11 November 2020

In October, Rick and I concluded that we had had enough of the gloomy great northern weather, and decided that a last-minute week in the sun was in order. So I jumped on my laptop and booked us a holiday at the all-inclusive Olympic Lagoon resort in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, for the following week. We expected that travelling abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic would be a different, perhaps more challenging experience, but we agreed that it would be worth it. In order to enter Cyprus we needed to take Covid-19 tests within 72 hours of our departure. This appeared at first to be a daunting prospect, but we quickly located a testing centre near to our home who guaranteed results within 24 hours, and who could offer flexible appointment times. The testing process was quick and efficient, and we received our negative test results within the agreed timeframe. We were cleared for travel! On the day of departure we made our way to Manchester Airport at 8am along with our 4-year old son, Eddie. It was far quieter than I’ve ever seen it before and this resulted in us being checked in and through security within half an hour. Face masks were worn at all times and hand sanitiser was readily available. When the time came for us to board our flight, we found that Jet2 had implemented an organised boarding system, and despite our flight being almost fully-booked, we were able to board the plane comfortably and easily. All crew and passengers were required to keep their face masks on at all times during the flight (except when eating or drinking) and movement around the cabin was kept to a minimum, although we were still offered refreshment services throughout. Upon landing, the passengers disembarked one row at a time – although this meant a little bit of a wait for passengers at the back of the plane, it is by far a more civilised way to leave a plane than the “jump up, grab your bags and pile into aisle” method we have all become accustomed to! It also meant that the queue through airport security flowed more easily, which is another big win in my book. We collected our bags – another quick process, due to the reduced number of flights operating at the moment – and took our transfer to the resort. The Olympic Lagoon resort has been recommended to me several times as being an ideal family resort, and I know many people who have visited it previously, so we felt confident that it was the right choice for us on this occasion. We were not disappointed when we arrived – it is an impressive looking resort and our check-in process was friendly and efficient. We were shown to an excellent room with a garden which was ideally located right by the children’s pool. We noted that all staff wore masks at all times, and guests were required to wear masks when entering the restaurants. We had our temperatures checked and were provided with plastic gloves each time we entered the buffet restaurant, and witnessed the thorough clean-up and sanitization process that took place every time a table was vacated. We were allocated sunbeds for the duration of our stay (so no need to rush out and reserve at 6am!) and were provided with fresh towels for the sunbeds each day. We were also provided with fresh towels in our room every time it was cleaned, which was on a daily basis. The resort was surprisingly busy but we felt comfortable in the knowledge that all of the guests had to be in receipt of a negative Covid-19 test in order to enter Cyprus. This coupled with the health and safety procedures in place meant we were able to fully relax and enjoy a week of excellent weather, food, drinks and entertainment. And the children’s facilities were a huge hit with Eddie! Whilst we were away we unfortunately received the news that Cyprus had been removed from the UK’s list of travel corridors, which meant we were now going to have to spend 14 days in quarantine once we returned home. While this prompted some guests to cut their holidays short, mainly due to work commitments, the majority of us decided that we were enjoying our holiday so much that we were willing to do our time in quarantine. Our journey home to Manchester from Cyprus was just as smooth as our journey out, and by the time we arrived home Rick and I were both in agreement that travelling during the pandemic was an easy, safe and generally positive experience (even with a 4 year old!) We are so glad that we took the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic family holiday, and would advise anyone not to be put off travelling during this pandemic.