JOURNEY WITH US

Ayia Napa, Cyprus - July 2021

 "It’s going to be such a long-winded process travelling during COVID", "how many PCR tests do we need in total", "where can we travel if I haven't been vaccinated", were just a few of the questions we asked ourselves before our trip to Ayia Napa, Cyprus.

It's a crazy time we're living in and travelling during the pandemic definitely isn't easy, there is so much to think about for something that used to be as simple as 1,2,3 - hotel, flight, passport. However, in the end, and after all the "what ifs" and "buts", we decided to go ahead and booked our trip to Ayia Napa, Cyprus, just 24 hours before we were due to travel – that's more than enough time, right?

So with me 7 months pregnant, and Ben on his annual leave, we had 24 hours to pack our suitcase, arrange the necessary PCR tests/printing of vaccine certificates etc and we'd be on our way to Ayia Napa – perfect!

What COVID documents do I need for travel to Cyprus?

We decided to wait until just 24 hours before we travelled to make our arrangements due to the ever-changing COVID regulations and restrictions, and to minimise the risk of any last-minute changes being made that would impact our holiday (we understand this isn't possible for everybody, especially if you're travelling with a family or small children, but for us in this instance it worked perfectly).

COVID documentation needed to travel is different for each destination. For Cyprus, the following conditions applied when travelling from Dubai (July 2021):

• Proof of double vaccination (with the second dose taken at least 14 days before arrival into Cyprus) and printed vaccination certificate; OR

• If unvaccinated, proof of PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before your arrival time into Cyprus (not your flight departure time at your departure location)

• Cyprus Flight Pass – everybody travelling to Cyprus needs to complete the Cyprus Flight Pass online form and upload your vaccination certificate or PCR test 24 hours in advance of travelling (you can do this, as well as find out all essential travel information for Cyprus here https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/).

Cyprus Flight Passes are essential for travel to Cyprus and we were asked for these everywhere - when checking into the hotel, eating in restaurants, entering attractions, beach clubs etc so it's highly advised to take these with you (whether on email, or printed) every time you head out.

Dubai airport itself was surprisingly busy, however we were travelling at the beginning of the school holidays, so it's to be expected. We had to use the self-check-in machines that Emirates provide and report to Emirates staff (who were checking all the necessary travel documentation) before leaving the self-check-in section.

Emirates operate out of Terminal 3 of Dubai Airport and once through security, there are a huge amount of restaurants, shops and bars to keep you occupied (to name a few - Dubai Duty Free, Hard Rock Café, McDonalds, airport lounges, Giraffe etc). The longest walk to the furthest gate can take around 15 minutes so make sure you have plenty of time before departure to reach your gate.

Flying with Emirates

Being 7 months' pregnant, I was kind of expecting a few nice touches from Emirates, or freebies if you like - cheeky I know, however to my dismay it seems this wasn't the case – boo Emirates!

For example, Ben has access to the Emirates Business Class lounge with his credit card provider and he thought it allowed him a plus one access – turns out it didn’t so I found myself aimlessly waiting outside the Business Card Lounge until he'd had a beer and stocked up on Evian water (he was only 5 mins so it's not all bad news) – but no matter how much I rubbed my tummy and held my back, the Emirates ladies weren't budging! It's worth checking in advance if your credit card allows you access to one of the lounges as most HSBC accounts (for example) at least let you into the Marhaba Lounge where you can enjoy some complimentary drinks and food 24/7.

Albeit not being allowed into the lounge, or being upgraded in any way, shape or form, the Emirates flight itself was superb (as always) – we absolutely love flying with Emirates, in our opinion they are by far the best airline to fly with and provide the highest quality of service possible – we can't recommend them enough!

The flight was safe with absolutely no turbulence whatsoever, the correct COVID measures were being followed with masks being worn at all times and social distancing in place, the meals were as good as plane meals can be (however they said you could check the menu on your phone but this didn't seem to work on our phones), the entertainment was amazing and there were so many options to choose from, the service of the airhostess was high and they were all very attentive and to top it all off we had a very easy, safe landing – Emirates, we applaud you.

The flight from Dubai to Cyprus (Larnaca) is 4 hours 10 mins long.

