have it on board and it was spaghetti in tomato sauce. Tasted quite good. Couple of bread rolls, a container of cheese and grapes, salad with feta cheese and dressing. Pretty stumptious helping.

The scary thing is I normally dont remember my seat number nor hotel room number after a week. I seem to remember everything I ate and did on this trip :confused: :confused:

I am in D flying at the end of this month. Can you tell me why were you trying to avoid fish? Is it so bad that maybe I should request Veggie meal. I don't have cyprus tel # here, so (dumg question) how do I make my meal request? Yhanks in advance.

The fish on the AZ flight from YYZ-MXP was quite tasteless and I was really put off by it that I requested to have my veggie meal instead of CY's offering of Fish on its D class. The veggie meal served on CY - Y class from MXP-LCA was fabulous. Other than that no particular reason.

I usually order for Seafood or Veggie or even Kosher depending on the airline and the sector to get something different. The seafood outbound from Japan is the best. Special meals means you get served first and it is not made on the regular production line :D

Call Alitalia's regular reservations 800 number and select the business class option. Tell them about your meal requirement, it passes over to CY too since it is AZ code share flight.

I am in D flying at the end of this month. Can you tell me why were you trying to avoid fish? Is it so bad that maybe I should request Veggie meal. I don't have cyprus tel # here, so (dumg question) how do I make my meal request? Yhanks in advance.

Thanks for the info. I will call AZ.

How long does it take to transfer flights in MXP? I've asked a few times hoping to get an answer.

:)

How long does it take to transfer flights in MXP? I've asked a few times hoping to get an answer.

:)

Where are you transferring from?

1. Non-Schengen area: If you arriving from YYZ-MXP, you can walk into the Alitalia lounge and get a boarding pass for a non-schengen destination like Cyprus.
2. Schengen Area: If you are crossing over to the Schengen area from the non-Schengen area, it depends on the time of the day you are crossing. I have seen the security and passport check-point back up quick solidly in the evening for non-EU queues (45mins-1hr). BTW they never checked me for a boarding pass when passing immigration. So dont bother looking for a transfer desk to get a boarding pass - transfer desks are never manned at MXP. Just keep heading to the gate or the lounge area.
3. Check-in at MXP: If you are stepping into the airport at MXP, the check-in can be done at the business class area and the queues are not bad for immigration and security.

The security states that one has to remove their laptop from the bags before x-ray, I never did and passed through :D

Hope I have answered your question?

Arrived from AMS yesterday and had a flight back to YYZ today. Since there are no hotels near to the airport and not willing to go to downtown Milan and back just for the night, decided to spend the night at the airport instead.

Arrived at the A gates (schengen) and found that it was getting quite desolate by 9:00PM. The Alitalia lounge in A gates would not check me in for the flight to YYZ the next day. They also announced that they close at 11:00PM, so I should be either looking for a hotel room or the airport floor was the only option. Decided to cross over to the B gates (non-schengen) area. Did not have a boarding pass and crossed through without any questions.

The restaurants close at 10:00PM on this section. There are about half a dozen chairs that have leg rests and quite comfortable (a poor mans version of a business class seat :D ) in this area. Tried it a bit and was not getting much sleep. Instead spent 12.60 euros for 24 hrs wireless internet access and was watching a lot of videos on youtube.com. There are few points that have power supply and non are close to chairs. No cops to bother you unlike Singapore. One could even stretch out on the floor and not be bothered.

At 6:00 AM the lounges opened. I headed to the one in the B gates and made good use of their shower facilities. Now feel groggy like having taken a red-eye flight. Cant wait to get home.

How long does it take to transfer flights in MXP? I've asked a few times hoping to get an answer.

:)

Have you checked the Milan airports website? http://www.sea-aeroportimilano.it/

Or alitalia.com?

Yes and I've checked Sabre as well. But the times vary between 1hr to 1:15

...maybe 10 minutes but it was a sat. morning...the biz lounge in MXP was packed...its a pretty crappy lounge with only good espresso making up for the general lousyness of it. get the ladies in the lounge to issue your boarding pass for the cyprus flight.

...yyz check in easy as very little line at biz class check in at yyz...they use AC lounge which in the temproary departure area (airport is being upgraded) has all the old furniture from the AC lounge that has now been updated in terminal 1 proper. But booze and soup, crackers salad and munchies were on offer so it was fine. Boarding was a bit of chaos as except for special needs passengers they dont pre-board J, I made the assumption they did went to front of line and had some old italian guy get mad at me. GA said to the guy we were J and we could board when we liked but an announcement would have been nice. Pre take off sparkling was ok....meal was fish and steak, I had the fish it was fine and the starter gnocchi with cherry tomatoes was actually pretty good. Drank a so so Chianti and a quite good white from sicily which i forget the name of. Flight arrived in MXP 1/2 hour early..so we trudged to the lounge. Its pretty lousy, just crakers cookies chips, but espresso was pretty good. Had the ladies at the desk take care of getting us upgraded to J on the flight to cyprus...this was made easy by having Nicolo inserting a note on the file. J on Cyprus air 2 seat x 3 config...food was god awful as was the wine. Touched down in cyprus on sched. Got the rental car and drove to le meridien in Limissol. limissol not so great, kinda low budget tourist destination with only 4 seasons and le meridien on the high end. Resort was very nice as was the brekkie. enjoyed cyprus, found it more middle eastern than like the greek island, but lots of good history and ruins to visit. Spent 5 nights there and enjoyed it alot.
Flight to rome departed on time, had gate agent put us in J and brekkie on flight was better than dinner 5 days previous. In rome is where AZ really shined. My wife and i were planning on flying to MXP then taking the train to Venice. I mentioned this to the gate agent and she said go to the tix office they will change it for you. Well they did, so we went directly to venice!!! Nice one, not only that we were in a J seat (no J service)...and the departure was leaving in 10 minutes and the gate was about 20 ft. from the tix office :) total layover time in rome about 25 minutes!! Nice one AZ!
Once in venice well its venice..we had a suite at the danielli which opened on to the canal...champers and a birthday cake (it was my 40th) were in the room waiting....great meals...great place and 25C and sunny every day :)
to get to milan we took the vapretto #82 to the train station...a beautiful 30 min ride...took the first class Eurostar to Milan (60E for 2) ...and stayed at the Westin Palace in Milan (about a 5 min walk from the train station). Bus to MXP took about an hour but that was in rush hour traffic. Check ina t MXP even for biz class was chaos...took about 20 min (not enuf GA's)..so we only had about 5 min of lounge time before walking to the departure gate. Flight had a 45 min delay due to air traffic but we made up the time during the flight..so we arrived on time back at yyz. Security was extra tight due to those assho!es who planned on bombing the stock ecxchange but it only added 5 min...there was just 2 extra document checks. Overall a great trip with AZ really coming through....every segment in J and changing the tix to venice was just great.

... Got the rental car and drove to le meridien in Limissol. limissol not so great, kinda low budget tourist destination with only 4 seasons and le meridien on the high end. Resort was very nice as was the brekkie. enjoyed cyprus, found it more middle eastern than like the greek island, but lots of good history and ruins to visit. Spent 5 nights there and enjoyed it alot.

We're planning on staying at the Le Meridien as well. Taking one child and was mainly staying there for the pool area. If you visited the pool how was it, any extras other than just the pool? maybe small waterslide, etc.? Thanks for any info.

We're planning on staying at the Le Meridien as well. Taking one child and was mainly staying there for the pool area. If you visited the pool how was it, any extras other than just the pool? maybe small waterslide, etc.? Thanks for any info.
...3 or 4 large pools that are very nice...a small water slide at one. There are kids activities so your little one will enjoy it. Buffet breakfast was very good, as was the coffee. Ask the consierge to send you to Cypriot meze place for dinner...it is up the mountain off of exit 23 about 10 minutes from the hotel...sorry i cant remember the name but he will know the place...you will need reservations as it is packed every night...its pretty good as is the italian place called al dente. Limmisol itself isnt very nice but if you have a car, the city of paphos is and a drive into the mountains is very nice. Be prepared for very hot weather as it got as high as 39C while we were there.

We're planning on staying at the Le Meridien as well. Taking one child and was mainly staying there for the pool area. If you visited the pool how was it, any extras other than just the pool? maybe small waterslide, etc.? Thanks for any info.


Thats were we are staying as well. How were the rooms? Very roomy? Should I try to upgrade to a suite? We are renting a car, so we can move around a see some sites.

Thats were we are staying as well. How were the rooms? Very roomy? Should I try to upgrade to a suite? We are renting a car, so we can move around a see some sites.
...basically a bigger room with couch, chair and a small table....all rooms have hardwood floors so try and get a top floor room otherwise you will hear all above you scraping their furniture all the time. renyt a car and go to both the Troddos mountains and to pahos region, both were worth a day trip.

What size of beds did they have in a suite? I have noticed that the beds are smaller in Europe. Did the couch have a pull out bed?

What size of beds did they have in a suite? I have noticed that the beds are smaller in Europe. Did the couch have a pull out bed?
...regular rooms no...but the bed was huge it was 2 twins as a king.

That was a question I had as well. Are twins actually American doubles? We are staying with 2 kids. Will definitely ask for top floor!

I have 2 kids going as well. How strict are they about the 3 people Max?

I have 2 kids going as well. How strict are they about the 3 people Max?
...so I couldnt tell you, BUT this was a very nice staff and they struck me as being very flexible. By the way if u rent a car, do not continue to park at the front gate...its a pain having to get the cart to take you there all the time...turn right at the gate and then your first left...there is underground parking for your car, just use your room key to get in and out...much more convenient.

I was just told by Hertz that the rental cars are not supposed to be driven to Turkish "occupied" areas. Has anyone actually driven to these areas? I am specifically trying to ascertain whether the restriction is applied by the Cypriot authorities or whether it's just the policy of the car rental company.

I was just told by Hertz that the rental cars are not supposed to be driven to Turkish "occupied" areas. Has anyone actually driven to these areas? I am specifically trying to ascertain whether the restriction is applied by the Cypriot authorities or whether it's just the policy of the car rental company.
I was under the impression you wouldn't be allowed to cross, except by foot. So I think its a restriction by the authorities.

I did just get back from my trip, it went pretty well. Nice flights, and hotel.

I flew FCO/LCA yesterday. The CY 320-319 scheduled for the route was inop or unavailable so a EuroCypria 737-800 was substituted. All Y configuration but it was a new a/c.

Trip report YYZ-LCA;LCA;FCO (Spain) FCO YYZ

Let me say at the outset that this report will probably not be fully complete until mid July when I return from my trip to Spain. So here’s my side of the 33 smackers and change story.. Oh, and FYI, I am a woman traveling alone, so for anyone else doing it, I am the guinea pig….

Although I live close to YYZ (Roc) I chose rather than driving, to take the greydog (greyhound) over to YYZ the day before my flight departed, June 19th. Ok, The bus ride took almost as long as the flight to YYZ. Uneventful, except that you have to get off the bus, gather your belongings, and go into customs and immigration at the border. They ask a few questions, you get on the bus and you are on your way (unless, of course, you look “suspect” or don’t have the proper documentation with you.) I arrived at the bus station in Toronto , (not too terribly bad) walked behind the bus bay to get the Airport express bus. Big note.. don’t try this as a same day trip. I got on the bus for the airport at 2:25 pm, and we got to the airport after hotel stops and traffic at about 4:00 pm. That is cutting it very close for the 5:05 flight.

Since I had pricelined a hotel near the airport (doubletree inn and suites, 43 bid accepted with taxes around $57 USD) , I went in to have my tickets stickered. Don’t go to the check in counter, rather, look directly across (behind you if you are facing the ticketing desk) to the ticketing sales counter for AZ. That’s where you change the sticker. If you wait till departure day, you may have a glitch or two like I did.

Next day, arrived at the airport at about 2:25 (June 20th) and went to check in. Of course, since I was going to be away for a month (and hey, I hate wearing the same duds) I had a bag to check. Heres where things got interesting. The GA found my record, but could not believe the ticket price. Of course a couple of other folks came over, who had already had a few FT’s show up. Got my boarding pass fine, but the GA tried to issue my Cyprus Air seat, No dice. My ticket also showed Y, even though the record said C (business class). After a few moments and a phone call, she sent me on my way and instructed me how to find the lounge. Security was light, and made it through and decided to board the bus for the outlying terminal. Unless you have a hankering to shop, get on the bus. Takes about 10 minutes to reach the remote terminal. When you exit the bus, get off and turn to your right after walking into the doors and you’ll see the Maple Leaf lounge. Desk staff was nice and pointed out the amenities of the room. Two very nice flat screens, basic espresso machine, snacks such as fresh fruit, salad, and soup, chips. The back of that was a self service bar with mid range liquors (Glenmorangie, but no Jack D. ! How dare they !) Wireless access is available for free, and I saw plugs in the wall for hardwire access. Wireless was good.

Arrived at the gate about 4:30 and there was a crush of people. (Screaming kids, the usual gate lice behavior) This time, the GA’s asked for Business Class to board , so I made my way through the throng. My original seat was 5 c, and I settled in, only to be moved a few minutes later by a ga to accommodate a couple who wanted to sit together. That got me moved up to 3 C (fine, what do I care for 33 bucks and tax:?) unfortunately, the footrest was partially broken, so it was lopsided but usable. Once again, who cares? The boarding process was fairly smooth, with water, oj and champers served. Pass on the champers, its god awful. Take off was fine, and about 20 minutes in , the service for dinner began. Nuts (cold) your choice of wine or aperitif (campari and soda for me) . The menu for dinner was a first of the gnocchi pasta with a tomato basil sauce.. adequate. Then the second, choice between a bland looking whitefish with a tomato base and a mixed grill of steak , chicken eggplant and zucchini. I ate the veggies and a bit of the meat. Again, nothing to go WOW about. Cheese and fruit served next, along with digestives (try the Amaro if you haven’t had it , or the limoncello) . Service was courteous and quick. You are offered a bottle of water after all the dinner service is done, and then you are left to do as you wish, which could be look at the bad pink panther movie (Steve, I thought so much more of you on SNL!) or drift off to sleep. I am usually a good sleeper on flights, but the cabin was a bit warmer than normal, so I did not sleep as much as I would have liked.

Breakfast was as mentioned, with a choice of breads and fruit. Omelets looked unappetizing to me, so I only had fruit and yogurt. We arrived in 35 minutes early, however, that was eaten up by a minor drama.. a Medical emergency. Someone in coach was ill, and we were instructed to sit in our seats until emergency personal came on board. Some really hot guy came on with doctor on his vest (yea, I thought about throwing a sickie, but I really wanted off the plane!) This took about 20 minutes before we were allowed to deplane. Oh, and yes, no jetbridge, stairs, so be sure you can haul your self and things out. When you enter if you are transiting through same day as I am to LCA, you go through transit, another security check, and then you will see signs for the AZ lounge. I must say, this lounge only has three things going for it.. a shower and a espresso machine, and the nice desk staff. Have low expectations, and then take those lower and you will be fine. As previously noted, you can get a shower kit at the desk which had a towel, slim little soap (I had my own) paper slippers, a shaver, a shower cap, and toothbrush and toothpaste. If you get in early take your shower first. Other flights come in soon after the YYZ flight and the lounge gets rather crowded.

