Globalisation Alert! Mall Rats Invade Cyprus!

Advantages: Good facilities. Well appointed. Light and airey. Air conditioned.
Disadvantages: Eye-wateringly expensive. Could be anywhere in the world

...INTRODUCTION In the seven or eight years I have been going to Cyprus for my holidays, a lot has changed, and not necessarily for the better. It was only a matter of time before this beautiful island was afflicted with the relentless influx of multinational American brands and corporations that seem to blight Europe these days. The drive down the Finikoudes ? Larnaka?s main, palm-lined seaside promenade ? now takes you past McDonald?s, KFC, TGI Friday, Haagen Dazs, Pizza Hut, and Bennigans. The seemingly unstoppable globalisation of Cyprus seems well and truly underway. So it was with dread and dismay that I received the news that Cyprus had been ?blessed? with two new malls since my last visit two years ago ? the ?Mall of Cyprus?, built next to an IKEA on the outskirts of Lefkosia (Nicosia), and the newer ?My Mall?, an even...

Hishyeness 04.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Mall of Cyprus, Nicosia

Hotel Villa Patrizi, Rome

Advantages: Good location, good value for money, polite staff
Disadvantages: Small rooms

...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why we chose the hotel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My boyfriend and I decided to take a weekend city break in Rome, we were joined by his parents who travelled seperately. We looked on Expedia for a good deal and we found one with reasonable BA flights and 3 nights stay at Hotel Villa Patrizi. We looked at the information and pictures of the hotel on the internet and it looked good so we decided to book it. Now we have been to the hotel, and looking back at the pictures, they are true to life and do not decieve you in anyway that the hotel looks different to what it does. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the hotel ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hotel Villa Patrizi is a brand new 4 star hotel located in Rome. As you walk into the hotel there is a pretty sitting area full of beautiful, lively and colourful flowers. If the weather was nicer...

lilyellowfish 04.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Villa Patrizi, Rome

A taste of Italy with James Villas

Advantages: wonderful property
Disadvantages: terrifying access road

...James Villas had a strong advertising campaign over the last 2 years and, after a very happy holiday with them to Mallorca in 2004, we decided to book a week in Tuscany for the end of August 2008. The website is very informative and we decided on our accommodation - Villa Podere Il Renaio in Legoli. A helpful section of the website allows you to check availability and prices for the week you want and weeks either side and so we were sorted. Actually, no! I know flights from Newcastle to Pisa were available with Jet2 (I had checked the prices on Jet2 website) but the James Villas website insisted I could only fly from Manchester, so I had no choice but to make a phone booking. Phoning to book the holiday was easy. There was no queue, I got straight through to a very friendly operator who assured me that she could book Jet2...

travelnovice 18.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of James Villas

Villa Mallorca - Cala D'or - James Villas

Advantages: package holiday
Disadvantages: Low value for money and bad customer relations

...Initially we wanted to book our package via the internet. However the flights on the site were either extremely unsociable hours (departure 5am etc) or you missed both ends because you arrived past midnight and left the villa around 6am the last day. Finally we rung an agent who seemed to have access to many more flights than we did and got a suitable time. Because this was not an internet option we had to go through him. This started our first problem because on the internet the default option includes the welcome package. As we were arriving at midnight with 3 young children this was necessary. The price he quoted was slightly higher than what we were looking at on the net but there were some differences such as we changed hire car to transfer and different flight times. All that taken together it was reasonable to understand...

tmk1906 10.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of James Villas

James Villa Holidays

Advantages: Great properties, unique experiences, wonderful holidays.
Disadvantages: None - although might not be suitable for all travelers

...Over the past 3 years we have used James Villa Holidays six times. Our initial experience was in Gale, Algarve; we went on to stay in La Font, Pollença, Mallorca three times; and more recently have stayed at La Boheme in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote and Forteza in Kalami, Crete. Our first taste of James Villas was in a 2 bedroom apartment in Gale, Algarve. The apartment itself was spacious and well maintained, with a large patio, fully equipped kitchen and TV/Satellite unit in the comfortable living room. Although the choice of English-language channels was limited, one doesn?t generally go on holiday to sit in front of the idiot box, and as we understand a modicum of German, the German MTV channel was most entertaining. As is the norm in our experience with James Villas, the supplied literature concerning the accommodation and local area...

maganda1980 08.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of James Villas