Arrival into Larnaca Airport

Due to only one of us being vaccinated, it meant I was eligible for a compulsory PCR test on arrival (only vaccinated people can pass straight through without testing again). There were airport staff waiting at the end of the aircraft walkway checking Cyprus Flight Passes and guiding people in the correct direction (dependant on if we were vaccinated or not). Ben was allowed to come with me and we were guided onto an airport bus (which was socially distanced and very spread out) which took us to a PCR test section where I had to pay EUR 30 for a PCR test. I tested negative and the results were sent to me by SMS within 24 hours of arrival.

Some full flights were being chosen for random PCR tests on arrival (even if you are vaccinated) and the airport were testing everybody on the flight. If your flight was chosen for a random PCR test, the cost was covered by the airport, not the individual and I imagine the same results procedure would be in place (SMS within 24 hours).

Car Hire at Larnaca airport

A taxi from Larnaca airport to Ayia Napa would cost between EUR 40 – 55 dependant on traffic so factoring in the cost of a return journey (around EUR 100 in total) and the activities we had planned for our trip, we decided to rent a car to save costs which in total, with extra insurance, cost around EUR 250 in total for 9 days (with no extras included, no sat nav etc).

We rented with AerCar via the Kayak website (https://www.kayak.ae/). We were greeted at the airport and transported to their office which was around 5 mins from the airport. The whole process took around 40 mins and resulted in us leaving with a petrol blue Nissan Note which worked like a dream. You need a copy of your passport and an in date driving license to hire the car. The only down-side was that you had to leave EUR 1,000 deposit with the office but this was returned to my card within 2 days of returning the car back on our final day.

If you want to be on the safe side, and opt for the extra insurance cover (we did), it is cheaper/better to do this via the Kayak website at the time of booking as it works out more expensive doing it directly with AerCar.

Driving from Larnaca to Ayia Napa

The drive from Larnaca to Ayia Napa was a dream, pretty much one straight road and super easy to drive (100km an hour and just two lanes, right hand side of the car, left side of the road). I'm not the most confident of drivers but I didn't have any issues and the road was empty from start to finish.

Hotel in Ayia Napa

We researched lots of different hotels in Ayia Napa but decided to go with Eleana Hotel as we were looking for something clean, cheap and in a good location. The Eleana Hotel seemed to tick all the boxes.

eleana hotel, ayia napa

We paid around £650 for 9 nights (roughly £72 a night) which included breakfast and on-site parking. It was located the opposite end to Nissi Beach (Nissi Beach was around a 10 min drive away but there was another beach close by which was only a 5 min walk) but this meant the hotel was quiet in the evenings yet still only a 5 minute walk to the main restaurants and bars/strip area. Perfect for families or couples.

Our rooms were a good size and included a balcony, bed, sofa bed, TV, hairdryer, ironing board (iron could be rented from reception for a EUR 5 deposit), safe, wardrobe, telephone (not properly functioning, reception number was 000 which we thought was a bit strange and not mentioned anywhere in the room), bathroom with toilet, sink, mirror & shower, and a good air con unit. We are a bit obsessed with air con so asked the reception desk for another key so we could leave this in the holder all day and leave the AC on. We were located in a corner room of the hotel on the top floor, and had an amazing view of the pool and the Ayia Napa skyline from our balcony, which was dreamy at sunset (all rooms have a pool/skyline view balcony and are absolutely beautiful) however, because we were located in a corner room, we had absolutely no WiFi signal whatsoever (whilst actually in our room), we had to go to the common areas to pick this up (pool, restaurant, reception area etc). I was working some days so was a little inconvenient having to go to reception, so perhaps if you know you are going to be working, you may want to request a 'non-corner' room upon booking to avoid this issue.

The rooms were cleaned daily, to a high standard - beds were made, floors were swept, towels were replaced etc, however we did notice that the maids were not wearing masks and generally the staff around the hotel we're either not wearing masks at all, or not wearing them properly, which was a bit of an issue for us coming from Dubai where it is compulsory everywhere, but we just put it down to being one of those things we didn't have much of a choice in unfortunately. You may want to take some anti-bacterial spray if you are worried as we actually caught COVID in Cyprus… which I will go on to explain a bit later, but we could have caught it anywhere (we're not saying it came from the hotel).

