Nausicaa Beach

We can highly recommend this all-inclusive resort located in Fig Tree Bay. We’ve come back four summers and we are always welcomed in the best possible way! Location is perfect, the sea crystal clear and the food excellent!

Room: (5/5) Our room (323) was fantastic! We had paid extra for a slightly larger room with a sea view, and it was worth it. The 'room' was actually a mini-apartment with a kitchenette area with a kettle, microwave and coffee machine, plus a small table and chairs and a TV. The other half of the main room was our teenage daughter's sleeping area (with room for another if needed). A 6-footer would have found these beds a little short, but that was not a problem for us. There was a balcony with table and chairs, which was a lovely place to sit prior to the evening meal. The master bedroom was spacious and the bathroom was fine for our needs, featuring a bath and integrated shower, giving you a choice. There were the usual signs saying to put paper in the bin provided rather than flushing it away. One thing which we loved was that the room had UK-style 3-pin plugs (in addition to some Euro plugs), some of which had built-in USB. We had packed travel adapters but these were not needed. We were able to watch TV in many languages, including BBC News and some sports channels (a boon when the World Cup was on); sadly, none that we could understand so we turned the commentary down, but it does give me an idea to do this with Gary Neville.

Staff: (5/5) We found the staff uniformly helpful, friendly and efficient. Most of the staff were from Egypt, so my pidgin Greek was wasted, but we were able to chat to them about the World Cup (in which Egypt did quite well). On one occasion in the restaurant, one of the staff came up to me and took my plate to my table, which was very kind of him. The hotel demographic was 70% Scandinavian and 30% British/Irish (their figures), so most of the entertainment staff spoke in English and one or other Scandinavian language.

Food/Drink: (4/5) We have one fussy eater with a peanut allergy and it was only after a few days when she found the key to decipher the allergen information (which accompanies each dish); it could have been more prominently displayed. Other than this one tiny improvement, the food was really good and we ate well. Trousers were definitely tighter towards the end of the holiday. The drinks were what we expected with lots of local beers/wines and a generous selection of alcoholic and low/non-alcoholic cocktails. There were drinks machines dispensing chilled water, fruit juices, and fizzy drinks; these were located in the restaurant and near the pools. Tip: use a drinks bottle and fill this up with soft drinks so that you have something to drink at your lounger without constant trips to the bar area. The staff will provide ice.

Hotel & Facilities: (5/5) Hooray: no early morning dash to get a lounger! The hotel has allocated parasols in a fixed location. We were perfectly happy with our location, so I cannot comment on what it was like should you want to move. The only minor concern was that the number of loungers did not always equate to the requirements, but there were spare loungers so you could always 'borrow' one if needed, as our neighbours did each day. The lounger area was tidied and cleaned each day. We liked that the two pools were dedicated to a function with activities in one pool and the other left free. We partook of the aqua-exercise classes in the Activity Pool. There was a gym and a spa, neither of which we went to, so we cannot comment on them. Just beyond the boundary of the hotel, there is a boardwalk and there were three jetties with steps to climb down into the sea. In the sea, there were plenty of rocks, perfect for snorkelling and observing marine life (including a Lionfish on one day, but sadly no turtles in fig tree bay), and sandy areas where the sea was shallow enough in places to stand. You could probably walk to the nearby beach whilst staying in the sea. One suggestion I would make is the provision of a cold-water shower near each hotel exit for the boardwalk. We used the pool to desalinate, and showers would have negated this. The pool did feel like a bath after the sea, but the sea was by no means cold. The entertainments were mainly handled in-house, with a few guest acts. There was a mini-disco for the small kids plus quizzes and other activities for older audiences.

Locality: The boardwalk took you along the coast and was a pleasant evening stroll, either into Protaras for shopping or along the coast in the other direction. Protaras is a 5-minute walk away (over an old Roman tomb, which was interesting) with a few photo opportunities along the way. It has the usual gift shops, hire-car shops and a fairground was visible in the distance (although we did not go). There are many restaurants on the (quite busy) main street which are perfect for eating your food whilst inhaling diesel or 2-stroke fumes; we did not partake (we went all-inclusive anyway, but I didn't fancy it anyway). The bars showed football (there was a World Cup on) on big screens, and they looked very busy. For the slightly older teenagers/20-somethings, the 101/102 buses run to/from Ayia Napa. Our Ayia Napa days are long gone, so we did not bother, thus I cannot comment further on this bus service. Back to Protaras and Fig Tree Bay... The bathing area in front of the beach has little buoys denoting where the water gets deep; beyond this, it is a short swim to fig tree island itself. The fig tree is long-gone but it is worth it. We also partook of a water ride (the Stingray) where you lie down facing forward, hanging on to an inflatable disk and get towed around by a speedboat. Before we went out, the driver did as if we wanted to come back "alive or dead"; I opted for half dead, and that was tough on the arm muscles, but again the all-inclusive buffet might have added to the strain on them. They also do other rides including a sitting down version of ours, a "Waltzer-style" (i.e. spinning around) sitting down version, and rubber rings. The driver was good, at one point stopping to check we were OK when he heard my daughter squealing. We did witness others being thrown off their rides, but life jackets are fitted and they climbed back on.

Excursions: (4/5) We did the Catamaran tour and it was excellent (run by medcruises.cy). The tour guide was a Dublin lady who kept us all well informed of what was happening; her history of Famagusta/Varosha was excellent, and you do see this in the distance. We had a stop in Konnos bay where we did see a turtle swimming close to the boat, plus visits to the sea caves and the "bridge of love"

Second time visiting Nausicca beach, and will definitely be back again! All staff and management are amazing, and can’t do enough for any of the guests.

Food is fab, recommend booking the Taverna restaurant for dinner. Location is perfect, overlooking fig tree bay. Sea view rooms definitely worth booking (room 414 was perfect).

Don’t worry about any sunbed wars as you’re allocated your very own sunbeds!

Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a relaxing time away in Protaras. (Best hotel we’ve visited in Protaras).