Cyprus is captivating. It has something for everyone, and there are many things to do in Cyprus; it has beautiful beaches, you can visit archaeological and historical sites, if you want to party there are plenty of options, plus don’t forget snorkelling and diving.
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and divided into two cultures, the Greek Cypriots occupy the South, and Turkish Cypriots the North East.
But what things did we do in Cyprus for it to leave such a lasting impression? Let us tell you how this picturesque country captivated us.
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and divided into two cultures, the Greek Cypriots occupy the South, and Turkish Cypriots the North East.
But what things did we do in Cyprus for it to leave such a lasting impression? Let us tell you how this picturesque country captivated us.
The Cyprus Flag
Ayia Napa – more than just a party place!
Ayia Napa is 49km east of Larnaca which has one of the Country’s main airports. ‘Napa was historically known as a party place, but it’s so much more than that! OK, yes, if you want to go clubbing and hang out at the late-night bars, the nightlife here is stomping, but if this isn’t your scene and you aren’t around “the square” around 10pm (which is nightlife centre), you may not realise it had this reputation.
A great way of getting around is on a quad bike, and across the road from where we were staying at the centrally located Faros Hotel was a hire company! At a cost of 50 euros for 24 hours, we couldn’t refuse. The roads are easy and straight with good signage. Driving is on the left side of the road as Cyprus is an ex-British colony, in fact many ex-pats still live here so English is widely spoken.
Heading east along the coastal road, we let the beautiful refreshing breeze cool our faces from the scorching hot sun. The scenery was gorgeous but there just weren’t enough places for us to pull over, park and take all the photographs!!
Our intended destination was Konnos Beach considered to be the best beach in the area. Parking in the busy public car park, we walked down the hill to the hot, sandy beach, found two sunbeds with a parasol, and paid the man 7 euros. It was a busy beach but because it isn’t big, it wasn’t noisy.
Our intended destination was Konnos Beach considered to be the best beach in the area. Parking in the busy public car park, we walked down the hill to the hot, sandy beach, found two sunbeds with a parasol, and paid the man 7 euros. It was a busy beach but because it isn’t big, it wasn’t noisy.
After a while, the sun was far too intense so it was dip-time! The lovely soft sand slopes gently into the warm aquamarine sea; you could seriously spend a lot of time in here!
It is well worth visiting the little cafe/restaurant situated in a shady area for a snack and refreshing drink – mainly because of the fantastic views of the bay.
We wanted a good place for a sunset and the lady from the quad bike centre recommended a tranquil fishing village named Potamos. Even though it was in the opposite direction to Ayia Napa, the journey only took about 30 minutes on the quad bike.
It is well worth visiting the little cafe/restaurant situated in a shady area for a snack and refreshing drink – mainly because of the fantastic views of the bay.
We wanted a good place for a sunset and the lady from the quad bike centre recommended a tranquil fishing village named Potamos. Even though it was in the opposite direction to Ayia Napa, the journey only took about 30 minutes on the quad bike.
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It is a quaint area with a small church and two restaurants overlooking the sea. We pulled out a chair overlooking the rocky outcrop and watched a fisherman trying to catch his dinner. As the sun set behind us, it cast a pretty pink glow over the sea – it was well worth the trip!
The most popular beach in Ayia Napa is Nissi beach which has soft, golden sand and blue crystal clear waters, it is understandable why it gets very crowded. The purpose of this holiday was to celebrate my birthday, and I wanted to spend it at a beach party! At 3pm, we arrived at Nissi Bay Beach Bar which hold parties every day as well as running themed events such as foam parties.
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When we arrived, there was a live DJ playing banging tunes and there was a shower which drenched bikini-clad exhibitionists whilst they danced – if you were looking for extras for a music video – this would be the place to come! The bar was very well stocked with everything you could ask for, including cocktails.... some of which we had heard of – Flying Gorilla anyone??
We stayed here until it started getting dark, I would like to tell you what time this was however (and I won’t lie!), I was absolutely off my trolley from drinking copious amounts of the aforementioned Flying Gorilla cocktails!! What I can tell you is that this beach party lived up to its reputation as being one of the best – not only are you sipping cold drinks whilst listening to the best music around, the gorgeous backdrop of a stunning beach, but you are surrounded by awesome, like-minded people! This was actually the best part of all! We arrived alone, but before long, everyone was our best friend! We had so many photos taken with many amazingly cool people, all just dancing, laughing, chatting rubbish, hugging – it was simply a “feel good” place. I definitely want to return and it totally gave me a cracking time on my birthday!!
Wrecked...... but this time I’m talking about a dive site!