Breakfast was served daily from 7am – 10:30am and was the same selection every day. It included the usual cereals, fruit, cheese, hams, bread etc plus a hot selection of pastries, sausages, bacon, beans, hash browns etc. The food quality was basic (and certainly not the same style sausages, bacon etc as the UK), but it did the trick and helped to set us up for the day and considering this was free of charge and included in the price of the room, we couldn't really complain. As a side (COVID) note, we did notice the chef coming out of the kitchen mask-less which wasn't a good sign when she is preparing the food. The hotel could definitely up their standards slightly with COVID measures.

The pool in the hotel was clean and absolutely beautiful, it was the perfect place to relax and unwind. It had gentle music playing and a great atmosphere and even though we travelled during the school holidays, it was relatively empty and easy to get sun loungers during the week and slightly busier at the weekend (perhaps needed to be there before 11am), this is probably because people still aren't travelling much due to COVID but we certainly weren't complaining! Towels were provided at reception for a deposit which was returned to you when you returned the towels at the end of your stay. You could replace these every 2 days for new towels (at reception) if they were getting a bit dirty etc.

The pool bar/restaurant served outstanding food – it was so delicious we didn't want to go anywhere else for lunch. They had a wide selection with everything from pizza, salad, burgers, etc there was something for everyone. It was also extremely reasonably priced and around EUR 3-4 for a pint of beer and EUR 8-12 for a main meal. The staff behind the bar were really friendly and attentive.

We found that the staff in the hotel were generally really friendly and we had good conversations with everybody we came across. Everyone seemed really interested in your stay, where your from and finding out how everything was going on your holiday which was a really nice touch and made our stay very pleasant indeed. 

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Eleana Hotel and would stay there again on our next visit to Ayia Napa. It was cheap, cheerful, the staff were friendly and the rooms and hotel itself was beautiful – what more could you want for your holiday?

RESTAURANTS IN AYIA NAPA

1 qUADRO

Quadro Restaurant in Ayia Napa is a stunning al fresco Italian restaurant set in the heart of Ayia Napa. The food was so delicious we visited twice during our 9 day visit which makes this restaurant well and truly worthy of our number one spot.

The menu has a selection of salads, pastas, pizzas, calzone and many other Italian specialities, there is something for everyone.

We were seated straight away upon arrival to the restaurant (although we had to book in advance when visiting on a weekend as they get very busy) and the staff were extremely friendly and attentive – they couldn't do enough for you and explained the menu in detail when we asked. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating but the atmosphere and ambiance is much better when seated outside as you can watch the world pass you by – it's very romantic, open a bottle of nice red wine and you could sit there for hours ordering dish after dish.

The food we ordered was unique and delicious, the portions were a good size and a main course was more than enough on it's own (but we would highly advise you to order a starter, especially the mushrooms, as they were out of this world!)

Our visit felt more like an 'experience' which is rare when visiting restaurants these days, we felt like part of the 'family' – overall highly recommend!

2 sale e pepe

Sale e Pepe is a beautiful restaurant in the heart of Ayia Napa that serves delicious Italian food.

It has indoor and outdoor dining and a wide variety of tasty dishes to choose from. Staff were friendly and attentive (we found this was generally the case in Ayia Napa) and we felt appreciated guests.

When we visited we enjoyed a 2 course meal, with alcohol and the total bill came to around EUR 60 which, for the high standard of the restaurant (décor, food & service wise) we thought was pretty reasonable. The restaurant was very romantic and had a great atmosphere as it was so central in the heart of all of the other Ayia Napa restaurants.

The toilets in the restaurant are located down a big staircase (not sure if there was a lift for disabled people) but something to bear in mind if you aren't so mobile.  You also need to walk up a small flight of stairs to enter the restaurant as it is situated on an elevated platform.

Overall this was another of our favourite restaurants in Ayia Napa and we would definitely visit again.

3 taverna nissi by the sea

Taverna Nissi is located beachside on Nissi Beach and is a beautiful al fresco Mediterranean restaurant with plenty of outdoor seating.

