Monthly Archive for September, 2005

The bar i most enjoyed on my trip to Cyprus was a place called Booms in Amathus. It is a relatively small place and enjoys a roadside location. We were made feel welcome from the first time that we went in. The sign up stated that there was karaoke every night and this was the place i was looking for. I love singing so i knew i was going to enjoy here. I was here nearly every night of the holiday and so was Jen. There is a few seats out side and the rest in the bar. The first night we went in we met Ruby who is in charge of the karaoke. We got to know here over the next two weeks and she is genuinely one of the nicest people i have ever met. She knew all of our names and treated us very well. She has an excellent voice herself and we enjoyed her singing.

I was mainly drinking Keo in here and it was fine. My sister Laura loved heading in there and even though she didn’t sing she enjoyed the place a lot. The owner of the bar is called Dino and he is a great character. He has a great love for Ireland and we sang many Irish songs together. Grace was his favourite. I saw that he sold Guinness and would normally not have it outside of Ireland but he gave me a free pint to test it. The first pint wasn’t great but it improved after another few! He even let us behind the bar and let me show him how to pull a good pint. Some of our group were unhappy with the quality of the drinks they got. They voiced this to the staff. A tip is to make sure you ask for the imported spirits if you want them and they will cost you extra.

The toilets are up a narrow stairs and in fairness they were always well kept. The cubicle in the gents has no lock on the door. We met some very nice people in Booms. Some were on their holidays and others were locals. I couldn’t count how many songs i sang over the two weeks. We were nearly always the last to leave! Thanks to Dino, Ruby and Angelleta from Poland. It is most certainly a place that i will head back to if i am back in Cyprus. Check it out if you are in Limassol and looking for a friendly bar with plenty of craic. All the Irish gang really had a laugh here!

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: Out of all the bars i have been in abroad, Booms is my favourite. It is small but you are assured a very warm welcome from Dino and Ruby.

Franx is a place we really enjoyed on our holidays across the road from the hotel. Most days we used to in there and have our lunch. They served good food and always provided a friendly smile. It is a restaurant/Bar that always had some custom. I was in there once for dinner as well and it was grand. This is a place that had Karaoke on every night and the night i had dinner there i sang a few songs for good measure! Franx certainly benifited from its location and good reputation. They have a nice seating area in the front part of the bar and there is a pool table and games machine in the back. I had a couple of beers in there and they were fine. We had many pints of Coca Cola in there with our food. I would certainly consider Franx more of a restaurant than a bar.

I never used their toilet facilities but from what other people said they were fine and clean. They are located up stairs. If i go back to Cyprus i would most certainly head back to Franx for a bite to eat!

Food rating: 8.5/10
Overall rating: 8/10

Final comment: Franx is a friendly establishment where you can enjoy some good food and drink.

It is under new ownership and apparently they have the best pool table in Limassol. I was only in there on one night and most of the lads from the wedding party had a pool competition. In fairness it was very enjoyable and it has to be said that it is a very good table. It is quite a big pub and there are some comfortable seating areas around. I had a few pints of Keo and again i enjoyed them. Both Keo and Carlsberg are very popular beers in Cyprus. The staff in this pub appeared to be friendly and i think they were Scottish. They show live sports events in this bar. I passed Chasers a good few times over the two weeks and it appeared to be quite busy.

Final comment: Chasers is a nice spot for a drink when in Limassol. Have a game of pool while your there.

I have returned from my two week holiday in Cyprus. It is a very beautiful country with many great things to see and do. We stayed at the Mediterranean Beach Hotel. It is a fine hotel with some excellent facilities. Any pub that i go into, no matter where in the world it happens to be, i will review it. There are three bars in this hotel. The Santorini cocktail lounge, The Corinthian Cocktail bar and the Lagoon pool bar. I never had a drink in the first bar but enjoyed a couple in the other bars. The Corinthian bar is a trendy up market bar that provides table service. The waiters and waitresses are very attentive and provide a good service. I only had one drink in the bar and the others were outside overlooking the pool and the sea. They have entertainment on most nights including a fun magic show. I was mainly drinking beer on the holiday and their pints were grand. Keo is the beer that i drank and it was enjoyable.

The Pool bar is another one and actually has seats in the pool where Jen and Laura went for a daily drink. They have decent sandwiches and do some nice cocktails and fruit juices. The staff there are generally very pleasant and chat away. The toilets all around the hotel are in good condition generally. It is a 4 star hotel and it is most certainly a place that i would consider coming back to for a holiday. It is in the Amathus area of Limassol which is a bit outside of the main area. It only costs 70 cents to get the bus into Limassol and taxi’s are everywhere.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: I enjoyed having a few drinks in the hotel but it was generally for quiet drinks. The pool bar closes at 6 and The Corinthian bar closes at 12. I would most certainly recommend it as a comfortable hotel in Cyprus.