One of the Mediterranean’s (and arguably the world’s) premier wreck dives is the Zenobia in Larnaca. The 178 meter long cargo ship sunk in the 1980s and is still largely intact, with carpets, lorries and vending machines rotting on her decks.
We booked a two-dive package with Q-Divers based on the excellent Trip Advisor reviews. This super-relaxed but mega-efficient company definitely lived up to the hype! We were lucky to dive not only the stunning Zenobia which really is spectacular to look at, but also the smaller Alexandria which sank in an upright position in 2006. If you are a diver, this is highly “wreck-amended”!!
One of the Mediterranean’s (and arguably the world’s) premier wreck dives is the Zenobia in Larnaca. The 178 meter long cargo ship sunk in the 1980s and is still largely intact, with carpets, lorries and vending machines rotting on her decks.
We booked a two-dive package with Q-Divers based on the excellent Trip Advisor reviews. This super-relaxed but mega-efficient company definitely lived up to the hype! We were lucky to dive not only the stunning Zenobia which really is spectacular to look at, but also the smaller Alexandria which sank in an upright position in 2006. If you are a diver, this is highly “wreck-amended”!!
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Do you want archaeological sites and mountains? Read on...
If you want to see more of the island, hiring a car is the best option and we did this for two days from Paphos. We were staying at the Iberostar Ledra Beach Hotel, it was this hotel that opened our eyes to the Iberostar chain and we have since stayed in many of their complexes around the globe!
If you want to see more of the island, hiring a car is the best option and we did this for two days from Paphos. We were staying at the Iberostar Ledra Beach Hotel, it was this hotel that opened our eyes to the Iberostar chain and we have since stayed in many of their complexes around the globe!
If you are looking for a well preserved Unesco World Heritage site - Tomb of the Kings dating from 3rd Century BC to 3rd Century AD, is the one for you! If you visit on a scorching hot day, the welcome shade of the seven underground tombs and chambers brings some respite from the blazing sun. It is best to get here early if you are visiting in summer!
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The Troodos Mountains in the middle of the island has breath-taking views, it’s also where you can find Mount Olympus which is notable in Greek mythology as being the home of the gods.
If you are over this way, high up a winding road and set in gorgeous pine forests is the Museum of Kykkos Monastery founded in AD1100. The Museum has a vast collection of antiquities, paintings and mosaics revealing the history of Cyprus. The church with its frescoes is rather impressive! In truth, although it has a lot of history, it does have a modern feel to it and is decorated so opulently with gold, it can come across as ostentatious.
The Kourion, however, is a splendid ancient amphitheatre and archaeological site comprising many monuments, some of which date from the Roman period. We had heard that the acoustics here are quite special and so we tried it out for ourselves – I stood at the very top of the amphitheatre and Sy in the stage area. The acoustics are so remarkable that I could clearly hear him speak despite our distance. I would thoroughly recommend the Kourion if you are looking for a beautiful piece of history.
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There is also Kolossi Castle to consider, which is well preserved and a must for those passionate about history. It’s not very big, you may only be here 30-60 minutes so it’s easy to fit in on the way to the Kourion. There isn’t a lot else to do here but the views are lovely, the cost is only 2.50 euros to enter and it won’t be packed with too many visitors.
We wanted to be somewhere iconic for sunset, and the only logical place was Aphrodite’s rock near Pissouri village. It’s named derived from Cypriot legend which claims Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was born and rose from the foam ("afros," in Greek).
It was still light so we stepped onto Aphrodite’s pebble beach and took a swim in the azure sea towards the rock – it had to be done! They say if you swim around the rock three times you will have eternal youth – whoever “they” are haven’t seen how wide this rock is and if you aren’t a strong swimmer, it is more likely to cut your life short!!
The sunset from the road, however, was magnificent, absolutely spectacular, words cannot describe so just look at this photo and judge for yourself!
The sunset from the road, however, was magnificent, absolutely spectacular, words cannot describe so just look at this photo and judge for yourself!
The experienced that changed our lives ……
If you follow us, you know Sy is now a Scuba Diving Instructor, however he hasn’t always wanted to dive, quite the opposite in fact. Sy used to be scared of the sea and didn’t like it at all! I convinced him to come with me for an Undersea Walkers adventure – advertised as “shallow water helmet diving”. Basically, a helmet is placed on your head pumping a constant supply of fresh air, which enables you to breath without the need of a snorkel or regulator. We walked down a ladder to the bottom of a 10ft seabed and took a stroll – it was fantastic watching the fishes swim around our heads.
