Cyprus-Forum.com

[The Microphone]

No tourists? Well Cyprus, it can't be a surprise. Can it?

My son shells out £1700 for a weeks holiday here to visit me. He gets put into a miniscule hotel room with 4 sigle beds squeezed into it. He complains and is asked to pay £250 to DOWNGRADE to another hotel!

He'll pay under £1000 and get a better holiday in Spain next time. And he isnt alone!

Larnaca Airport is a shambles. The FREE 20 minutes car-parking doesn't allow for the fact that it takes almost an hour to get your bags. £2.50 in parking fees. And I arrived after they get to the baggage hall. Headless chickens in bright orange waistcoats have a little whistle each to direct traffic. At least I know where my £2.50 goes don't I?

Taxi drivers who want to charge a small fortune and who will blockade the airport if they think collecting my family is going to do them out of £30. Tough!

Cyprus has to be the most expensive destination to get to by plane. Outrageously high prices and airport taxes. Cyprus had better get real and quick. Lower your prices or this Island will become a tourist ghost town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Get Real!]

My son shells out £1700 for a weeks holiday here to visit me.

So why don't you put him up and save him the expense?

[The Microphone]

My son shells out £1700 for a weeks holiday here to visit me.

So why don't you put him up and save him the expense?

He booked it as a surprise visit. Since you ask. And I did put all 4 of them up in my 1 bed apartment for 3 days. And they had more room! Happy?

The flights were £1400 for 2 adults and 2 small kids! Ridiculous. I told him not to waste his hard earned flying here again.

[twinkle]

Same for my brother. Just for flights = 2 adults 2 kids (3 & 5) just over a 1,000 for Eurocypria from Humberside. You have to pay for drinks etc too. And the CTO does nothing to push the image of Cyprus. There are better beaches and food available elsewhere in the world at a fraction of the price. Grubby beaches and meat on a stick are a sad incentive! Fact is Cyprus will always have a market from visiting relatives. Sorry state of affairs!!!

[The Microphone]

I think the 'logic gene' has been removed.

'My widget isnt selling at £1. I know. I'll up the price to £2'.

[Avanapa]

I don,t know where you folks go to book holidays but they must see you coming. £1700 for a week? Even in the height of summer and flying from Scotland I can guarentee you I could find cheaper holidays to Cyprus than that. Either you are travelling first class or you are including your spending money in that figure. If you take the time and effort to look for cheaper flights or holidays they are definitely out there.

[Hazza]

I used to spend £1200 on a 2 week holiday to Cyprus. This was for flights, hotel and single supplement in a 4 start hotel (Louis Princess Hotel). If I wanted sea views, it would cost me an extra £5/day. If I wanted fully inclusive, it would cost another £24/day.

It all depends on what you want for the holiday. I didn't want to stay with family, purely because I'd feel obliged to do what they want.

[Peterc]

No tourists? Well Cyprus, it can't be a surprise. Can it?

My son shells out £1700 for a weeks holiday here to visit me. He gets put into a miniscule hotel room with 4 sigle beds squeezed into it. He complains and is asked to pay £250 to DOWNGRADE to another hotel!

He'll pay under £1000 and get a better holiday in Spain next time. And he isnt alone!

Larnaca Airport is a shambles. The FREE 20 minutes car-parking doesn't allow for the fact that it takes almost an hour to get your bags. £2.50 in parking fees. And I arrived after they get to the baggage hall. Headless chickens in bright orange waistcoats have a little whistle each to direct traffic. At least I know where my £2.50 goes don't I?

Taxi drivers who want to charge a small fortune and who will blockade the airport if they think collecting my family is going to do them out of £30. Tough!

Cyprus has to be the most expensive destination to get to by plane. Outrageously high prices and airport taxes. Cyprus had better get real and quick. Lower your prices or this Island will become a tourist ghost town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Peterc]

No tourists? Well Cyprus, it can't be a surprise. Can it?

My son shells out £1700 for a weeks holiday here to visit me. He gets put into a miniscule hotel room with 4 sigle beds squeezed into it. He complains and is asked to pay £250 to DOWNGRADE to another hotel!

He'll pay under £1000 and get a better holiday in Spain next time. And he isnt alone!

Larnaca Airport is a shambles. The FREE 20 minutes car-parking doesn't allow for the fact that it takes almost an hour to get your bags. £2.50 in parking fees. And I arrived after they get to the baggage hall. Headless chickens in bright orange waistcoats have a little whistle each to direct traffic. At least I know where my £2.50 goes don't I?

Taxi drivers who want to charge a small fortune and who will blockade the airport if they think collecting my family is going to do them out of £30. Tough!

Cyprus has to be the most expensive destination to get to by plane. Outrageously high prices and airport taxes. Cyprus had better get real and quick. Lower your prices or this Island will become a tourist ghost town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree wholeheartedly, we have become a very expensive destination, unfortunately us cypriots dont look to the future, we want to make our fortune now.

[Baggieboy]

I very nearly didn't book our beloved Cyprus holiday this year. When we started coming in 2002 I could get 2 weeks self catering for £220 each (flights included).

In May this year we paid £330 each, which was still OK, then for this September the best quote I got was £460 each.

At that point I said to my wife that although we love Cyprus we should look at alternatives - We could have got the same price for 2 weeks all inclusive at a luxury hotel in Sharm el Sheikh for example.

The only thing that made me look again was that we genuinely love Cyprus and I was fortunate to find something for £370 each. Still just within our price range, but only just.

Tourists who don't hold Cyprus with such affection will go elsewhere. If you just want sun sand and cheap food and drink there are many other options available, but even our loyalty is being tested.

What the CTO fail to realise is that if you get us here cheaply (and lets face it - the hotels don't make much out of our fee - its all going on flights), we will have more money to spend once we're there.

Additionally, Brits are not so cash rich as they think we are. Many, many people are stuck with big mortgages with rising interest rates, and disposable income is not what it was, say 5 years ago.

I hope this isn't our last visit, but it may be if prices continue to rise.

Richie