LCA
Ok, here’s where it gets interesting, or shall I say, challenging. The flight from MXP-LCA was bumpy, bumpy. The cabin config. for the business class was 2-2 and as others pointed out, it was cattle call all the way. Actually, I take that back, business was asked to board last in MXP. As other posters said, water and oj served before take off. I was asked to move my seat in order to have a mother sit next to a child, so I ended up in 1A. No problem. We took off, and soon, the cabin crew was taking drink orders and serving lunch rather quickly. Dewars seems to be the order of the day in LCA, prominent on board and in the duty free shop. I chose a Carlsberg, and thank God cause the food was like, awful. Cheese was bland and tasteless. The fish dish was fossilized, and the only things that tasted good were the milka chocolate and the nectarine served with some fruit. Blech. The movie was dull (some Jennifer Anniston flick) and so I zoned out for the rest of the flight. The landing in LCA was over the sear, and although the Mediterranean looked beautiful LCA looked burnt to a crisp and rocky. Actually, there is a lake outside the airport, but you wouldn’t know it…its completely dry. Yup. It’s that crispy. Temp when I arrived was 32, which isn’t bad, but its going to climb. Deplane from stairs again and jump on a bus to the terminal. That is generous; actually, I’ve seen better high school gyms. There are exchange, atm’s and duty free, and if you are going to partake, do it right when you get into the building. Takes a few minutes to get the luggage down, and extra long for me as someone broke the luggage belt. Once you leave the customs area (and folks act like it’s a bazaar, so push your way out.) You can go straight out the front doors to your right for a cab. If you go left, you’ll find the bus stops for Lanarca City.

I went to the cab stand, and got a taxi to the Antonis G hotel because it was number one on trip advisor. HA. I’ve camped in better tents that were more comfortable. BIG Tip.. Stay someplace in Downtown Lanarca. It is much easier and you can walk to the beach. If you stay at one of the resorts, that will help as well. Note the Crown Henipa was not at the beach, but across from it a bit not far from an industrial area. For those of you thinking Antonis G. it’s a 10 pound taxi and its takes about 20 minutes. If you are staying in Nicosia , its further down the road, so make sure your returns back are planned well in advance so you can make your flight. My taxi driver had to get directions but made it there safely.

Ok, the Antonis G was an apt building in a residential area. I will say that the proprietor was a nice guy and offered me a free drink, and she alivated at the thought of all of you knocking down his doors this summer. He’ll get a much different pic if he reads this review. The few hostels I have stayed at were better than this. He upgraded me to a suite, and the room charge was 15 pounds, but there is a lock on the air conditioning and they charge an extra 3 pounds for it. Highway robbery, but since I paid so little for the ticket, and I was hot as hell, I decided to pay it. The room was dismal : Smelly sheets, hard towels, and furniture from the stone age lol! . I know you all are going to pick at me, but I have traveled in Asia and Africa and even in Lalibela in Ethiopia, where you only had running water for two hours and electricity for one, the SHEETS WERE CLEAN. Thank God I always pack my dreamsack, silk bedsheet, for such an occasion. There are a few tavernas around down the street, but no fancy restaurants or anything. Oh, there was a pool and Jacuzzi, but given what the sheets looked like, I thought better of it. After browsing the 5 channels, three of which were world cup game reruns, I went to sleep, thinking that I know now what the roach that gets trapped in the roach motel feels like.

The next morning promptly at 5 pm, the birds carried on so much I felt like Joe Pesci in that movie where they are down south and he gets a rifle to shoot the owl that was making noise all night!! Thankfully, only a couple of hours till deliverance. I made arrangements with the owner to have one of his sons drive me back to the airport (10 pounds) and was accompanied by an aussie who was leaving to go on a boat snorkeling that morning. We dropped him off at the beachfront area. Actually, he was a good fount of info as he had biked about. He didn’t like Nicosia much, but told me that there is a free walking tour in Lanarca that one can sign up for at the tourist center (downtown, a block away from the police station. Here’s where I decided it would have been nicer to stay downtown. The beach area is nice in the city, filled with deck chairs that you can rent for 1 pound a day. The waterfront has lots of eateries and shops, and there is even a Starbucks (yikes!) on the waterfront. If you are staying for a few days, this would be a more interesting area to be in. Lodging on the outskirts tends to be either beachfront resorts or the rat trap I stayed in. People were already out swimming early in the morning, and there seems to be some fishing as well. The waterfront also is a short distance from the airport so that may figure into your plans.

After being dropped at the airport, found the Business class line for Cyprus air on the far left. NOTE: if you are in Y, make sure you get there a little early, the lines were long at 8 am when I arrived. I did have a problem, however, when the agent claimed my record said LCA-FCO-MXP, instead of what the ticket said LCA-FCO.(this was not true, I checked with the AZ desk on arrival at FCO and they said nothing of the sort was in my record.) I pointed her to the correctly filled out sticker and ticked and practically yelled at her to get the baggage tag she had printed off my bag (this is not normally my MO, I just want some close to wear for the next three weeks in Spain!) she reluctantly reprinted the tag and said there was something in my record. I thought, fat chance, you just can’t read, and hustled off to immigration. Lines were longish there as well, but I breezed through, no questions, and just a stamp. Security is right after, and they don’t require you to send our laptop through separately. After you walk through, there is duty free to the left. For lounge access, turn right and either take the stairs or elevator. I showed my ticket at the desk and the agent asked if I had filled out an Az guest card. Said not, and she did it for me. There is a business center with internet and fax, and the food selections were basic breads , the requisite libations, and two coolers of beverages. I didn’t have much time to peruse the lounge since it was already 8:20 am , so I quickly had a glass of juice and left.

You also should proceed to the gate area on time as there is transport on a bus back to the plane. We had two busloads and the folks on the second bus that were in Business class barely had any overhead space. Oh, and for those interested, I carried a 22’ Tumi T3 roll-aboard and no one asked me to check it, plus a laptop bag. The plane was the 2-3 config A320, and the seats were leather and lousy. It felt like the springs were going to stick you in the back. Once again, I was asked to move to accommodate some lovesick couple who just had to sit next to each other, so I moved from 2 c to 1d. Takeoff was fine, the oj and water routine, and then breakfast, which was a choice of a frittata or ham inside a pastry. Choice means nothing when it all sucks. The frittata was well, better than the ham and pastry thing which looked as though it was soaked in grease, and there were the regular bad cheeses again. Stick with the fruit plate and the nice croissants that are offered from the bread basket. They were hot and fresh, and with the marginal cup of coffee, you could almost imagine you were at a coffee shop in Rome. Another dismal movie with Richard Gere, and I chose to sleep instead. Landed in FCO 10 minutes early, and once again, deplaned via stairs. I did not try lounge access here as I needed to get my bags , leave, and recheck myself into IB for the late afternoon flight to BCN. The final leg, FCO-YYZ, I will take on JUL 14, and will write that report as soon as I return.

My thoughts:
I got what I paid for LOL. I can’t imagine paying full price for AZ or CY service, but AZ will probably get a bit of my business for being professional about the mistake fare. For those who like the outdoors, especially water sports, LCA will be great. If you are like me, (fill in what you will!) you’ll be on pins and needles wanting to leave. I need to visit in winter when it feels and looks a little less like a dry hunk of rock. My thanks to Rosj again for finding the fare and saving my pocketbook this summer.. instead of an 800 + ticket to visit Spain, I am doing this for about 335 dollars (the cost of the mistake fare plus FCO-BCN on IB) so I am a happy camper.. even though it certainly wasn’t a direct trip. And don’t book the Antonis G, stay someplace equally skanky in town, and you’ll save on taxi fare and be closer to the nightlife and beach. Make sure you are watching carefully gate agents all the way for those of you with stickers and changes.. there are notes in the record and I think they are confusing to the GA’s who are reading them.
On to BCN!! Yippie. Hope those of you leaving soon find this helpful.

I flew FCO/LCA yesterday. The CY 320-319 scheduled for the route was inop or unavailable so a EuroCypria 737-800 was substituted. All Y configuration but it was a new a/c.

Any compensation for not flying D class? Or were you in Y to begin with?

Does anyone have any ideas about what to do with a very tired 5 year old Miss OhCanada after an overnight YYZ-LCA flight on the 27th-28th? We are expecting that she will not sleep very well on the flight (although she is an experienced flyer - no FT handle yet, though) and it looks like there are no hotels close to MXP. Is there be somewhere in the airport she can lie down (the AX lounge?) or somewhere we can entertain her if she's awake? Any ideas would be appreciated!

Also, we were booked in Y MXP-LCA-MXP. Has anyone who was originally booked in Y for these segments been successful in getting J seats at the MXP lounge or the gate?

Thanks in advance! ^

Does anyone have any ideas about what to do with a very tired 5 year old Miss OhCanada after an overnight YYZ-LCA flight on the 27th-28th? We are expecting that she will not sleep very well on the flight (although she is an experienced flyer - no FT handle yet, though) and it looks like there are no hotels close to MXP. Is there be somewhere in the airport she can lie down (the AX lounge?) or somewhere we can entertain her if she's awake? Any ideas would be appreciated!

Also, we were booked in Y MXP-LCA-MXP. Has anyone who was originally booked in Y for these segments been successful in getting J seats at the MXP lounge or the gate?

Thanks in advance! ^
...upgraded seats...be nice ask them and wait as the CY TA's dont come on until after 730 am local time.

Who do you recommend for car rental in LCA? Mom-in-law is supposed to get recommendations, but I'm not sure I trust her sources. We really want to steer away from the hotels and use an apartment for our base.

Breakfast was as mentioned, with a choice of breads and fruit. Omelets looked unappetizing to me, so I only had fruit and yogurt. We arrived in 35 minutes early, however, that was eaten up by a minor drama.. a Medical emergency. Someone in coach was ill, and we were instructed to sit in our seats until emergency personal came on board. Some really hot guy came on with doctor on his vest (yea, I thought about throwing a sickie, but I really wanted off the plane!) This took about 20 minutes before we were allowed to deplane. Oh, and yes, no jetbridge, stairs, so be sure you can haul your self and things out. When you enter if you are transiting through same day as I am to LCA, you go through transit, another security check, and then you will see signs for the AZ lounge. I must say, this lounge only has three things going for it.. a shower and a espresso machine, and the nice desk staff. Have low expectations, and then take those lower and you will be fine. As previously noted, you can get a shower kit at the desk which had a towel, slim little soap (I had my own) paper slippers, a shaver, a shower cap, and toothbrush and toothpaste. If you get in early take your shower first. Other flights come in soon after the YYZ flight and the lounge gets rather crowded.


How were the showers in the lounge: clean, seemingly used, full of foot fungi, etc.?

the ladies in the lounge got us our...upgraded seats...be nice ask them and wait as the CY TA's dont come on until after 730 am local time.

HomerJ - thanks for the information - a question for clarification - this was in YYZ or MXP?

I'm at the AC lounge watching Brasil beat up on Japan. No problems so far, will file trip report at LCA.

Any compensation for not flying D class? Or were you in Y to begin with?

It was a combination of FCO airport handling staff and Swissport so I didn't press the issue there. I was booked in D. The FCO handling people called AZ and CY to find out what the story was. Maybe I'll ask AZ when I have time (in YYZ IFT MLL waiting to go back out, again.)

FWIW, SEAUAKID told me firsthand that BC on the CY 320s aren't all that great. The 319s (at least one of them) have proper BC seats but only 12.

Seems the best duty free (liquor and food) appears to be at FCO. However, FCO was my outbound stop.

MXP store doesn't have those limoncello rum babas that those of you HHilton elites may have received at the Hilton Sorrento.

HomerJ - thanks for the information - a question for clarification - this was in YYZ or MXP?
...see title.

How were the showers in the lounge: clean, seemingly used, full of foot fungi, etc.?
Showers were clean! Go back to my original post, I have updated it to my turnaround in LCA.

Showers were clean! Go back to my original post, I have updated it to my turnaround in LCA.

How was Larnaca, otherwise. As a single female travelling alone in Cyprus - did you feel safe taking the taxi alone, walking around alone, etc?

Thanks, and have a blast in Spain (bet it's hot there too, was hot in Paris last week!).

RxTravel

Starting the return leg of my 2nd trip.

Met up with Planeluvr and family yesterday/Thursday out of YYZ.

CY used an A330-200 for MXP-LCA on Friday. Other than individual screens and more overhead room, same seats as on the 319s.



Lounge shower (Botecelli non-Schengen lounge) in MXP is clean enough.

As for Larnaca, it seems quite safe if just a tad... rundown. Taxi drivers will rip you off if nothing else.

Just learnt today that Eurocypria is (or soon, will be was) a charter subsidiary of CY. The government of Cyprus will be buying Eurocypria from CY (70% owned by the CYpriot government) in order to develop 2 airlines.

The E.U. sees it differently and views it as a subsidy to CY. The airline lost CYP 25m last year, for an airline that only has 12 a/c.

Who do you recommend for car rental in LCA? Mom-in-law is supposed to get recommendations, but I'm not sure I trust her sources. We really want to steer away from the hotels and use an apartment for our base.

I'd suggest making a rez with AutoEurope.
1) Their rez's are fully cancellable and refundable
2) They'll price match of you can find a comparable rental cheaper
3) In my experience, great customer service

How was Larnaca, otherwise. As a single female travelling alone in Cyprus - did you feel safe taking the taxi alone, walking around alone, etc?

Thanks, and have a blast in Spain (bet it's hot there too, was hot in Paris last week!).

RxTravel
Yes, Felt safe! I do think everyone wants to get a few pounds out of you so that's an annoyance, but walking around, talking to folks, was fine. I wasn't there long enough, so I don't have any intel on the beach or that sort of thing, but everyone was respectful and helpful. I do think however, I would have chosen a more upscale place to stay if I had done more than one night.

Does anyone have any ideas about what to do with a very tired 5 year old Miss OhCanada after an overnight YYZ-LCA flight on the 27th-28th? We are expecting that she will not sleep very well on the flight (although she is an experienced flyer - no FT handle yet, though) and it looks like there are no hotels close to MXP. Is there be somewhere in the airport she can lie down (the AX lounge?) or somewhere we can entertain her if she's awake? Any ideas would be appreciated!
ohcanada -- would appreciate you posting a summary of any advice you receive, or perhaps your actually experiences with Miss ohcanada. Mme 13F and I have our LCA jaunt scheduled for Nov. 13F-ette will be one month shy of her 3rd birthday when we make the trip.
--
13F

Has anyone visited Paphos or the surrounding area? I've reserved two nights in July at the Holiday Inn Limassol using Priority Club Points and am considering changing to the InterContinental Aphrodite Hills near Paphos. The InterContinental Hills is a long haul from Larnaca and I am wondering if it is worth it.

Has anyone visited Paphos or the surrounding area? I've reserved two nights in July at the Holiday Inn Limassol using Priority Club Points and am considering changing to the InterContinental Aphrodite Hills near Paphos. The InterContinental Hills is a long haul from Larnaca and I am wondering if it is worth it.

Skip Limassol (except there are some nice restaurants and bars but pls avoid the tourist zone!) and go for the IC Aphrodite Hills - it's definitely worth it, one of the 2-3 best hotels on the whole island and getting great reviews everywhere.

Does anybody know of a website where I can print out driving directions for Cyprus in advance? Mapquest, Michelin, Google, etc. all appear to lack data for Cyprus.

Does anybody know of a website where I can print out driving directions for Cyprus in advance? Mapquest, Michelin, Google, etc. all appear to lack data for Cyprus.
...the Cyprus tourism board supplies all car rental companies and hotels with excellent road maps for the whole country and each region. Driving there is very easy, I only got lost once in the mountains and we ended up at a beautiful monestary...dont sweat it just wait til you get there and ask at the rental car desk.

Has anyone visited Paphos or the surrounding area? I've reserved two nights in July at the Holiday Inn Limassol using Priority Club Points and am considering changing to the InterContinental Aphrodite Hills near Paphos. The InterContinental Hills is a long haul from Larnaca and I am wondering if it is worth it.
...seems more upscale, the roads and blvds. are flowered and better tended plus the UNESCO world heritage site is in Paphos.

