Holidays and Other Excursions

Tag: prawns

Paphos Cyprus

Sunday 26 March to Monday 3 April 2017

A cheap week away in the sunshine.  There will be this post on the holiday and then two more – one on our trip to the Troodos Mountain and another on our visit to the Archaeological Park in Paphos.

The holiday is cheap because we travelling on Air Miles (or Avios Points as they are known these days) reflecting a pay back for our trip to Australia.  We have merely paid the taxes and the flights are “free”.  Jackie has been to Cyprus previously with Veronica and stayed at the Annabel, so she should know her way around and where we need to go.

We are not staying at the Annabel but across the road and round the corner in the Anemi which is a little less expensive.  But first we have to get there and Elephant who are supplying our hire car are not waiting for us.  A lady from another company enables us to make a phone call and they turn up with the car and we are off.  It is now after 10 and we know the hotel locks up at 11.  We make it!  We do take a wrong turn as the final part is a paved area and it is not obvious it is a road to take.  The sat nav then takes us round in a circle to get us to the right place!

The area around the pool is in reasonable order and from the outside it is clear that some rooms in the hotel have been refurbished as the external windows have been changed – and it is equally obvious that the refurbishment work has not yet reached our end of the hotel.  It is therefore a little old and a little worn but the owners are obviously re-investing as the funds become available.  We are there for B&B only and we have a small kitchen area as it is an apart-hotel.  Towards the end of our stay we do establish that the main restaurant can serve a decent evening meal (and entertainment).

To Jackie the biggest surprise is that we can walk out of the hotel and along on to the main strip and there is a profusion of restaurants from which we need to make a choice most days.  Although she had been here before she was staying on half board terms and when she left the hotel the coach did not go along the front and so she was unaware of all the restaurants that exist.

A fish restaurant is selected for the first night and a Chinese for later in the week.  We have also booked St Georges which has been mentioned in the Sunday Times recently as being very good.  One lunchtime we eat in the beachfront cafe of the Almyra which is one of the very upmarket hotels.  All good places to eat.  Lot of seafood of course!

On Tuesday we are heading to the Troodos Mountains (which is a separate post) and on Friday 31 March we drove along the coast to Limassol which is a big port and the weather is wet, so when we get there it does not look terribly attractive, nor do we fancy wandering around in the rain!  Some photos taken along the coast road are here.  We head back towards Paphos and then find Melanda beach where Jackie found some prawns in the restaurant:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday are days spent doing very little – mainly finding different places to lie in the sun by the pool and absorb the sun.  We also do some observing of the local cat population.  The photos around Paphos are here.

During the week we wander along the front at Paphos and have a drink in a few of the many bars.  However it is not until nearly the end of the week that we find that there is a further group of restaurants right along at the far end by the castle – we did not go that far initially.  Also in the bit of town close to us we have a look at some of the other hotels and apartments to investigate possibilities for future visits.  A number of these have not opened up yet for 2017 and at least one is being redecorated in readiness for the main season.  So in the full season the choice would be almost mind bending – we had difficulty choosing from the selection that was open!

Generally pleasantly warm it is only the end of March.  A nice rest and not too expensive.  1976 miles by air for the single journey, so in total over 4000 miles covered this week.  There are other sights and other places to go, so we may well return to Cyprus in the future.

 

Thailand Day 7

Tuesday 15 December 2016

After the busy day yesterday we take it easy by the pool again today.

Outside and opposite the hotel within easy walking distance are a number of restaurants.  Last night we went to the Indian and had some particularly good prawns for starters.  (If we are close to water you can always guarantee that Jackie will order prawns; indeed she has been known to eat prawns followed by prawns).

Today we also go across the road to a Thai restaurant in the evening and a young couple from Bournemouth who were on the boat trip came from the hotel and we have seen them on and off around the pool and so on.

After dinner we join them in the “Small Bar” which is simply that.  We consume a few drinks and have a nice chat although we do not risk the toilets returning to the hotel for a final drink.