Due to it's location it can get quite busy around lunchtimes, as it is probably one of the nicest restaurants located on Nissi Beach however we still managed to find a good table and were seated straight away. The waiter we had found it quite hard to understand English and parts of our order were delivered incorrectly but they were quickly rectified when we bought it to their attention.

We visited as a couple and as it was lunchtime, we fancied something light so decided to share the seabass and some tzatziki and pitta bread. This was more than enough for two of us and the fish was cooked perfectly (it was fresh and came with the bones in but this wasn't an issue for us – I'm sure the restaurant would fillet for you if required). We also ordered drinks (water/beer etc) and our total bill came to around EUR 40. 

The toilets were located inside the hotel that the restaurant is based in and they were clean and to a high standard.

Overall we had a lovely visit and was the perfect lunchtime spot during our visit to Nissi Beach.

4 tony’s taverna

Tony's Taverna is a cute Cypriot restaurant located in central Ayia Napa. It is beautifully decorated and from the moment you walk in you are greeted with "Santorini vibes" – whites, blues, pink flowers etc, the restaurant is stunning and highly romantic. We had the pleasure of meeting Tony himself who kindly showed us to our table.

The restaurant was full and the service reflected this as we had to ask waiters various times for service, however when we did, our orders came pretty quickly.

As beautiful as this restaurant is, I have to be honest, the food wasn't up to the same standard as we had enjoyed at some of the other restaurants in Ayia Napa (Quadro, Sale e Pepe etc) and tasted very salty which was over bearing from the actual flavour of the food. We ordered the mushrooms & meatballs to start which both tasted OK and edible but both could be improved. The main courses here were traditionally Cypriot and mainly contacted meat, potato and vegetables. The portion size was good and the lamb was cooked to perfection however the sides of the main course could be improved and were a bit "dated" and sloppy.

Although the food wasn't amazing, we rated this restaurant in our top 5 as it had a great feel and we really enjoyed our visit for the atmosphere, decor and ambience.

For more recommendations check out our Instagram or Youtube pages @journeywithuss .

5 georgie’s handy food

Georgie's Handy Food would have been rated much higher in our list if it wasn't a fast food restaurant / take away kebab shop and we wouldn't even usually include this type of restaurant in our list BUT it served the most amazing kebabs that we have ever tasted.

It was the perfect late night snack or takeaway film night meal.

The food was delicious, the restaurant was clean and the service was quick and cheerful. 

During your visit to Ayia Napa, visiting Georgie's Handy food is a must!

THINGS TO DO IN AYIA NAPA

1 NISSI BEACH

Nissi Beach is probably one of the most popular beaches in Cyprus. Famous for it's party scene during the summer months it has a great atmosphere, pure white sands and relatively clear waters (in the grand scheme of things).

There are lots of things you can do at Nissi, chill on a sun lounger (EUR 4 rental fee or EUR 20 per couple if you are on the slightly nicer beach club loungers), grab a bite to eat (there are some beautiful beach side restaurants where you can enjoy a fish platter or a cocktail (or 5)) – one of them being Taverna Nissi, walk from the beach to the cliff – Nissi Beach has a shallow part of sea that you are able to walk across to reach a cliff that you can hike, and jump off of, if you want to. It's a great experience.

When we visited we got to the beach around 11am and paid EUR 3 parking all day, right by the Taverna Nissi restaurant. We then walked down the beach to a Beach Club and rented two of the final remaining sun loungers for EUR 20 per couple (they were lovely and had nice, comfortable grey cushions and included table service within the venue (paid for separately). The beach was absolutely heaving by the time we got there and, if we didn't go to the beach club and just rented the usual loungers, we probably would have found it very difficult to find two together, so you may want to get there slightly earlier than 11am to avoid disappointment.

The beach itself was stunning and we enjoyed a beautiful Cypriot summers day. The breeze was delightful however it distracted you from how strong the sun UV's were and we ended up getting a bit sun-burnt – so don't forget your cream folks!

The loungers on the beach all seemed to be around 2m apart and socially distanced for COVID regulations which we liked as it made you feel safe.

Overall Nissi was a hit and we had the most delightful day.