I'm in Ayia Napa right now, halfway through my very short trip.

The 767 (762) AZ flew from YYZ-MXP was nothing to write home about. Stiff business class seats with mediocre recline. No individual video screens, never mind video on demand. And the food was absolutely atrocious. My meat was burnt to a crisp and totally inedible. Well worth $33, however.

The AZ lounge at MXP is the absolute worst lounge I have ever frequented. If you want to take a shower, be prepared to bring your own toiletries and towel or plan on drying yourself off with paper towels and a hair dryer (and in one of the two shower/toilet rooms, the hair dryer is broken). No windows in the lounge, a bunch of ratty and sagging furniture, no computers for internet access (although I believe you can use the net if you have your own laptop), and very, very few snacks. The only positives are a good selection of newspapers in many languages and a cellular phone charging station that has about a dozen adapters.

My CY-operated flight to LCA was delayed by almost three hours. I rode in coach ("D" inventory was zeroed out when I made my one date change). The plane was supposed to be a 319, but we got a 320 instead. I had a seat in row 10, which is the no recline exit row. You'll want row 11 if you are on the 320. Not that the exit rows are that great; I'd estimate an industry trailing 34 inches of pitch or so. Business class didn't look much better. It's basically economy with leather seats instead of cloth. 2-3 configuration with the armrests adjusted on the port side. You'll definitely want the port side. Food was good in coach, however. And the booze was free. The movie during the flight was Dr. Doolittle 3.

Cyprus is great. I rented a car with an automatic transmission from Thrifty Cyprus (http://www.thrifty.com.cy/), which was a good choice for me given the taxi fare roundtrip to Ayia Napa. I would highly recommend Ayia Napa for those looking for beautiful beaches and a Cancun/Ibiza-style party experience. The Napa Plaza Hotel (http://www.napaplaza.com/), where I am staying, is great. Right near the town square. For those who are less concerned with being in close proximity to the nightlife, the Nissi Beach Hotel looks like an excellent choice too.

For any divers out there, I would highly recommend diving the wreck of the Zenobia (http://www.buddydivers.com/Sites/Zenobia/Zenobia.html). Honestly, I cannot recommend it enough.

The Zenobia is a 560 foot Sweedish roll-on, roll-off ferry that sank in Larnaca harbor (Cyprus) on her maiden voyage in 1980. She now lies on her port side in approximately 138 feet of sea water.

I did two dives, the first exploring the cargo hold, the aft ramp doors of the ship, and the screws and the second exploring the front of the ship including the bow, the dining room, the bridge, and a lifeboat. The Zenobia was carrying just over 100 lorries (trucks) and many of them are still visible in the hold or at the bottom where they spilled onto the sea floor during the sinking. Swimming through the restaurant and the bridge is a cool experience, which offers ample exit points with natural light visible at all times in the event of an emergency. There is no current in the harbor and visibility is excellent. Plus, for plane lovers like myself, the dive boat as anchored above the wreck is right underneath the flight path for the final approach to the airport so you will get a great view of a variety of planes during your surface interval.

I dove with EZ Divers (http://www.ezdivers.com/), a really good operation run by British expats that offers free transportation from hotels in Ayia Napa and Protarus to the dive site and back. The Zenobia is a can't-miss dive for anybody headed to Cyprus.

I was under the impression you wouldn't be allowed to cross, except by foot. So I think its a restriction by the authorities.


Unless things have changed since April, you can take a car across if the rental company permits it. You do have to buy additional insurance on the Turkish side because the Cypriot insurance isn't valid there.

I returned from my trip to Cyprus on July 4th. Check in at LCA was fairly painless. There are two dedicated lines for business class passengers, so check the computer monitors closely. CY will only give you a boarding pass for the LCA-Italy flight so continuing boarding passess will need to be obtained in Italy for the AZ flights.

Business class passengers have access to the SunMiles lounge which is past immigration and security. After passing through the metal detector turn right and take the elevator upstairs. The lounge is decent, with ample seating, a fair selection of snacks and beverages, and plenty of newspapers. There is a sign proclaiming that "no bermuda shorts" are allowed in the lounge, although I was not stopped even though I was wearing shorts.

My flight from LCA-MXP was operated by a 320. I sat in 2A. Apollo business class is in a 2-3 configuration (A/C -- aisle -- D/E/F), with modular armrests spread into the vacant middle seat on the two side (the port side), which is the side you will definitely want. Seat pitch and recline is very poor for business class; I would estimate about 33 inches of pitch, so for those of you who do not have business class seats on the LCA-Italy segments, I wouldn't loose any sleep over it. The food is decent, but the only noticeable difference between the food in business class and the food in coach is a slightly larger salad that also comes with shrimp. The movie on the return was Big Momma's House 2. As with the outbound segment to LCA, my return segment was also delayed, this time by an hour and a half due to a faulty computer which had to be replaced.

I flew AZ #606 from MXP-EWR on the return. The flight was operated by a 772. Frustratingly, we had to be bused to a remote stand. I say frustratingly because it defies reason for AZ to park a 300 passenger widebody at a remote stand while allowing much smaller narrowbodies like MD80s and 320s to occupy the actual jet bridges at the terminal.

I was seated in 2H. Business class on the 772 is a 2-2-2 configuration and has two cabins. Rows 1 and 9 are the bulkhead rows and appear to have slightly less legroom than the non-bulkhead rows, so I'd recommend steering away from them.

The seats are designed by Recaro. They are not lie-flat seats. Instead they offer a recline of approximately 150 degrees. Despite not being fully flat, they are quite comfortable, in both the lounging position and the sleeping position.

AZ offered a different amenity kit on this return flight, this one made by Bvlgari. The service was pleasant and crisp. The ravioli pasta was much better than the pasta dish offered on the outbound flight. But, once again, the meat main dish was very poor. This time I had turkey, and it was rubbery and almost inedible. For a transatlantic business class product and an airline that comes from one of the great culinary countries in the world, the food is incredibly disappointing.

The most disappointing thing about my flight was an inoperative in-flight entertainment system. The 772 has video and audio on-demand with individual screens in the armrests that are approximately nine inches. Unfortunately, my system and that of my seatmate and the person immediately across the aisle did not work despite multiple reboots of the system by the flight attendants. While we could play games, we could not watch any movies or television programming, nor could we use the audio on-demand. Had I paid a regular fare for this flight, I would have been very, very unhappy.

Notwithstanding AZ's reputation for habitual tardiness, this flight, like the outbound, arrived within a few minutes of schedule despite leaving about a half hour late.

I'm in Ayia Napa right now, halfway through my very short trip.

The 767 (762) AZ flew from YYZ-MXP was nothing to write home about. Stiff business class seats with mediocre recline. No individual video screens, never mind video on demand. And the food was absolutely atrocious. My meat was burnt to a crisp and totally inedible. Well worth $33, however.

The AZ lounge at MXP is the absolute worst lounge I have ever frequented. If you want to take a shower, be prepared to bring your own toiletries and towel or plan on drying yourself off with paper towels and a hair dryer (and in one of the two shower/toilet rooms, the hair dryer is broken). No windows in the lounge, a bunch of ratty and sagging furniture, no computers for internet access (although I believe you can use the net if you have your own laptop), and very, very few snacks. The only positives are a good selection of newspapers in many languages and a cellular phone charging station that has about a dozen adapters.

My CY-operated flight to LCA was delayed by almost three hours. I rode in coach ("D" inventory was zeroed out when I made my one date change). The plane was supposed to be a 319, but we got a 320 instead. I had a seat in row 10, which is the no recline exit row. You'll want row 11 if you are on the 320. Not that the exit rows are that great; I'd estimate an industry trailing 34 inches of pitch or so. Business class didn't look much better. It's basically economy with leather seats instead of cloth. 2-3 configuration with the armrests adjusted on the port side. You'll definitely want the port side. Food was good in coach, however. And the booze was free. The movie during the flight was Dr. Doolittle 3.

Cyprus is great. I rented a car with an automatic transmission from Thrifty Cyprus (http://www.thrifty.com.cy/), which was a good choice for me given the taxi fare roundtrip to Ayia Napa. I would highly recommend Ayia Napa for those looking for beautiful beaches and a Cancun/Ibiza-style party experience. The Napa Plaza Hotel (http://www.napaplaza.com/), where I am staying, is great. Right near the town square. For those who are less concerned with being in close proximity to the nightlife, the Nissi Beach Hotel looks like an excellent choice too.

For any divers out there, I would highly recommend diving the wreck of the Zenobia (http://www.buddydivers.com/Sites/Zenobia/Zenobia.html). Honestly, I cannot recommend it enough.

The Zenobia is a 560 foot Sweedish roll-on, roll-off ferry that sank in Larnaca harbor (Cyprus) on her maiden voyage in 1980. She now lies on her port side in approximately 138 feet of sea water.

I did two dives, the first exploring the cargo hold, the aft ramp doors of the ship, and the screws and the second exploring the front of the ship including the bow, the dining room, the bridge, and a lifeboat. The Zenobia was carrying just over 100 lorries (trucks) and many of them are still visible in the hold or at the bottom where they spilled onto the sea floor during the sinking. Swimming through the restaurant and the bridge is a cool experience, which offers ample exit points with natural light visible at all times in the event of an emergency. There is no current in the harbor and visibility is excellent. Plus, for plane lovers like myself, the dive boat as anchored above the wreck is right underneath the flight path for the final approach to the airport so you will get a great view of a variety of planes during your surface interval.

I dove with EZ Divers (http://www.ezdivers.com/), a really good operation run by British expats that offers free transportation from hotels in Ayia Napa and Protarus to the dive site and back. The Zenobia is a can't-miss dive for anybody headed to Cyprus.

Ah.. so you were on the delayed flight on July 1st as well? We were on that same flight. What a mess. We were supposed to connect on the Aegean flight to Athens that night, the one that was finished boarding by the time we arrived (missed the flight even with an original 3 hr layover) To top it off, Cyprus/Alitalia managed to lose our bags and we finally got them two days later. We decided to spend two days in Larnaca before flying off to Mykonos. We will be back in Cyprus on the 15th.

For those who have already done this trip, when did you show up at LCA for your flight back? The CY website states you must be there no later than 2 hours prior to your flight. Did you show up any later? Did you see them denying any late-arriving pax?
Showing up 2 hours early means waking up early, something we're not excited about. We plan to stay in Agia Napa the last couple of nights, which is apparently about 45 min. away from LCA, meaning a 6am wake-up... :(

Do you think they'd have a problem with a business class customer showing up 1.5 hours before the flight, or would you not risk it?

I don't think I ever checked in before 745 for a 940 flight on 2 occasions, and maybe closer to 8 once. Security and immigration doesn't take very long and the airport is very small (I think 45 minutes before departure is more than enough time). I think the reason is that they want the bucket 'n spade crowd to get there early. I think someone who flew in May said 8 was fine.

Similarly, no need to go to the gate at 35 mins before departure as recommended. 25 minutes is more than adequate.

For those who have already done this trip, when did you show up at LCA for your flight back? The CY website states you must be there no later than 2 hours prior to your flight. Did you show up any later? Did you see them denying any late-arriving pax?

I checked in at LCA at about 8:15 a.m. for my 9:40 a.m. flight. No problems. I don't think the two hour check-in requirement is enforced.

Good to hear, since the FCO bound flights leave at 9:15am, about a 1/2 hour earlier than the MXP flights. I'll plan to be there by 7:45-8AM then!
Thanks,

For those who have already done this trip, when did you show up at LCA for your flight back? The CY website states you must be there no later than 2 hours prior to your flight. Did you show up any later? Did you see them denying any late-arriving pax?
Showing up 2 hours early means waking up early, something we're not excited about. We plan to stay in Agia Napa the last couple of nights, which is apparently about 45 min. away from LCA, meaning a 6am wake-up... :(

Do you think they'd have a problem with a business class customer showing up 1.5 hours before the flight, or would you not risk it?
...with absolutely no difficulties whatsoever.

Guys, just saw this thread. Would agree with most comments. Here's my contribution to some of the unanswered comments/ questions:

I hardly ever check in in LCA with more than 60 minutes to spare, usually it's about 45. Especially if I am flying business and certainly if I have my seat reserved. With the beauty that the airport is, there is no point in going any earlier :rolleyes:

There is definitely a separate check in for business class - it's sometimes far from the check in for the masses though.

Taxis will try to rip you off. Heck, they do that even with me and I'm a local. But to be fair, they don't have to cheat - the fares are already high as it is!

The "lake" that Dr Buffy mentioned, is a salt lake that is supposed to be dry in the summer. That's when traditionally the salt was harvested. Pity donkeys no longer harvest the salt - was quite a picturesque site.

In CY's defense, the 2x3 seating in business class is pretty standard in Europe. Their 2x2x2 on 330s are AFAIK unique in Europe so count yourselves lucky to be on one of those. And as for bad movies - at least you get some! Few airlines offer those intra-Europe nowadays though some make the effort for the long trek to Cyprus.

Re: hotels. Recommendations for the nicest ones: In Limassol, I'd stay at the Meridien/ 4 seasons/ Amathus and nothing else. In Ayia Napa quite a few decent ones - my favourite is grecian Park. In Paphos at the Amathus/ Elysium/ Anabelle. Elsewhere, everyone is raving about the IC but it's not on the beach. The Columbia beach resort in Pissouri is also quite nice. And if you'd like to splurge, try the Anassa near Polis (2 1/2 hrs from LCA). In Larnaca...why would anyone stay in LCA is beyond me ;-)

In Larnaca...why would anyone stay in LCA is beyond me ;-)

For those of us who are doing/did 15-17 hour turnarounds. :D


Does anyone know of a decent but not too expensive hotel near the city park in Lemosos? There's a wine festival there in early Sept. and we want to sta near there so we can stagger back to the hotel.

Does anyone know of a decent but not too expensive hotel near the city park in Lemosos? There's a wine festival there in early Sept. and we want to sta near there so we can stagger back to the hotel.

Good question, YVR C! We're also planning on attending the wine festival (http://www.limassolmunicipal.com.cy/wine/index.html) and are hoping for a nearby hotel. From my brief initial research, it would appear that most hotels are long the beach in Limassol, a few KM away from the actual city (and the festival). Prices aren't too bad, less than $100/night for a 3* property. We may stay near the beach, and cab it to the festival (can't be that expensive, can it?)
PS - When will you be in Cyprus? We'll be there Sept 3-7!
BostonBali

PS - When will you be in Cyprus? We'll be there Sept 3-7


The question should be - When is YVR Coachroach not flying to Cyprus? :D

For those of us who are doing/did 15-17 hour turnarounds. :D

I'm exagerating here. Larnaca can be nice and there are some good hotels there - Golden bay, Palm beach and Lordos beach hotel being the best.

Does anyone know of a decent but not too expensive hotel near the city park in Lemosos? There's a wine festival there in early Sept. and we want to sta near there so we can stagger back to the hotel.

Not sure what you define as expensive so here's a few options: L'Onda is a nice boutique-y hotel recently refurbished that's near the centre. Apollonia is another one that's decent even if catering to package tours mostly. I thought the Holiday Inn was near the park also but I am not sure about it.

For those thinking the taxi ride to the hotels outside the centre is easy...think again. The traffic in Limassol is horrendous especially at night. It could take you an hour to cover a distance of a few kilometres.

As for the wine festival...it could be fun and drunken but...define "wine". We have good wine in Cyprus, in fact in recent years we have had excellent wine in Cyprus but you won't find that served at the "wine" festival :rolleyes:

I'm exagerating here. Larnaca can be nice and there are some good hotels there - Golden bay, Palm beach and Lordos beach hotel being the best.


What's your take on the Beau Rivage?

