Cyprus

A review not related to Israel but a neighboring country. We decided to take a little breather from Israel and flew to Cyprus for Channukah. And we were reminded of the challenges flying with 4 children. But we managed. Somehow. 

We stayed at the Blue Lagoon, a hotel resort that featured an outdoor and indoor pool, spa, jacuzzi, kosher food, synagogue, playroom, Beit midrash, two bedroom suites (capacity for 7 people), and right on the beach - - that didn't really have waves or your typical Tel Aviv beach scene. 

We'd rate the resort with 3.5 stars given the kid friendly comfort level. The food was ok (for us it's nice to have any hotel with fresh kosher food but you could tell in regards to scale, that there are places much better in Israel). I guess in that sense we haven't yet experienced true luxury but for the kids if really was comfortable. There wasn't any cable TV so the kids got bored quickly (they didn't learn any Greek, even though we tried) which we should have battled with toys and coloring books but we didn't. Instead we took to the lobby and open spaces. Guests were so friendly and we made new friends which was the best experience than any vacation we've had so far within Israel. People were looking to make connections (Jewish geography). It was also great that even though we were not part of a tour group, we were able to join outtings. The hotel also took care of transport to and from the airport. This was critical. We didn't have to rent a car, so we really stayed within budget. 

On the last day we visited the Chabad in Pathos, walked along the boardwalk. Enjoyed a Starbucks. Went to a nasty playground in Pathos that had graphitti and swastikas. That was... interesting. We didn't see anything else Jewish or related to the immigration issues under the British mandate. But seeing the landscape of Cyprus, real grass and the other side of the sea, by day two we were ready to come home. 

We were very much surprised by how underdeveloped Cyprus is in comparison to Israel. The usual businesses such as KPMG or Goldman Sacks just didn't exist. There were also limited food exports that we've always been so used to seeing available even in London or Paris. It was very hard to find kosher food outside of the hotel which meant we had to eat full breakfasts and dinner to make it through the day. 

It was nice to have a plane ride just 30 minutes to get back to Israel. To see the kids happy to come back home was the best. At the hotel our oldest chimed that it's the best life to be Israeli. Listening to others on their porches light their menorahs was so special. 

Cyprus has yet to become a real destination, but if you love hiking and nature, less so into more heavy tourist areas with rich history, Cyprus is great and affordable.

Sharing a daily play by play by Josh:

Cyprus Day 1:

What we have seen of Cyprus so far is just the road from the airport to the resort. It is lusher here than Israel even during the rainy season. Otherwise no tall buildings and overall generally under developed. We will probably go to the huge mall tomorrow to find at the very least a charger since we didn’t have the proper one before we left. 

Now for the play by play:

Day 1

Early wake up. I figured I would be able to daven once we got settled at the airport which by my estimate would have been around 8 or 8:30. Unfortunately, the Ryanair app tells you to go to terminal 3 where in reality all the flights leave from the old terminal 1. So we had to take another shuttle and then go through a massive security line which took like 40 minutes. After several consultations with management, the determination was that my Israeli passport which the airport authority themselves ripped 6 months ago is not valid. Luckily, I had my American passport with me and though in Cyprus they took my ripped Israeli one. Another project. When at the gate, the Ryanair gates have no access to the בית כנסת so I had to pray in the terminal. Ryanair almost forgot 1/3 of the passengers at the gate (remember this is terminal 1 so you have to take a bus to the plane) so we left 30 minutes late. The shuttle from the airport worked well and it was a smooth ride. The resort is nice. Overall well-maintained and comfortable, though the AC is off for the season so the rooms are warm during the day. Just about everyone here right now is Jewish so it is familiar surroundings even though we are away from home. The food is decent (really anything besides chocolate at this point would be good). We went to the supermarket here (Lidl) and it was an interesting place. Very small compared to both Israel and American standards. When lighting candles someone above us mentioned that they forgot to bring so we gave them what we had and he gave some Chanukah gelt to Yaki! The gas station was closed as many things are closed here on Sundays. The בית מדרש has a full Hebrew artscroll Gemara so I’m going to do some learning now. More updates tomorrow!

