The enquiry came from a polite Italian man who wanted to know the price to rent with us for August for him and 5 of his friends. As I always like to do in this situation I enquired as to whether this was an all male group as we have some strict polices on this.

He confirmed “We are 19-20 years old! And we are a group of boys and girls. Why? Is a problem?”. “Of what are you afraid? We are not vandals! And I think that if you rent your villa it is senseless you are afraid! So we can’t stay in your villa? If you are afraid why you decided to renti it?!”

The feeling I got (and a lot of times it is a feeling) was that this booking sounded like trouble as they didnt really appreciate why this might be a problem. This might be a cultural thing but I doubt it.

He signed off his last email in style

“-.-” Ok. Fuck you and your villa. So remove your villa from internet! “

Nice!

Ayia Napa. What image do these two words conjure? Whether it’s a stunning coastline, water sports or lively nightlife, it is an undeniable hotspot for tourists and Cypriots alike. Ayia Napa has long been a profitable mecca for clubbing tourism. It’s a playground for the 18 to 30 crowds with its endless sunshine, enticing turquoise waters and decadent party vibe. Throughout August, the east coast is also a draw for Cypriots in search of a weekend escape from the island’s sun baked cities. But what is it like when the summer is over?

“When you finish work you feel like every day you’re on vacation. I feel like a tourist but I’m not,” enthuses Emil Georgia. He is a Bulgarian chef who works at Othello restaurant in Ayia Napa and lives in the town all year long. Emil relishes the carefree lifestyle and buzz of tourists, “it’s better when there are more people,” he grins.

Chris Topliss, a musician, club DJ, Napa Live promoter and the owner of Live Lounge in Ayia Napa, agrees that the visitors create the area’s distinctive vibe. “I like that there’s people from all over Europe. You’re exposed to all nationalities here. We have Brits, Scandinavians, Russians and people from the Middle East coming on holiday here.”

Chris has lived in the area for 10 years and testifies to its enduring appeal, “Napa’s been good to me. I’d never say anything negative about it. You can walk out at any time of the day or night and get anything you want. Everything’s always open. You can have people on balconies partying until the early hours but that’s never bothered me. There are a lot of people so if you’re looking for an early night and peace and quiet you’re not going to get it here. I like it. I guess you have to be a people person to like it,” he admits.

It’s not only the bars, restaurants and clubs which prosper throughout the summer. Dive schools, boat yards, hotels, spas and even pharmacies can appreciate the thriving trade brought by Cypriot and overseas tourists. The work while demanding and relentless during these peak months often keeps businesses afloat during the quiet winter season.

“A huge percentage of business is tourists. We go to the hotels and do pool demonstrations. We get a lot of repeat customers who come back to us all the time,” says Gary Connor, the owner of Divers Unlimited in Protaras. He moved with his wife and two grown up children to Cyprus in 2004 from Kent.

Gary insists that despite the high levels of tourism it is also possible to achieve a sense of community and experience authentic Cyprus on the coast. “I always came here on holiday and always planned to retire here. I live in Paralimni while the shop is in Protaras so I don’t get affected by the tourists. I want to live where the Cypriots live. I don’t want a different neighbour every two weeks. I came to Cyprus for a change of life,” he says.

But the region’s popularity with tourists can interrupt the slow pace so many expats crave and relocate to the region for. Inevitably, the bustle causes a strain on resources and infrastructure during the summer for locals. Stacey Christofides, a self employed nail technician and hot stone therapist from Bath, has spent 16 years living in Cyprus and is the mother of three children here. Although she loves her hometown, she reveals that she actually dreads the summer season.

“Peak season in this area is the worst time of year, the reason being in July it’s not so much the tourists as the Nicosians who have their holidays and all come down. The road system is not equipped for that level of traffic or busyness. Every Sunday throughout the summer we don’t go anywhere because the shops and beach would take me two hours to get to. The summer is the worst time for me,” she explains.

Despite these difficulties, Stacey wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else and says that the rest of the year makes up for the inconvenience of the summer, although she adds, “I do like the buzz of it, the place is alive. With my neighbours, there is music and barbecues and everything is left open.”

Stacey’s street is almost entirely Cypriot and her children attend Cypriot schools. The community she is a part of makes it feel like more than just a holiday town to her.

“I stayed here because it’s where I first came to. The people I met, we all stayed, got married had kids and we grew up together. For me as a mother, life is already in a routine, school, work – it’s normal life. It’s an idyllic area to live. On a nice sunny day you can go on a beautiful coastal walk. Your house is more open, people come round, walk in, put the kettle on before you do. Here you’re always a little bit in holiday mode. It’s a relaxed, laid back way of life,” she smiles.

While the local residents are overwhelmed by the choice of activity to fill their summer days, it can be a struggle to keep the children entertained during the winter months.

Once the tourist season ends, the region is almost unrecognisable. Anyone who has been to central Ayia Napa will be struck by its eerie film set quality. Almost everywhere is boarded up or closed. Ayia Napa itself resembles a ghost town.

Emil complains, “the winter is boring. The restaurant is open and only about three other places. I do some sport, go to the gym. There are not so many people here. At the end of season everybody’s tired.”

Chris concedes, “It’s odd to live in Napa without being next to tourists in peak season.” He tends to split his time between Cyprus and the UK or goes on tour with his band during the four month lull.

