Are you tired of annually traveling to the All-Russian health resort - Antalya, and the flight to Egypt does not appeal to you even more so, in view of the possible risks of excursions without a guide? And "venerable" European resorts, frankly, you can not afford ... What to do in this case? We recommend you to buy a tour to the budget Cyprus hotel Sandy Beach 4 *, located near the city of Larnaca. This is a classic hotel link in the Sentido Hotels chain, widely known in Greece and Turkey. Hotels provide an inexpensive, but high-quality guesthouse 2 * -4 *, and some of them will, in terms of comparison, be mentioned in this article.
So, back to the Larnaca hotel network Sandy. About 60% of his vacationers are Germans and English, 30 percent are Russians. This region of Cyprus has long been specializing in budget resort holidays. Accordingly, the concept of a hotel complex in its main position - a market niche - coincides with the concept of a resort.
Sandy Beach Hotel 4 * is good for lovers of a quiet guesthouse. But for lovers of sightseeing holidays - this is just what you need. Indeed, this is a good platform for sightseeing tours. Why do we recommend Cyprus for holidays? Because it is a unique place. A trip to this island is like a mini-trip around the Earth, where all layers of its history are carefully preserved. Using the hotel as a platform for excursions, you can contemplate in a compact space the unique excavations of a huge layer of history dating back to the Stone Age. Ancient Greek temples, Roman amphitheaters, monasteries of Byzantium, as well as the Catholic Gothic of Europe - all this is here in excellent condition.
We advise you to recall your English skills. Indeed, during this trip, it will come in handy for you in various everyday situations.
About hotel
The hotel complex is located in the center of the resort of Larnaca, eight kilometers from the very center of this city. This is a long-awaited for many vacationers, quiet and cozy, well-groomed corner framed by its own garden. A true European guesthouse. The road to it from the airport takes 5-10 minutes. At a distance of 50-100 meters there is a resort infrastructure: restaurants, a shopping center, a pub, a disco.
Undoubtedly positive - the Sandy Beach 4 * hotel has its own sandy beach, because most Cyprus hotels use the city beach. And their guests have to pay for a vacation on it. The lagoon of the water area adjacent to the beach is bounded by left and right breakwaters. Therefore, the sea is calm. The beach is well-groomed, carefully cleaned daily. The sea is crystal clear and very warm. The entrance to the water is very smooth. Depth begins after 50 meters, so the beach is safe for the smallest spa travelers. This is very suitable for families who have arrived on vacation with their children.
The esthetically planned pool area, similar in design to the Aquis Sandy Beach Resort 4 * hotel complex (Greece, Corfu Island), also admires. However, it is smaller in this case and is a recreational complex with two pools connected to each other. The main outdoor pool is a complex and harmonious hydraulic structure with a winding coastline, combined depth and an elegant decorative bridge that gives the structure an aesthetic completeness. By the way, the recreation area around it is equipped with a fair amount of free sun loungers and sun loungers for holidaymakers. Therefore, you do not have to worry: whenever a vacationer comes, he will find a place.
In addition, another indoor heated pool is located inside the hotel under consideration. The presence of an internal hydraulic structure is also in tune with the architecture of Aquis Sandy Beach 4 *.
However, many are sure that the pools of the Larnaca hotel are more beautiful. The reason is the palm lanes adorning them, a visiting card of the Larnaca resort. They are very textured, you can really admire them. Such an original landscape design, as on the Larnaca coast, rarely happens. It is truly aesthetic and memorable.
Interiors and hotel service
Its interiors are designed in soft, unobtrusively noble pastel colors, pleasant to the eyes and soothing (this is a common feature of Sandy hotels). The reception area design is especially soft and harmonious. Original, stylish and spectacular, natural materials - stone and wood - finished terraces and halls of the Sandy Beach 4 * hotel complex. Guest reviews about just such an internal design of the hotel are supportive and positive.
The housing stock of the hotel complex is the rooms of its only five-story building of the sanatorium type. There are 205 of them. Most of them are identical in their area - 25 m 2 . Thanks to the latest overhaul, they appeal to vacationers with a modern design and a classic European-style renovation. Client rooms are equipped with a balcony, a bathroom and a bathroom. Household appliances and equipment are available: LCD TV, air conditioning, minibar, telephone, hairdryer, safe. All household appliances are serviceable and are periodically checked for availability by the hotel complex staff.
