There have been many FTers that have gone to Cyprus on the wickedly low biz fare and many still to go. I have my trip in a few months.

Searching the main thread for hotel recommendations is very difficult. Therefore I would like to start a thread where we can post hotel experiences, both good and bad, so that others can read and make a wise choice when going to Cyprus.

I would love to see some posts also but it does not look promising. I am going on EK to LCA from MLA in a few weeks. I have found a lot of information on tripadvisor but still have not booked any rooms yet.

I can only tell you a hotel to avoid:
Holiday Inn Limassol Cyprus
Horrific experience, made tolerable because I recently got a US$100 voucher because I wrote a complaint e-mail (I didn't ask for compensation, btw).
Air conditioning in entire hote broken; elevators broken. Yikes! All that for US$200 per night.....luckily I had a 2-4-1 deal.

Cyprus is a typical European beach vacation spot. Hotels can be very cheap, but the quality of even **** hotels can be surprisingly low. I believe, based on the YYZ-LCA threads, that most FTers seem to prefer large American chains, which, frankly, don't differ much from the local **** hotels, except in price. You can also find very cheap hotels in Cyprus, if you don't mind staying where the party crowd stays. If you plan on staying in Larnaca, there are no great hotels in the downtown area, and the better hotels are found along route B-3 to Agia Napa. The Palm Beach and Sandy Beach hotels in that area are ok, but the beaches are lame. Note that European Last Minute travel agents often have some the best rates.

Here is a thread on the two Hilton properties in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Here's a few I've stayed in (other than the Hiltons):

Crown Resorts Henipa, Larnaka

Pretty run-down dingy hotel. A/c is mostly inop, no screen on sliding doors so don't go when it's hot. Small rooms, hard matresses (pretty typical, it seems). Very small bathroom with thin towels. Somewhat decent breakfast is its only saving grace.


Kapetanios, Lemosos

Beach hotel. Rooms in main building appear to be small. Had a room in the backing "executive" wing. Marble floors, quite large, but dark room. A/c worked very well. Efficiency with kitchen (not well equipped) with lots of counters, stove top, fridge + sink. Even came with an iron and ironing board. Food (dinner and breakfast) pretty appalling. Only reason to stay here (or Lemosos in particular) is proximity to Municipal Gardens (for the wine festival which is probably not worth going out of your way for).


Pendeli, Platres

Hotel in the hills high above Cyprus. Not too bad but rooms are pretty small. Front facing rooms have a great view down to Lemosos. No screens on sliding doors so beward during mosquito season. Breakfast isn't too bad Forest Park is supposed to be best in town.

At BostonBali's suggestion, I booked Kapetenios (and also Pendeli) through olympicholidays.co.uk



Some properties I didn't stay in but would like to try:

2 in Kakopetria

Maryland - "large" hotel built above a mill. Seems ot have lots of character (for a big hotel). http://www.cymillhotel.com/

In the old town part of Kakopetria is the intriguing Linos Inn which occupies several old buildings. http://www.linos-inn.com.cy/

In Lofou, the rooms attached to the Lofou Tavern (lots of character and a great place for a meze).

http://www.lofou-agrovino.com/

Lofou has the highest number (3) of taverns with character according to some �ypriot governmental organisation.

Both airconditioning and elevators were fixed the last week of August when we were there, also on the 2-1 deal. Hotel was fine, Internet access expensive, but got a sea view room without even asking for it (or booking it) and maid service was very prompt, rooms in good condition, and pool area was nice.

Le Meridien Limassol-
We stayed here for a week on SPG points. nothing special, probably shouldnt be a cat 4 SPG property (roughly US$240 or 10k SPG points per night). Seems like a convention and family vacation spot. Not impressed, but really wasnt impressed with Cyprus as a whole.
Nice enough pools, end of August was not really crowded. One "grown up" pool, but the other pools weren't overun with kids. Beach was rocky (kind of a reef/shelf that went from knee deep to drop off, but nice clear water for swimming. Free parking was a nice perk. Internet is very expensive for wireless, but free on the computers in the business center. The overall design of the place is nothing special, although the photos on the internet make it look nice (nicer than it really is).
The staff were pretty weak overall. The staff at the bar were terrible, rude and lazy. They wouldn't make mohitos or anything with mint or lime- they had the ingredients just didnt want to go through the hassle of making a drink that was on the specials menu! We tried the bar the first two nights and then refused to bother the rest of the stay. Also tried the pool lunch spot and received pretty weak service there. I really didnt feel like I was at a Starwood, now that I really reflect on it this place has some of the worst service I've seen at a Starwood in a while. If it wasnt bad service it was just "dont care about us" service. Nobody really helped us with anything, luggage, etc. with one exception (laundry folks rushed our clothes back up when we were heading off to Cairo for the day).
Location is not that great- not a good beach, not near much else, so you need a car if you want to see anything else.
The best thing about the place is the Lebanese restaurant right outside of it. This was probably the best restaurant we found on Cyprus, and it was hopping with a crowd most nights. We ate there two nights. We looked at a number of other hotels as we explored the island, in my opinion there are no really nice hotels here. I wouldnt pay what most of the hotels are asking, I think if you look carefully you would do well with a local hotel a little off the beaten path.

Had a chance to stay two nights at the beautiful Napa Plaza Hotel in Ayia Napa. Well, only stayed there one night because we were walked the first night. The hotel was overbooked by 9-10 rooms (5% overbooking!) We protested (wasn't happy about having to spend one night elsewhere, especially since we only had 2 nights there alltogether!), but were nonetheless walked to the much older (and out of town) Mermaid Hotel.

I was especially upset at being walked since I e-mail the reservation manager to confirm our stay one week prior to arriving!
Apparently, this happens pretty often at this hotel (from reading other online reviews).

Other than that, the hotel is beautiful. 'W'-chic, nice rooms (especially if you get the Superior, Pool-view rooms like we got). Great ambiance music and lighting in the evening (in the pool and other public areas), trendy bar out front. The location is also ideal, and it's quiet at night.

In summary, a great hotel if you don't mind taking the chance of possibly being sent to another (inferior) hotel for part of your stay!

recently stayed at the Beau Rivage on the Dhekila-Larnaca Road (10 min outside Larnaca on the road to Ayia Napa) with my sis (same timeframe kyushuman was having a horrible time at the holiday inn)

rated a 3*. rooms were small but clean.a/c worked well. as others have written, the beaches in the Larnaca area are not great (to put it mildly). The pool at this hotel is its saving feature - not your typical rectangle, a large freeform with a "grotto" where the water is cool and refreshing.

as long as your expectations are low, this is a decent find. try www.directcyprus.com for what seems to be decent rates.

oh - and across the street is a great little restaurant with a view of the Med. and a good selection of local fare.