What's your take on the Beau Rivage?

Name rings a bell but I haven't been there. Sorry :(

As for the wine festival...it could be fun and drunken but...define "wine". We have good wine in Cyprus, in fact in recent years we have had excellent wine in Cyprus but you won't find that served at the "wine" festival :rolleyes:

So you're saying the stuff served at this event is more like the stuff most likely to be converted into industrial alcohol or wine vinegar if it were to go into the E.U. wine lakes of excess production and wine connaisseurs would best give it the miss?

Front page story of Cyprus Mail Yesterday as I was borading the plane to Milan

Apparently an UNDERWORLD vendetta hit.

[QUOTE=YVR Cockroach]For those of us who are doing/did 15-17 hour turnarounds. :D
QUOTE]

.... like I did: flew mxp-lca and the next morning lca-mxp, and had a great trip and time at lca.

flight was full in y, only three pax in c. after landing at lca, two busses were waiting for at the aircraft: the first bus for us three c pax only, the second bus for the remaining y pax (a procedure even air france can learn from, especialy at cdg!). at the immigration hall, long lines from a previous arrival, an inspecor approached us and wanted to see the passports, and went with us to open a new line, immigration took 10 seconds! can not report on baggage claim since we had no luggage. atm at baggage claim area, also money exchange.

took a taxi to lca downtown to our hotel, easy drive 10 minutes, 5 pounds including tax.

stayed at the les palmiers hotel which is at the corner of athens drive and pierides street. this small hotel is right at the beach, in the touristical center of lca, right on the strip where you find tons of tourist restaurants and bars. I think you can not be more in the center then here. 5 steps across the street and you are on the beach. hotel booked via a 3rd party on the internet and it was 21 pounds including breakfast. hotel was very nice, newly renovated, charming staff, clean room, towls, soap and a nice bed.

there are lots of bars and restaurants nearby, which is nice if you want to go out, but it can also be very loud untill late pm or early am. had no problem with this at all.

enjoyed some bars on the strip, but went out for dinner on the other side of the old castle/mosque and found there a not so touritical area with some cheap and very nice restaurants. had a really good swordfish steak with fries and salad, some local beers and a free brandy after the owner figurd out that I am here for only 1 night.... I think including tip it was about 10 pounds.

some more dinks at the strip, went to bed at 2am....

wake up call at 6.30am, early morning swimming shortly after sun rise. and I was not the only one at that time either exercising or swimming. water was a bit cold but ok. beach was guarded, not the best beach and sand but ok. 7:15am back to the hotel. 7.30am sightseeing at lca, there is not much to see, some shops in the streets behind the strip - still closed at that time -, some old churches and a mosque, that´s it. buying some nice bottles of cyprus wine to bring home, 8.15am take a taxi to the airport (there is a taxi stand at the strip), 8:30am check in at the business counter, passport control, security, a quick visit to the lounge, boarding, and fling back home to mxp.

I was the only c pax on the lca-mxp flight. was asked when I wanted my lunch to be served. very nice crew.

it was a short trip, it was nice and fun. I agree, that lca is not a place to spend a longer time, but since I had to fly the mxp-lca-mxp segemts it worked out well for me: had a nice dinner, some nice drinks, had some fun, saw a bit of lca, was swimming and brought home some wine from that area. total cost was abit more then 60 pounds for the 15hrs turnaround.

and I will do the same thing again end of august for my 2nd ticket/mxp-lca-mxp segments.

Great report, thanks. How are the miles posting? eqm? total?

I found out if anyone else wants to know


50% Bonus Miles for purchased Coach class tickets booked in Y/B counts towards elite qualification only and not towards your WorldPerks banked mileage.

so, yyz-mxp, mxp-fco, and fco-yyz times 1.5 is the ewm, with the cyrpus ones just eqm at regular miles

I found out if anyone else wants to know


50% Bonus Miles for purchased Coach class tickets booked in Y/B counts towards elite qualification only and not towards your WorldPerks banked mileage.

so, yyz-mxp, mxp-fco, and fco-yyz times 1.5 is the ewm, with the cyrpus ones just eqm at regular miles

The AZ-coded, CY-operated flight segments between Italy and LCA will not earn any NW WorldPerks miles, neither elite qualifying miles nor redeemable miles.

For a NW Platinum, you will earn 100 percent elite qualifying miles and redeemable miles on the AZ-operated transatlantic flights plus a 50 percent bonus of both elite qualifying and redeemable miles for flying in business class plus the 125 percent Platinum bonus for redeemable miles only. More simply, as a NW Platinum, you will earn 150 percent of the transatlantic mileage as elite qualifying miles and 275 percent as redeemable miles.

My MXP-LCA flights posted to my Delta account as an AZ-flight with appropriate biz bonuses/MQM, but not the LCA-MXP segment.

Just got back from LCA (on the NW (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=482056) deal). Just wanted to add a few points:

My MXP-LCA flights posted to my Delta account as an AZ-flight with appropriate biz bonuses/MQM, but not the LCA-MXP segment.

Send in your ticket stub and BP. DL will credit the flights even if your ex-LCA BP only lists the CY flight number (write a note to explain).

Do you think they'd have a problem with a business class customer showing up 1.5 hours before the flight, or would you not risk it?

Due to my SO having "misplaced" her passport, we checked in about 45 mins before departure -- no problem at all, and still time for a wonderful English breakfast at the airport restaurant.

The plane was supposed to be a 319, but we got a 320 instead. I had a seat in row 10, which is the no recline exit row. You'll want row 11 if you are on the 320.

Exit row 11 is ok on the 320, but I'd probably go for row 4 if stuck in coach, which has the leather seats, and seemed to have a little more legroom than the business seats. No matter which seats you select, you'll be pretty uncomfortable if you're significantly taller than 6'.

What's your take on the Beau Rivage?

It's right next to the Palm Beach, where we stayed, and it does look a bit run down from the outside (as does the Palm Beach). I imagine you'll be getting a very shallow beach, and there is some hinterland with restaurants and nightlife. Any of these places will be ok, but understand that their main advantage is the proximity to LCA airport (some 20 mins via motorway), and make sure to get an air conditioned room. Some European "last minute" travel providers will easily beat the prices you see quoted in the US, so shop around.

We have some of our pictures up from our greece/cyprus trip:
http://homepage.mac.com/musick/Greece/PhotoAlbum82.html

In Cyprus, we spent 2 nts in Larnaca, 1 nt in Nicosia and 2 nts in Limassol
We visited South/North Nicosia, Troodos mountains, and eastern (Agia Napa) areas then spent two weeks in the Greek Islands

I flew on NW to BUF, and rented a car one way to YYZ. Spent a day at the falls, and then a day in Toronto. Everything went well.

Met Renard in the AC lounge before the AZ flight to FCO. Nice lounge, internet connection, etc. The bus out to the terminal sucks though. Stopped for about 10 minutes to let all the jets by, very inadequate air on it.

Got the nice Magnifica class seats, Biz was 80% full. Got to Rome a bit early. Had 6 hours to waste. Went to the AZ lounge, got a shower kit (towels, shampoo, soap) with no problem. They also have a 'rest lounge', that looked interesting. Very basic snacks for the most part. They had some quiche and some other munchies out when I arrived, but the hordes soon decended, and that was gone in quick order.

I'm not sure how many AZ lounges are there, but we went to the 20+ gate area. When coming back, I had to go through screening again, not sure if I took a wrong turn, or that's the way it always goes.

The CY flight boarded all at once, no elite or Biz line. Again a bus (but much shorter), and the fun stairs.

If you have 3 people in your row, you just have normal seats, for 2 people, they squeeze the middle seat in, more to a normal Biz configuration.

Got to LCA, the lines were fairly long for passport control, but they moved fairly well. Now the nightmare comes. It seems everyone is going to LCA for their summer vacation (1/2 of Europe, I'd guess). There are so many people around the baggage carousel, that I can not even *see* the carousel! 5-6 people deep at least.

After about 50 minutes, the Rome luggage finally starts to come out. Another 30-40 minutes, and they say that it's all out. No luggage for me though. Go stand in the line to report it missing, and another 25 minutes wasted.

The rental car (Hertz) goes pretty smoothly, but you still have to find the car in the lot. Get to Lefkosia easily, but can't find the Hilton Park Nicosia. No gas stations open, and instructions tend to be a '2 lefts, 1 right, 2 traffic circles, and then it's on your left'. After an hour, I finally found it.

The luggage finally comes 2 1/2 days later. I had to buy some things, but not sure if it's worth reporting the items, though.

So far we've gone to Limasol, Troodos, Northern Nicosia and Agia Napa. The latter being the nicest beach so far.

I've got a junior suite (I think they call it a deluxe or executive room). Fairly nice, but a horrible king sized mattress. I've seen equivalent bedding at $20 hotels, but never a Hilton. They didn't fix it the first day, and I was getting a bit upset the second day. They offered me the Presidential Suite (but I'd have to move if someone booked it), but it had the exact same bed! I ended up getting two kids beds that were comfortable enough to sleep in.

I looked at their standard rooms, and the only thing that came to my mind was 'Motel 6'. If I paid over $200 a night US here, I'd be might mad. I'm going to the nicer Hilton over the weekend, so hopefully it will be better.

[originally posted in MR]

I need some guidence here.

We decided to spend most of our time/money in Rome so we have 24h in Milano before we fly back home.
I have plenty of points with Hilton so initially I thought I'll just get a room there but it seems the hotel is VERY far from the airport and we have a 10 AM flight the next morning

So what other affordable alternatives do I have?
Somebody recommnded renting a car and driving to the lake district (about 20min) instead of Milano

Any recommendations?

[originally posted in MR]

I need some guidence here.

We decided to spend most of our time/money in Rome so we have 24h in Milano before we fly back home.
I have plenty of points with Hilton so initially I thought I'll just get a room there but it seems the hotel is VERY far from the airport and we have a 10 AM flight the next morning

So what other affordable alternatives do I have?
Somebody recommnded renting a car and driving to the lake district (about 20min) instead of Milano

Any recommendations?

Everything is far from MXP. It's only marginally further from Switzerland than central Milan. On the plus side, there is frequent direct train service to Cadorna station in the center. The Hilton is OK but if I were in your shoes I would try to swap some Hilton points for Hyatt points on CC and stay at the Park Hyatt which is a gem of a hotel in a great location.

Everything is far from MXP. It's only marginally further from Switzerland than central Milan.

^ :D

To clarify a point made by SATLawyer a few pages back, that rat hole of a lounge in MXP (Boticelli Lounge) does NOT have free wifi for people with their own computers. One can purchase a day pass, but no feebies and, as he indicated, no computers there for general use.
Worst lounge ever -- can't really imagine that it would be much worse spending the time in the public areas. Only advantage is free beverages. One funny thing -- I asked about showers when I entered. The desk guy turned around, looked in a cupboard, turned back and said he didn't seem to have any shower heads. :confused: :D Did my own reconaissance - showers did feature shower heads (nothing but the best in the Boticelli Lounce) but were so dingy I decided I'd rather wait another 12 hours for a shower, especially since drying myself with paper towels doesn't seem satisfying.
I can only say I hope people don't pay membership fees for access to such places. :eek:

Regarding Cyprus, had a lovely time. Driving was very easy & I explored a bunch of little villages up in the mountains. Some nice beaches, too. And good ruins, nice people, and good food. Looking forward to going back. ^

Left YYZ on the Thursday the 4th to MXP. As has been mentioned, the AC lounge is nice with lots of different things to munch on. No soup there though before my departure. Boarding was not quite cattle car. They did let business passengers board early. They tried to make a big deal of my rollaboard bad and laptop bag untill they noticed that I was in J. The seats like many have mentioned were old and ragged. Mine had black pen marks all over the arm rest. Service was really rushed. I enjoyed the pasta appetizers. Very tasty. The sparkling wine (spumanti) was not very good at all. The meal it self was very coach like. Nothing special about it at all. What ever you do though, Don't ask for Vodka! I asked for a screwdriver and they said they had no Vodka. I couldn't belive that J had no vodka. I asked another flight attendant the same thing and next thing I know, The perser came to chew me out for asking about Vodka again. Unbelievable!!! Apparently if it was catered, it went into one of the crew's bag.

Landing in MXP was quick and a bus was there to meet us and take us to the terminal. The lounge like everyone mentioned was horrible. It was so busy that morning, there was no place to sit for a while. I was able to take a shower though. They did have towels, a little ammenity kit with soap, toothpaste, shampoo and body wash. I was even given a nice wrapped pair of flip flops to use. They just wanted to check my boarding pass for shower use though. After a 4 hour layover :eek: I was on my way to LCA. The cyprus air flight was on time and it was cattle car boarding. The business seats were awful like your typical European business class. Champagne (Tattinger) and OJ were offered while boarding continued. Service was very good and refills on the Champers were free flowing. The meal was also very coach like and nothing too memorable.

Landing in LCA was quick and as was mentioned, they had a bus to pick up all 6 of us in Business. That was nice.... Customs was a breeze. Picked up the rental car and got a scare as it was the first time driving on the left hand side. I stayed at the Hilton Park. It was quite a pain trying to find it though. As soon as I arrived, they had already upgraded me to a suite and champagne and canapies were waiting in the room. Very nice touch! Woke up the next morning at 6:00 AM and had breakfast and headed to the airport. Warning- Nothing is open on sundays so beware... Luckily, most of the gas stations take credit cards so no attendant needed.

Returned the car and waited in a long line for check in. This was the beginning of the 1st NW trip so no business class for me. Coach wasn't too bad on CY. Food was ok and the booze was free. Flight to AMS was about 4 hours with a 2 hour layover untill my AMS-MSP flight on the diesel-10. Coach was packed and so was business. I was hoping for an op-up but it was not to be. Typical pissy NW flight attendants on the flight. One old gally hag had to be about 70 and was quite rough around the edges. Other than that, flight was good and landed on time in MSP. Now I am in the WC just waiting for my flight to GEG. I have 1 day off and then the 2nd trip to LCA on NW...

This was the beginning of the 1st NW trip so no business class for me...Flight to AMS was about 4 hours with a 2 hour layover untill my AMS-MSP flight on the diesel-10...I have 1 day off and then the 2nd trip to LCA on NW...

Guaugeguy - Great trip report, you're helping me set some realistic expectations about the AZ J product :td: I'm a bit confused regarding the NW LCA trip. Was this a part of the AZ $39 trip (YYZ-LCA) that ended up using NW metal, or did you book the earlier NW mileage run to LCA (I believe that was a LCA-XXX trip, I forget what city it was going to). If I recall correctly, that was a 'B' class fare, wasn't it?)

Enjoy your back-to-back trips, keep the reports coming. Too bad about the lack of Vodkas (and the scolding you received). You can be sure I'll be asking for Vodka on my upcoming YYZ-FCO flights!!!

Bostonbali

Guaugeguy - Great trip report, you're helping me set some realistic expectations about the AZ J product :td: I'm a bit confused regarding the NW LCA trip. Was this a part of the AZ $39 trip (YYZ-LCA) that ended up using NW metal, or did you book the earlier NW mileage run to LCA (I believe that was a LCA-XXX trip, I forget what city it was going to). If I recall correctly, that was a 'B' class fare, wasn't it?)

Enjoy your back-to-back trips, keep the reports coming. Too bad about the lack of Vodkas (and the scolding you received). You can be sure I'll be asking for Vodka on my upcoming YYZ-FCO flights!!!

