Protaras was our first choice of wedding venue. Mainly because there was a guarantee of beautiful sunshine, a rarity in Scotland.
We chose the hotel Grecian Park, situated just outside Protaras, at Cape Greco. The hotel was located on a cliff top and the views were spectacular.
As we were getting married whilst staying at the hotel, we were given a free upgrade to the honeymoon suite and it was beautiful. The rooms were huge and we had 2 balconies overlooking the sea.
We were well looked after at the hotel, and although weddings were popular there, you were always made to feel that you were the first to get married there. The Cypriot people love weddings and they are always the first to come up and congratulate couples who have just got wed.
My husband and I had both been to Cyprus before and fell in love with the island, so naturally it was always going to be where we would tie the know. We took our parents and a few close friends out with us a it was a lovely holiday.
The cost was a fraction of what it would cost for a wedding in Britain. Each couple paid for themselves as they said it was their holiday, so the cost of our wedding in total was about £3500. We paid £799 each for the holiday, which was based on 2 weeks half board. The price for children was only £199. This was bargain as the hotel was 5* and attention to detail was excellent.
There was plenty to do in and around the hotel. We spent most of the time walking to Protaras as that was where the best beaches were. There was a beach near the hotel, but it was a long walk up and down the hill. Our daughter was 2 at the time and it was a bit of a trek with a buggy. It was a nice walk to Protaras, about 20 minutes from the hotel, there was always a nice breeze to cool you down whilst walking.
We went to Fig Tree Bay beach a couple of times and this was very popular with families as the water was shallow for quite a long way out and the sand was lovely and soft.
There were a lot of day cruises, we went on one and it cost about £8 for the whole day and it took you right round the island. You were given a meal of a baked potato and cous-cous and a cold drink of beer. The boat stopped a couple of times near a beach to let the passengers jump into the sea for a swim. This came as a welcome relief as it was really hot, even in October.
Another day was spent at the water park in Ayia Napa. We decided to catch the bus outside the hotel and it only cost about 40 pence each to get there. In fact you could travel from the furthest end in Protaras to the other end of Ayia Napa for the same price, so transport is relatively cheap. We found taxis were reasonable too - and air-conditioned.
As were half-board most of the time we ate at the hotel. You could choose between the A-la Carte menu which was superb, or if you wanted you could just eat from the buffet. Both choices were excellent offering many choices. All food was served hot and fresh food was brought out constantly. However, we did venture out a couple of times for a meal out, just for a change and we found a local taverna just down the hill from the hotel and the meals there were lovely and reasonably priced. It cost us approximately £15 for a meal for 3 including wine, starters and dessert.
As our wedding was during the second week, it felt like the holiday was over too quick. It would have been nice to spend a few more days on honeymoon. All too soon it was time to go home.
Our wedding was absolutely beautiful and I would recommend Cyprus to anyone thinking about getting married abroad. The photos were of excellent standards and we had loads taken. We were given all the negatives which is great as we have had loads of copies made, a lovely photo album and a silver photo frame as a gift from the photographer.
We flew from Manchester to Larnaca with First Choice Holidays. The flight was just over 5 hours, but the time passed as there was a big group of us.
We had booked to go this summer, but due to the Gulf War, we were advised to choose somewhere else. We decided against flying altogether this year and are going away in our caravan instead, but hopefully next year we will be travelling to Cyprus again.