Comparing online reviews of another Sentido Hotels four-star hotel - Sandy Beach 4 * (Kos, Greece), we can say that the opinions of vacationers agree that the level of service at Sandy hotels is almost the same everywhere. At the same time, some criteria for customer service are striking: an informal attitude to daily room cleaning and quality control of bed linen and towels. Worn linens and old towels are removed from circulation and replaced with new ones. A positive aspect of the Sandy hotel service is the free provision of guests with beach towels right in their rooms . Indeed, in some other hotels this is a constant source of misunderstanding. In the Cypriot four-star this problem does not exist.
The location of the Larnaca hotel complex provides a side panoramic view of the sea from all its rooms. Moreover, the windows of even rooms overlook the neighboring Lardos Hotel, and the odd ones overlook the pool area and the Golden Bay Hotel, so it is preferable to choose an odd number.
Practical tips
A detailed note to tourists: checking into the Sandy Beach Resort 4 * hotel , to ensure more complete further comfort at the reception, it is worth taking some things. Firstly, the Russian instructions for the safe (price - 12 € for the entire stay). Secondly, the key to the refrigerator (according to the conditions of your stay, it should be filled exclusively with paid drinks, which is controlled). Thirdly, an adapter to the Euro socket. Fourth, a free Larnaca map. Fifth, free beach towels.
Although the ad says that each room has an electric kettle, this is not entirely true. However, they will give it to you if you go to the bar located in the hotel building.
If you decide to rent a car, then this is quite simple, but focus on the minimum price (70 € for two days), given that you will be provided with a full tank of gasoline.
Catering
Dining at the hotel is organized according to the classical scheme. Breakfast from the restaurant for guests runs from 7-00 to 10-00; lunch - from 13-00 to 14-30; dinner - from 19-00 to 21-30. In addition to basic meals from the restaurant, the catering of the hotel complex provides for the active participation of bars in it. But we will talk about their work below. In the meantime, we’ll talk about the work of the main restaurant serving Sandy Beach 4 * guests. The food here is flexible. The cheapest option is purely breakfast. However, having paid an amount of + 25 € per day, you can switch to a breakfast + dinner meal, without drinks. If the spa person agrees to + 55 € per day, then he will be transferred to the all inclusive system.
Some vacationers have dinner in small neighboring restaurants. They are quite inexpensive. A serving in them costs from 14 €. However, in these institutions, as a rule, there is a lack of comfort: stuffy, air conditioners work poorly. And the air temperature in Larnaca even in the evening is + 29 0 C.
Therefore, we recommend that you still pay the full board, it is worth doing this if only because in hot weather the hotel offers ice cream in almost unlimited quantities (under the "all inclusive" program). In the heat, this is a significant bonus.
What is the food in Sandy Beach 4 *?
For breakfast - as a buffet - vacationers are treated to generally accepted and traditional morning food: omelettes, sausages, sausages, cold cuts, bacon, salads, milk porridges, several types of cheeses such as suluguni, milk with muesli, tea, coffee, yoghurts. Breakfast is quite substantial and substantial.
Lunch includes several main dishes: meat, fish, less often - from seafood. Delicious mashed soup is prepared here. Garnishes - quality: french fries, beans, peasant potatoes, stewed vegetables. There are fewer salads and pastries than in hotels in Turkey, however they (especially salads) are really tasty.
Bars work
The Lunch Bar features the Sea Breeze Terrace Beach Bar. Its staff feed the spa guests with snacks, pastries and drinks from 11-00 to 12-00. At noon (from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.), the hotel bar Village Bar takes over the baton of treating guests. The lunch menu features light nutritious side dishes and salads, as well as grilled meat and fish. In bars, only local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are free, while the rest should be paid. You can take free white and red wine, beer, vodka, gin. But if visitors wish tequila (or whiskey) - all inclusive ends. Therefore, in order to avoid misunderstandings, you should carefully look at the "stars" in the menu of bars Sandy Beach 4 *. Reviews of the bars from the guests of the hotel complex are positive: the original interior, live music, garden and pool views. All this creates a romantic atmosphere.
What excursions to choose for yourself, relaxing in Cyprus Larnaca? First, we briefly recall the features of her story. Initially, from the ninth century BC. e., it was a Phoenician state city and it was called Kition. Subsequently, the city was ruled by Alexander the Great, the Egyptian Ptolemies, Rome, and then Byzantium. In the 16th century, the Turks conquered Larnaca. The settlement received its current name because of the many ancient sarcophagi, whose name in Greek sounds like "Larnaca." So hotel guests have the opportunity even to explore many historical sites within the city.