Bostonbali

This was the 1st half of the AZ trip YYZ-LCA and the 1st half of one on the NW LCA-PDX (or in my case LCA-GEG). Anyway, just resting up today for the retun flight on NW GEG-LCA tomorrow. :)

you're helping me set some realistic expectations about the AZ J product :td:

i think it's disgusting to badmouth alitalia's product when they are basically giving it to you for free. really sad.

i am going on this trip and am sincerely appreciative for alitalia honoring the fare. i have benefited from mistake fares in the past but have also had them pulled. COPA confirmed me on a flight a year or so ago that was a mistake fare but chose to not honor it.

"thank you, alitalia, for honoring the fare," should be our line. i would never say: "boy, your $39 business class fare to europe in the summer really is sub-par."

:rolleyes:

My thoughts exactly. I just returned from Cyprus and want to thank Alitalia. I thought the flights from Toronto to Milan and back was fantastic. Both were ahead of schedule and the flight attendants did a very nice job. I also thought the food was great and didn’t have any problems getting some shut eye in the seats! While I understand some people may have had some issues in the past...my trip was very smooth and pain free! Thanks again to Alitalia! ^ ^

On a side note….I highly recommend the Inter-Continental Aphrodite Hills! What a beautiful resort! We really enjoyed our two days there. Its a bit of a drive from Larnaca but I thought it was worth it!

I can simulataneously believe (1) it's a wonderful thing that AZ honored the fare, I'm getting a wonderful deal and a great value for the money (!) and (2) AZ's business class is inferior to many other carriers in the world.

I can simulataneously believe (1) it's a wonderful thing that AZ honored the fare, I'm getting a wonderful deal and a great value for the money (!) and (2) AZ's business class is inferior to many other carriers in the world.

yes, you can. but, posts with "thumbs down" about the service/product and sarcastic comments that the AZ lounges aren't up to snuff are simply ungrateful and infantile. again, scoring a $39 business class fare to europe in the summer should elicite nothing but THANKS. :rolleyes:

I don't know... this forum is about people's trips to LCA (and imho that includes the good and the bad experiences of those who have traveled there--as they see it)

Perhaps we could focus our posts on such as that will probably be most helpful for those who are making plans for future trips.

Each individual can 'filter out' those comments they find unhelpful while 'note' those comments that they find helpful.

yes, you can. but, posts with "thumbs down" about the service/product and sarcastic comments that the AZ lounges aren't up to snuff are simply ungrateful and infantile. again, scoring a $39 business class fare to europe in the summer should elicite nothing but THANKS. :rolleyes:

I guess we're supposed to grade on a curve?

I'm eternally grateful that I got to dive the Zenobia, soak up the sun on Nissi Beach, and cross the Pond twice in business class for a pittance, but that doesn't change the fact that Alitalia's Milan lounge, for example, is a dive.

I guess we could whitewash facts like these if it would make everybody feel better about buying a $33 fare. But in a trip report thread -- as Renard astutely noted -- why shouldn't we call a spade a spade?

Got the nice Magnifica class seats, Biz was 80% full.
The rental car (Hertz) goes pretty smoothly, but you still have to find the car in the lot. Get to Lefkosia easily, but can't find the Hilton Park Nicosia. No gas stations open, and instructions tend to be a '2 lefts, 1 right, 2 traffic circles, and then it's on your left'. After an hour, I finally found it.

I looked at their standard rooms, and the only thing that came to my mind was 'Motel 6'. If I paid over $200 a night US here, I'd be might mad. I'm going to the nicer Hilton over the weekend, so hopefully it will be better.

Jaimito (and anyone else who might know).... a few questions:
I'm going to be in LCA next week, and I have some similar plans as yours:
1) I'm flying the YYZ-FCO flight. Is the Biz seat any different from the YYZ-MXP Biz seat? eg, Personal IFE montiors, etc?
2) I'm probably renting with Hertz. Would you recommend them?
3) I'm deciding between the Hilton and the Hilton Park SA. The Hilton is about US$60 per night more than the Park... is it worth it? I'm a HH Gold btw.

Thanks for the help!

3) I'm deciding between the Hilton and the Hilton Park SA. The Hilton is about US$60 per night more than the Park... is it worth it? I'm a HH Gold btw.



Personally I'd go for the Hilton

Standard:
Hilton: 5*
Park: 4*

Access to LCA airport:
Hilton: 30 mins
Park: 45 mins plus

Access to city centre:
Hilton: walking distance - 10 mins
Park: Taxi 15 minutes

Other stuff:
Hilton Park is quite isolated. There's a drive-through MacDonalds, and furniture and car show rooms nearby

Hope this helps

Hertz was okay to rent from. Friendly, but not so good instructions for the Hilton Park. I paid about $307 for a week for a Honda CRV (The website will quote you a Rav4, but they say they don't have any). This is with a AAA discount.

They do precharge you about $80 US for a tank of gas, but you can fill it up and get it refunded. (I'd recommend this, as they charge you 15% VAT on the gas charge!)

I booked both the Hilton Park and Hilton Cyprus award nights, both before the June 1st increase. (10K Park, 25k Cyprus, though I changed the latter to their 18k point stretcher that is out now). The Park is now at 12k point stretcher.

I got a much nicer welcome gift from the Hilton Park (Champagne, salmon platter, water) than the Hilton Cyprus. I got a 2x sized room from the Park, as well. However, the king bed just sucked there in my opinion. Even the presidential suite had the same bed.

The Hilton Cyprus is much nicer, bedwise (but only upgraded to Exec floor and just a fruit plate & small bottle of wine), much easier to find, but parking is quite bad here the night I was there. The buffet breakfast here is nice, but maybe only 10% better than the Park. They also didn't give me breakfast as a Diamond, and the waitress had to call the front desk to get it approved.

The spa in the Hilton Cyprus is also pretty nice, and included with executive floor, I think.

When I checked, both locations were in the $200 US or more a night range. I personally would not pay this amount to stay at either place. At 1/2 cent a point, I paid $50 and $90 a night for each place which is reasonable.

The Park is a bit out of everything. There's a supermarket, bowling alley, and McDonalds in easily walkable distance. Decent parking, and a nice pool too.

Jaimito (and anyone else who might know).... a few questions:
I'm going to be in LCA next week, and I have some similar plans as yours:
1) I'm flying the YYZ-FCO flight. Is the Biz seat any different from the YYZ-MXP Biz seat? eg, Personal IFE montiors, etc?

Thanks for the help!

The flight I had yyz-fco had the new magnifica class seats with little personal monitors that they brought around. The seats were nice. The IFE was nice but more clumsy than the built in variety. (A FA tripped over the cord on mine and broke the cord between the unit and the power source--giving me a 'look' as if I had done something wrong :rolleyes: .)

It is my understanding that the yyz-mxp is the old style seats and no personal IFE... the old seats are not all that bad. I found them comfortable and the space more than adequate. I certainly prefer the newer seats...but no problem with the old. The lack of personal IFE is certainly a bigger issue for me personally....sometimes it was very difficulty to see the subtitles in the movie in Italian depending on the position of the seat in front of you. Certainly given the price either seat/ife combo is just fine...comfy and roomy. However, I would frankly never consider buying a J/D class on AZ at regular price given what else out there is available. (I also have a preference for my luggage arriving with me too and it appears to me that is an issue with AZ :rolleyes: )

Hertz was okay to rent from. Friendly, but not so good instructions for the Hilton Park. I paid about $307 for a week for a Honda CRV (The website will quote you a Rav4, but they say they don't have any). This is with a AAA discount.

They do precharge you about $80 US for a tank of gas, but you can fill it up and get it refunded. (I'd recommend this, as they charge you 15% VAT on the gas charge!)

I booked both the Hilton Park and Hilton Cyprus award nights, both before the June 1st increase. (10K Park, 25k Cyprus, though I changed the latter to their 18k point stretcher that is out now). The Park is now at 12k point stretcher.

I got a much nicer welcome gift from the Hilton Park (Champagne, salmon platter, water) than the Hilton Cyprus. I got a 2x sized room from the Park, as well. However, the king bed just sucked there in my opinion. Even the presidential suite had the same bed.

The Hilton Cyprus is much nicer, bedwise (but only upgraded to Exec floor and just a fruit plate & small bottle of wine), much easier to find, but parking is quite bad here the night I was there. The buffet breakfast here is nice, but maybe only 10% better than the Park. They also didn't give me breakfast as a Diamond, and the waitress had to call the front desk to get it approved.

The spa in the Hilton Cyprus is also pretty nice, and included with executive floor, I think.

When I checked, both locations were in the $200 US or more a night range. I personally would not pay this amount to stay at either place. At 1/2 cent a point, I paid $50 and $90 a night for each place which is reasonable.

The Park is a bit out of everything. There's a supermarket, bowling alley, and McDonalds in easily walkable distance. Decent parking, and a nice pool too.

I have to agree with the comments at the Hilton Park. I have stayed there 2 times now and will check in tonight again (8/12) for one night as I am back to the US again tomorrow. They have treated me very nice and have German Sekt (Sparkling Wine) in the room, canapies and a bottle of water. Breakfast was free and very nice as is most European Hiltons. The room was also very nice (Given room 101) twice now. As far as the bed, yes it sucks!! Very hard and uncomfortable but for 10,000 pts night, I think that it is an increadible deal. I really like the property but the location sucks for sure. Kind of a long drive just for a quick overnight in LCA imho. Anyway, Like I said, Will be there tonight and also the 15th. If anyone else will be there, please PM me so we can have a beverage or two. ;)

Trip coming up in Sept:

We have a 5+ hr stopover in Rome. Can anything be done during that time? (Quick trip to town, etc)

In Cyprus, We are staying at the Hilton Park Hotel for the first night (to see Nicosia and meet up with a friend) and then heading to the coast. We are staying at the Aeneas Hotel in Ayia Napa:

http://www.aeneas.com.cy/

Unique Features: largest pool in Europe. Some rooms have direct access to the pool from the balcony.

We have a 5+ hr stopover in Rome. Can anything be done during that time? (Quick trip to town, etc)


I was considering visiting Ostia Antica (only 7KM away from FCO) during my 5-hour FCO layover. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the cost of the taxi ride there, as well as how easily I could find a cab to take me back to FCO once I was done visiting the ruins there. Check out this link to the question I asked on the virtual tourist forum...
http://forum.virtualtourist.com/6/discussion-266828-1-1-Travel-0-146901-Ostia_Antica-discussion.html?wosid=K78r0fu5azX74JVbXFrLxM

We have a 5+ hr stopover in Rome. Can anything be done during that time? (Quick trip to town, etc)

Certainly, assuming your flight is relatively on time, you get throught the airport quickly, forego a lounge visit upon arrival, are checked in with a boarding pass for the onward flight, and have a minimal sense of direction and ability to read a transportation map. Take the express train to Termini and the Metro Line B two stops from there to the Colosseum. Tour the Colosseum and the adjacent Forum if you have leftover time. St. Peter's and the Vatican would be too ambitious for your timetable, in my opinion. But I wouldn't pass on the opportunity to take in a small sliver of the wonders of Rome on a layover like yours, unless you are a regular visitor to the Eternal City.

Unique Features: largest pool in Europe.

Who needs a pool when you have lovely Nissi Beach across the street?

I mean, seriously. I've never understood people who travel to beautiful beach resorts and spend even a minute of time at the pool. But maybe that's just me.

On a side note….I highly recommend the Inter-Continental Aphrodite Hills! What a beautiful resort! We really enjoyed our two days there. Its a bit of a drive from Larnaca but I thought it was worth it!


I rented a villa at Aphrodite Hills and had a great time.

I was considering visiting Ostia Antica (only 7KM away from FCO) during my 5-hour FCO layover.

Ostia Antica is definitely worth it, but do make arrangements for your return to FCO. Otherwise, finding a cab to take you back might be tough.

You can get to Ostia Antica by public transport from FCO. Just take a bus (not sure what frequency) towards Ostia Lido, and cross over the highway to get to a rail stop (the line that runs between Roma Piramide and Ostia Lido) and go towards Rome for one stop, and cross the highway to get to Ostia Antica. Only trouble with this I don't think you should/can rely on the timetables for the train and/or the bus.

There isn't much around the place (it's surrounded by a very suburban area) where you are likely to find a taxi so you may end up stranded though so close to the airport.

There isn't much around the place (it's surrounded by a very suburban area) where you are likely to find a taxi so you may end up stranded though so close to the airport.

YVR - Sounds like you've visited Ostia Antica before. Would you recommend visiting it during a 5 hour layover? Seems like it only takes 15-20 minutes to drive there, so I figure we'd have 2-3 hours to walk around.

I did look up a car rental (7am-11:30am). Surprisingly, my Hertz CDP allows me to rent an economy car (Peugeot 107) for only 34 Euros, all taxes and fees included!!!
Now I need to decide whether it's worth leaving the airport for 3.5 or so hours for $43...

Would you recommend visiting it during a 5 hour layover? Seems like it only takes 15-20 minutes to drive there, so I figure we'd have 2-3 hours to walk around.


The trouble is Ostia Antica is only open from 0830 so assuming an ontime (or even early) arrival from YYZ, you have to cool your heels for at least 1/2 hr waiting for it to open. I'd highly recommend it if you even had an hour or 2 more but not sure if you only have 2 hours to walk around. Maybe make the reservation and see what time the LCA flight is actually scheduled to leave? You'll have to make a judgement call on that one.

The trouble is Ostia Antica is only open from 0830 so assuming an ontime (or even early) arrival from YYZ...

Hostia!

How have the on-time arrivals (or I should say delays) been for the return MXP-YYZ this summer? The flight is supposed to arrive at 2pm, we are connecting to NW on a 4:30pm flight, although there is also a later 6-ish flight that NW says has room if we miss the first one. with a 2.5 hour cushion I expect we should make the 4:30pm flight, or am I mistaken about that? Any anecdotal evidence of actual arrival times of the MXP flight would be appreciated...

How have the on-time arrivals (or I should say delays) been for the return MXP-YYZ this summer? The flight is supposed to arrive at 2pm, we are connecting to NW on a 4:30pm flight, although there is also a later 6-ish flight that NW says has room if we miss the first one. with a 2.5 hour cushion I expect we should make the 4:30pm flight, or am I mistaken about that? Any anecdotal evidence of actual arrival times of the MXP flight would be appreciated...
I would STRONGLY recommend just changing your flight to the later one. Even that one is not a guaranteed thing with a late MXP flight. I have connected on KLM AMS-YYZ-MSP with 2.5 hours at YYZ, and BARELY made it even before this week's new security rules.
You need to exit the plane, get your bag (if it comes--KLM lost mine, and based on reports here, it would be completely unsurprising if AZ lost yours!), and go to check in for the NW flight upstairs--and THEN you will be facing a quite -long US immigration line.
It's not terrible, as all the lines move quickly, but it's just that there are many hoops to jump through. If everything goes well, you could make the 2.5 hour connection, but barely. With the extra cushion, you won't be in such a big hurry.

You need to exit the plane, get your bag (if it comes--KLM lost mine, and based on reports here, it would be completely unsurprising if AZ lost yours!), and go to check in for the NW flight upstairs--and THEN you will be facing a quite -long US immigration line.


Actually, it's worse than this. You have to switch terminals (I'm pretty sure NW operates from T3). You can possibly do it but you have to be fast. Get off the plane fast and on the bus (the terminal AZ uses is remote) and that can be lengthy, get to immigration/customs (should not take too long but if you have bags - add at least 30 minutes), switch terminals, checkin (unless you did webcheckin in MXP and have carryon only), go through U.S. immigration and customs, dump bags if any, security and then the gate.

Can someone who has travelled confirm the mileage earning with AZ on the CY flights?

My tickets say fare basis D, but some of my seats are in Y (due to availability); will I earn 200% with AZ regardless of where my butt is parked?

I believe this should be the case, but would like a confirmation with someone from experience.

