sounds like a very big shame.... one of the things I'm always saying to people when I go away (or they are going away, just come back etc ) is "I don't travel 2000 miles to eat English food etc.... if I wanted English I'd stay in England".. and by the same token if I wanted Polish I'd go to Poland... I don't travel to Cyprus to be given a meal cooked by a polish chef who doesn't know the exact in's and outs, I want a local waiter to be telling me about life and such in his beautiful homeland where I am visiting...

Its not a "cheap" holiday in Cyprus and people are still willing to pay that little extra rather than the cheap packages in Croatia, Bulgaria and the Spanish costas... but if you start staffing everywhere with other countries then you might as well go to the cheaper places

I want to learn a little of the language, taste a little of the culture, drink what the locals drink, enjoy tradition... .I don't want to go back having learnt nothing about the place I have visited because all the people I've met have been foreign to the place and know nothing about it themselves.....

We went to Portugal a few years back and were trying to learn a few words of importance.... We spoke to one of the bartenders and he was giving us the useful things like 2 beers or 2 ports.... so we were asking with out broad accents but at least attempting the language... half way through the night another member of the staff (who also drove the bus between hotels) came behind the bar and we asked (scuze spelling as its only phonetically spelt).."doush porto, por fa vor" (two ports please) well this new bar tender looked puzzled... we weren't sure if it was our accents, we'd said it slightly wrong.. so we tried again a few times, even started to add pointing and mime to it.. then the other bartender told him what we wanted in English. As he went for the drinks the first bartender told us this other bloke was Cuban...!!... So after that we gave up trying with the language as it was even more confusing than using English....
I'd hate to see this happen in Cyprus....

Just to put a little perspective on this.
I regularly stay at a Tsokkos hotel and, yes, there are quite a few staff from Eastern Europe, etc, although they are now all EU citizens. The vast majority of them are seasonal and work in Cyprus during the main tourist season
The regular staff are generally all Cypriot and these are the people who are working there all year round.

I live in Cornwall - If you've been to Cornwall on holiday during the summer over the last few years you'll find pretty much the same sort of arrangement with seasonal staff although there are probably fewer 'EU' workers and more of those bloody English! (grin).

Dave

In Protaras you will find that 95% of the hotels close from November to mid April so all the staff are seasonal, the only reason Tsokkos replaces Cypriots with Eastern Europeans is that they will work for very little money.

The hotel that we have returned to for the last nine years still has around 75% of the original staff from ten years ago, and when we return each year it is like being part of a family, it has nothing to do with the hotel it is all down to the staff, also the amount of guests that return each year is over 50%

How many people that regularly stay at a Tsokkos hotel see the same staff year after year? I don't know the answer but I am sure that some people will enlighten me.

And what about chose I for one do not like staying in hotels that are all inclusive, we had a number of guest staying at the hotel that had been moved from other hotels and were all inclusive and there behavior left a lot to be desired, it was like a game to see who could drink the most before they fall over

Maurice

I was in Protaras a couple of weeks ago and saw the Cypriot workers standing outside the Vrissana beach hotel. It was there last day in work as they had all been replaced. The same was happening at all the other Tsokkos hotels on the strip.

I thought it was disgusting.

Yes I expect some Eastern Europeans at these places but not 100%.

The Cypriots dont have long to earn there money as it is.

This was one of the reasons we decided to take the plunge and buy an apartment.we found that more and more the hotels were being staffed by seasonal workers, they were surly, did not communicate , in one hotel even pointed out to a guest they had yet to put something in the tip jar on the counter.
Now we have taken the nerve racking plunge, a whole new experience has been opened up for us and we find we are now back mingling with the lovely Cypriot people who we were seeing less and less of each year.

The last Tsokkos hotel I was in was the Anastatia in Pernera and that was a good few years ago already he was employing seasonal staff from other countries, the hotel was in a run down state then but he Mr Tsokkos appeared for an inspection trip and the next thimg they were all running about like headless chickens trying to get the place right for his unexpected visit.

I guess you can say the same here ,in the Leeds area there has been a large influx of Polish workers who are working in the hospitality sector.

I do agree when you go to Cyprus you want to meet the locals and find out about their ways and culture , you cant get this from the foreign workers, its like dealing with a call centre in India, they dont have the local knowledge that we all look for

Aquasol have now also sold the Antigoni Hotel in Protaras to Mr Tsokkos it won't be long before Protaras is renamed Tsokkos village.

I really feel for all the Cypriots that are now out of work due to the employment polices of Tsokkos

Maurice

Hiya Cardiff..do you remember those boards the workers were carrying?? i found out what they said...."we want our jobs back"

I have stayed at the odessa three times in the last four years,the decline in the place is alarming,some of the Cypriot staff are still about but the influx of the eastern europeans continues,long sad faces and the crashing of cutlery and plates means that the next time i return i will be looking at other options,anyone got any ideas on a villa?

You could try posting on the http://www.cypruseastern.com site and ask their you might be able to haggle on the price,

You could also start looking on http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk

It depends where you want to be. but I am sure you will pick up some ifo on the Cyprus Eastern board,

marion's site http://www.kapparis.info has some hiliday lettings links as well.

Leters in the Cyprus mail

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=28583&cat_id=8

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=28618&cat_id=8

Sorry I still haven't got the hang on how to post a link

Maurice

I see the letters follow the same lines as we are all saying.. we want Cyprus to be Cyprus not another outpost of "could be anywhere's ville"

I want Cypriot workers to be working in Cyprus not all these Eastern Europeans.

Cyprus should be Cyprus.

Hevleigh, sorry for the delay. Thanks for that, I was wondering what those boards were saying when we met on the strip. I suppose it was pretty obvious really lol.

Well Tsokkos has aquired the following Iliada Beach Hotel the Antigoni Hotel and Flora Hotel Apts only the Sunrise beach to go and Tsokkos will own the whole bay a very sad day for me and the cypriot staff of the above hotels

Maurice