Day 2

We went to Tomb of the Kings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Josh/Aba the world’s worst unlicensed tour guide (TM) was in full swing. Entrance was only 5 Euro and guide book for 4. Then we went in the jacuzzi for a bit in the afternoon. Different food menu for dinner. 

Play-by-play:

Part I

Shacharit started promptly at 7:30. Edot Hamizrach. For some reason we did birkat kohanim (I don’t think Edot Hamizrach typically does birkat kohanim during the week). I did peticha and had no idea what to do when putting it back. Went into breakfast; ate a lot knowing that there wasn’t going to be a lot of food until dinner. We made some sandwiches to munch on during the day. Walked the 1 km to Tombs of the Kings which probably never contained kings but rather just rich people for the time (about 400 BCE). Walked around for a bit but otherwise it was a lot of the same thing over and over. Still a beautiful place to be buried. We noticed it was weird that there are no waves on the coast here, just calm waters.

Part II

We began our return walk to the hotel, hoping to pick  up some cash so we could take a bus into town. The buses only take cash here and there are no apps to pay. To make things more complicated sources online say the drivers appreciate exact change. I didn’t bring any cash with me so there and an ATM on the way back that I planned to use to withdraw some cash. My Israeli bank card was immediately rejected; it wouldn’t even let me put in the pin. We move on to stop at the supermarket and use the orange juice machine (video below). We arrive back at the hotel and decide to try and sign up for a resort-sponsored excursion for tomorrow. I visit the concierge and sign up and attempt to pay, but they want only cash. “I’ll figure this out, I say”. So I head back to the room and tell Tamar that I am heading out to solve the cash issue. Concerned that my Israeli card wouldn’t work at any ATM if it didn’t work at the first one, I decide to call my American cc company to see if a cash advance would work. I get the details on that and head back to the original machine. Just to try my luck, I put my Israeli card back in and this time I get to the pin screen and proceed. It tells me what it will cost to withdraw the money (which was insane but at least wouldn’t be on my credit card) but it wouldn’t go through. I go online to buy some euro at my Israeli bank and try again, no dice. I buy some dollars (because that is what the ATM said it was trying to do) and try again and still no luck. Then I move to the CC I called and that didn’t work. I had one last CC to try but I had no idea what the pin was. A call to customer support later and got the pin situation sorted out. Time to try again, literally for all the money…and it worked! I run back to the hotel and try to find the concierge to pay but she had left for the day. Phew! 

Part III

We attempt to swim. The outdoor pools are freezing, the indoor pool is not heated (maybe because off-season?) but finally the hot tub jacuzzi is vacated and we hang out in there for 30 minutes. Head back to the room, change, deliver the first of “aba teaches street smarts sessions” about bathmats in hotels and then go to Mincha and maariv which were back to back and it was marvelous (this is unheard of in Israel and one of the things I miss most about chu”l). More time I. The room to light and wait for dinner and back to future was on TV! Dinner, bedtime and now off to learn. 

Tomorrow is a boat tour around the area, should be fun!

Day 3

Blue Lagoon at Akamas Peninsula National Park. Baths of Aphrodite. This was the trip that I needed to get the money for and will probably be the highlight of the trip. 

Play by play:

Davening started 15 minutes early to accommodate the travel plans. Some brave souls actually got to drive their own jeep (on the left side of the road) about 45 minutes (39 km) to the north part of the island. We took the bus that was on offer instead. The scenery was AMAZING! We didn’t make any stops to admire it really so all my pictures are through the bus window but I’m not exaggerating when I say it is a real life version of a Hidden Valley salad dressing label. The northern part of Paphos is a bit more built up and even has some luxury properties (more on that later) but I’d still say it is a city that is waiting to have a big break (lots of calm water may make it a good place for summer Olympics). Once we left the city we climbed through the mountains. Vineyards, farms, country eateries were most of the attractions along the way aside from the scenery. One place sold donkey milk (not kosher, but now you know where to get it and that it is a thing)! Once we reached the port in Poli/Latchi we boarded a boat that would take us to Blue Lagoon. It was about an hour boat ride each way and we were sailing parallel to the waves which made the boat rock right-to-left so a lot of people got seasick. The Blue Lagoon is shallow water so it warms up quickly. Several people took the opportunity to go for a swim but otherwise it was just a moment to admire the majestic bluffs that helped form the lagoon. Once back on terra firma, we boarded a bus to the Baths of Aphrodite. I have no idea how it got this name. The baths were located within a botanical garden and there was a short trail that Yaakov and I did with a young Chabad couple that is also on the trip. We may tour downtown Paphos with them tomorrow since they are on our return flight as well. From the botanical garden we went back over the mountain range to the sea caves which lie north of Paphos. This is a luxurious area whose claim to fame is that Shakira owns a home here. She lives in it once a year. What makes this neighborhood ironic is that 11 years ago, a ship carrying drywall ran aground amid bad weather and has been stuck ever since. So the most highly valued property in Paphos has a big ugly rusting ship ruining the view. There are no plans to remove the ship in the near future. The sea caves were cool as well because they are the nesting locations for seals during mating season. We didn’t see any but I’ll take Chris, our tour guide’s word for it. All this for €220 (plus all the fees to get the money), I’ll call that a good deal. We then returned back to the hotel and did our evening routine of praying, lighting, waiting for dinner and eating. Roast beef and chicken wings for dinner! Time to learn, more tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Day 4

“Downtown” Paphos, Chabad, and the return home. 

Play by play:

Wake up the latest I had all trip (I’m bad at sleeping) - 04:15. Luckily, I get to shul a bit early Bc they called and audible and started 15 minutes early so in reality I was only 5 minutes late (unfortunately not my first time). Breakfast as usual. We go back to the hotel room to pack up. We finish packing and it is still raining so we hang out a bit more watching teletubbies in Greek and whatever else is on. We then head over to some Chabad friends we made on the trip and who have a son and daughter the same age as our two youngest. The rain dissipates and we head over to wait for the bus into town. We make it to the mall a few minutes later but aside from a cool water display, there isn’t much to do there (though we got our daughter some badly needed shoes). One of kids was going crazy so we decided to head to a park near the mall. The park was not a nice park. Run down, covered in graffiti and not in what seemed like a great part of town, despite being near the newish mall which I imagine was/is part of an attempt to gentrify the neighborhood. After the park, we take another bus towards the Chabad house in Paphos but in a rare Google maps mistake, the bus line ends about a mile away from where we had to be so we follow the paved boardwalk along the coast in the direction of the Chabad house. We stop at a souvenir store to get some souvenirs (please be advised that many souvenir shops sell “adult” themed items) and have a snack. We continue walking and come to a fork in the road. The direction we choose takes us past a Starbucks and we grab drinks while Hodaya naps. I use the bathroom there but my options were either a urinal mounted about waist high or a regular toilet with a broken lightbulb that is moonlighting as a strobe light. I choose the strobe light but it wasn’t an easy decision. Continue on about 10 more minutes to the Chabad house. The Chabad house there has a restaurant associated with it which has a modest meat menu as well as some toys to play with. We grab an early dinner, meet some other people vacationing there, play some Jewish geography and realize we know the husband’s sister. Other members of the family want to try the Chabad dairy restaurant. The staff there were overwhelmed but doing their best. We grab a pizza and start the journey back to the hotel by bus. There are no transfers for single tickets so it was a double fare back to the hotel or €10 for all of us. The bus driver yells at one of the kids for bringing on a drink and then at me for asking a question about transfers (in general I did not find the bus drivers there to be overly friendly but it is a hard job and they all spoke English so that was a plus). We make it back to the hotel and hang around in the lobby and watch the sunset until the bus to the airport comes. The Chabad family is on our flight and they are like a traveling Chabad house with snacks and drinks and treats and Torah with seemingly no end. They were very helpful to us and may even meet up with them again here in Israel. The bus to the airport is uneventful (though it did stop at one point and the bus driver just left, but it ends up we were just picking up more passengers). Getting to the gate was a breeze, though they didn’t announce our gate until 40 minutes before boarding. The flight is uneventful though they never came around with drinks even to buy. We land and they take us back to terminal 3 for passport control. We get to cut the line but it doesn’t help because my ripped passport is flagged and I need to speak to the desk agent. There is traffic and it takes us a while to get home, we light candles, have a quick snack (a bowl of cereal is such a simple thing but so satisfying) and head to bed. The end to a great trip!