“I have to prepare for Napa Live and tour with my band so it’s a mad rush to get open for May 1 every summer. It can be full on. When you’re working in the summer you don’t get to spend a lot of time writing. I’m looking forward to being a musician again for a bit.”

Gary’s dive shop closes during the winter giving him a chance to relax and reap the rewards of the summer. “By November you just want to rest anyway,” he says. “It’s a hectic time, you need a holiday. What I like about the winter is it gives you the opportunity to catch up with everybody. You see people in the summer but no one has got the time to socialise. The biggest problem is that no one has any money coming in, in the winter. We have barbecues with friends, go round their houses. It doesn’t have to be expensive.”

The satisfied resident grins broadly, “I’d rather be here where I don’t earn the money of England but I wake up in sunshine and look forward to going to work.”

It was announced yesterday that hotel occupancy in Ayia Napa and Protaras reached full capacity during the summer period with the added bonus of the holiday season stretching till November.

Lakis Avraamides, director of Ayia Napa-Protaras Regional Tourism Board told the Cyprus Mail that several factors had resulted in the tourist boom.

“We are very happy, this is one of the best years in the last decade – the best one was exactly ten years ago and we are almost approaching those figures – so yes, we are happy.”

Numbers have been boosted by the flow of British tourists which has also increased compared to the same period last year. According to Mayor Antonis Tsokkos, Britain remains the main tourist market, with Russia following close second.

“We are very keen to maintain the British market and indeed increase it – we will never fall into a trap where we will only count on one market,” Tsokkos told the Cyprus Mail.  “Russians are though taking a big share of the market”

Tsokkos said the current success of his resort was the result of hard work from the government, municipality, local businesses and the tourist development board.

The mayor did however stress that the growing problem of ‘all inclusive’ holidays was affecting the resort.  Restaurant and bar owners have continuously complained that all-inclusive tourists add ‘absolutely nothing’ to the local economy.

“With all inclusive, not everybody gets the full benefit of hotel occupancy, so we are very keen to encourage private individuals to come to Ayia Napa so everyone can benefit.”

Earlier this summer First Choice holidays started taking only all-inclusive bookings, which include flights, transfers, hotel accommodation and three meals a day, plus unlimited local drinks for a single one-off fee.

Avraamides says that Russian sun-seekers have become the latest target of tourism officials. He has personally been to Russia seven times this year to promote local tourism in what he describes as Ayia Napa ‘growing market’.

“The signs that it would be a good year for the Ayia Napa and Protaras came from the very beginning of the year, because for the past two years Ayia Napa has been the main market for Russian tourists. This year the Russians increased their capacity to Cyprus by 100,000 seats”

According to the CTO, 223,000 tourists from Russia visited the island last year, a staggering jump of 50 per cent in comparison to 2009.

Avraamides added that concern over political and social upheaval continued to deter many of those who in the past may have considered booking holidays in the likes of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

“The problems in Egypt and Tunisia meant some tourists came here as well, so we had a feeling that it would be a very good season.”

Avraamides said that there is universal relief amongst tourism officials that Ayia Napa has shaken off its clubbing image, which brought endless bad publicity in the last decade.

“Surprisingly, there are some people who still think that Ayia Napa is only a clubbing resort, which we do have only during July and August – but you’ll see the difference between the image and the reality if you go around the resort. The twenty to thirty thousand people here are not just teenagers – they are mostly families.”

Separately, it was announced yesterday that the hotel occupancy rate in Larnaca had also reached 100 per cent with the majority of tourists coming from traditional Cyprus’ markets as Britain, Russia and Germany.

Get away from the rain for just £750 for the villa for the week (price is for the villa and it can sleep a maximum of six people). Choose any 7 nights between 30th June and 13th July and get flights for as low as £180 with Monarch (3rd July – 10th July)

If you’re interested, email bookings@nissivillas.com.

This bargain wont be around forever!!!

http://en.aegeanair.com/ is their website – price it up and come and stay with us.

Our villas are situated a stones throw from the wonderful golden sands of Nissi Beach and an ideal location for anyone looking to sample Europe’s finest.

Monarch’s new scheduled flights to Paphos will operate twice per week from Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s, starting from 04 May 2011.

Commenting on the launch of the new flights to Paphos, Managing Director of Monarch Airlines, Tim Jeans said, “Monarch has been operating scheduled flights to Larnaca since 2007 and already carries over 300,000 passengers to Cyprus annually. The addition of new services to Paphos is in direct response to customer feedback and will increase the number of Monarch seats between the UK and Cyprus by 35% next Summer”.

Monarch operates scheduled flights to Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, Cyprus and Turkey from Birmingham, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester airports. In addition to year-round low fares, Monarch also offers a unique range of tasty hot and cold meals that can be pre-booked or purchased onboard with prices from £3.00. To enable customers to select where in the cabin they sit and ensure that families and groups sit together, seats can be pre-booked from £7.50 per one-way flight, or from only £15, extra-legroom seats are available, which offer up to six inches of extra space.

Passengers travelling on scheduled flights can also avoid the queues at the airport and take advantage of online check-in which is available between 18 days and 4.5 hours prior to departure.

For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk.

For small children, there is the Trojan Adventure, a play structure with water pistols, slides and a bucket that fills with water and soaks everyone in its path!

If you’d like to visit the waterpark whilst you stay with us please email bookings@nissivillas.com