Cyprus - help me find a compromise please

[Smoll]

Hi everyone

I'm looking for some advice to help me finally have a happy holiday with my family. My DH is a travel snob and travelled a lot before we had the children. All our holidays have been crap as we have tried to cram in too much 'travel' and not enough holiday and the kids have hated it .🙁 I want to give my kids (boy and girl aged 13) a brilliant beach holiday this summer and have set my heart on Cyprus which I know quite well.

Could anyone recommend a hotel or All Inclusive that is not too 'Brits abroad' but is still near or on a sandy beach? We don't need on-site entertainment or kids clubs.

Also, how does AI work? Can you hire your own car and drive there from the airport yourself or do you have to do the whole thing as a package?

Ideally I'm hoping to balance DH being a travel bore with my kids having fun so I definitely don't want Ayia Napa. I'd be grateful for any ideas.

Thank you x

My DH sounds similar to yours, he cannot just lie on a sun lounger and do nothing. We tried AI that had lots of activities and he still paced around like a caged animal. So AI is not for us.

We love Paphos, so many lovely places to eat, visit and explore. We go SC with a pool and hire a car for the entire time, giving us the flexibility to head to Troodos mountains when we need a break from the heat, and to visit local beaches later in the day when it’s cooler.

We like staying around the Venus Beach area which is minutes drive to old town Paphos which has more traditional tavernas, but also 10 minutes drive to the harbour in one direction and Coral Bay in the other. Having said that I don’t drink very much so it never bothers me getting into the car to drive to dinner.

Cyprus is my happy place, very jealous you'll be heading there OP. There are so many places to visit - if you hire a car, follow the signs to the random places - there is a cat monastery that my teens loved, as well as adonis falls - which was lovely and cool in the heat. Head up to the mountains too for all the viewing spots. And the best taverna we ate at was on the way back down from the falls. I would plead with you not to do all inclusive, as you'll then feel stuck on the resort.

And if your teens are mature enough, why don't you go off with DH exploring one day without them?

We have been to Cyprus twice - organised by Sunvil. I recommend them, as they make it easy, but granted it might save some pennies to do everything yourself. Due to having family in the area we were mainly in the Polis area.

I am feeling frustrated on your behalf about DH. Both DH and I were big traveller pre-children. But you have to realise that the chapter of life with children is different from the before-children chapter and indeed the post-children leaving home chapter. You have to suck it up for their sake. I want to shake him and tell him to get over himself.

ETA- the last time we went to Cyprus I was itching to 'do stuff and see stuff'. Dcs were knackered from a big year at school. DH was tired as he had been working all the hours. So they sat by the pool and in tavernas. I did a few day trips by myself. We were all happy and it's good to know that you don't have to trail after each other like ducklings. Maybe that would help? DH can go and do what he wants sometimes.

I think that what you are suggesting is doable OP. Both DH and I are keen on independent travel and don't enjoy lying by the pool etc. (Well I'm a redhead for starters!) But we've had some very enjoyable hotel holidays too. I have to cinfess to being something of a travel snob before we had children and when we booked our first package holiday I was very sceptical but agreed to it as we just needed a low stress break. We had a great time and it taught me a lesson. Lots of different types of holiday can be very enjoyable. I think a lot depends on your attitude.
I think the key thing is to remember that as a PP said, it's not a prison. Some people choose to spend their whole holiday in the resort and eat every meal in the hotel but you don't have to.
When we've bought package holidays we have always taken the included coach transfer to the hotel and then hired a car in the resort. It's often easier to do it that way as you tend not to get the massive queues at the local car hire offices that you do in the airport, you haven't got all your luggage to cart around and you avoid the stress of having to negotiate what always seem to be busy, complicated roads around the airport when you're tired after the journey! The only downside of taking a coach transfer is that if you are at the last hotel to be dropped off it can take quite a long time, but I view it as an opportunity to get the lie of the land as you're driven round the area. If you plan your holiday to have some days in the hotel/resort and others out exploring you don't need the car for the whole time anyway so it saves you money if you hire from somewhere near the hotel for just part of your holiday.
You might be better off opting for B&B or half board rather than AI though. I think AI is probably very good value for people who spend the majority of their holiday in the hotel but less so if you don't. We have only been AI once, and that was because there were free child places applied on AI only so it actually worked out cheaper for us than booking half board. But as we were out most days we didn't really use the included drinks, ice cream, lunches etc very much. I think we could have got packed lunches instead of lunch in the hotel but as we wanted to but we preferred to have lunch in local restaurants. If we hadn't got the free child places then half board would have been better value for us so it's worth comparing prices and checking exactly what AI includes and how much use you'll get out of it.
I can't help with specific recommendations sorry but just wanted to say that DH and I are self confessed travel snobs who have had our eyes opened to the benefits of the package holiday. We do still do most of our travel independently but we have also had some great holidays with mainstream companies like Jet2 and TUI.Kids don't always want exactly the same type of holiday as their parents but there's often a compromise to be found that leaves everyone happy.

