East coast Cyprus - going there mid-April - good idea?

[audrey01]

I was hoping for some advice on cyprus - we are looking to go away for a week at Easter to some place nice and sunny but not too far away, ideally located near a nice, clean beach.

Cyprus popped out in my internet research as one of the few shorthaul places that should be warm enough for this time of the year. Fig Tree Bay on the east coast seems to be a nice sandy beach that came highly recommended, so I have been looking into nearby accommodation, with Capo Bay Hotel in Protaras being one of the hotels just next to this beach.
Anyone been to this part of Cyprus and/or this particular hotel and would you recommend it for a family with 2 small children? Many thanks!

I have been to Protaras. You should get mild sunny weather at Easter, not sure it would be beach or swimming weather though.
I have to say that I thought Fig Tree Bay was hugely over rated. It was a small, grubby strip of sand with standing room only in July. Obviously it would be less crowded in April. I have seen many, many better beaches though.

Protaras is very British orientated with lots of karaoke bars, not sure if they would be open so early in the season. It's actually quite family friendly and there are some good restaurants. Capo Bay Hotel looks nice from the outside, I haven't been in there. They do a lot of weddings.

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Where else in Cyprus would you recommend?

I live in East Cyprus, happy to Help! capo Bay is gorgeous and on a sandy beach but is extortionate. I go there for lunch a lot but last season it was just conveyor belt weddings all the time and I felt in the way the spa is disappointing too. The Grecian Park at Konnos Bay is lovely but out on its own so not much to walk to. Adams beach on Nissi Avenue is also lovely, just been refurbished and has an indoor pool. Don't be put off by Ayia Napa it's actually lovely, the lively bit is tucked out of the way and wont bother you. Self catering is easy here and the nicest unspoilt beaches don't always have hotels nearby. If you were to get a villa in one of the red soil villages you'll be closer to the best beaches and tourist areas.

One of the nicest beaches is Ayia Thekla, the nearest hotels, both also good are the dome and the Olympic lagoon resort but not really walking distance. In your situation and at that time of year you may like capo bay but look at the others I've suggested too also the pavlo Napa is nice and very family orientated.

Weather wise you may be lucky but it's sunny and only 18 degrees right now so maybe you need an indoor pool? Let me know if I can be of any more help.

I agree that there are some lovely hotels along the Nissi beach area. All are All Inclusive, so you don't need a resort nearby and the beach is far superior to Protaras.
We stayed at the Olympic Lagoon Resort last year.
It was lovely but not perfect for us as we have teenagers. If my DC were younger I would certainly go back. There's a water Park close by but I doubt it would be warm enough in April.
The nearest resort is Ayia Napa which is a clubbing resort in the summer but you won't find the clubbers there in April.

You do realise don't you that Cyprus is a longer flight than the Canaries and in the Canaries you would get warmer weather because they are further south?

We go to protaras most years. The weather should be lovely but the sea will be freezing.

Capo bay does look nice but I think its so expensive for what it is. We tend to go cheaper as we spend no time at all in the hotel. We literally shower and sleep.

We're going back in October and are staying a bit further out in Anastasia beach (or something like that)

I don't dislike Protaras Mike but you need to know what you are in for. It's cheesy and cheerful and butlins in the sun and sometimes that fits the bill. It's not very Cypriot or tasteful though.We went when my DSs were 11 and 13 and they loved it. At that age they are past buckets and spades and want a bit of entertainment in the evening. I can still picture DS2's face when a drag act came on in a bar we were in .

I think that's the problem here though it's hard to find somewhere authentic but with plenty for the family to do unless you go self catering and hire a car. Protaras does have loads for kids though, the crazy golf and the pottery painting place spring to mind, I think the harbour area and the square in Ayia Napa have a little bit more charm from that point of view and easter here is the same so there are likely to be some festivities in Ayia Napa as they often do things for locals as well as tourists.

Oh its definitely not the place to go if you want sophistication or Cypriot culture. Its somewhere to go if you want to laze on the beach all day and not much else.

D's is still convinced we saw Robbie Williams perform in a bar out there. He was a decent singer but he was no Robbie Williams!

I wouldn't say that Cyprus is beach/sea weather in April, even with little ones. When we lived there the water parks didn't open until May, and even then were freezing!

I would go for Lanzarote/Gran Canaria/Fuertaventura in April. We found it much nicer then (although Fuertaventura is very windy).

Otherwise I prefer Paphos in West Cyprus to anywhere else - we lived just outside Limassol and travelled to Paphos most weekends.

If it's any help, the hotels are all open, everything is up and running and the sunbeds are out on the beaches it does feel like they're anticipating good weather and we've had the odd day in shorts already but I doubt I'll be in the sea, the water temperature in the outdoor pools at the moment is 22.
Anyway I have also lived in the canaries so I can compare the two, in terms of sophistication all the resorts are on a par id say but if you've been looking at the capo bay then look at resorts like maspalomas in gran canaria or playa blanca in Lanzarote. If you still wanted to try Cyprus I think both the east and west have their merits, my opinion is that we have better beaches, they have more in the way of antiquities. You could stay in the middle, limassol has some beautiful big hotels (le Meriden) being an option I'd consider, or for something a bit different Larnaca is a lovely town with lots to see and do and a good base for sightseeing although most town centre accommodation is basic, you might like the sun hall.

We went to Ayia Napa in April 2 years ago. It was beautiful and peaceful (off season, before the wankers get there!) and we'd go back like a shot.

It was very quiet and most of the town was closed, but that's exactly how we wanted it.

Thanks everyone for their feedback. We've been to Canaries before, so we were thinking to give Cyprus a try this year.
We are really after some lazying time, although it may be impossible with children around. Someone recommended Le Meridien in Limassol, is that better than Capo Bay Hotel?
Also, what do you recommend in terms of airport transfers, we already have flights booked into Larnaca, but we're due to arrive late evening (around 9pm). Is it worth pre-booking or just take our chances at the airport? Many thanks!

I think it depends what you want in terms of a resort. I have advised many people with similar dilemmas and they've all ended up booking the Adams Beach in Ayia Napa. Le meridian is similar in standard but a bit more dated. Both are expensive when you're there. Le meridian is very cosmopolitan though, capo bay, mainly ex pats. Adams beach a bit of a mix. Not much around the hotel in limassol. Re transfers Limassol is about 35 mins, fig tree bay about an hour Ayia Napa about 45 mins, I don't know much about taxi fares, I live 15 minutes from Ayia Napa and its about 60e each way from Larnaca airport to my house so you'd be looking at least that. There are always taxis about at the airport but you may get a better deal booking on line don't rely on buses though they are rubbish apart from the paralimni Ayia Napa circular which you may using a lot as it goes between fig tree bay and Ayia Napa so you can get between the resorts easily. To give you an idea of capo bay prices last time I went there lunch and a spa pedicure cost me 100e I've not been to the uk in years so not sure what that would have cost but I thought it was a bit steep.

I like St Raphael's and The Four Seasons in Limassol. Both 5 star. Otherwise Atlantica Oasis (4 star). Lady's mile beach in Limassol is fab.

Thanks everyone - in the end we decided to go for Capo Bay Hotel, very nice, modern, child-friendly hotel. Weather is really nice (25 degrees is bearable) but the sea is still quite chilly. Really lovely here!

Capo Bay is lovely , have been to Protaras quite a lot and used to stay up by the little church on the hill Ayios Elias.