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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How worried should I be about ayia napa? DD17 just booked to go with 11 friends

82 replies

IwishIwasacaterpillar · 23/01/2026 13:40

Is there any advice I should be giving her?

OP posts:
TheNightingalesStarling · 23/01/2026 23:32

Don't drink the tap water
Check your passport dates
Swimming and excessive alcohol don't mix

researchers3 · 23/01/2026 23:32

LoveWine123 · 23/01/2026 14:00

Not going back to a shared hotel room because there's no guarantee that you won't be gang raped?

Dear me, what is that about?

Are you kidding? Do you live under a rock?

TheNightingalesStarling · 23/01/2026 23:37

For those who don't remember

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Cyprus_rape_allegation_case

Its worth remembering though... this was massive news because it was so unusual and terrible. Fortunately the port girl is exonerated now.

2019 Cyprus rape allegation case - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Cyprus_rape_allegation_case

HolesInTheAlbertHall · 23/01/2026 23:42

MintDog · 23/01/2026 23:24

I was just about to say the same thing. 1996 Malia is not 2026 Ayia Napa.

No chance my daughter will be going age 17. The risk of being raped is bloody high I would imagine.

Of course it is the same. Your parents were just as worried and the risk of rape was just as high, if not higher as no one talked about it.

Plus if 17 year old has paid for it then it is tricky to stop them- the airports do not regularly ask for proof of parent agreement and the only way to actually stop them is to go to court. Plus they will be 18 soon- you can't stop an 18 year old.

Agree with Travel insurance, and make sure it covers what you need- lots of normal sounding things are classed as extreme sports and have an additional premium. I pay for my teenagers insurance - because I want them to have the best.

PinterandPirandello · 23/01/2026 23:47

They’ll have an epic time. Watch the In Betweeners episode where they’re in Malia (on right now).

Biffsboys · 23/01/2026 23:55

My biggest advice is travel insurance . After that ~ stay together , my eldest got robbed at knifepoint in magaluf because he ended up alone .
Youngest went t magaluf and had no problems because they all stayed together .

Elbowpatch · 23/01/2026 23:56

FerriswheelsKissesandLilacs · 23/01/2026 14:15

Avoid spirits, especially free shots, due to the risk of methanol poisoning. Stick to wine if possible.

You’d probably be better drinking neat methanol than the house wines in Cypus.

Bar owners buy it in 20 litre drums for around £2.

TheGrimSmile · 24/01/2026 00:03

BertieWoostersChaps · 23/01/2026 23:09

Was this in Aiya Napa?

It was Cyprus. She was gang raped by Israeli soldiers and then put in prison for making false allegations (if I remember correctly) It was horrific. Im sure you'll find it on Google.

patooties · 24/01/2026 00:03

No mopeds.

LoveWine123 · 24/01/2026 11:13

researchers3 · 23/01/2026 23:32

Are you kidding? Do you live under a rock?

I guess I was wondering what is the difference between going to a someone’s room vs going to someone’s shared room. But then again sleeping with or going to the rooms of anyone I’ve just met is a no no for me so I wouldn’t care if the room was shared or not.

Pussert · 24/01/2026 11:18

LlynTegid · 23/01/2026 15:01

No camera phones then, fewer drugs, a very different age.

Not sure about the drugs! Ibiza and Magaluf in the late 90's were full of drugs. I went on a couple of club 18-30 and club freestyle holidays then and, it was one of the first things we were offered at the hotels.
No camera phones though 😄

TheHouse · 24/01/2026 11:26

Horrifying.

Dreading this.

I went to aiya napa at 17, malia at 18, zante at 19 and Ibiza at 20.

I had ALL the advice. I only ever listened to said advice when I turned 20. The risks I took on reflection before then, I’m bloody lucky is all I can say. In malia for example I was showing off swimming really far out into the sea. I also got alcohol poisoning that holiday but my mum never found out.

I was also believe it or not known as quite sensible.

Kids are now approaching this age. I hope to god they do have more sense than what I did.

Pussert · 24/01/2026 11:27

Get her to make sure her group have life 365 app or similar so they can track each other if they were to get separated.

Store passport, valuables etc in safe
Travel insurance
Take picture of passport
Plenty of suncream
Plenty bottled water
Keep an eye on drinks (don't leave them unattended)
Stay with friends, don't go off alone
Condoms
Remember to eat properly

peacefulpeach · 24/01/2026 11:35

ColinOfficeTrolley · 23/01/2026 14:13

I wouldn't be allowing my 17yo daughter to go abroad with a gang to be perfectly honest.

That’s what I thought! Then read other replies. At 17 they really know fck all. Gang of 12 ‘friends’. Amongst them who are really friends. People who’ll look after each other. Now is not the same as 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. Things have changed with smart phones, drinks being spiked (much more common now) etc. It’d be a no from me.

peacefulpeach · 24/01/2026 11:40

TheHouse · 24/01/2026 11:26

Horrifying.

