Hello, travelling to protaras with my partner in July. could anyone suggest any day trips, or evening entertainment we could go to such as meals somewhere.

thankyou in advance

Ewa

Hi Ewa,

I would suggest a trip to the North, Kyrenia is beautiful and well worth a visit. If you can do the same trip including Famagusta then do so. There are many tour offices that organise these trips. Cheaper on a coach but more fun in a jeep!
Another great excursion is the Raptor Sea Safari. Its a high speed boat trip from Protaras and goes all the way around to Nissi Beach near Ayia napa, you get to stop for swimming & snorkelling, watch people cliff jumping & getting 'dunked' at the bungee jump. You get to see Famagusta from the sea and get a thrill ride, they say its one of the fastest boats there.
There are many trips that will take you to the Troodos mountains and up to Paphos via Aphrodites' Rock which are both worth a visit if you have time.
You have so much choice for meals and evening entertainment on the main strip it depends on your taste.
Have a great time!

what ever trips you do , don't book via the hotel reps, you get the same trips in the shops far cheaper, & you can sometime even haggle over the price.

have a great time

gazz

It may depend on how long you're on holiday for but you might consider the day trip to Egypt if you've never been there. It's only a short hop by air and you get the day in Giza and Cairo. Alternatively you can do the cruise from Limasol but that will take up almost three days.

Other recommended day trips are the Troodos mountains and it's also worth going to Nicosia if you get the chance.

As someone commented earlier, don't book via your rep if you can help it.

Can you do the egypt day trip from anywhere except Paphos airport??

Sorry just thought of another question.

We are quite keen on horse racing and know there is a track in Nicosia, how long would it take to get from Protaras to Nicosia and would it be a good day trip to do a tour of Nicosia during the day and then go onto the races in the evening?

Here is the link to Nicosia Race Club:
http://www.nicosiaraceclub.com.cy/nrcwebsite/default.aspx

Sorry can't tell you how long it would take to get there.

Welly172, as far as I am aware there are only day flights to Egypt from Pafos airport. Around CY205.00 all inclusive.

BTW, if you book with one of the various 'bucket shops' please check with them that you are fully insured. This is often the reason the TO reps charge more for excursions.
For example, a day trip to Kyrenia with a local supplier may only insure you while you are on the coach, not once you step off it. Also, what come back do you have if you are not picked up, get left behind in the middle of nowhere or miss the excursion for a genuine reason? With a bucket shop, none at all.

In addition, check that your guide is English speaking. You don't want to spend hours on a coach listening to every language but your own.

Louise (yes I am a rep)

This is often the reason the TO reps charge more for excursions

This is the reason they tell you...does it not have more to do with commission and targets?

a day trip to Kyrenia with a local supplier may only insure you while you are on the coach, not once you step off it.

Is that not why you have travel insurance ?

Ok - I am cynical

Ady

Welly 172, from Protaras to Nicosia is aprox 50min travel if you are driving 100km/h. I do this every day and i apologise for my english..

My first suggestion would be to hire a car for a few days (normally a minimum of 3 days hire) and explore on your own.

The trips I'm suggesting are nearly all at the other end of the island. Sorry.

Paphos, Aphrodites Rock and Pissouri
Polis and Latchi
Troodos and beyond (Kakopetria, Pedoulas)
Kykkou Monastery
Larnaca (Lazarus Church, Fort, Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque)

sveco,

thanks for your reply. anything up to 2hrs sounds fine for a good day and night out out so 50mins is easy, though not sure about the 100km/h....

what are you apologising for your english was perfect.

TO's such as the one I work for use only reliable, good excursion companies. Ones that have full insurance. TO's can't just use any old company to run their trips. They have a duty of care to use reputable companies.

We use Sea Island for most of our coach excursions and we charge the EXACT same amount as if you went into the shop to buy it from them direct.
Also, for example, Fasouri Water in Limassol costs 15.00 per adult if you go there and pay on the gate. Price with the rep? The same 15.00.

Jeep Safari to Troodos with Hilde. 40.00 if you book direct. Price with the rep? The same. 40.00.

Catamaran Cruise with Interyachting. 36.00 if you book direct. Price with the rep? The same. 36.00.

