Walking on the spot - Paula Manoli-Gray

It is welcome news that Larnaca will gain some new hotels next year as the region truly is in a strange position of being a popular coastal town with few 'real' hotels.

There are plenty of hotel apartments, and even more privately rented holiday apartments in blocks with communal swimming pools, but not many high-star options. To make matters worse, the nicest hotels we do have are located on a strip that has been in decline and is marred by the ugly blot of refineries. That the region's one and only 5-star hotel should be located in such an area beggars belief, especially when other areas of the town are so picturesque and popular in comparison.

But as positive as the news of five additional hotels is, once again, it feels as though we are walking on the spot. As soon as one positive emerges, we take two steps back in other areas. At the time of writing, I could not give you any clue on what is happening with our contentious port/marina. The battle between tourist hub and industrial beast rages on and I for one am none the wiser on which side is winning, although by the time this goes to press, the matter may have been made clearer.

Personally, I believe that the Larnaka Tourism Board, the Mayor and Municipal Council are doing a tremendous job in upgrading the town, something they do not receive half as much credit as they should for. They are forging ahead in very positive directions; promoting the region for international sporting events, sprucing it up, creating a network of cycle and walking paths, actively supporting those who want to invest in the region and helping to promote any initiatives, start-ups and businesses that are offering something beneficial to the town and its tourism. They work tirelessly and sometimes, against all odds.

You see, Larnaca simply cannot shake off its label of 'poor cousin' to other towns on the island. For too long we have been maligned and overlooked – even looked down on with distain by some of the powers-that-be, and it is they who ultimately make the final decisions and hold the purse strings. I don't know why this is as I am too young to have known the Larnaca of old and its relationship with the other areas of the island, but it has always been this way.

It could be because the region was thrust into the tourism industry rather abruptly following the Turkish invasion of 1974 when it was hastily given the island's international airport after Nicosia's became a casualty of the war. And a large percentage of its hotels were equally hastily erected after parts of Famagusta – the then holiday top spot of the island – were also wounded and taken as prisoners of war.

It may be because of this 'borrowed' tourism that the town has never really been taken seriously, but the region is now – in my opinion – standing head and shoulders above other areas of the island and is probably the only one that does not reek of tacky tourism and areas created solely for visitors to the detriment of its character and authenticity. Maybe it is time for the powers-that-be to open their eyes to Larnaca and its possibilities, but even if they can't, at least we still have passionate, hard-working and determined parties on our side.

First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 09/08/14

August’s ghost island - Paula Manoli-Gray

As the calendar changes its date to August, you can almost feel the weight of the sudden hush that descends across the island. All around, the collective sound of shop doors slamming is accompanied with the turning over of the 'closed' sign. We are firmly out of action for August!

August is indeed a peculiar month for us. It is the height of the tourist season and the most defining month of summer, so instead of livening up and getting into gear, we decide to close the entire island down.

The constant thrum of construction work suddenly goes quiet; the roads empty as though the end of the world is nigh, and even those who do stay open or at work slow right down as though their batteries are dying.

When I used to work in an office, August was a real pleasure as I would never take time off then but everyone else would. The drive to work was a dream with no traffic jams and a much quicker journey time, and it was much quieter in the office too. Bliss! But that is probably the only perk of August as when it comes to getting anything else done you either have to accept that August is a complete write-off or go crazy.

Forget anything involving paper work, home improvements, legal matters and other assorted necessary jobs. You literally have to put your life on pause. I always cross my fingers that my air conditioning doesn't decide to conk out on me in August, as finding someone to come and fix it is almost impossible, and if you do find them, they come with a premium just because 'it is August'.

And once again, I think of the tourists! They must find it baffling and highly inconvenient when they try to go to the bank or do some shopping only to find that half of the town is having an extended siesta. I don't know how I would feel if I came to a holiday town only to find that it was instead a ghost town and I couldn't get the most out of it.

So, because of this tradition of powering down in August, everyone does just that, which creates a vicious circle of always powering down… every August. Why should one shop stay open when all the rest are shut and most of the population is on holiday either on island or abroad?

I always brace myself for August and try to remember not to order anything online as it won't arrive until at least September. I ensure that I am fully stocked and prepared for any household disasters and try to put myself in that shut down mode too, because if you can't beat them, you just don't have much choice but to join them… off the roads, out of the shops and on to the beach!

First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly 02/08/14

Spread the word - LPN'S in town..

A leopard never changes its spots - Paula Manoli-Gray

As I write this I am quite angry at the way my sister and her husband have been treated, and it has reignited memories of all the times that I too have experienced similar treatment and service.

I am talking about one of the areas that we are particularly lacking in on the island and one that I am sure will resonate with every reader… customer service.

I had genuinely thought that after the crisis hit, businesses/organisations had become more humble, and that there had been a shift in attitudes. You see, prior to the crisis, the island had a peculiar back-to-front attitude with its customers, whereby instead of the organisation/business being grateful for the custom, the customer was made to feel that the business/organisation was actually doing them a favour instead!

This was evident in the shoddy service, the way that customers were spoken down to, the lack of good exchange and return policies and the presence of one of two attitudes; either stuck-up or indifferent.

Some years ago I went to cash a cheque in a bank (one of the Greek ones). The cashier was talking on her mobile phone and waved me over dismissively. She then started the process of cashing my cheque whilst planning her bank holiday weekend with her 'koumera'. I heard every detail and the conversation was continuing way after she had served me. Instead of moving on, I stood there waiting for to finish and acknowledge me as a customer and human being but it didn't happen. So I interrupted her conversation and told her that it was incredibly unprofessional of her. She started shouting, I started shouting and the manager came out to see what was going on. At this point you are probably thinking he would apologise and discipline his employee. Instead, his response was "what's your problem, she served you didn't she?" I shouted at him, he shouted at me, the cashier shouted at me. It was unbelievable and I have never set foot in any of the bank's branches since.

My sister's unfortunate experience this past week was with a well-known estate agent with whom she had her flat registered with for rental. Without asking her or arranging a meeting, the female agent called her and told her that a deposit had been taken and the tenants were to move in at the start of August. At this point, a family member had decided to take the flat so my sister had to let the agent know that it was no longer for let. There ensued a chain of abusive emails from the agent and even emails from the prospective tenant who had paid the deposit and was told the landlords were no longer interested. My sister was bullied, harassed and intimidated. When her husband went to collect the keys from the agency, the agent was again rude and insulting to him. At that point the manager came out and can you guess what happened? That's right, instead of apologising for his employee's disgusting manner, he proceeded to also abuse my brother-in-law who was left incredulous. He told me he had never been spoken to in such a manner in all his life and left furious and shocked.

And so there we have it, the attitude of 'we are doing YOU a favour' is still prevalent and it doesn't look like the leopard will change its spots anytime soon.

Kids Fun in Cyprus

                                                                 Kids fun in Cyprus