Caves of Nerja, Burriana Beach and Last Dinner

Friday 13 March 2015 & Saturday 14 March 2015

We have until today enjoyed warm sunshine but the sky is overcast today and there is a strong wind blowing.  Luckily we have planned to spend the morning visiting the famous Caves of Nerja which were discovered in 1959 by some local teenagers.  Today there is a rather more formal entrance and descent using stairs and a tour around a small number of caves.  There are a further number which are not publically accessible where research and study is undertaken.

The caves contain many fantastic examples of stalactites and stalagmites many formed into columns which have taken millenina to come together.  Indeed in the fifty years since discovery the shape and extent of them has probably hardly changed to the visible eye.

The accompanying audio tour gives a good explanation of the discovery but also of the history.  The caves were occupied from about 40,000 years ago until about 4,000 years ago and are now known to contain some of the oldest cave paintings in the world.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caves_of_Nerja

http://www.thenerjacaves.com

I find the caves to be drier and warmer than I had expected, indeed on emerging I feel a greater need for a coat than I had experienced underground.

Getting good photos in the Caves is not easy – so the number here are limited.

And it is now colder although it would be even chillier at home.  So that puts paid to the sunbathing and getting browner and also kills off any idea of more sugar free ice cream!

So we head over to the other beach at Burriana – all good going and near the end there is a massive long downhill zig zag to sea level.  On the edge of the beach are numerous restaurants and all are doing some form of barbecue.  “Ayo” is recommended and is famous in that the owner is one of the five boys who nearly 60 years ago discovered the caves we visited earlier.  We take a look at the others but decide to eat in Ayo.  As we wander past it they are cooking the most enormous paella – the pan is so large that it takes two people to lift it off the fire (which is being fed broken down wooden pallets!).  And it is clearly hot and well liked as we see numerous portions being delivered from the pan.

We are always contrary – I wanted some prawns and I receive five of the largest prawns I have ever seen.  A plate of the paella was €6.75; my prawns were €15 which was about the most expensive item on the menu.  But plenty for lunch as we have dinner booked.

Going back to our hotel seemed a lot harder – that nice zig zag down is a much harder crawl back up the hill.

Come Saturday night it is time for our last restaurant outing, this time to Bakus in Calle Caballero.  This is about half way to Burriana without the descent to sea level.  Indeed most of Nerja is fairly flat, but way above sea level.

It does not open at lunchtime and not all evenings – so checking in advance and booking is essential – particularly as it was full on the evening we were there.  The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the steak which was just right and a good piece of meat.  The lowlight was my head!  I stood up to go to the gents and my head collided with a low flying lampshade.  Which my wife then noticed was missing a piece of the glass of the lampshade.  I spent several moments looking for the missing piece and finding nothing before going on my original errand.

On my return my wife advised that in fact the piece had been broken some months ago with a wine bottle and not with my head that evening.  I think they need to be a little higher!

The wine list had a range of wines from about €10 to €30 – very different to UK prices.  Not really recognising any of the listed offers we asked the waiter for a suitable red to go with the steaks we had ordered and he pointed at us at a Tempranillo for €15.  Bear in mind this is about £12 at present.  Tell me of a restaurant that even sells a wine at that price in the UK.

Having had a good week on the food and drink we also enjoyed this final meal and the total bill was around €90 including the tip.  This maybe expensive for Nerja, but is exceedingly good value for money in most parts of the world.  We enjoyed our meal and it was noticeable that even at this relatively quiet time of the year the restaurant was full by the time we left (we always eat early).

On the way back into town we stopped off at a little bar my wife had been eyeing up all week.  Basic – but a good Rioja is €2 for a glass.  They also cook flaming sausages at the barrel top in front of you.  We did not partake have already eaten well, but I think it will force my wife to return to this part of the world.

Great food, great wine and good value prices.  Must be time to go home.

More soon.