General
There are two Hiltons on Cyprus, both in Nicosia. The Nicosia Hilton is a 5 star property and is the best hotel in the city. The Park Hilton is a 4 star property and used to be the Forum. Both appear to have been designed by the same architect. They are boxy, with atriums and large skylights overhead, and each room has a tiny balcony. The hotels are about a 15 minute drive apart, with the Park Hilton a little further from the heart of town in an expensive residential area. The Nicosia Hilton is a 20 to 30 minute walk to the old city. Both hotels are about a 22 CY ($45) taxi ride from the airport in Larnaca. There is a shared taxi from Nicosia to the airport for just $10; I saw no signs of it at the airport.

Both hotels have free parking. The Nicosia Hilton has a National Car Rental office onsite.

Park Hilton - Category 1 (10,000 points/night for a free room)
I stayed at the Park Hilton first, due to its lower redemption rate. Rates were running about $200/night for a room, so it was an excellent use of points. The hotel is large, and has an auditorium that seats 1600. It is a pleasant property, but it felt very isolated. I think it was unusual for Hilton Diamonds to stay here; they had to consult paperwork to be sure of offering me appropriate amenities. I was given vouchers that said lunch on them; they told me to use them for breakfast.

I was given an extremely large room with a sofa, two chairs, a large expanse of space, and a bed. There was a full bath (with the shower in the tub) and a half bath. I was given a bottle of water on asking for it; there was none in the room. There was no executive lounge. The business center comprised of a computer near the front desk. It was available 24 hours a day and had free internet access.

There were two restaurants that the hotel recommended within a 10 minute walk. I went to Plaka, which is considered to have one of the best selections of Cypriot meze in town. It was an amazing assortment of over 25 dishes for 8 CY ($16). The vegetarian dishes were superb; the meat dishes were a rough quality - typical of the places I ate throughout my stay.

The staff was cordial, but the hotel felt very isolated for sightseeing. The staff had no information on available tours. There was no taxi rank. It would have been fine if I had a car; I did not. I changed my plans and moved to the Nicosia Hilton after 1 night.

Nicosia Hilton - Category 3 (25,000 points/night for a free room)
The Nicosia Hilton is a much busier property, with a spa and an array of shops. There is a bank with an ATM onsite. This hotel was also further from the heart of town than I anticipated. I took a taxi whether going into the old town or to dinner; it typically cost 3 or 4 CY ($6 - $9).

I was given a room on the executive floor, and was welcomed with a bottle of wine, a bottle of water, and a plate of fruit. There was a computer in the room; internet access is 5 CY/45 minutes or $11/45 minutes. (There are a number of internet cafes in town with rates of about $3/hour.) The room lacks an in-room safe; there are individual safes in a room by the front desk.

The executive lounge is pleasant. Cakes are set out from 4 to 6pm; small appetizers are available from 6 to 8. Cypriots go to dinner about 9pm. The lounge has a few tables with no smoking signs; very typical of Cyprus in that you are not truly isolated from smoking.

This property was running about $300/night for my dates. It feels very overpriced, and thus my use of points for my stay. As an aside, there is a Holiday Inn in the old city - great for sightseeing on foot.



MODERATOR NOTE: Thanks to San Diego1K's suggestion to merge these threads, now that these properties will be very popular soon!
squeakr
Mod Hilton