Thanks

Sunday 8/20
Air: Alitalia # 653 YYZ-MXP
Departure: (YYZ): August 20, 5:05 PM EDT (evening)
Arrival: (MXP): August 21, 7:25 AM CEST (morning)
Class: Business
We were digging for our paper tickets in front of the “F” desk where Alitalia is set up for check in and a nice agent directed us to the Magnifica class check in. There was no line and we were checked into our pre-assigned seats and had our toiletries bag tagged and checked in 5 minutes. We then headed for security, breezed through that and took the shuttle bus out to the satellite terminal where AZ departs from. All in all, we had spent possibly 20 minutes from check out at the Sheraton in airport to arrival at the satellite terminal. We were told we would have access to the Air Canada lounge but we were really hungry so we grabbed a sandwich and a salad from the only food establishment out there. It was actually pretty good, and since the AZ food is nothing to write home about I’d recommend getting some food like this before you board.
Boarding is mayhem, I noticed this on other trips within Italy, lines are a fluid concept to Italians. We had to bust our way through the chaos when they called for business class. Boarding the plane itself was a pleasant surprise. I mean I knew this was an older 767, with much older seats than the YYZ-FCO flight at the next gate, but I was expecting the horrible green cloth seats I had recently experienced on an AZ MD80. The 767 we were on has gray colored leather seats with gray cloth backs. The cabin looked better than expected and the seats were reasonably comfortable in the sitting position. The plane isn’t as beat up as some UA and AA flights I’ve been on recently. But overall, the seats rank below these other business class experiences I’ve had including: American J, Delta BizElite, old Malaysia Airlines Biz seats, old NW and KLM WBC seats. The closest thing in terms of recline and adjustability is the old Malaysia biz seats. The worst part is that the footrest is designed for someone much shorter than me, it wouldn’t extend far enough for me. My wife who is 5’2” thought the seats were fine, she slept over 4 hours and said it was fairly comfortable for her.
The service was pretty good for an airplane (at least 4 FA’s for the 25 seat Magnifica cabin), but the food was for the most part pretty mediocre. The dinner pasta dish was farfalle with tomato sauce, ok, the main courses were beef in red wine sauce and steam halibut. Neither looked all that good, I tried the beef and it was like tough potroast. The best part was the selection of wines and cheeses, and the Lemoncello. But I don’t expect much when it comes to airplane food, overall no better or worse than what NW serves up on its WBC flights.
There was a movie on as others have reported this is projected on a large screen in the front of the cabin. I slept instead of watching. The amenity kits were nice, especially since we had to check toothpaste, chapstick, etc down below. They also have nice ear plugs and eye shades. The blankets and pillows are among the poorest quality I've seen in business class.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs, broiled tomatoes and Canadian bacon and mushrooms. Really not very good, but not inedible. There was a decent section of pastries and fresh fruit. Again, not much different here than the basic meals you find on NW or AA in business class.
Bottom line in terms of seat comfort, I probably would have been able to sleep a bit more in the newer seats on the YYZ-FCO flight, but these seats did the trick for us.
My tickets were reissued by AZ, so I wasn't expecting any problems getting mileage credited to NW, and sure enough the miles are in my account a few days later. We're in Italy for another few days and then off to LCA for another week of vacation. Watching the news today about Turkey I am happy we opted for a couple of days in Cairo instead of a visit to Turkey.

Can someone who has travelled confirm the mileage earning with AZ on the CY flights?

My tickets say fare basis D, but some of my seats are in Y (due to availability); will I earn 200% with AZ regardless of where my butt is parked?


it would seem that way though I only have one not-100%-appropriate sample: 200% miles though tiket was cnfrimed D but flight was operated by an all-Y Eurocypria a/c.

I did look up a car rental (7am-11:30am). Surprisingly, my Hertz CDP allows me to rent an economy car (Peugeot 107) for only 34 Euros, all taxes and fees included!!!
Now I need to decide whether it's worth leaving the airport for 3.5 or so hours for $43...

If you might be interested to save a few bucks on your rental car. Try out

SIXTI (http://www.sixti.com)

they have rental cars available for as low as 5 € plus an additional 7 € to get you full LDW.

I use them to get to my hotel in the suburbs of Rome.

If you might be interested to save a few bucks on your rental car. Try out

SIXTI (http://www.sixti.com)



Great tip! For the day (OK, the 3.5 hours) I'm interested in escaping the airport, SIXTI is asking for € 8.00 (plus another € 4 if I want a $0-deductible LDW). I'm trying to figure out if there's a catch here, but can't find one. Once I make the reservation, it's non-refundable, but I figure for $10 or so, it's worth the risk!
Did you reserve a Smart, and if so, did you actually get a Smart? € 8 is worth is just to leave the airport, and cruise in a Smart Car to have a nice breakfast in a nearby town!

€ 8 is worth is just to leave the airport, and cruise in a Smart Car to have a nice breakfast in a nearby town!The words "nice breakfast" and "Italy" don't really go together. Hotels do a reasonable job (with allowances for the stale/crusty bread rolls), but Italians are not really in to breakfast. However if your tastes run more towards a cappucino and a pastry, you will not be disappointed.
--
13F

I am arriving to YYZ on NW at 10:30 AM. The AZ flight doesn't leave until 5 PM.

Can I get access to the KLM lounge in T3, or it is on the wrong side of customs?

What time does the AZ check-in open so I can get the AC lounge access in the infield terminal?

thanks

Here are some brief comments on the rest of our trip, bottom line is that these are two of the worst airlines I've had the pleasure of interacting with, but for the price paid we got a great cheap vacation.

Would we do it again? Probably not, with all the hassle of getting back to SEA from YYZ (see below about missed connection due to AZ delays) I'd rather go SEA-AMS and fork over the $$ and/or miles.

MXP-LCA- 8/30
We actually had our hotel concierge "re-confirm" our flights the day before and were told everything was A-OK. We arrived at the airport to see our flight listed as "Zurich/Larnaca", ok we thought, this should be interesting. That is an understatement. We get to checkin and are told that they have combined 2 flights (LCA-MXP and LCA-ZUR) into one and that this flight is over an hour late. They are dumping folks in MXP, picking us up and then dumping some folks in Zurich before we head to LCA. And by the way, this is an all Y flight, so you dont get business class seating/service nor can you carry on all that luggage. So we had to check in our bags (which thankfully didnt get lost), and after some demanding I was able to get a supervisor to give us an aisle and window seat with the middle blocked, or so I was told. We arrived at the gate and it was chaos, the folks on the plane heading to Zurich were standing around, and there was an announcement they would be let back on first to retake their seats. By the time we board, we're hearing that there are tons of seat assignment problems, it's clear they don't care and are just telling us to sit wherever we want. So much for a blocked row. Some of the Cypriots are yelling, the crew are looking back like this is normal operating procedure. So we get wedged in coach row with another person and it's off to Switzerland. To their credit they did turn the plane around fast, but at this point we've effectively wasted our whole day. Some new folks get on in Zurich and you guessed it, there are again problems with duplicate assignments. Expecting this (and the response of sit anywhere) we grabbed an exit row and sat aisle window with our bag on the middle seat. The entree was inedible, salad was ok, the only airline that has served worse entrees is EgyptAir. We finally arrived in LCA sometime after 9pm! Of course that made driving on the left (first time for me!) fun, I was hoping to do this in the evening light for the first time.

LCA-MXP 9/5
Nothing of note here, got to experience "business class" too. As others have written it isn't much to speak of. We were on the left side of the plane, there are two seats, with a "spacer" in the middle. Nothing great, but better than being crammed in coach.

MXP-YYZ 9/6
We arrive, check in quickly and spend a few minutes in the lounge, we're told everything is on time. We board, still told things are on time, we care as we have a 2.5 hour connection in YYZ. Seems like we had a different plane than YYZ-MXP, this one is much more torn and worn. The crew is rather unfriendly in a strange way, not mean, just not very engaging. After it's clear we're not taking off on time, I ask, no real answer. Finally about 45 minutes later the captain tells us we were waiting for ATC, then to offload some bags. Another 30 minutes and we finally push back, followed by a slow taxi and some more waiting. It's clear we're not going to make our 4:30pm connection in YYZ. Good wine and cheese selection, a passable chicken dish and some ok pasta appetizers. We watched a couple of movies, terrible entertainment "system" if the screen at the front of the cabin can be called that. Again, I think these seats are terrible for someone 6 feet tall or more, the foot rest is way too short. So I snoozed a bit but not as much as would have liked. I was actually uncomfortable by the end of the 8+ hours in this seat. We landed about an hour+ late but took forever to taxi to the gate. This combined with the whole bus xfer to immigration and painfully slow (but fairly short in legnth) immigration lines doomed us. We arrived at the NW checkin counter at 4:30. They were eager to help us, and even chuckled when we told them we missed the flight due to AZ delays. I guess they hear this lots. We were rebooked on the next flight (6:38pm) and even got upgraded, but we had an even later arrival home. Total transit time was rediculous- we left the Park Hyatt Milan at 7:30AM and arrived home in Seattle at 11:45PM-- nearly 24 hours from start to finish MXP-SEA. Ouch!

question regarding your travels: did you have to pay any fees for the YYZ-SEA flight that you missed because AZ was late? thanks!

question regarding your travels: did you have to pay any fees for the YYZ-SEA flight that you missed because AZ was late? thanks!
Your mileage may vary, we made sure to drop my NWPlat card and my wife's NWGold card on the counter as we recounted how AZ had delayed us and then very politely asked if they would be able to help us get home that night. I've had good luck with this in the past with NW, but some airlines are pretty tight. The NW first agent who was helping us called over the station manager (I think his name was Rick) and he took over. He had to insert some notes into our PNR for accounting, he type in "AZ652 misconnect" and then noted that we were Plat and Gold. I think it helped that it was a Skyteam partner that misconnected us (and he mentioned that AZ is notorious for this). He had to do this accounting stuff to get us on the plane b/c there were only "Y" fares left for the second leg to Seattle. Because we were rebooked as Y fares we actually got upgraded on the first leg (in front of a few other Plats no less) and then we got one seat on the second leg to Seattle.
I was warned back a few pages in this thread that I might not make the 4:30PM NW connection, but we decided to take the chance anyway. It seems like we had about a 75% chance of making a 4:30 connection based on the daily arrivals for the last few weeks, but of course we would get the one day with a serious delay. I wouldn't book a connection before 5:30 unless you have status with the connecting airline as well as some experience getting rebooked at no cost.

I'm still working on my trip report, but I thought I'd post some of my trip pictures right away (to help those who have not yet taken this trip, as well as allow those who did already take it to relive it...)
Please add your comments to the album!

For the record, our outbound flight was on 9/2, return flight (FCO-YYZ) took place on 9/10/06.

(trip report will be inserted here).

YYZ-FCO-LCA-FCO-YYZ trip pictures:
http://bostonbali.shutterfly.com/action/?a=0BcOGTZyzZsXHA

i don't know how much airline partnerships count for. i missed an AF flight from manchester because my jfk-man flight on DL was late and was offered...nothing! that is even through i am skyteam elite (DL). in fact, it seemed to me that AF and DL barely cooperated....

Your mileage may vary, we made sure to drop my NWPlat card and my wife's NWGold card on the counter as we recounted how AZ had delayed us and then very politely asked if they would be able to help us get home that night. I've had good luck with this in the past with NW, but some airlines are pretty tight. The NW first agent who was helping us called over the station manager (I think his name was Rick) and he took over. He had to insert some notes into our PNR for accounting, he type in "AZ652 misconnect" and then noted that we were Plat and Gold. I think it helped that it was a Skyteam partner that misconnected us (and he mentioned that AZ is notorious for this). He had to do this accounting stuff to get us on the plane b/c there were only "Y" fares left for the second leg to Seattle. Because we were rebooked as Y fares we actually got upgraded on the first leg (in front of a few other Plats no less) and then we got one seat on the second leg to Seattle.
I was warned back a few pages in this thread that I might not make the 4:30PM NW connection, but we decided to take the chance anyway. It seems like we had about a 75% chance of making a 4:30 connection based on the daily arrivals for the last few weeks, but of course we would get the one day with a serious delay. I wouldn't book a connection before 5:30 unless you have status with the connecting airline as well as some experience getting rebooked at no cost.

Flew last week (9/24 - 9/28), on my first of two YYZ-LCA specials. Just a few things to add to earlier reports. This trip, I did the one night in LCA; on my next trip I stay for longer, and after this trip I am looking forward to it and glad I booked a non-MR trip.

Like fluegelwesen, I stayed the one night at Les Palmiers, in the center of the tourist district (The Larnaca location of Starbucks is right downstairs). A good price at 21 CYP, including breakfast. An American-sized room with two joined twin beds, and a balcony overlooking the street and the beach.

Dinner at Militzis, on the coastal road about 200 yards beyond Larnaca Fort, which marks the end of the touristy commercial strip. I picked it because it was crowded with what appeared to be a mix of locals and tourists, had open-air dining with a view of the water, and the food looked good. I was seated with a travel writer from Denmark who picked it for similar reasons. Very tasty, and well-priced: two appetizers, some feta, a giant spit of roasted meat, and a 66cl bottle of beer set me back less than 8 pounds.

Afterwards, watched some Champions League football at a couple of the tourist bars, met some tourists from Germany and Spain, and flirted with a cute bartender before crashing.

Taxi from the airport to Larnaca town was about five pounds -- someone really cheap who was up for a little adventure and some exercise could easily walk it in an hour or so -- after the first mile, it would all be along the coast. There is an information counter right at the exit to LCA that has maps of Larnaca, Cyprus, and probably anywhere else you need.

Nothing new to report on the flights -- the earlier descriptions do justice to the lounges, in-flight service, and visiting Rome on the way.

Flew last week (9/24 - 9/28), on my first of two YYZ-LCA specials. Just a few things to add to earlier reports. This trip, I did the one night in LCA; on my next trip I stay for longer, and after this trip I am looking forward to it and glad I booked a non-MR trip.

Like fluegelwesen, I stayed the one night at Les Palmiers, in the center of the tourist district (The Larnaca location of Starbucks is right downstairs). A good price at 21 CYP, including breakfast. An American-sized room with two joined twin beds, and a balcony overlooking the street and the beach.

Dinner at Militzis, on the coastal road about 200 yards beyond Larnaca Fort, which marks the end of the touristy commercial strip. I picked it because it was crowded with what appeared to be a mix of locals and tourists, had open-air dining with a view of the water, and the food looked good. I was seated with a travel writer from Denmark who picked it for similar reasons. Very tasty, and well-priced: two appetizers, some feta, a giant spit of roasted meat, and a 66cl bottle of beer set me back less than 8 pounds.

Afterwards, watched some Champions League football at a couple of the tourist bars, met some tourists from Germany and Spain, and flirted with a cute bartender before crashing.

Taxi from the airport to Larnaca town was about five pounds -- someone really cheap who was up for a little adventure and some exercise could easily walk it in an hour or so -- after the first mile, it would all be along the coast. There is an information counter right at the exit to LCA that has maps of Larnaca, Cyprus, and probably anywhere else you need.

Nothing new to report on the flights -- the earlier descriptions do justice to the lounges, in-flight service, and visiting Rome on the way.

Well done. Militzis is well-known amongst Cypriots and famous for its "souvla" (i.e. spit-roasted meat). Next time try Varoshiotis for its fish meze (just walk a little further down the coast from Militzis, it's right on the water).

Well done. Militzis is well-known amongst Cypriots and famous for its "souvla" (i.e. spit-roasted meat). Next time try Varoshiotis for its fish meze (just walk a little further down the coast from Militzis, it's right on the water).

That's interesting - I actually did walk further down the coast to the next fishing-boat harbor while I was exploring and saw Varoshiotis, along with a couple of other fish meze places, but I wasn't quite sure what to make of them. Thanks for the tip -- I'll be sure to check it out on round 2.