Many people like to have the back up of a TO if things go wrong. Another example, last year some guests of mine booked 3 or 4 trips with a local bucket shop. Every one of them was cancelled. They received a full refund of course but were very disappointed and re-booked with me. It was high season so no reason why this should happen.

Comms and targets are nothing to do with the price of excursions with the rep. Its just that the companies we use are good quality.

Louise

And having been in a position of paying out commissions to resort representatives, I can tell you that the actual amount of commission built into the cost of the excursion is very, very small....

A resort representative has to sell a shed load of excursions to get great commissions on a regular basis.

A small tale here regarding what can happen on excursions and how a tour operator can fight back for you.....

A group of holidaymakers went on an organised trip a number of years ago when they were approached by a group of people demanding their jewellry and cash. The tourists thought it was part of the trip and started taking photos. In fact, it was a genuine "heist" and they had come into contact with the local bandits.

Of course, there was a legal case that went on for years - but the tour operator paid out to the tourists and sought some recompense from the in resort agency who organised the excursion.

A tourist on that excursion who booked via the local "bucket shop" would have had extreme difficulty in pursuing a claim with the local agent or getting assistance.

It's an extreme example, I know - but it just helps to bring home the reality.

And NO - I am not a Rep

Regards
Cyprus100

Hi all, If you want protection on your excursion, use your Tour Operator. The big Tour Ops ensure your protection whilst on an excursion. They check everything from your insurance to the suitability and comliance of vehicles, vessels etc and the qualifications of those people in charge and will not sell them if they do not comply.
Many trips / excursions are not legal, have no or little insurance and you therefore take the trip at your own risk!

I know which option I would take (and I don't work for a T/O either)

Nemo3 you are quite correct. This is was makes TO's excursions a little more expensive than the bucket shops. We use good quality, well insured companies which are fully licensed with CTO.

We do audits for health and safety on coaches, jeeps, boats etc and at the places visited on the itinerary, professionalism and fluency in English of guides, we check the food which is served and that the driver has the correct license and qualifications etc etc.

Folks still continue to book without the rep and most of the time all is OK, but you never know. At the end of the day, you do get what you pay for. An excellent day out, with fluent - English speaking guides, great drivers and fully AC'd coaches that are roadworthy!

Yes, most folks would probably be covered on their own travel insurance too but why take the risk in the first place?

Louise - Rep!

loubychew, as a TO could you please tell me the procedure that is followed in the event of a medical assistance. Do you correspond with a specific clinic or you use the nearest clinic available?

Thank you, sveco.

It would depend on where the guests were at the time and the nature of the injury or illness.

TO's have a moral obligation to inform guests of a well established, good doctor they can use in resort and we also tell them about the general hospitals where care is free using the new European healthcard (old E111).

So if a guest became ill on an excursion we would use the nearest hospital or clinic as possible.

If they fall ill in resort then again depending on the severity and circumstances we would advise them to use either the doctor we have or the general hospital. At the end of the day, guests have a choice depending on their level of travel insurance and the nature of the illness or injury.

Louise

Hi Ewa,
Returning to your original question, I would recommend going on a boat trip of some kind. The scenery is gorgeous and a good way to tan You could either book a catamaran cruise with Interyachting, or alternatively, jump on a glass bottomed boat in Pernera, Protaras or Ayia Napa. With the latter, you wouldn't necessarily need to book in advance. The majority will take you out towards Famagusta town, telling you info about this ghost town, and also along to Cape Greco for a stop and dip in the sea!
If you hire a car, head up into the Troodos mountains. Visit Nicosia for shops/history/sightseeing.
I would also recommend (if you like the sea!), either scuba diving or undersea walking - there are so many tropical fish to be seen in the clear waters it's well worth doing. Alternatively, get yourself a snorkel!
Do visit Konnos Bay, it's a lovely little beach nestled into the Cape Greco area. You can hire a floating sunbed, try some watersports or just relax and enjoy the beautiful views.
Evening entertainment/restaurants, just walking along the strip you will find lots of choice, or head into Ayia Napa on the local bus.
Also use the local bus to get yourself to the waterpark in Ayia Napa if you like waterparks as this is a good one! (Does get very busy in high season though)

Thanks for the suggestions. how long would it take to Nicosia on an organised excursion?
boat trips also sound good idea might try that.

ewa