Planning a Cyprus trip

A friend and I took a 10-day “Discovery of Cyprus” trip with Homeric Tours (55 E. 59th St., 17th Fl., New York, NY 10022; 800/223-5570, www.homerictours.com) in October ’07.

The cost was around $2,800 per person and included airfare from New York (JFK), transfers, eight nights in a 4-star hotel, buffet breakfasts (but no main meals) and three full-day tours. The dollar was dropping like a rock when we were there, so a simple meal of an entrée and a soda cost about $20.

Few American companies offer a package deal to Cyprus. A query in ITN’s “Person to Person” section brought no results but two inquiries from other people looking for a package deal, so I called the Cyprus Tourism Organization in New York (212/683-5280, www.visitcyprus.com). They sent me some brochures, which is how I found my trip.

Homeric delivered what they promised, but if I were doing it again I would book my own air and get a hotel in Limassol. You can pick up day trips in most cities.

We were based in Paphos, which was almost two hours away from the Larnaca airport. On our way home, we had that long drive plus three flights to get to Kennedy.

Cyprus is well worth seeing, with archaeological sites, museums and quaint villages. We saw no other Americans while there but encountered many British who had gotten cheap package deals.

JOANNE BRYANT

Latham, NY