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

Transfer took us no time...
 

...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-LCA..the good the bad...June 2-12...
 

...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.

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.

Hey hartd...
 

...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.

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.

Rooms are fine...we had a jr. suite which was...
 

...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?

In the suites yes I think so...
 

...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?

Didnt know there was a 3 person 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 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.

Another LCA report.. from the fairer sex. (longish)
 

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.

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

6 hours in MXP with 5 year old?
 

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! ^

Yup...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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Mxp
 

...see title.

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.

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

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.

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

Limassol v. Paphos
 

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.

No need...
 

...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.

Agree Paphos is much nicer....
 

...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, 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, 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. 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, 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.

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.