@AfternoonTeaAddict I agree 100% with 'But you have to realise that the chapter of life with children is different from the before-children chapter and indeed the post-children leaving home chapter. You have to suck it up for their sake. I want to shake him and tell him to get over himself.'

I also liked to travel before kids. You have to adapt

@MrsAvocet what a brilliant and reassuring post. Thank you!

I couldn’t do the whole suck it up thing waiting for my DC to leave home. I think beach holidays are lovely but it’s isn’t all or nothing thing. I’ve taken my DC to 47 countries and never had a bad trip. I have done so much exploring and sightseeing with them and just tweaked things so it works for us all. For example sightseeing in the morning in Rio, then the afternoon on the beach playing football. Or a few days in Havana and then fly to beach resort and do some day trips, sightseeing in Cape Town, thrown in some penguins and an ice cream and the an hour or two by the pool late afternoon and so on.
Regarding the car and all inclusive question, you can book a flight, car and hotel separately. You don’t need to book an all inclusive hotel as a package.

This is me! We’ve never done a beach or pool package with DD who’s 9. Of course, we’ve included a pool as well as a beach trip into bigger trips. Just as we include play parks and ice cream. However we also spend time discovering places. New food, workshops, attractions in a child friendly way. No where near 47 just yet, but I’m sure we’ll have fun trying

I agree with much of this. You can't do AI in Paphos and avoid Brits abroad unfortunately unless you go to the Polis/Latchi area.

Limassol is very Ruski dominated now, it's never been a nice resort unless you like the high rise Dubai-style hotels and vibe. A good compromise would be to stay in Pissouri Bay which is beautiful and has a quaint little village up the road, it's also not that far from Omodos ❤️

We stayed at the Cavo Maris Beach hotel in Protaras last year and loved the hotel - didn't feel like 'Brits Abroad' at all. You could walk out to a small beach in the morning to snorkel and then a short walk you get the main beach which is lovely with plenty of watersports and some very nice cocktail bars along the top 🙂

Yes this is me too, the kids are not at 47 countries though. I think there is a compromise on planning the trip, I've not been to Cyprus but it certainly has potential to be a suitable destination, lots of cultural sites and beaches too. I think AI probably goes too far the other way, of course there are exceptions but lots of people go to these AI hotels because they like to spend all day in the hotel getting max value for their £, and I think you might find it hard to escape that vibe. I think we are going to Carribbean for Easter (still not yet booked), I needed a primarily beach holiday for the kids, as we are doing Namibia in the summer. I thought long and hard about the AI hotels but I couldn't do it. I have my eye on a beachfront B&B, which is basically costing the same as AI.

The Anassa is lovely in a beautiful part of Cyprus but it’s not cheap

on the contrary I think Limassol is 1000 times nicer than paphos which is very brits abroad. Limassol is a proper city and has far more to offer. The hotels tend to be outside the centre but it’s a modern cosmopolitan city rather than a resort. I’ve been to paphos several times and it’s a bit of a sh*thole to be honest

We stayed here years ago and it was lovely. It’s right at the very end of Ayia Napa with a separate beach. (We went to Nissi beach one day and that was very different!)
Id definitely go back. We went on trips to loads of places around the island. You could use the holiday company or hire a car.

www.greciansands.com/en/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=302121908&utm_content=25598219828&utm_term=grecian%20sands%20hotel&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=302121908&gbraid=0AAAAADjRCvxtwhtF4tfph4n0Dpjcmj3EJ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl_--zY7bkgMVIZZQBh2SEhpQEAAYASAAEgKiI_D_BwE

I have done lots of all inclusives and gone out sightseeing every other day and that works well as a bit of everything holiday. Also a twin Center holiday such as five nights in an Airbnb type place in St Lucia, out and about all day and eating somewhere different each night and then five nights in an all inclusive using all the facilities with an excursion on the middle day, my DC loved this trip.
A few days or a week somewhere and then going on a cruise or visa versa also works. So a few days in Rome and then a med cruise or sightseeing in Seattle and then an Alaskan cruise and so on.