Sy enjoyed the experience so much, it was after this that his Scuba diving journey began.....
If you follow us, you know Sy is now a Scuba Diving Instructor, however he hasn’t always wanted to dive, quite the opposite in fact. Sy used to be scared of the sea and didn’t like it at all! I convinced him to come with me for an Undersea Walkers adventure – advertised as “shallow water helmet diving”. Basically, a helmet is placed on your head pumping a constant supply of fresh air, which enables you to breath without the need of a snorkel or regulator. We walked down a ladder to the bottom of a 10ft seabed and took a stroll – it was fantastic watching the fishes swim around our heads.
Sy enjoyed the experience so much, it was after this that his Scuba diving journey began.....
Want more beaches??
Cyprus is famous for it's beautiful beaches, and it certainly has its fair share! We wanted to explore more of them, so armed with a newly purchased mask & snorkel set following our Undersea Walkers adventure, we drove West from Paphos. We passed a number of beautiful beaches, unfortunately we don’t know their names as we were on a mission to get to the more famous Coral Bay and Lara Bay, but here are a couple that we passed by.
Cyprus is famous for it's beautiful beaches, and it certainly has its fair share! We wanted to explore more of them, so armed with a newly purchased mask & snorkel set following our Undersea Walkers adventure, we drove West from Paphos. We passed a number of beautiful beaches, unfortunately we don’t know their names as we were on a mission to get to the more famous Coral Bay and Lara Bay, but here are a couple that we passed by.
We found Coral Bay, parked up and enjoyed this sandy beach for a couple of hours, it also has a small restaurant perched on a cliff for light snacks and much-needed refreshments!
Agios Georgios beach
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view from where we ate lunch
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Lara Bay is in a protected area and an off-road journey so you will need a 4-wheel drive to get here. Cupped by lime rocks in a bay, the area isn’t hugely populated which is what makes it so beautiful .... well, that and the soft golden sand leading into the crystal clear water. If you can get here, you will see for yourself why it is one of Cyprus’ best beaches!
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Not had enough history? How about a trip to see the pyramids?
If you haven’t visited Egypt but always wanted to see the pyramids of Giza, it is possible to take a daytrip from Paphos, albeit a very looooong daytrip!
We booked a tour with our hotel rep and were picked up at 5am (!!). The one hour flight on a private plane flew us from Paphos directly to Cairo. During our day trip, the itinerary was packed with everything we wanted to see in Egypt … and more!
We visited the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, the Cairo Museum to view Tutankamun’s burial mask and artefacts, a papyrus factory and gold shop. Dinner was served on a River Nile boat cruise for sunset, which was followed by traditional belly dancing.
This trip is definitely recommended if you want to see these ancient monuments but don’t wish to travel to Egypt!
So, if you have ever wondered whether Cyprus is a place for you, hopefully now that you have read how much there is to do here and the variety of activities (plus the amazing sunshine for the majority of the year), hopefully you will add this to your list of future destinations … and I haven’t even touched on the amazing food and wonderfully friendly people here …
We absolutely loved Cyprus and definitely wish to return here again someday. It would be wonderful to return to the place which was the start of Sy's scuba diving career, only this time, it will be as a Scuba Diving Instructor!
Have you been to Cyprus? Where did you visit and what was a highlight? If you haven't been, is it on your list now? Tell us in the comment section below!
If you haven’t visited Egypt but always wanted to see the pyramids of Giza, it is possible to take a daytrip from Paphos, albeit a very looooong daytrip!
We booked a tour with our hotel rep and were picked up at 5am (!!). The one hour flight on a private plane flew us from Paphos directly to Cairo. During our day trip, the itinerary was packed with everything we wanted to see in Egypt … and more!
We visited the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, the Cairo Museum to view Tutankamun’s burial mask and artefacts, a papyrus factory and gold shop. Dinner was served on a River Nile boat cruise for sunset, which was followed by traditional belly dancing.
This trip is definitely recommended if you want to see these ancient monuments but don’t wish to travel to Egypt!
So, if you have ever wondered whether Cyprus is a place for you, hopefully now that you have read how much there is to do here and the variety of activities (plus the amazing sunshine for the majority of the year), hopefully you will add this to your list of future destinations … and I haven’t even touched on the amazing food and wonderfully friendly people here …
We absolutely loved Cyprus and definitely wish to return here again someday. It would be wonderful to return to the place which was the start of Sy's scuba diving career, only this time, it will be as a Scuba Diving Instructor!
Have you been to Cyprus? Where did you visit and what was a highlight? If you haven't been, is it on your list now? Tell us in the comment section below!
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