Cyprus on the cheap!

I have the feeling that more and more LP is catering to flashpackers instead of backpackers and (low) budget travellers. I'm not blaming them for that. Not only is the midrange-market broader (and from a commercial point of view more interesting (although the guides were started by hippies)), but many shoestring travellers also buy second hand copies (like I also often do) or this lousy fake 5 dollar (or is it already more?) Chinese (or whatever country they come from) mafia copies instead of the new books. Pretty understandable to change the focus on a more interesting market.

With this in mind I often still find it interesting to obtain an LP edition for the maps, information about the sites, transport, etc. And actually I don't know a better alternative for people on a small budget (in the typical backpacker destinations like say India you still get loads of good shoestring information).
But in the case of Cyprus I wouldn't recommend LP (2012) at all if you are on a budget. There is not much useful info for backpackers. Except for a few campgrounds and one hostel (that recently has changed owners and has dramatically raised it prices - see below) there is no cheap accommodation in it.
Instead, with the excellent free maps distributed by the many tourist offices, the website Cyprusbybus.com (all the hostels but one where I stayed at had free wifi) and the short list of cheap hostels below you should be able to plan your trip without the need of a travel guide telling you to spend 60 euro a day.

That’s right. At first I thought Cyprus would cut a big part out of my budget reading I should have to spend 60 euro or less a day, but I easily managed to get by on 23.5 a day (flights not included, but they can also be cheap) visiting all the sites I wanted to see (3 churches in Troodos, Kourion, Wine Museum, Kolossi, Paphos, ...) by public transport (or occasionally on foot like Bellapais (one hour walk from Kyrenia)). The public transport in Cyprus is not as bad as many people say, just plan ahead (tourist office or Cyprusbybus).

The food hasn't to be too expensive either. In the north you have many cheap choices (kebab + ayran for 2 euro, Lahmacun for 1 euro, pide etc.), but also in the south you can find some good deals (for example on the street parallel with Ledra street in Nicosia there is a cheap snack vendor: kebabs for 2 euro) or you can make something in your hostel (many have a kitchen).

Access to most of the sites is cheap too (certainly in the South for example 1.70 euro for Kourion). Don’t bother to visit churches in the north, unless you are a die-hard amateur. In the south the churches are free (give a small donation though) and still operating. In the north many are converted into museums with relative high entrance fees and I don’t think this money will go to the religious community who built them (at least the Tekke mosque in Larnaka was free).
The museums in South Nicosia are excellent and some are free (again, donation). I especially liked the Leventis.

Here is a list with some affordable hostels:

Kyrenia: Cyprus Dorms: 10 euro for a dorm. Best to book (egg. hostelbookers) cause there are only four dorms available. Free wifi, kitchen with fridge and lockers. Very nice location. Recommended.
Address: Bozoklar Sk
Website: http://cyprusdorms.com/

Famagusta: Golden Set: For 30 TL (13 euro) you have a single with cold shower. 60 for a double with hot shower. Good location and free wifi. No kitchen, but cheap food next door.
Address: Yesil Deniz (between Othello Tower and Porta del Mar)

North Nicosia: Aksaray Pension. Nice place with a courtyard and friendly owner. Excellent located in the old town. Free wifi, but no kitchen and no lockers. 10 euro for a dorm.
Address: Mecidiye 63 (Old Town, near Buyuk Hamam)
Website: http://www.aksaraypansiyon.com/

South Nicosia: Youth Board: my favorite in Cyprus. Free wifi, kitchen, lockers and a fantastic location. Also perfect for doing day-trips from here (Kourion, Paphos, …) to places with more expensive accommodation. Age limit is 35. Dorm is 10 euro.
Address: Chrysaliniotissis (North-East Old Town)
Website: http://www.youthboard.org.cy/default.asp?id=297

Larnaka: Old YHA. 10 euro for a bed in the dorm. Perfect location. Kitchen, but no wifi, no lockers and only cold showers. The least attractive place for me, but a good option for connecting flights.
Address: Nikolaou Rossou (opposite Livadhiotis; go through the archway and up the stairs on the right)

Limassol: The only budget place in LP. I read that the Luxor used to be a nice budget option, but unfortunately it has changed owners and there are no dorms available anymore. A single cost 25 euro and according to other travelers I met not worth it at all. Better to look on some booking sites for deals or do a daytrip from Nicosia/Larnaka/... which in my opinion is sufficient

Paphos: I did a daytrip, but if you want to stay here, there is a HI hostel charging 25 euro (book ahead), or you can try to score a deal with a booking site (Mariella hostel sometimes charges 20 euro for a single but it's located in Polis outside of Paphos (accessible by bus))

Four hostels with dorms for 10 euro/night and one places with singles for around 13 euro. All decent places (without prostitutes, gamblers, dealers, cockroaches, etc.) catering to travelers. I can’t understand why none of them (or any other budget accommodation except the Luxor which is no real budget place anymore and some camping grounds) is in LP.
Anyway, I hope this list will be useful for someone. Don’t be put off by the high costs mentioned in LP, Cyprus is easily doable on a budget. I had a great time there without spending a fortune.