Happy to report that Amerigo Vespucci (the 767 I got on on 10/9/06) had the new C seats. Pretty darn good. My IFE didn't work b/c my power port didn't work. I could have hijacked off of my brother (next to me), but decided to sleep. One of seats (all electronic) ate my father's eyeglasses as they had fallen into the seat as he slept and when he awoke to look for them, he could not get them until he moved the seat, and when it did...crunch.

So, I'm not sure if this is a new development or old, but Amerigo Vespucci has new C seats.

I'm in IST now, hope to post a full LCA trip report shortly.

My IFE didn't work b/c my power port didn't work. .

Two of us had the same problem on the same plane. Neither one of our empowers worked, so no IFE for us! :o Where did you sit? IIRC, we were in row 2 on the right side (K,L?) No fun looking forward to a great C-class flight w/no IFE!!! :(

I'm in IST now, hope to post a full LCA trip report shortly.

Hey zrudeboyz, what a coincidence... in IST too. But leaving back to TLS (on the $77 fare) in about 5 hours.

Enjoy!

BTW, I presume you flew YYZ-MXP, right?

Hey zrudeboyz, what a coincidence... in IST too. But leaving back to TLS (on the $77 fare) in about 5 hours.

Enjoy!

BTW, I presume you flew YYZ-MXP, right?


Yes, YYZ-MXP, sorry for not posting that.

Have a time in TLS and I hope that YYZ-MXP-YYZ will be new magnifica for many times to come.

Two of us had the same problem on the same plane. Neither one of our empowers worked, so no IFE for us! :o Where did you sit? IIRC, we were in row 2 on the right side (K,L?) No fun looking forward to a great C-class flight w/no IFE!!! :(


My brother and I were in row 4 on the left side (A and C?).

Our YYZ-LCA journey included perfect experiences with Alitalia, Cyprus Airways and Hertz. Both Alitalia flights arrived 45 minutes ahead of schedule.

We divided our nine days in Cyprus between the Republic in the south and Turkish-controlled North Cyprus.

In the south we stayed at Stratos House in Kalavassos, booked via Cyprus Agrotourism (www.agrotourism.com.cy) This is the bottom floor of an 18th-century house on a cobblestone street, restored and separated into two separate units. These come with complete kitchens and every imaginable amenity. We didn’t like the tiny bathroom (anyone who needs a seatbelt-extender would not be able to fit into the shower) and a feeling of stuffiness when closed in our room, which had no windows that opened. Eventually we just slept with the door to the communal courtyard open, something that probably wouldn’t have been practical if the other unit had been occupied.

Kalavassos is a worn-out mining town just off the highway and convenient to anywhere else in Cyprus. It has two good restaurants but for groceries and other supplies we went down to the next village, Zygi, which also had a really good bakery, a creperie, ATM, and several seaside tavernas.

Our two favorite restaurants in the south were the Syrian Arab Friendship Club and Mattheos. We dined in the garden of the SAFC in Limassol, and if the original location in Nicosia is indeed better, as a local claimed, it would be hard to imagine how. Mattheos is located just south of the dividing line in Nicosia, next to the mosque, and open only for lunch. Its oven-baked lamb kleftiko was an incredible treat.

We weren’t too impressed by the beaches in the south, but enjoyed a day of hiking and village-hopping in the Troodos. Whenever we returned to Kalavassos, it was refreshing to see all of the elderly members of the Youth Club sitting around the square, chatting and playing backgammon and watching the agrotourists go by.

Crossing the border by car was easy. I believe the insurance sold at the border is a scam, but it is required in order to get through passport control. So I thought of it as a entrance visa fee, and didn’t think about it after that.

In the north we stayed at Theresa Hotel (www.theresahotel.com) on the Karpas peninsula. This is a very good value at 30 Euros a night (just 20 if you are alone) including breakfast. Rooms are spotless but extremely simple, and featured large shower-only bathrooms. We enjoyed a sweeping view up the coast from our corner room (#22) but the guidebooks are wrong in saying that all rooms have sea views–-some are on the first floor behind shrubbery, and some are on the opposite side of the building.

Our host at Theresa was Erdogan, a schoolteacher during the day and a genuinely nice man. Don’t be put off by his collection of dead amphibians in glass jars in the restaurant, which was open all day long and was good for fresh grilled fish.

Further down the Karpas peninsula, Golden Beach is a world-class beach, and we had it all to ourselves on a Wednesday. We based at Big Sand, the last of the beach bars and the one with the best views, which offers free beach umbrellas during the week. Apparently things get crowded here on weekends.

The north takes a more relaxed view toward its antiquities than what we observed in the south. At Salamis, a wonderfully evocative ancient site, when we asked the ticket seller if there was anything we shouldn’t miss, she directed us to a particular mosaic at the periphery of the grounds. We found it all right, and were amazed that there was nothing preventing anyone from walking around on it (or vandalizing it, or whatever). At mountaintop Kantara Castle, taken by Richard the Lionheart in 1191, we were issued a helpful keyed map to the various buildings. (8 = dungeon, 14 = latrine, etc.) But perhaps they did not have to actually spray paint these numbers onto the ancient stone.

Our favorite restaurant in the north was Aspava in Famagusta, right in the center of the walled city. This was the only restaurant in Cyprus where we ate twice. Choose your cuts of meat from a glassed case, dad grills them up, his sons take care of your table. It’s a perfect eat good, feel good place.

People were friendly and kind all over the island, but the north was much less crowded, less commercialized, and no where up north did we encounter bands of football fan-type package tourists. No, it doesn’t have a Flintstones-theme bar, or go-kart race tracks, but the north offered exactly the peaceful, laid-back atmosphere we seek in a holiday. YMMV.

Before going to Cyprus I regretted not having bought another set of the mistake Alitalia tickets in order to hop over to Beirut or Egypt. After having gone to Cyprus, I regret having not bought another set to go back to Cyprus. North Cyprus.

We divided our nine days in Cyprus between the Republic in the south and Turkish-controlled North Cyprus.


Sounds like you had a wonderful time!

I have a couple of questions about the north if you don't mind. :) Any thoughts as to whether Aspava would have anything to keep a vegetarian happy?

Where did you cross the border? We were planning to head to Famagusta the night we arrived, but I don't have a map in front of me. Unfortunately, it looks like Salamis and Famagusta will be all we're able to accomplish as far as the north is concerned. :(

We crossed at the Agios Nikolas crossing, which deposits you directly into Famagusta. Two minor issues: 1) Republic of Cyprus isn't giving you any helpful signage for getting to the North. 2) Names on highway signs don't always match what is on your map, in your guidebook (or on the next sign). Get on the main A3 motorway going east from Larnaca. The exit will be for the towns called Xylotymvou and Achna on the Globetrotter Cyprus map (don't recall if they were actually called this on the signs, but we got it right the first time so it couldn't have been too hard ;)). You'll be traveling Northeast once off the motorway, and soon you'll be inside the British Sovereign Base, where you will see a few small white and blue "Famagusta" signs.

At the border checkpoint you'll park and buy your insurance, then go to the passport kiosk. Once back in your car and proceeding out, you'll have a second passport check. All told, Famagusta from LCA should take less than a hour.

Yes, I think a vegetarian would be very happy at Aspava. Eggplant, peppers and houllemi cheese are grilled too, and you will have the abundance of meze-like side dishes none of which I think had any meat at all (although some did have dairy, if that is an issue). Dessert at Aspava is an excellent fresh fruit plate; for a more sinful dessert head down the street to Petek for all kinds of ice cream, cake, and candies.

Enjoy the North! :)

Enjoy the North! :)

Thanks for the update. That was the border crossing I had in mind, but I wasn't sure about the British Sovereign Area. Your posts have ratcheted our excitement up another notch. :)

Beginning 6-Nov I'll be staying seven nights at the le Meridien Limassol courtesy of the SPG Best Rate Guarantee. Best rate on the Starwood website was CYP 96, but expedia.ca had it at just under CYP 82. Take off another 10% thank you very much Starwood!

We settled on le Meridien because Mrs.13F and I will be travelling with 13F-ette, who is just shy of her 3rd b-day. Le Meridien has a kids club for 3 yrs and up whereas most other hotels start at 4 yrs old.
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13F

Beginning 6-Nov I'll be staying seven nights at the le Meridien Limassol courtesy of the SPG Best Rate Guarantee. Best rate on the Starwood website was CYP 96, but expedia.ca had it at just under CYP 82. Take off another 10% thank you very much Starwood!

We settled on le Meridien because Mrs.13F and I will be travelling with 13F-ette, who is just shy of her 3rd b-day. Le Meridien has a kids club for 3 yrs and up whereas most other hotels start at 4 yrs old.
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13F
We booked at Le Meridien Limassol starting Nov 10 through spg.com for CYP70.2, but that was a few weeks ago and I guess the rates have changed. The kids club is great.

We booked at Le Meridien Limassol starting Nov 10 through spg.com for CYP70.2, but that was a few weeks ago and I guess the rates have changed. The kids club is great.
Sounds like you've been there before. How old is/are your kid(s)? I had an issue when booking. The SPG website doesn't have anywhere to indicate no. of children in the room, only no. of adults. I called the 1-800 line and was told the room we booked cannot accommodate a crib. What was your experience?
Also -- looks like we will be overlapping our stays. Let's meet up for a pint of the local equivalent to Molson or Labatts.
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13F

Sounds like you've been there before. How old is/are your kid(s)? I had an issue when booking. The SPG website doesn't have anywhere to indicate no. of children in the room, only no. of adults. I called the 1-800 line and was told the room we booked cannot accommodate a crib. What was your experience?
Also -- looks like we will be overlapping our stays. Let's meet up for a pint of the local equivalent to Molson or Labatts.
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13F
We were there in late June/ early July with our almost-6-year-old. We had no problem fitting a child's bed in our room. A crib would be tight but doable. Make sure you ask for one of their "king" rooms, which really are two twins pushed together. They tried to put us in a double room and then push the beds together, but this does not work since the bedside lamps and tables are fixed, and we had them move us. There should be lots of space in the hotel at that time of year so there should be no problem asking for a room that will work. Also get a room on the ocean view side.

Little Miss OhCanada loved the kids centre. The staff was great. They have an indoor facility as well as a large outdoor play area. I have some recollection that they have a charge for infants due to the personal care that is required, but it may be for under 2 only. It is a bit of a walk to the kids centre from the hotel, although it is within the compound.

Since it is way off season, it is likely that many of the hotel restaurants will be closed (some of them were closed in June), but the main restaurant has a different theme buffet every night and it is quite decent. If you have a rental car (which I would strongly recommend), you can drive into Limassol for meals; although the hotel is more expensive for meals, it is hard to beat the convenience.

We are at Le Meridien from the 10th to the 13th this time, but this time sans Little Miss OhCanada. Happy to meet up for a pint or two. We will probably see you at breakfast (which is included). PM me if you have any other questions.

We are at Le Meridien from the 10th to the 13th this time, but this time sans Little Miss OhCanada. Happy to meet up for a pint or two. We will probably see you at breakfast (which is included). PM me if you have any other questions.
Thanks for the great info! Perhaps we are both outbound LCA-MXP on the 13th? Stand-by for PM.
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13F

We crossed at the Agios Nikolas crossing, which deposits you directly into Famagusta. Two minor issues: 1) Republic of Cyprus isn't giving you any helpful signage for getting to the North. 2) Names on highway signs don't always match what is on your map, in your guidebook (or on the next sign).


Nice to see some others that made it to the North...and up to the Karpas, too! We also hit up the Syrian Arab Friendship club which was fantastic--especially for such an otherwise extremely touristy stretch.

We did the same crossing into Famagusta, which was easy enough. However, trying to figure out how to get back across in Nicosia was quite an experience. The moral of that story is to look for signs reading 'Metahan' to direct you back to the auto crossing to the south.

I'm going to finish writing my trip report during a MR next week, but just wanted to drop a quick note here, now.

Anyone else flying today from YYZ?

We visited the Alitalia desk at YYZ yesterday for ticket re-issue. It was painless and efficient. We were on our way after 10 mins. The lady who helped us was aware of the LCA error fare, but we were only the second set of tickets she had personally re-endorsed.
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13F

Anyone else flying today from YYZ? Friend of mine from work is on the flight. By now you'll have boarded, but fwiw she was probably the only mid-20s Asian woman traveling solo on the flight.

Yes -- she had a Lonely Planet guidebook for Turkey in her hand. Her seat mate chatted her up the whole flight.
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13F

Yes -- she had a Lonely Planet guidebook for Turkey in her hand. Her seat mate chatted her up the whole flight.
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13F
That's really below the belt.Ouch

I meant it is the nicest possible way. ;) If I had shared a row with her (you?), I would have been chatting as well! (The seats certainly weren't any good for sleeping.) I was two rows back in row4. Mme13F and I were very happy that Mlle.13F-ette was generally quiet for most of the flight. She slept through dinner, then got quite fidgety, but did stay quiet. Pity for the people in the back cabin as there were two non-stop screamers for most of the seven hours.
I hope the lady with the Lonely Planet book has a good trip to LCA and Turkey. If she happens to pass by le Merdien anytime next week, she could drop in for a coffee or a beer.
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13F

That's really below the belt.Ouch
what's below the belt? :confused:

reissued at ORD altialia today...guy at the counter was aware of the fare mistake and made a comment "so you are one of the people who is costing us all that money."

reticket was relatively plainless but took over 45 minutes...i dunno if that guy was just stringing me along or what. :p

p.s.- i am flying nov 3rd, with a return nov 12...anyone on the same flights?

Anyone else flying today from YYZ?

We visited the Alitalia desk at YYZ yesterday for ticket re-issue. It was painless and efficient. We were on our way after 10 mins. The lady who helped us was aware of the LCA error fare, but we were only the second set of tickets she had personally re-endorsed.
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13F

My partner and I began our trip yesterday. We flew from IAD to YYZ on United and spent the night here at the Sheraton Toronto Airport. The trip is off to an inauspicious start, as United lost my partner's luggage and they haven't been able to track it down as of this morning. Still a few hours left before we have to check out of the hotel, so we're hoping it might show up before we depart for Italy.

For anyone staying at the Sheraton Toronto Airport hotel, there is a new train that will take you to the hotel from Terminal 1 at YYZ. It is not well marked in certain areas, so you may need to ask. If you are taking the airport shuttle from Terminal 2 (United/Air Canada), when the bus drops you off at Terminal 1, go inside the terminal and go to the escalators on your right. Take them up to the next level (you should see signs saying "Sheraton".

Take the walkway across to the parking garage and take the elevator to Level 5. Note that the elevator signs say nothing about what level to go to for the train or the Sheraton (hopefully the airport will get around to adding it to the signs). Once you get off on the 5th floor, go to your left, through the doors into the parking garage. Walk across to the next set of doors and go in there. You'll see a long hall (I think it's to your left). Go down that hall and you should see the signs (finally) for the train. From there, you can get on the train and take it to Terminal 3 (where the Sheraton is). The entrance to the Sheraton was VERY close to where the train stops and was easy to find (look for the doormat with the big "S" on it; you can also see the lobby through the glass in the doors).

Will post more once we get underway again.

Just got back from our trip. I will post a more detailed report later, but here are a few quick notes for now.

While in Cyprus, we stayed at the Hilton Park Nicosia. It was generally fine, although very smoky in most of the public spaces. Like some of the other posters, we had some initial trouble finding the hotel as the streets in Nicosia are not always clearly marked at the intersections. We finally found that if you happened to be coming up on Highway A1 (which is the main higway coming from the south) through Nicosia, you can turn left at the intersection that has a Debenham's department store on the northeast corner and that road is the one that the Park Hilton is on (it's about 2 1/3 to 3 km from that intersection).