2 day trip to paphos

We visited Paphos three years ago to get married (separate blog coming soon on 'Getting Married in Cyprus'), so we decided to take a day trip back there to re-visit that special place we got married and enjoy the wonders that Paphos has on offer.

It really is a beautiful place and, although it doesn't have as many attractions/things to do as Ayia Napa, it's the perfect excursion to come on a day trip.

Paphos Old Town

We got married in the Paphos Town Hall and, although this may sound very basic and Sex in the City-esque, it is actually such a beautiful location and looking back, I wouldn't have had it any other way. It is located in Paphos Old Town and there are so many beautiful cafes, buildings and restaurants in this area that you could get lost for hours just wandering around, enjoying the beautiful buildings that pass you by.

Theos Restaurant

We then met some friends for a spot of lunch in the Harbour, we headed to Theos Restaurant which was a delicious little fish restaurant located in the heart of the harbour. The food was delicious and we would highly recommend. It was reasonably priced too.

There are lots of other things to do and see in Paphos, on the harbour itself there is the Paphos Castle which is interesting to look around and has some amazing views from the top, you can enjoy the beach or some water sports there, the list is endless but in general it is a beautiful day out.

3 kaliva on the beach

Kaliva on the Beach was one of our favourite places in Cyprus that we had the pleasure of visiting twice during our visit.

Situated on Pantachou Beach, it has divine sea front views and beautiful décor (as well as a tasty beach-side food selection). The restaurant really is beautiful inside and out and really bough Mykonos / Santorini vibes.

We didn't need to book a table and were seated for lunch straight away. The food was absolutely delicious and couldn't be faulted and the staff were friendly, helpful and attentive. It was reasonably priced too and lunch for the both of us came to around EUR 30 with beers, soft drinks and two main courses.

We decided to stay a little longer after our lunch a rented out 2 sun loungers for EUR 20 on their section of the beach (EUR 40 for two at the weekends). It was a very hip and 'on-trend' spot to enjoy your day and seemed very popular with the younger generation.

The beach just in front of Kaliva was clean, peaceful and relaxing – a lot loss crowded than Nissi Beach which meant we actually preferred Pantachou Beach over Nissi.

The toilets at Kaliva are cleaned regularly and are located at the back of the restaurant – super clean – and the correct COVID social distancing regulations were in place making us feel very safe.  

4 water sports

We didn't partake in any water sports during our stay in Ayia Napa due to my pregnancy, but we did watch lots of other people enjoying jet-skiing, parasailing, donut rides, banana boats etc which all looked like so much fun. I was extremely jealous sitting beach-side with my strawberry milkshake spectating instead of taking part. But we did notice a reputable water sports company, located on Nissi Beach, should you wish to get more details on this in advance of your trip (http://nissiwatersports.com/contact-us/).

5 hard rock cafe, ayia napa

Who doesn't visit a Hard Rock Café in every new city that they visit? We do!

When we noticed there was a HRC in Ayia Napa we simply had to go. We visited of an evening around 7:30pm and the restaurant was just starting to get busy. It had 3 floors of seating in total so there was plenty of room for everyone, plus the restaurant had social distancing measures in place to make sure everybody was seated a suitable distance away from each other (we also got asked for our Cyprus Pass before we could enter the restaurant).

Once seated our waiter helped us with menu choices and, like anywhere in the world, the food didn't disappoint. There's not much more you can say about the food as it is pretty much the same in every Hard Rock restaurant you visit, but one thing you can say is that it's so good that it makes you want to return time and time again.

The atmosphere was great, everybody was in good spirits and there was good music playing. We decided to sit upstairs, which was the al-fresco dining area, and enjoyed watching the passers by of Ayia Napa nightlife from the top deck whilst we ate our food - which was a nice touch (we had to ask for outdoor seating as it doesn't open until 7pm, otherwise they tried sitting us downstairs which definitely didn't have the same vibe, I would advise asking for upstairs seating if possible and mobility allows).

There was the usual Hard Rock memorabilia stitched to every wall you could find and the meal came to about EUR 40 including alcohol, soft drinks and two mains.

nightlife in ayia napa

square bar

As I am 7 months' pregnant, we didn't really get to enjoy as much of the famous Ayia Napa nightlife scene as we would have liked however we did visit the Square Bar to watch England v Italy in the World Cup final.

