Ayia Napa: The Luxurious Island of Cyprus

1st July- 8th July 2019

Ayia Napa, Cyprus, a location for lost memories, regret-filled nights out and new friends. When my friends and I began to plan our trip for Napa in December of 2018, we weren’t quite prepared for the holiday it turned out to be. We prepared an itinerary, making sure to leave room for sore heads, and gathered a collection of important numbers, addresses and names in order to give our parent’s peace of mind.

We’d just finished our A-Levels and four friends, and I were setting off for a girl’s trip to celebrate. From the first to the eighth of July, we jetted off for a week of sea, sun and alcohol- a match we later decided wasn’t made in heaven.

Accommodation

Upon arrival, we quite literally bundled into a suspicious, black van with tinted out windows, and prayed we would reach our destination safely. Our destination? A run-down apartment block with skips and abandoned cars littering the car park. The apartment itself was something out of dreams: two bedrooms with no curtains on the windows (we later found towels to be a great alternative), a shower (which only produced boiling water) and a kitchen. It was a nightmare but seemed to only add to Ayia Napa’s charms.

Reading the reviews of our home for the next week, we became aware of an issue with ‘cat poo littering the garden’ (the garden being astro-turf, by the way). This didn’t bother us, but also didn’t quite prepare us for the audience of stray cats we’d witness every morning. They lounged around the discarded cars, they sunbathed on our ‘grass’, they stared down at us from our roof- two quickly became favourites: ‘Kendall Jenner’, a particularly tall and slim one and ‘Catamine’, as pictured.

I wish this was where the weird intricate details of our apartment stopped, but, it’s not. Not only did one of the two available beds break upon first sitting on it, we also had an issue with air conditioning (or lack thereof). The bedroom I shared with my friend, Sophie, had an air conditioning vent above the bed, which only produced hot air. Sadly, this was something we became aware of three days into the trip, by which point we’d accepted our room permanently being forty degrees. A benefit to our apartment? It was only thirty seconds from the strip. Our apartment may have been run down, it may have been broken, and it may have been shifty, but it only added to the experience, and I would stay there again simply for the amusement that came as a result.

Food

I wish I could offer some useful restaurant reviews but to put it quite simply, we had a rather tight budget. We seemed to eat Bolognese for lunch and dinner practically every day- the sauce being one from a jar, by the way. For breakfast, we branched out to eat either Nutella or garlic spread on toast. Evidently, we ticked off all the food groups on this trip. However, we tested the waters with dining out here and there. My favourite restaurant was ‘Tequila Mexican Restaurant’ just a short walk from our apartment. We visited here on our second night and weren’t quite ready for the experience. The food was nice, but the atmosphere was something else. It appeared on the night we went; it was half of Cyprus’ birthday. Every ten minutes, the music would stop, and sparklers would come out and a literal Mariachi band would run through the entire restaurant. Of course, we did the only thing that made sense in this situation- pretend it was my birthday. We were gifted free tequila shots for everyone at the table, a free dessert of ice cream and cake, and were serenaded by the Mariachi band. Maybe not a relaxing dinner, but an incredible experience. Another favourite spot of ours was a small ice-cream stand along Nissi Avenue, somewhere we walked to every day. The stand was linked to the SunPrime Suites and Spa and was a much needed opportunity to rest and relax throughout the day.

Daytime

The majority of the daytime was spent lounging around our apartment, our garden, or by the pool. However, when we were feeling up to it, we managed to do a meagre bit of exploring. On the third day, we set off to ‘Waterworld Water Park’, which was about a twenty-minute (packed and non-air-conditioned) bus ride away. The entrance fee was 39 euros, and well worth it for access to the sprawling water park. There were a variety of rides, restaurants and sun loungers allowing for ample opportunity to be entertained or to relax. All Ancient Greek themed, the waterpark wasn’t overly packed and included a range of rides for all age groups.

To contrast this outing, on the fourth day we attended ‘Pambos Pool Party’ at the Napa Rocks Hotel. This was potentially one of the worst experiences of the trip, my fault entirely. We’d booked the event the day prior and, after spending thirty-something euros on it, felt rather obliged to go. Unfortunately, the night before had been rather heavy (the first mistake) and so none of us were feeling up to it. For some reason, it didn’t register in any of our heads that this was Ayia Napa’s equivalent of Ocean Beach. Dressed in cargo shorts and t-shirts, caps on our heads; kids SPF50 sun cream and kindles in rucksacks, we set off. A minute away from the hotel, we began to notice that we weren’t quite dressed for the occasion. Model-esque girls with their hair and makeup done, and fashionable bikinis were heading in the direction of the hotel. Fear began to spread across our faces. Quite frankly, we looked like thirteen-year-old girl guides. As part of our ticket, we’d booked sun beds (a necessity if I’m honest), and so we followed a bouncer through the crammed crowds and watched on the sidelines as he kicked four girls off ours. Guilt-ridden and under-dressed, we spread out our belongings and began to get comfortable. This pool party was like no other, hundreds and hundreds of people were in the pool, by the bar, by the sun loungers- crammed in like ants quite literally. Would I recommend this? If you’re not hungover, you’re dressed for the occasion, and you’re looking for fun throughout the day, it is perfectly up your alley!

An honourable mention to Nissi Beach; a short drive from The Strip and a lovely opportunity to visit the Mediterranean Sea. Here you can higher water sports equipment, have a meal, or sun-bathe. Make sure to bring 5 euros along to hire a sun-bed, though- definitely needed.

Nightlife

From our trip to Ayia Napa, I’ve taken away two things: clubs are better than the events, and, get drink deals. On our first few nights we were robbed! Paying for entrance and then paying for one drink at a time- all money wasted. As we learnt the tricks of the trade, we decided to actually listen to the promoters roaming the street. The outcome? Entrance, a shot and a drink for five euros. For five poor girls, this seemed unmissable.

The Ayia Napa Strip has a whole variety of clubs and bars, from a Flintstones themed outdoor club ‘Bedrock’, to a pirate themed club ‘Pirates Inn’. No matter your music taste, there was an option for you. Although not a typical night-out in Napa, on our final night we spent hours at a karaoke bar, just thirty seconds from our apartment. From ‘American Boy’ to ‘Valerie’, we tested out our vocals over some drinks. Maybe we were atrocious, but that’s beside the point.

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So, what's my perspective on Ayia Napa? Although it was easily the grottiest holiday I've been on to date, that's kind of the point. It allowed us to let our hair down and enjoy a week without responsibility. I would go again with ease, and would want as equally a crummy apartment to go with it.