We ate a few meals at the Park Hilton. They have both a restaurant and a little cafe. The food was generally good at both, although generally not reflective of traditional Cypriot food, except for a tasty soup at the restaurant.

On the first fully day in Cyprus, we went to the Museum of Cyprus. It's a small museum but has some very old artificacts. The museum can be toured in about 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how much time you want to spend looking at particular items. There's not always a lot of explanation, so you might want to read up a little on Cypriot history before you come, or at least flip through some of the books in the book store.

Day two was spent driving around. We went to the Troodos and Pafos. The Troodos were very pretty. We inadvertently took a smaller road out of the mountains on the way to Pafos and found ourselves driving through narrow streets of very small towns in between large swathes of unpopulated areas.

At Pafos, we went to a sitting area next to the old fort on the water and we watched the sun set over the sea. It was a beautiful site.

On Friday morning, we headed back to the airport. The traffic was very heavy in Nicosia because of rush hour and the going was slow for awhile. It probably added an additional 20-30 minutes onto the trip.

When we got to the airport, we went to return the Hertz rental car, but found the gate arm to the rental car return lot would not open. There was no attendant in the lot and no one to ask about procedure, so we finally drove into the lot through the exit. We parked the car in an open space and then went into the terminal and returned the key at the Hertz counter and that seemed to be fine.

When we got to the airport, we went to return the Hertz rental car, but found the gate arm to the rental car return lot would not open. There was no attendant in the lot and no one to ask about procedure, so we finally drove into the lot through the exit. We parked the car in an open space and then went into the terminal and returned the key at the Hertz counter and that seemed to be fine.

Great report, thanks for sharing!
Funny, we experienced the same issues with the gate when we tried to return the car to the Hertz station in LCA. Quite confusing, especially when you're running tight on time already... Thankfully, the Hertz employee happened to be at the lot, so he helped us into the lot, gave a car a quick once-over, and told us to go in and just turn in the keys.

Some quick notes about stopovers to and from LCA:

On the way to Cyprus, we had a two night stopover in Rome. We stayed in the Cavalieri Hilton and it was absolutely superb -- probably one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever stayed at.

As a HH Gold, they upgraded me to a room with a view of the Vatican and the city. The view was stunning and the room was elegant and romantic. It had beautiful wood floors and wonderful details. The storage for clothes was good and there was a mirrored, soundproof door that we could shut at night. I'm not sure if it's purpose was to keep sounds from the hallway from coming in or to keep voices from the room from being heard in the hallway, but either way, it was a nice touch.

The hotel is outside of town, so you'll need to take a taxi, but we found that taxis only cost about 8 to 10 Euros to most of the places we wanted to go (Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, etc.).

As a gold we were given free breakfast in the restaurant. It had an amazing assortment of food and they seemed to try to have something for most everyone. They had juices, fruit, cereal, eggs and pastries of course, but it went far beyond that. There was gluten free bread for people who can't eat meat; orgainic bread and other organic products for those who eat organic foods; soy milk, goat milk, and coconut milk for those who can't/won't drink cow's milk; a Japanese-style breakfast for visitors from Japan; four or five flavors of sugar-free jams (in addition to @30 flavors of sugared jam); a blender and protein powder, egg whites and other ingredients to make protein shakes; cheeses; meats; omelettes; pastries; desserts; and of course cappucino. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but you get the picture.

If I had the trip to do over again, I would have changed the order of where we stayed, as it was quite a jump in quality and amenities to go from the 40K points a night Cavalieri to the 20K (or 10K if you booked early) point Hilton Park Nicosia.

In Rome, we stayed at the Le Meredien Hotel Gallia and enjoyed it. The rooms there were not as beautiful as those in the Cavalieri, but were attractive in their own way. The hotel is older and is decorated in the elgant decor of a bygone era, so if you like that, you'd probably appreciate this hotel.

We had only one night in Milan, so the location of the Gallia was convenient for catching the airport buses from the Central (train) Station. It also seemed to have some good food choices nearby.

We had dinner in Milan at an excellent restaurant just a couple of short blocks from the hotel. The restaurant had been recommended by the concierge as a good place to get fish. We had risotto, pasta, fish, and dessert and it was all delicious.

The concierge at the Gallia was very friendly and in addition to making the reservations for us for dinner, he gave us an umbrella to use for the walk so I would not have to go back upstairs to retrieve mine.

Well, it's about time that I finally get around to booking accomodations for our four nights in Cyprus next month. I have the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for Cyprus which I've read through, but I'm still kind of clueless as to how much time I should budget for which cities/areas. I guess the easiest way to ask this is, for those of you that have already been there, what would you recommend in terms of an rough itinerary for a three-full-days visit (arriving on Friday night, leaving early Tuesday morning) in the winter? Are there any sites/restaurants/etc. that you would consider "can't miss" or at least highlights of your stay there? I was thinking of switching hotels at least once, perhaps a couple nights in Nicosia and then a couple nights in either Limassol or Pafos. Does that sound reasonable?

Unfortunately due to the season I know we won't be able to enjoy many of the summer leisure activities available on the island. We are interested in history (museums, castles, ruins), architecture/churches, and also nature. Good food too, but that probably goes without saying.

I haven't ruled out crossing to the North, but as it will be our first time traveling outside of North America I have a feeling it may be a bit intimidating and staying in the South may be more "comfortable."

Also, how difficult would it be for someone who's never driven "European-style" to navigate from Larnaca to any of the other major cities in the South (Nicosia, Limassol, Pafos) after dark (which it presumably will be since we're scheduled to arrive at 6:00 p.m.)? Would it be recommended to just stay in Larnaca that first night to avoid to avoid a long drive (I wouldn't otherwise think of staying in Larnaca)?

Thanks very much in advance for any advice!

Are there any sites/restaurants/etc. that you would consider "can't miss" or at least highlights of your stay there? I was thinking of switching hotels at least once, perhaps a couple nights in Nicosia and then a couple nights in either Limassol or Pafos. Does that sound reasonable?

We spent three nights in Cyprus last week. You can read my posts above to see where we went. I'll keep my remarks to what we saw and leave it to other posters to comment on other cities. If I were to go back, I would spend more time Pafos. We got to Pafos too late to go into the archeological site, but from what we saw from the outside, it looked extremely interesting and like something that would merit being a destination. Sunset by the old Byzantine/Ottoman fort (next to the archeological site) is very scenic on a clear day. There is also a standard beach promenade, which is nice on a pleasant day.

The Troodos were pretty. If you like hiking, there are a number of trails. We saw the trailheads and they looked nice. There are also picnic grounds in several areas. If you go there, you may want to bring your own TP, as there was none (by their design) in the bathrooms at the picnic grounds we were at. That was the only place we encountered that problem though.

If you like artifacts, visit the Cyprus museum in Nicosia. They have coins, statutes, helmets, pottery, and a host of other ancient and mostly well-preserved items. See my post above about that.

Good food too, but that probably goes without saying."

In Nicosia, if you like Lebanese food, I'd recommend the Syrian Arab Friendship Club. We got the meze for two and it was very good. The Club is a few (long) blocks from the Hilton Park Nicosia. We found out about it from the Lonely Planet guidebook.

Also, how difficult would it be for someone who's never driven "European-style" to navigate from Larnaca to any of the other major cities in the South (Nicosia, Limassol, Pafos) after dark (which it presumably will be since we're scheduled to arrive at 6:00 p.m.)? Would it be recommended to just stay in Larnaca that first night to avoid to avoid a long drive (I wouldn't otherwise think of staying in Larnaca)?

We rented an automatic and didn't find it too difficult to adjust to driving on the left (British style). We just had to be really conscious each time we made a turn and get used to looking in the mirrors from a different angle. It might have been harder with a stick shift though. Navigation was certainly easier in the day, but it's probably a matter of preference (and how tired you think you'll be).

Also, how difficult would it be for someone who's never driven "European-style" to navigate from Larnaca to any of the other major cities in the South (Nicosia, Limassol, Pafos) after dark (which it presumably will be since we're scheduled to arrive at 6:00 p.m.)? Would it be recommended to just stay in Larnaca that first night to avoid to avoid a long drive (I wouldn't otherwise think of staying in Larnaca)?


Difficulty was definitely a factor when we were there last week. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I didn't see the humor. My 9 year old son and I were hustled out to the lot by the Thrifty guy who very basically gave me the keys, pointed out the car, and shotgunned instructions to return the car to the same general area in the lot. It was dark out there, and the cars were jammed in. I spent 20 minutes trying to open the trunk on the Mitsubishi Carisma. It seemed simple enough: insert key into trunk lock button and turn and/or push. Nope. My son asked if we were just stupid Americans. I asked him to look in the car for a trunk release button. No interior light, no release. He found the remnants of the operator's manual under the seat, and luckily found directions to turn the lock a certain way and then USE THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK BUTTON in the car to release!! Problem one solved. The next was getting the car into gear. It was a standard, and shouldn't have been a problem since I learned to drive on a standard. Wrong again. Instead of pushing down on the shift knob, I had to pull up on the collar around the knob. Another few minutes spent solving that. Missed the turn to go back to terminal to pick up wife and daughter, and went about 5 km to a roundabout to reverse direction. You can imagine my wife was less-than-thrilled about being left for so long!

Driving right side of car, left side of road, left-handed shifting was interesting to say the least. We drove to Limassol after dark. I expected to get a nice direction map from the Thrifty guy. Nope. He pointed, and gave quick and unprecise directions in his heavy Irish brogue. The signs were somewhat easy to follow. We missed a left exit about 10 km from the airport which was the impetus for a 30 minute direction-seeking detour. Found a gas station with a Romanian attendant who didn't know Limassol. We felt our way there down the coast highway, and then spent another hour or so trying to get directions to the Le Meridien. As we were about to stop to ask even more directions (our 3rd set), we spied it right next to the St. Raphael, about 10 km back from where we exited!! (Entirely my fault for not printing precise directions before leaving home.)

My wife kept begging me to get in the lane away from the parked cars. My natural instinct had me fading very close to the left! She had many uncomfortable moments!

The Le Meridien Limassol staff made us very comfortable and welcome. We were invited to a management cocktail reception one night, and enjoyed visiting with the management team! Our only regret is that we didn't have longer in Cyprus!

My partner and I began our trip yesterday. We flew from IAD to YYZ on United and spent the night here at the Sheraton Toronto Airport. The trip is off to an inauspicious start, as United lost my partner's luggage and they haven't been able to track it down as of this morning. Still a few hours left before we have to check out of the hotel, so we're hoping it might show up before we depart for Italy.

We flew United IAD to YYZ on United the next day. I think I know what happened to your partner's luggage. After we boarded, the pilot came on with an announcement that we were waiting for a few more bags, and that he knew that we would all want to arrive with our bags. After the door closed, and initial announcements were made, an uprising-in-the-making took shape. It seems that 6 passengers noticed their bags on the luggage cart next to the plane. Then came a long (hour-long) period of passenger names and bag descriptions being given to the flight attendant to relay via the pilot to the ground staff. Even as we pulled away, the first lady to draw attention to her bag on the cart noticed that it had been left behind. I think for that reason alone, we were happy with the decision to carryon our needed bags! Sorry we didn't get to meet you on AZ! We stayed at the Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport on the way back, and enjoyed the hotel/club floor very much. I appreciated the 24 hour access to the pool the next morning when the kids awoke at 3:45 a.m.!!

Well, it's about time that I finally get around to booking accomodations for our four nights in Cyprus next month.

We will be in Cyprus for 2+ weeks in January. PM me if you'd like a few more details. Maybe we can share a drink, meal, etc.

This will be my first trip, but hubby has been several times. His mom lives in Larnaca. We plan to spend a couple of days in town and then some days in Kalavosos and the Troodos areas. We will probably visit many areas during this time.

Also, how difficult would it be for someone who's never driven "European-style" to navigate from Larnaca to any of the other major cities in the South (Nicosia, Limassol, Pafos) after dark (which it presumably will be since we're scheduled to arrive at 6:00 p.m.)? Would it be recommended to just stay in Larnaca that first night to avoid to avoid a long drive (I wouldn't otherwise think of staying in Larnaca)?

I would highly recommend you try to get an automatic shift as someone already mentioned. This makes a great deal of difference in adapting to a different style of driving. This has been my experience in England and NZ.

We arrived in LCA on January 1 from LHR on BA.

The BA plane was downright scary. The IFE system audio and cabin lights were on the fritz. The head FA was rebooting and messing for sometime before he got the system working. Storage compartment doors were taped, then flapping open, then retaped. It's lucky the business class cabin was virtually empty - 9 passengers. It took me 3 tries to find a seat with all controls working properly. The staff was very apologetic and embarrassed by the conditions. Jokingly I asked the FA how the other systems were working and if there were enough parachutes. He said there were enough for our cabin and the flight crew. :D

We had a ride from LCA with a friend into Larnaca where we booked into the Petrou Bros Hotel Apartments. It is a family run establishment - fairly basic, but a nice enough place. The price is good and the location is excellent. Close, but not right on the promenade. We got our rental car from the Petrou Bros and were pleasantly surprised. It is an automatic Toyota (probably midsize) for 14 Cyprus pounds a day.

We're now staying in Kalavassos (a village about halfway between Larnaca and Limassol). This is an interesting village with VERY narrow streets. The Kostoyannis House where we're staying is quite nice. We've had a rare rainy day in Cyprus and look forward to some sunshine to make exploring a little more pleasant.

We're off to the Troodos Mountains next week. I'll post an update after that.

Thought I'd share from my January 11 Frommer's e-news:

Talking Turkey About the Beaches of Northern Cyprus (http://www.frommers.com/articles/4138.html)

Cyprus is an idyllic and historic island in the Mediterranean, but one that has been fraught with political turmoil and upheavals since Turkey launched an invasion in 1974, leading to the separation of the island into two distinct zones -- one the Republic of Cyprus (or what people refer to as just "Cyprus" or "Greek Cyprus") and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC, the Turkish controlled area). Politics aside, if Turkey wishes to become part of the European Union -- which has been on the drawing board for some time now -- one of the conditions of entry is the full opening up of ports and trade between the two parts of Cyprus and a recognition by Turkey of the Republic of Cyprus, which could effectively end over 30 years of aggression. Border crossings between the two regions have been open since 2003, with crossings points at Agios Dometios (Nicosia), Black Knight (also known as Azios Nikolaos, Strovilia or Akyar), Ledra Palace (Nicosia), Pergamos (also known as Beyarmudu or Dhekelia) and Zohdia (also known as Güzelyurt, Astromeritis, Morpho, Morfu, Omorfo or Morfou) -- so tourists can feel free to cross from south to north, although transportation between the two sides is limited.

1) How much is the car "insurance" for this boarder crossing?
2) For US passports, do they stamp when you enter and exit?
3) Is there any other fee involve?

Thinking about making a day trip and collect passport stamps for the boys.

Thanks!

Bump.

Sorry to dredge up this old thread, but...

I'll be flying into ECN in the north, and hopefully staying in Nicosia at the Hilton. Anyone had experience (Canadian citizen) crossing north to south?

I crossed the Green line from Northern Cyprus into Nicosia last year. It was no problem at all.

Take a taxi from Lefkosia (Nicosia on the Turkish side) to the border crossing, and walk across. There are a couple of checkpoints...one for Immigration, and the other for EU Customs.

From the Green line, it is about an easy two block walk into the center of Nicosia. You will have no problems at all with a Canadian passport.

I understand a second crossing border crossing on Ledra Street in Nicosia opened this Spring.

Make sure you vist Ayia Napa. Best beaches on the island.