Luckily we managed to secure a table as the bar was heaving and had a great atmosphere. It is mainly all outdoor seating with around 3-4 high tables located inside the bar. It serves food & drinks but we only visited for drinks and to watch the football. It's one of the main bars to visit in Ayia Napa and located super close to the main strip of bars, it's a great place to start the night for pre-drinks as they are only around EUR 3-4 each.

Unfortunately, because lots of people were smoking shisha, we think it could have been here that I caught COVID due to all breathing in the same smoke etc that others were blowing. There's absolutely nothing that anybody could do about these things as you just don't know where you can pick it up but if you're worried about catching it, perhaps try to avoid shisha bars.

cost of living in ayia napa, cyprus

The currency in Cyprus is the Euro.

Coming from Dubai, we found the cost of living in Cyprus to be quite reasonable and your trip can be as cheap, or as expensive, as you want it to be. For example the cost of a standard bottle of water (small) was around EUR 0.15 in the shop but EUR 1 by the pool, a large bottle EUR 0.33 in the shop, EUR 2 by the pool.

You can also save money by laying on your towel on the beach instead of hiring a sun lounger. Sun loungers and umbrellas on the beach are roughly EUR 3-4 to rent daily (or EUR 20 if you go to one of the beach clubs which have slightly comfier beds with cushions and food/drinks service etc).

An average meal of an evening in a nice restaurant cost us around EUR 30 – 40 including alcohol and around 2 courses.

atmosphere in ayia napa

We visited Ayia Napa during the school holidays and it was relatively busy considering the world is still in a pandemic but this didn't stop people enjoying themselves. During the day, the beaches were really busy and we found you had to get there before 11 if you wanted to find/rent sun loungers.

The atmosphere in Ayia Napa really came alive in the evening, the streets were heaving and we really enjoyed being in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Ayia Napa nightlife (even if we couldn't fully enjoy it ourselves).

The tourist population we came across seemed to be an even mixture of families and young groups enjoying an 18-30's holiday.

covid tests in ayia napa, cyprus / quarantine in cyprus

We only managed to find one place that provided PCR tests in Ayia Napa:

Saveco Health Centre - https://www.savecohealthcentre.com/
Antigen test is EUR 15
PCR test is EUR 50

If you arrive before 11am you will receive the test results in the same day before 8pm by SMS and email.

If you have a car, you can also get a rapid test, antigen test or PCR test at Larnaca Airport.

If you're travelling back to Dubai, the current restrictions when we travelled (July 2021) were that we needed a negative PCR test taken no earlier than 72 hours before arrival in Dubai and we then needed to be tested again on arrival when we landed in Dubai. The queues in Dubai airport for the PCR tests on arrival was long and took about 20 minutes to complete, there was a quicker queue if you were disabled or travelling with children. 

As mentioned in our blog above, unfortunately I tested positive for COVID whilst in Ayia Napa. To be honest, the whole procedure was very confusing as I didn't have any symptoms and it was a complete surprise when my test came back positive, it really took us by surprise (especially at 7 months' pregnant).

We tested at the Saveco Health Centre and received our results back the same day (Ben received his negative result by SMS at around 6pm and they called me to let me know I'd tested positive at around 8pm). The clinic said that I would receive a call from the government the next day to arrange to pick me up and take me to a special government run quarantine hotel for 14 days, but the call never came for the entire time we was in Cyprus and I don't think anybody we spoke to was up to speed on the whole quarantine protocol in general, so we quarantined in the hotel we were staying in at our own cost until we tested negative and it was safe to leave.

It's really lucky we had the money to do this as some people travelling may have been relying on the government funded hotel accommodation/meals/transportation etc and to be honest, it wasn't easy to contact them – we tried around 20 times and either nobody answered or we kept being passed different telephone numbers to call that still didn't work. We didn't manage to speak to anybody from the government at all during our entire stay so completely relied on information we found on the internet (which we didn't even know was valid).

If you have any questions regarding our quarantine in Cyprus then please send us a message on Instagram or via the 'Contact' page.

vlog

Check out the vlog of our trip to Ayia Napa here: