Decided on giving the Holiday Inn a second try, only because of its close location to the green zone which I had to cross daily for a client on the other side. While the staff still remains friendly and as accomodating as they can be, the conditions of the hotel greatly outweigh this. Last time I was on the 6th floor right below the restaurant/club. The noise once they opened, was intolerable. This time, I was on the second floor facing the main street. And while having a room with a balcony was nice, that was about it. My room was right next door to the service elevator and stairwell. Every morning for two weeks, the cleaning staff was quite loud - right outside of my door. In addition, not only did music carry through the stairwell, it carried also from the restaurant on the first floor which had live music on certain nights. While I understand the need for entertainment, this went on till 2:30 in the morning including on week nights. Clearly, management does not understand that their first and utmost priority should be to the lodgers of their establishment, not the restaurant/club patrons. Aside from very worn rooms and uncomfortable beds there seems to be zero ventiliation system in the hotel. Given anytime of the day, you will smell the restaurant odors throughout the halls. I have had several colleagues who have stayed here in the last six months and they all echo the same sentiments. They have all moved to the Centrum down the street. Regardless of the fact, that I am a Platinum Priority club member - I will no longer stay at the Holiday Inn on my next visits. Forget the fact that the Holiday Inn is a well known name, for the sake of sanity - stay somewhere else.

This is a totally characterless hotel and could be anywhere in the world. There is nothing Greek about its atmosphere and the cuisine available reinforces the point. It is however clean and would suit a single person on business or a couple wanting to spend one night only in Nicosia and see the sights there, such as they are. This is because the rooms – or at least the one experienced – are very small and cramped indeed and there was little space free around the double bed. The air-conditioner is cunningly sited directly under the curtains so that the cold air blasts up to be trapped behind them, thus making temperature control somewhat problematical. The Marco Polo restaurant on the roof is to be avoided if any conversation is to be attempted – a dancing floor at the other end of the roof was subject to thumping “music” that must have breached all known regulations for allowable noise levels. Service was slow in the extreme, the food adequate but not memorable and certainly not worth the price – but then Cyprus is expensive. Back in the bathroom the remains of a soap tablet were stuck firmly to the bath – the narrow bottom of which was so steeply concave that standing in it for a shower was quite hazardous. A particularly unpleasant aspect of the hotel was the small advertisement in the room proclaiming in several languages that Blue Movies were available on a 24-hour basis. It is unpleasant to feel that one is in an establishment that panders to guests with such tastes and it is a good reason why parents travelling with children should avoid it. The morning wake-up call requested was seven minutes late, which is unacceptable when an automated system is being used. The breakfast buffet was acceptable but bland. The final verdict is that this is a hotel to avoid unless you have to spend one night in Nicosia – and if you’ve a longer stay in mind, find somewhere else!

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Nicosia Center, two nights in August 2006. The room was a good size for the price (£96 cy per night) with a nice bathroom and plenty of towels. The room was nicely decorated. The floor our rooms were on was non smoking, but the room was used by smokers. Two ashtrays, full, were outside the window. Tea & coffee making equipment was present which is missing from many continental hotels, I felt the quantities were mean – Although the staff were happy to supply more FOC. The room was air conditioned but only active when a key card is inserted in the electric control box; this meant the room took a long time to be comfortable (Nicosia is very hot in August). A room safe was provided at no extra cost. We used two of the hotel restaurants. The Chez Nous restaurant used for breakfast was open until 10:30am. Even dining close to the closing time there was a very good choice of foods, and the staff were very attentive. The Vivere Restaurant (Italian) had a good selection of starters, main courses & sweets. Our choice, two courses with a nice wine was £50 cy for two adults. – All excellent. The staff, although serving another party of about 25 diners, still managed our requirements with unhurried style 9/10. Use of a computer in the lobby was £3 cy per 30 minute. Access to the internet via Wi-fi was £6 cy per day. I felt that the Wi-fi should be provided free in the light of this class of hotel and the low cost of connection today. The reception staff were very pleasant, even though the staff did advise incorrectly about the opening times of the Cyprus museum. The hotel is convenient for the Old town and many restaurants are within walking distance.

The Holiday inn was disappointing. I have stayed in a lot of HI but this one was pretty awful. The rooms were lousy although having a balcony helped. It was quite noisy and the rooms were also very small and shabby. The lift was slow and the staff lacksidasical! There were 2 nice restaurants. In particular the rooftop bar and restaurant was lovely and the locals said they went there dancing! My suggestion is that you find a nicer hotel and go for the dancing too! Don't stay at the Nicosia HI!