Stated in Latchi before - there’s an Anassa hotel which looks smart but we opted for a villa (my preferred option in med)

loads of water activities available and some great hiking - would recommend! X

Are you sure you want to do AI? If you do, then make sure you chose a hotel with several restaurant options as otherwise I think your DH - and possibly all of you - will find it a bit challenging eating in the same place every single night. Even if there are a couple of restaurants and they have a different theme, if they are buffet restaurants, our experience is that there tends to be a lot of overlap between the meals on offer in each restaurant. If you went B&B, then you could opt to eat in if you wished but also go out for dinner. This might make it easier for your DH as, if he’s a holiday snob, he may not want to sit through the evening entertainment either. It would also work well with your DC at this age as they’re able to walk to local restaurants, stay up later and that sort of thing.
Also, you don’t have to do a package holiday. We sometimes do but sometimes it is cheaper to book the hotel & flight ourselves. We may end up on a Jet2 or Tui flight but we’re not on their package. When we have done a package and hired a car, we just find the rep at the airport and tell them that we won’t be using the transfer and they then cross you off the list.

If you want to avoid brits abroad I would steer clear of AI. I live here and can comment on my favourite hotels:

pissouri bay - Colombia beach (beautiful location, great food and service - have rooms with. Separate room for the kids)

the Four Seasons Limasol- the absolute best hotel on the island, amazing food and staff, but pricey and you would need two rooms

capt St George - this is a new hotel and has a real international feel. It’s not my favourite but the location is perfect. It’s in a beautiful
location towards the Akmas peninsula. It has all the beach stuff, but is a short drive to more deserted places. If you hire a car here make sure it is off road (you will need to use a specialist hire place - let me know if you want details) so you can visit Lara beach (turtles) and The last Castle (a stunning Cypriot resturant in the hills)

personally if I were you I would steer clear of hotels - there are so many fantastic places to eat and it’s still good value. Kathikas would be my top place for a villa holiday - a short drive to Corallia beach (the best on this side) but a beautiful rustic village with tavernas and two wineries!

Hope that help
Yammas!

Dont want to steal the thread but in the same topic, what is Protaras like for this?
And as DS is an ambulatory wheelchair user.. is there any base that anyone recommend? Still wanting to get out and about and explore a bit too.

I stayed there a few years ago. I liked it as we had a great villa, but the town itself was very ‘brits abroad’. We weren’t interested in too much exploring and were just looking for somewhere to de-stress by a pool and play games in the evening, so it was perfect for us. When we did venture out it was reasonably priced but limited choice of restaurants that weren’t laminated menus and all day breakfasts.

We enjoyed Alexander The Great Hotel in Paphos. Right on the waterfront. Half board worked nicely for us.

Teens here we stayed at the Atlantico Mare, the DC loved the swim up rooms. Food is really good there too. Lovely pools. As the teens now love swim up rooms we are doing Liberty Signa in Turkey this year because also they have multi room accommodation with Swim ups.

@Chocolatebuttonanyone
i can’t comment on the AN side of the island, but Pafos is pretty good for a wheelchair user - it fairly flat (relative to elsewhere on the island) lots of disabled parking spaces - bring the Blue Badge - you can use it here. Typically it’s less usual to see Cypriot wheelchair users however we are a very multicultural island and the Cypriots are very accommodating people.

Years ago we went to Paphos. While we were there we went on a day trip and stopped off at a place called Porto Latsi. I remember thinking if we returned, I’d stay there as it was beautiful, right by the beach and seemed much more like ‘real Cyprus’ rather than a brits abroad place if that makes sense. Plus a lot less vape shops than Paphos has now!

@ohfook thats where we stayed, was lovely x