Sunwing Sandy Bay Hotel in Cyprus

Regular readers of this blog will know that every year we run the Cristal awards, honouring hotels that have worked hard to achieve consistently exceptional levels of health and safety. Last year The Parador de Santiago de Compostela in Spain won the global award.

This year The Sunwing Sandy Bay Hotel in Cyprus was awarded the prestigious accolade for its immaculate condition and a dedicated approach to the welfare of its guests.

It is never an easy decision to pick a winner as all the hotels that we work with undergo rigorous testing. It was a close call, but what impressed us about The Sunwing Sandy Bay Hotel was the attention to detail, consistent high scoring and general commitment to the wellbeing of its guests.

The Cristal Awards also recognise the highest scoring hotel from each country. The national winners are as follows:

 - Croatia – Iberostar Epidaurus

 - Czech Republic – Barceló Praha

 - Dominican Republic – Amhsa- Marine Grand Paradise

 - Egypt – Hyatt Regency Sharm

 - Germany – Barceló Cologne City Centre

 - Jamaica -  Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica

 - Jordan – Four Seasons Amman

 - Mexico – Barceló Maya

 - Montenegro – Iberostar Bellevue

 - Morocco – Hotel and Ryads Naoura Barriere

 - Saudi Arabia –Crowne Plaza

 - Spain – Sunwing Arguineguin

 - Syria – Four Seasons Damascus

 - Thailand – Sunwing Bangtao Beach Resort

 - Tunisa – Hotel Husdrubal Hammamet

 - Turkey – Pasah Bay

 Well done to everyone involved.

Every year we run the Cristal Awards, which honours hotels that have worked hard to achieve consistently exceptional levels of health and safety, and this year was no different. So roll out the red carpet, don your ball gown or tux and take a comfortable seat.

The results are in…. (drum roll, please)

The 2008 Global Award goes to…. The Parador de Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The 2008 Group Award is presented to… Barceló Hotels & Resorts

(Interlude for a commercial break)

The 2008 National Winners are as follows….

• - The Sunwing Resort, Sandy Bay Village in Cyprus
• - The Barcelo Praha in the Czech Republic
• - The Barceló Bacaro Casino in the Domican Republic

- The Savoy in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

• - The Barceló Cologne City Centre in Germany
• - The Sunwing Sun Garden in Rhodes, Greece
• - The Gran Bahia Principe in Jamaica
• - The Barceló Maya Complex in Mexico
• - The Parador de Santiago de Compostela in Spain
• - The Club Hammamet Beach in Tunisia

A big well done to all the hotels and chains that won a 2008 Cristal award – keep up the good work.

If anyone has any positive experiences that they wish to share on these establishments then please comment on this entry.

According to new research by On The Beach, 92 per cent of Brits are still planning on holidaying in the sun despite, all the financial doom and gloom. They will, however, be downgrading on certain aspects of their holiday in a bid to save money.

36 per cent of the 1,500 respondents said they would be cutting the star rating of the hotels that they stay in from 5* to 4* or even 3*. Over the last few years we, at Check Safety First, have warned travellers not to rely on the star system to protect their welfare on holiday. This is because the system, which has long been accepted as the benchmark for accommodation quality, does not cover issues of health and safety. The system, in fact, allocates points for facilities, rather than the condition of them, so simply choosing a 5* hotel is not enough to ensure your family’s health when on holiday.

In last year’s Check Safety First Cristal Awards for hotels with the highest standards of health and safety, three quarters of the regional winners were 4* establishments or less in Europe. Our advice to consumers will always be for them to do their research and ask for evidence from their travel agents, tour operators or hotelier that any prospective accommodation can demonstrate its commitment to health and safety. If they can’t it might be worth rethinking your plans/choice.