Agents on the Spot: Cyprus

Agents on the Spot: Cyprus

First Choice took a group of Lunn Poly agents on an educational to Cyprus. Flying from Manchester to Larnaca, the group visited Ayia Napa, Protaras, Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos, Pissouri, Polis and Latchi. They toured hotels and resorts, took a Jepp safari and explored the beaches and nightlife of the island. We asked three agents for their impressions before and after the trip.

Before: I had been to Cyprus once before on holiday when I was younger. I had stayed in Ayia Napa and at that time I was really just interested in the nightlife and beaches – which were great – and did not do much sightseeing or touring around. I was itching to go back and to see more – I liked the people and was keen to get a better idea of what other resorts had to offer. I had sold some holidays to Cyprus but tended not to recommend Limassol as I imagined it was quite an industrial place, a big city more suited to older clients and not that great for beaches and nightlife.

After: There is such a lot of variety in Cyprus; it has something to offer to everyone. Limassol was a big surprise to me. It is a great sprawling resort with a good holiday feel, lots going on and much more classy and cosmopolitan than I expected – I am certainly recommending it now. Protaras is ideal for couples and families looking for a quieter holiday with a bit of nightlife, and the inland areas are lovely for a real feel of local life. It is very easy to travel around, everyone is very friendly, and if you visit Troodos in the mountains it is like stepping back in time and experiencing the traditional way of life.

Before: I had never been to Cyprus before and my main impression of the place was that it was expensive. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but I imagined it was very similar to Greece. I thought the accommodation would be very basic – simple village rooms and the like – and I couldn’t understand why it was always more expensive than Greece. I have very rarely sold holidays to Cyprus because I found it hard to explain why it was more expensive and because clients generally had the opinion that the cost of living there was expensive as well as the packaged price. I didn’t feel able to argue against that.

After: The most surprising thing about Cyprus is the quality of the accommodation. The hotels are absolutely superb – all marble floors, air conditioning and mini bars – far better than I imagined and well worth the extra you pay. The people are genuinely friendly and the service is excellent so you get white-glove treatment without feeling uncomfortable about it. Eating out in restaurants isn’t as expensive as you think and the Cypriot food is wonderful – I must have put on a stone in weight! The areas between resorts are quite barren, but the beaches are fantastic. My favourite resort is Paphos – a great mix of old and new, harbour and beach – a really classy resort which I now recommend a lot.

Before: Cyprus was a place I had always wanted to go to – I thought Ayia Napa sounded a really lively, great place for a young person’s holiday – but I didn’t really have a very clear idea about what the rest of the island had to offer. I imagined it would be rather like Turkey – that the accommodation would be a basic bed, bathroom and wardrobe and that there wouldn’t be much variety or choice of food. I didn’t sell holidays to Cyprus very often because I didn’t have the experience or confidence to push it forward. I didn’t think there was much to do other than the beaches and the nightlife.

After: Cyprus is so much more diverse than I imagined – historic sightseeing, mountain areas, beaches, cosmopolitan shopping – it’s got the lot. It is a bit more expensive than Greece or Turkey but it is in an entirely different league – much more classy and of a higher international standard. The hotels are stunning and everything is beautifully presented. I would definitely go back for my own holiday and can really recommend it to a whole variety of clients if they can afford it. I think it would be lovely for weddings and honeymoons, too – the churches are lovely, the villages really picturesque and the accommodation such good quality – it’s a great combination.