Protaras

Description

Protaras; located in the southeastern coast of Cyprus is a predominantly tourist resort town, built where the ancient city of Leukolla was. The city is referred to as the ‘Land of the Windmills’; maintaining its nostalgic quality of the past. Protaras is home to numerous sandy beaches with clear blue water that covers the rugged coastline of the city. This resort town caters mainly to those traveling with the family and is also a popular destination among Cypriots, unlike its neighbouring resort Ayia Napa situated a few kilometers away. Ayia Napa is a considerably large resort with many hotels, villas, pubs and restaurants and has all facilities that modern resorts have. Locating Halal-friendly facilities in Protaras, will prove to be quite difficult for Muslims visiting the resort town.

Beaches on this part of the coast are considered to be the best in the island and have been placed third on the top beaches of Europe list in 2011. The resort’s main beach is the Fig Tree Bay. This beach offers its visitors a vast range of water sports and it even has an island that visitors could swim out to.  Fig Tree Beach is a blue flag, which is frequented by numerous visitors, during summer, for its name alone. There are five other beaches of quality some even with blue flag status. Green Bay and Sirena Bay are two beaches located close by and are much quieter beaches than Fig Tree Bay.

Those traveling with children could also visit Protara’s exciting water park and Ocean Aquarium. The aquarium is open all year round but closing time may change according to the season. During spring time the landscape is covered with wild flowers; tourists could take long walks along the coastline and cliff tops and enjoy the spectacular view.

Another must visit is Cape Greco, this is an area that captures the essence of nature and reminds visitors of the Protaras of the past; before it became a popular tourist destination. Tourists can bond with nature and enjoy countless nature walks here. However, as it is a protected nature park, sightseeing is controlled.  Most visitors take boat trips to see Cape Greco and it is the perfect location to do some snorkeling.  Cruises are another way to see this beautiful coastal country. There are a number of tour operators that offer cruises around the island. The best way to get around the city of Protaras is to hire a car.    

Nearby Airports

The closest airport to Protaras is Larnaca International Airport. The distance from Protaras to Larnaca International Airport is approximately 42 kilometres. Travelers could also use Ercan International Airport located in Nicosia, situated approximately 53 kilometres from Protaras.  To get to the airport, travelers could use the shuttle service which can be booked online.

Halal Restaurants

There are no known halal restaurants in Protaras. However there is one halal restaurant in Famagusta. Gonca Restoran is the Halal restaurant in Famagusta, which serves Turkish food and is situated 16 kilometres from Protaras. Muslim travelers could also dine at seafood restaurants or vegetarian restaurants in the area after ensuring no non-Halal items are added to the dishes.

Mosques

There are no known Islamic Centers or mosques in Protaras; therefore Muslim travelers may face difficulty in finding access to prayer facilities. The best option is to use the privacy of their hotel room during prayer times or simply enquire with locals for a private area in the vicinity that can be used when traveling outdoors. Muslim travelers can however find a few mosques in the surrounding areas. Lala Mustafa Pasha Masjid is the closest, located in Famagusta and is situated approximately 15 kilometres from Protaras. The other two mosques are located in Larnaca. Larnaca Old Masjid is approximately 40 kilometres away and Larnaca Grand Masjid is approximately 45 kilometres from Protaras.

Things to Do and See in Protaras

• Protaras Water Park
• Ocean Aquarium Park
• Cape Greco
• Fig Tree Bay
• Green Bay
• Sirena Bay
• Outdoor activities