The pearl of the Mediterranean, the beautiful island of Cyprus has always been and continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world come to the homeland of the goddess Aphrodite to plunge into the atmosphere of antiquity and enjoy a vacation on the magnificent beaches of the island.
Cyprus is especially popular with tourists from Russia. Perhaps this is facilitated by the relatively close location of the island, or perhaps the possibility of free, visa-free entry of citizens of the Russian Federation into the territory of this country.
From Moscow to Larnaca or Paphos can be reached in just three and a half hours. It is in these two cities that there are international airports that accept flights from around the world, including from Moscow. By the way, in season charter flights from many large cities of Russia fly to Cyprus. Both Paphos and Larnaca are excellent tourist centers, but there are many other resorts on the island (Ayia Napa, Polis, Limassol, Protaras, etc.), where you can go by bus or taxi upon arrival.
By the way, the best option is pre-booking a car. With wheels under it, it will be possible to travel the entire island far and wide and explore each of its corners. In this article we will introduce you to the resort town of Protaras, and also talk about the Tsokkos Gardens Hotel 4 * - a wonderful four-star hotel with excellent service and quite reasonable prices, where you can have a wonderful vacation and get an idea of true Greek hospitality.
Protaras
This resort is one of the youngest in Cyprus. It is located in the southeast of the island. There are not many attractions here, but there are wonderful golden beaches, sea landscapes, bizarre cliffs and blue lagoons, and most importantly - peace and quiet.
Protaras (see photo in the article) primarily attracts fans of a secluded and lazy beach holiday. Not so long ago, on the site of luxury fashionable hotels, there were bushes and fig trees. When it became necessary to build a new resort, the choice fell on this particular section of the beach. It is located in a bay and is protected by cliffs from the winds. Due to this, the weather conditions in Protaras are very comfortable for a beach holiday: there are practically no big waves, the air temperature even in the winter months does not drop below + 17 degrees, but in summer it is not hot at all, the air warms up to a maximum of 27-28 degrees. All this attracts thousands of tourists who long for comfort and peace.
Features of rest
Since the resort of Protaras is one of the youngest on the island, almost all the hotels here are new and built using modern technology. The most common type of hotels are apartment hotels, for example, Tsokkos Gardens Hotel Apts. Cyprus is generally considered an expensive resort, but the prices are relatively low, which does not affect the level of service. Here you will find a great value for money.
The cost of a weekly tour at Tsokkos Gardens Hotel in the high season is from 50,000 rubles, and closer to its end it can drop to 40 thousand. By the way, you can relax here from mid-April to the end of October. The city has many restaurants, discos and nightclubs, but the apartment hotels are more designed for a quiet measured rest. On the beaches you can not only sunbathe in comfort, but also engage in water sports.
How to get there
So, you are going to the island of Cyprus in the city of Protaras (Protaras). Tsokkos Gardens Hotel Apts, in which you decide to spend your vacation, is only 1.5 kilometers from its center. Naturally, you are interested in how to get there.
It is most convenient to fly from Moscow to Larnaca. From there, to Protaras is only an hour's drive along the island's groomed trails. You can take a shuttle bus for 10 euros or taxi (somewhere for 50 euros), or you can pay for the transfer in advance, and then upon arrival you will be met and led to the Tsokkos Gardens Hotel by travel agency staff. By the way, the option of renting a car is optimal. Having paid about 30 euros per day for rental, you will no longer think about vehicles. A car can be parked in the hotel’s free car park, and it will be at your service at any time of the day or night.
Tsokkos Gardens Hotel (Cyprus / Protaras): General Description and Location
This hotel, like all other apartment hotels, is ideal for families, as the rooms are equipped with kitchenettes. This makes it possible to organize meals for all family members (especially babies) at their discretion. Tsokkos Gardens Hotel was built in 2001. At that time, it was rated as a three-star hotel, but after being renovated in 2005, one more hotel was added to its three stars.
Today, this four-star hotel provides tourists with a high-class service that meets European standards and the concept of the Tsokkos hotel brand. It consists of several buildings. The main one is five-story, in front of it there is a rather large pool, around which there is a solarium area with sun loungers and umbrellas.
Location
The hotel is located between the district of Pernera and Protaras, to which, as already mentioned, is only one and a half kilometers. You can walk to the city on foot or by bicycle, or you can order a taxi at the reception. Tsokkos Gardens Hotel does not have its own beach, but only 150 m from it there is the magnificent Marlita Bay beach. Larnaca Airport is a 30-40 minute drive from the hotel.
Number of rooms
Tsokkos Gardens Hotel 4 * has 184 comfortable standard rooms. All have windows overlooking the Saint Elias Temple. This is just an idyllic sight. Rooms are 22 square meters. meter. They are designed for a maximum of 3 people.
All rooms have balconies, equipped with furnished plastic furniture, a kitchenette with fridge, tea and coffee making facilities, a bathroom with shower, hairdryer and bath accessories. There is a direct dial telephone, air conditioning and central heating, a safe and a minibar (for an extra charge), a radio, and a TV with satellite channels. Rooms are cleaned daily and linen is changed every 3 days. By the way, non-smoking hotel has private rooms.
