IF YOU are planning a getaway to one of the island’s tourist centres this summer, it pays to shop around for the best deal, according to the latest Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) survey.
The CTO survey, which compared and contrasted the price of seven typical items in tourist establishments, such as restaurants, cafes and bars, has highlighted a surprisingly wide range of prices for the same products in the same types of venue.
The survey covered water, juice, frappe, Cyprus coffee, soft drink, beer, and a burger and chips.
In some cases, customers are forking out more than four times more than in nearby establishments, although in most cases the higher prices were in hotels.
For example, the survey showed a 500 ml bottle of water in Nicosia can range in price from €0.50 to €2.50, while a 330 ml can of soft drink in Larnaca costs anything from €1.40 to €4.00.
A similar disparity exists for coffee. For example, a frappe in the Famagusta district ranges from €2.20 to an alarming €5.
Islandwide, the most expensive 500ml bottle of water in the survey was at the Captain’s Table in Zygi, where water costs €3. The cheapest was in the Pyrgos Bay hotel, where a bottle costs €0.75
Following closely behind the Pyrgos Bay hotel, and seemingly the best value for money establishment in the survey is the Romantzo Beach restaurant near Larnaca, where water costs €0.85 and a 330ml can of beer costs €1.71. The average cost of a can of beer clocked at €2.
Five locations are vying for the most expensive can of beer on the island, although none dared exceed the already staggering €4 mark.
They are; The Constantinos the Great and Vrissiana hotels (near Protaras), Nissi Bay in Ayia Napa, Golden Bay and Princess hotel (near Dhekelia) and the luxury five star Annabelle Hotel.
The Annabelle, unsuprisingly, is among the most expensive on the island for most of the survey’s products, charging, for example, the survey’s most expensive burger and chips (€16.50) the second most expensive 250 ml carton of orange juice – €4.50 and a hefty €4 for a Cyprus coffee.
The honour of most expensive 250ml carton of orange juice goes to the nearby Almyra, where you will need to part with €5 for your fruity fix.
In general 250ml of juice weighed in at around €1.50 but the Kings Snack Bar in Paphos charges €2.60.
On the cheaper end of the scale, Cyprus coffee can be still found for €1 in such places as Blue Peter in Fig Tree Bay, Anemos in Fig Tree Bay, and Marios Fish Tavern in Zygi, among others.
The full list can be found at:
http://media.visitcyprus.com/media/b2b_gr/News_Releases/Paratiritirio_timon.pdf
A survey on the prices at Nicosia cafeterias can be found at;
http://media.visitcyprus.com/media/b2b_gr/News_Releases/kafeteries_lefkosias.pdf