Forest Park Hotel - Platres - Cyprus - Simply Brilliant

Advantages: Family Friendly - Exceptional Service - Great Value and Location
Disadvantages: None

...INTRODUCTION As a frequent visitor to Cyprus during the summer - my father-in-law has a modest beachfront property near Larnaka - we often head up to the Troodos Mountains mid-holiday for a few days to escape the heat. In the height of summer, the temperature is invariably a good 5° to 10° C cooler than on the coast, the air quality is fantastic (scented delightfully by the indigenous evergreen pine trees) and a few days away makes a lovely ?break within a break?. A BIT ABOUT PLATRES Our destination of choice is the popular winter resort town of Pano (Upper) Plátres, which is about a forty minute (about 40km) leisurely drive north from the outskirts of Limassol, and about an hour and a half from our base in Larnaka. It is on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountain range, which gives the place a charm lacking in...

Hishyeness 02.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Forest Park Hotel, Cyprus

James Villas

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Unfortunately most things.

...Have been reading other reviews with interest. Wow. We must have been unlucky. The reviews are so good and in so much detail that they almost could have been written by James Villa holidays (joke) My wife, 3 children and mother and father in law and myself of course took a 2 week holiday to Majorca in August last year. The list of problems we had was unbelievable. James Villas holidays were not prepared to fix our problems. Even though we had spent £3,648.27 (this was without flights). We telephoned them for the 1st three days complaining. We even sent them a solicitors letter on the 3rd day and they still refused to accept that there were problems. When we did complain we even telephoned head office in the Uk in Maidstone in Kent. The staff were rude and sarcastic. They told us to complain when we get back home. Not much good...

durston 09.05.2004 · Read review
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Review of James Villas

Villa Olivo, Bardolino

Advantages: Can't think of any.
Disadvantages: The Owners

...Date of holiday 1st - 15th July 2006 Let me first explain what type of holiday my family and I like, then I will explain the accommodation and lastly I will tell you of our experience of the Villa Olivo in Bardolino Italy (Lake Garda) We are a family of 2 adults and three boys aged 9, 12 and 14. Our holidays are very simple, we go to an apartment, relax, enjoy the food, swim in the pool and soak up the sun, and that is it. (Sounds boring, but after a long hard working year it is just what the doctor ordered). That is what we wanted from this holiday as well. The Villa Olivo consists of two types of accommodation: self-catering and a hotel which offers bed and breakfast. Those in the apartments could avail of the breakfast at a cost of 8 euros per person. (But after seeing what was being bought in the local Lidl for breakfast...

mark1961 24.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Villa Olivo, Bardolino

IT'S NOT JAMES VILLA, IT'S MINE

Advantages: Something to look forward to, reasonable prices
Disadvantages: want to own one and can't afford it

.... Other places are , Menorca, Lanzarote, tenerife, Fuerteventura, Cyprus, Gozo and Florida. The ones in Gozo are like mini castles, absolutely fantastic. INFO ON JAMES VILLAS They are an Independent tour operator, so no middle man. ATOL & ABTA bonded. They have been around since 1984 are now advertising on TV, magazines and the internet. The staff have personal knowledge of all the villas, what a job that must be having to inspect them, wish I could swap. They have a database on every villa for those extra queries on the villas. I tested one out and asked how big the pool was. WEBSITE www.jamesvillas.co.uk This is ok, but it lacks something. It needs a virtual tour of the villas. It only showed the same pictures as the brochure. Some other websites I have seen on villas actually show in the bedrooms, kitchen etc. That...

belinda9 26.02.2002 · Read review
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Review of James Villas

Can't Wish for More

Advantages: Location, accommodation
Disadvantages: water shortages, but tanks are re-filled on request

...My husband found Pine Grove Villa in North Cyprus independently on the Internet, so it wasn't anyone's recommendation. We emailed a request about the villa availability and got a phone call within half an hour. The villa was available for the period we were looking at. The accommodation is owned by a British couple and all of the arrangements were really easy. We paid a deposit in advance and the remaining amount 3 weeks before the holiday. The owner was very helpful with organising airport transfers and generally very knowledgeable about the country and the area. He advised us to hire a car and he was right. Although the villa is about 10 minutes from the nearest beach, you still need to go to the supermarket and to do any sightseeing. The villa itself comprises a lounge, a dining room and a kitchen, a utility room...

Yelena 06.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Pine Grove Villa, Northern Cyprus