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!!! :(

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.

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

Both Sides Now Trip Report
 

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 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 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.

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! :)

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

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

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.

Thanks for the great info! Perhaps we are both outbound LCA-MXP on the 13th? Stand-by for PM.
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13F

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.

Outbound YYZ-MXP today Sunday 29-Oct
 

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