This is a review of a package holiday to a specific hotel in Protaras rather than an overall review of the resort.
Seven nights HB at the 4* Tsokkos Gardens Hotel, Protaras, Cyprus October, 2002
Through Goldensun - booked over the internet. We paid £844 each for two adults + £292 for one child. Our first visit to Cyprus
Flight We flew with Eurocypria on the 10.10pm out of Gatwick arriving at Larnaca in the small hours. There was no in flight entertainment at all so don't forget your Walkman or a large paperback. The journey was a bit of a trial, fortunately our five year old slept on the plane which made life a bit easier. The final transfer
from the airport to the hotel seemed to take ages, dropping off at about four hotels before finally arriving at the Tsokkos Gardens at about 6 am local time.
The hotel… The hotel itself is fine and certainly deserved its four stars. We loved the huge irregular shaped pool. Ankle deep at one end, a full two metres at the other. There are a couple of bridges in the middle to amuse the kids. Plenty of sun beds and this time of year no need to bag them. The pool is unheated and it was just about warm enough to swim. There is an indoor heated pool too, so we used the outdoor pool for a bit and then popped in to the inside one to warm up a bit.
We were pleased with our room, big enough, clean and nicely decorated. It even had a sea view (just about) which we didn't pay a supplement for. Everything worked including the a/c although this time of year you could probably get away without it.
Restaurants Reading previous reviews there seemed to be a bit of a question mark over the cuisine. I can only say things must have improved. The highlight for me was the carvery with huge succulent slices of turkey, pork, beef or gammon. It's true to say that the food is geared towards the largely English clientele. On the first night for example we had roast turkey, compete with roast spuds, Brussels sprouts and cranberry sauce. The local wines were very good - definitely worth trying. My only criticism of the food would be that there's not much in the way of local dishes also the menu is quite short. Overall the ambiance in the restaurant was fine the food very good, and the service excellent .It was nice to see the staff particularly accommodating to children.
Facilities The usual array. Bars, supervised children’s playroom, video games area, gym, jaccuzi, massage room, sauna, steam room, tennis, table tennis. Additional charge for some, e.g. massage, jaccuzi etc
Entertainment We didn't get a chance to sample the entertainment.
To the beach… The Tsokkos Garden is about five minutes from the sea. You walk through another hotel to get to the coast which seems a bit strange. The beach here is not very nice, it's a small cove and looks a bit unkempt. For your traditional bucket 'n' spade beach turn right and it's a twenty minute walk into Protaras. Here the sands is golden, a gentle incline into the warm blue Med. Just the job. All along the beach at Protaras you can hire out things like jetskis, do parasailing etc. On the way back each night we stopped at Safiros Kiosk for drinks. Excellent cold beer at reasonable prices - we found the music a bit loud but our daughter liked the swing and slide in the garden.
If you turn left instead and walk for about five minutes there is a lovely sandy cove. It's quite small and I imagine that peak season it would get very crowded.
We didn't like... Carrying our own baggage to the hotel room on arrival (especially after a long journey)
Paying CY£1 a day extra to use the fridge in the room (seemed a bit stingy)
No mini-disco. Wot no Birdy Song, no Hokey Kokey or shaking it all about ? The childrens’ disco was advertised on the animation board, but apparently finished "last month". Crying shame ! Cue difficult explanation from daddy to frustrated five year old disco diva.
Tips The iced doughnuts at breakfast are delicious but they go quickly and are not replaced. Get in there quick !
You can change sterling and travellers cheques at reception, but the nearest cash point is ten minutes walk. Go left out of the hotel, left again and then right at the T junction at the top of the road. The road leads down into Pernera and you will find several banks with 24 hr cash points.
The Greek word for South starts with the letter N so when you’re driving and see signs with an N you’re actually heading South. Confusing or what? At least they drive on the right side of the road, the left I mean. And, the Greek word for Yes sounds a bit like the English “No” which could cause no end of confusion on a bad day.
In short Thumbs up to the Tsokkos Gardens, Cyprus - it does exactly what it says on the tin. We wanted a nice hotel, not too long a flight and warm weather in October. This is exactly what we got - you can't say fairer than that.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Great first op! I love Cyprus (although I'm a tad biased being half Cypriot myself!!) but I've never actually been to Protaras I'm ashamed to say!! :) Jami
MRS.CANADA 03.11.2002 18:28
What a wonderful first review. I've never been to Cyprus.
Did you eat some Turkish/Greek Delight when you were there?
Lyla
gearysgirl 03.11.2002 17:14
Welcome to Ciao!! Briliant first op, which I loved reading!! The tips were VH - especially the bits about N meaning South! I stand less chance of getting lost now!! Aimee x
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Nov 3rd, 2002
very helpful by (100%):