Hotel infrastructure
As already noted, the Tsokkos Gardens Hotel (Cyprus / Protaras) consists of several buildings, which include both rooms and public areas: lobbies, bars, restaurants, a gym, etc. The buildings have an elevator. In front of the central building is a beautiful, and most importantly, always clean outdoor pool of an original form, next to it is a small and shallow children's pool. There is also a bar.
Indoor facilities also include a heated indoor pool. It is usually used by guests who come to rest in late autumn or early spring, as well as on Christmas and New Year holidays. After all, the Tsokkos Gardens Hotel operates year-round. For this purpose, all the premises of the complex are equipped with a modern heating system. Car parking is also available on site. In the internal premises there is a restaurant with a terrace, a cafe, a TV room, a conference room and a business center, a currency exchange, a medical room, a mini market, and a gift shop. For children there is a room and a playground for games, a mini club, a hall with slot machines. The hotel has a spa and beauty center, as well as a gym, sauna and jacuzzi. Vacationers are offered dry cleaning, laundry and ironing, although the administrator of the floor can always ask for an ironing board and an iron in the room.
Sports and Entertainment
Carrying out an extensive animation program for entertaining guests at the hotel is an extremely rare phenomenon. In their reviews, tourists who visited the hotel sometimes complain about this circumstance, while others, on the contrary, rejoice that they were finally able to really take a break from the hustle and bustle. However, there are also reviews in which tourists talk about a wonderful organized and rich entertainment program, especially for children. This suggests that the organization of animation at Tsokkos Gardens Hotel directly depends on the contingent of vacationers: if most of the guests are people of retirement age, fun animation is canceled, and if there are many children, then interesting contests and quizzes will be held for them, as well as children's disco. In any case, the children will not have to be bored, they can always find entertainment on the playground or in the mini-club.
And if parents wish to spend the evening in restaurants or nightclubs in Protaras, then for a fee they can invite the nanny to look after their baby. Once a week, the hotel hosts Greek evenings with folklore rooms. For fans of sports entertainment in the complex there are tennis courts with night lighting, ping pong and billiards, darts, etc.
Beach
As already mentioned, Tsokkos Gardens Hotel Apts does not have its own beach. However, this does not matter, since the well-equipped public beach of Marlita Bay is located 150 meters from it. The only nuisance is that you have to pay for sun loungers and umbrellas. But showers and changing rooms are free. On the beach you can find many water activities: catamarans, scooters, parachutes, bananas, water skiing, etc. Diving instructors will help you make an underwater trip to the coral reefs.
The water in the sea in the area is crystal clear, which contributes to these activities. The beaches of Protaras are not completely bare: fig trees approach the shore tightly. It is especially beautiful here in April, when the beaches are framed by flowering figs and tropical shrubs. It is difficult to describe in words, this beauty is simply breathtaking! On the promenade, which is also surrounded by green trees, you can sometimes see funny pelicans. In these parts they are not at all afraid of people and calmly walk in small flocks.
Nutrition
Hotel Tsokkos Gardens Hotel 4 * (Cyprus) serves guests on an all-inclusive basis. Breakfast is usually served as a buffet in the Cafe Proyno. It consists of numerous light dishes, fresh pastries, hot drinks, juices, fruits, etc. Lunch and dinner are served in the Demetra restaurant. You can’t come here in beachwear, and according to the accepted dress code, you must be in evening dresses for dinner.
In the restaurant "Demeter", guests will find a large selection of delicious dishes, salads, desserts and drinks of both national Greek and European cuisines. The rest of the time, the Anatoli bar is at the guests' disposal. Here, relaxing relaxing music sounds, but in the lobby, decorated in light emerald colors, you can listen to live music, as well as treat yourself to delicious cocktails and snacks in the snack bar. Another bar is located by the pool. Here you can try both soft drinks and order ice cream and other sweets.
Excursions
As already noted, the part of the island where Protaras is located is not very rich in attractions, but there are always places for interesting pastime. For example, in the center of the town you can sit next to the singing and dancing fountains. In the daytime, you can go to the aquarium, which contains a large collection of marine life. Many tourists, especially residents of noisy megacities, are surprised at the monotonous pace of this resort town. It is as if shrouded in bliss, an atmosphere of calm and comfort. And this is his main feature. However, tourists in the evenings often come here to have fun from the Tsokkos Gardens Hotel. Protaras attracts them with its restaurants and discos. As for natural attractions, these include the “castles” on Cape Greco carved by the surf. In the vicinity of the town there is a plain of windmills. Almost all tourists go there to take pictures for memory against the background of these snow-white "monsters". It is also interesting to visit the temple of St. Elias rising above the resort. Just a few kilometers away is the ancient city of Famagusta. In the Middle Ages, it became the residence of the English king Richard the Lionheart. In a word, lovers of antiquity and excursions here will not have to be bored either.
Hotel reviews Tsokkos Gardens Hotel
The biggest advantages of this hotel, according to vacationers, are the cleanliness and friendliness of the staff. Guests also appreciate the efforts of professional chefs. Among the shortcomings are poor Internet connection, as well as a small range of entertainment services.
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, it must be assumed that this hotel can be an ideal vacation spot for middle-aged people, as well as senior citizens and families with children. But youth is better to choose a hotel for relaxation, in which there are a lot of noisy nightly entertainment.