Recommendations for tourists
The hotel business is the hotel business ... Travel agencies, being universal partners of tourists, offer them through their guides whole packages of all kinds of excursions. Acting as intermediaries, they significantly increase their price. Therefore, for the purchase of excursions to the guests of the hotel complex it is much more reasonable to contact a professional tour desk selling their tours (usually lasting one day) at normal budget market prices.
Tour selection
What excursions are preferable for vacationers in Larnaca? Before deciding this undoubtedly important issue for yourself, be sure to walk along the Finikoudes embankment drowning in chic palm plantations and get aesthetic pleasure from the contemplation of many yachts sailing in the water area. What are we talking about? About excursions. Oh yes ... First you should visit the city tour desk. Guests of the Sandy Beach 4 * hotel can easily do this, because there is a minibus stop 50 meters from the hotel complex, and a ticket to Larnaca costs 2 €. Arriving earlier than you, hotel guests will advise which office you should contact.
However, let us again digress for some time from the main topic (in order to understand what historical objects we have to visit). Let us make a small comparison. Fast forward mentally to the Land of the Stars and the Crescent. Why? Yes, because there are also Sandy Beach 4 * hotel complexes (Turkey), which belong to the same hotel chain as the Cyprus resort resort we are considering in the article. Generally speaking, excursions in Greece are somewhat reminiscent of excursions in Turkey, although, on average, the first ones are somewhat more expensive.
What are the similar excursions in Greece and Turkey? By the type of historical objects: the community of history is felt. Take, for example, sightseeing tours from the Turkish Sandy Beach 4 * hotel complex (Side): there is the same ancient Roman agora with the same amphitheater destroyed by earthquakes in public baths. It is felt that in both cases on the land of various countries at the present time there were once the same powerful empires with developed architecture and infrastructure.
Place of birth of aphrodite
However, we will return to hospitable Cyprus and see what kind of excursions our stay at the Larnacian Sandy Beach 4 * hotel promises us. The most popular of them are associated with the name of Aphrodite. And this is not surprising, because you are, so to speak, in her homeland. According to legend, the goddess of love was born from sea foam on the rocky coast of Paphos in Cyprus. Any Cypriot will tell you that this happened at three picturesque stones, textured towering above the water, which you can see on the advertisements of almost all Cypriot travel agencies. Indeed, this place of amazing beauty, the photo of which is familiar to any resident of Cyprus, is located between the cities of Limassol and Paphos.
Church of St. Lazarus
In ancient times, this man living in Jewish Bethany was respected by Jesus Christ himself. He, as the Gospel testifies, raised Lazarus after the last death of the latter. After this miracle was completed, Lazarus, 30, left the city of Judea due to persecution and settled on Fr. Cyprus. This happened in the year 33 C. e. It was he who became the first bishop of ancient Kition (present Larnaca).
Stavrovun Monastery
Another historian of the shrine of early Christianity is the Stavrovunsky Monastery. The abbot Daniel’s testimony, made by him in the 12th century, about a powerful Orthodox artifact — a cross donated to the monastery by St. Helena — came to us. In the artifact belonging to the Stavrovunsky monastery there was a particle of the life-giving cross.
This artifact was amazing. According to the testimony of Hieromonk Daniel (historian, thorough man), the cross was in the monastery, floating in the air without being attached to anything. Unfortunately, an amazing Orthodox artifact has been lost to our time. All that remained was the monastery where it was stored ... The monastery is another sightseeing site visited by Russian guests of the Sandy Beach 4 * hotel. Reviews about visiting the monastery are the most numerous.
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Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque
This is the fourth most important shrine for a Muslim believer. She is the will of history is not in a Muslim country, but in the Orthodox Cypriot Larnaca. To whom is this magnificent building dedicated to which the ancient temple of Sofia was turned? A female warrior, related by her nephew, she was the founder of the Muslim faith - Muhammad. She, performing a mission of service - the spread of Islam - died during the campaign, breaking her neck when falling from a war horse. The mosque is really magnificent. Resorts who have chosen the Sandy Beach 4 * hotel for relaxation, there are also frequent guests.
Conclusion
A wonderful and even inexpensive place to relax can become a resort for Cyprus. You just need to choose a budget hotel complex. Sandy Beach 4 *, a hotel of the Sentido Hotels chain, demonstrates this. Of course, Sandy hotels with a developed network in Turkey and Greece are not as famous as their eminent brothers from the Marriott, Hilton, Radisson chains. After all, their niche in spa holidays is a quality budget guesthouse. And in this capacity they are in demand by holidaymakers. The latter is proved by the dynamically developing hotel chain Sandy.
Fly to Cyprus! Sandy Beach 4 * we recommend as a place for a wonderful summer vacation.