Blue Lagoon Review

During Covid, I started watching travel YouTubers. It was a great way to get away without leaving the house and I could learn a lot about places I would probably never go even without Covid having taken place. If I had to generalize about what the YouTubers present it is that value almost always matches what you pay and that if you are conscious of what you pay for you will not be disappointed. So, if I had to say the best thing about our stay at Blue Lagoon Kosher Resort is that its value matches its price. And that is a great thing. For my family of 6 (BH) we paid $1695 (~5900 shekel) for four days and three nights with half board or $95/pp/night. We booked in the late summer for Channukah dates.

The accommodations were spacious enough that we didn’t feel on top of each other. There are rooms even bigger than ours (we had a two-bedroom suite) that could probably accommodate large(r) families and I think they all came with a large fridge and a kitchenette area, though they are not "kosher". The staff were helpful and patient.

The food tasted good. It was served in a cafeteria setting. The breakfast I would say was "continental" so there were salads and pancakes and eggs (omelet station as well as scrambled made from egg-product, it seemed). As well as pastries and sufganiyot. They were not strict about taking food for the rest of the day during breakfast. For dinner, the menu was different each night (meat/chicken) along with the standard options for kids (pasta and chips). Unlimited refills at the soda machine. 

The Jewish amenities were aplenty (we did not stay for shabbat, but they have the ability to turn off all of the electronic locks and light sensors in the rooms) with minyan three times a day (there was even a second, non-Edot Hamizrach minyan each morning). The beit midrash was well-stocked with a selection of sefarim heavily-weghted towards Chabad-published volumes, but they have a full Artscroll Talmud in Hebrew and siddurim and a few tallitot, so if you feel comfortable risking it, you can leave it at home to make more room in your carry-on for Ryanair. They also claim to be the only resort in Paphos with an Eruv. They let us light Chanukiyot in our rooms/on our balconies, which removes one of the biggest issues with going away for Chanukah. When we were there, there were not separate swimming hours, though that may take place during the tourist/summer season. There is not a mikvah on the premises, though I heard one did recently open in town.

What are some suggestions that could have made our stay even more enjoyable? I think the biggest thing would be a good, modern, playground on-site (there is an open plot of land next to the hotel so space isn't the issue). Following that, I would say a heated pool option (might be a result of being there in the off-season, I didn't ask). Also, there was no cable TV (just digital broadcast from whatever gets picked up, one time we got an Israel channel, that's how close we were), which when a lot of your clientele either speaks English or Hebrew, it would be good to have some programming that wasn't in Greek. Better climate control of the rooms (the AC was turned off at the end of the summer) would be highly-appreciated. The ability to pay for excursions with a credit card would be huge. Finally, and by no means were they uncomfortable, I would suggest a higher-quality mattress, at least for the master suites. But none of these things should be viewed as deal breakers or things that detracted from the overall enjoyment of our trip.

Overall, I would say that the resort itself targeted my demographic, namely young families interested in a one-stop-shop vacation without breaking the bank. It is not romantic or luxurious, but comfortable and above the need to declare things as being "heimish" in order to come to terms with them (as in there was never a need to say "it's heimish" as an excuse for something). It is a stand-up operation that knows that the product they put forward affects their future business prospects. I recommend you check it out as a future option for your next family trip.