Dreading this.

I went to aiya napa at 17, malia at 18, zante at 19 and Ibiza at 20.

I had ALL the advice. I only ever listened to said advice when I turned 20. The risks I took on reflection before then, I’m bloody lucky is all I can say. In malia for example I was showing off swimming really far out into the sea. I also got alcohol poisoning that holiday but my mum never found out.

I was also believe it or not known as quite sensible.

Kids are now approaching this age. I hope to god they do have more sense than what I did.

That’s what scares me most. I look back on things I did then and can’t believe I got through unscathed. And it’s more dangerous now.

eg. I remember I’d once got so drunk I (apparently) was walking down a dark lane at 1am going back to the hotel on my own (I’d been with friends ). Except I’d walked in the wrong direction and was god knows where. A (thankfully very good) guy who worked there (going home) saw me and picked me up took me back to the hotel in his car. Jfc. I can’t even think about stuff like that with my kids.

TheHouse · 24/01/2026 11:43

@peacefulpeach

It is frightening, it’s a no from me though at 17. 18 upwards for mine.

Teenagerantruns · 24/01/2026 11:54

hahagogomomo · 23/01/2026 23:21

Insurance will not pay out if excess alcohol or drugs are involved, basically have fun but know your limits. My dd has been away multiple times now but they look out for each other crucially

Seconding this. My DP was unfortunately in intensive care in Spain last year( not drunk).
One English family there at sime time had to pay £30k to get a land ambulance to drive thier son to a UK hospital as blood tests proved he was drunk when he had had his accident. Was horrific for them, they had to get a loan.
Luckily our insurance eventually flew us home to a local hospital.

LizzieBananas · 24/01/2026 12:04

A big group of my mates did after GCSEs and it was without incident.

However, one of the girls was Greek Cypriot and had family (maybe even her parents staying) on the east side of the island. Will there be familiar adults available if needed? Protaras is very nice for a beach holiday.

GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · 24/01/2026 12:05

I went when I was 16… I won’t tell you what we got up to because that’s not going to make you less worried - but we all returned alive!! Make sure she knows the basis, maybe buy her some of them drink test strips for spiking, make sure she knows that they make the drinks STRONG.

Topjoe19 · 24/01/2026 12:14

Balconies too - be very careful.

HolesInTheAlbertHall · 24/01/2026 12:39

And it’s more dangerous now.

This just isn't true. You just see and hear about the dangers now due to SM.

ananasfritz · 24/01/2026 12:41

I’m a pretty experienced traveller, and typically evaluate and classify EU locations the same way I do UK destinations. Ayia Napia, though, IS a red flag for me, following the famous 2019 gang rape case and what that incident has raised about how the local authorities handle sexual violence by men toward women. It’s not just business as usual and you can’t assume that a 17yo girl will be “safe” if she acts as if she were in the UK.

That doesn’t mean that your daughter can’t or shouldn’t go - I totally understand that she wants to be with her friends and that this is a relatively cheap, close, superficially fun destination. What concerns me, though, is how trivially rape and sexual assault against women by men are treated by the local authorities, and how they are excused and rationalised. If your daughter - or any traveller - were to become a victim in Ayia Napia, that would be especially alarming as that is a place that is noticeably lacking in sympathy or grace for victims, especially girls/women who dare to question the authority of any man.

To be clear here - my contention is NOT that Cypriots are more prone to rape, commit sexual assault, or hurt women than anyone else. The aggressors in the 2019 case were not local; but the authorities knew who they were and still let them leave the country - a courtesy they did not extend to their victim. My main concern is that IF something DOES happen, the authorities in Ayia Napia not only will not help the victim, but very likely may facilitate a situation where she becomes even more exposed and vulnerable as they take the opportunity to trumpet their support for male predators at the expense of women and girls, as the mayor of Ayia Napia did very clearly on the international stage in 2019.

(Edited as my initial post showed up in bold font, which I didn't intend.)

toomuchgoingonhere · 24/01/2026 12:44

Cyprus and Ayia Napa is generally safe. All the advice given above is necessary and good. I’d be worried about falling out with 11 of them, deciding where to go, who’s going to keep together etc. Also, what month? August means a lot of families are there. Won’t go to clubs till 1am etc but they’ll be teens that are there with families going out so can’t imagine it to be raucous. I would say watch your drinks, watch your friends. My experience is that the security and clubs are quite good.

ginasevern · 24/01/2026 16:24

Quite a few posters are saying it's no different to going to your home city for a night out, but it really is. If you get in trouble abroad it can be way more challenging for a variety of pretty obvious reasons, including distance from support and the language/cultural barrier. The police are often corrupt (or highly biased) and certainly harrassment and sexual assault against females is regularly dismissed or the blame apportioned to the woman. I also think that being abroad in wall to wall sunshine, cheap booze, peer pressure and the general feeling of "liberation" (no need to get the last bus home or worry about parental gaze) can make even the most sensible of young people do things they wouldn't at home.