Blogs from Cyprus, Middle East - page 11

When thinking of a destination for our Easter holiday, we wanted somewhere which offered good weather, good food, good sights and good hiking. Cyprus seemed to tick all of those boxes and so in April we found ourselves facing a 4 hour flight with Amy - we just hoped that it would be worth the journey! We started with a few days in the Paphos / Polis area. Paphos is a touristy town, but offers some interesting sights and we were glad to have a chance to explore. The archaeological site near the coast is particularly interesting, with great mosaics which have been well preserved. We also enjoyed some good hiking, with great walks in the Akamas Peninsula, which is north of Paphos. None of the hikes were too intimidating, but they were hard work in ... read more

Sara and I have recently opened Aperanti Agrotourism in August 2013, an agrotourism accomodation in Cyprus in a renovated traditional stone-built house located in the picturesque village of Pera Orinis, a 15-minute drive from the Machairas mountains and a 20-minute drive from the capital Nicosia. The name Aperanti is a play on words that combines the greek word Peran ("beyond") and the philosophical word Aperantos ("infinite"), reflecting our wish to offer our guests a memorable experience that goes 'beyond' the typical holiday in Cyprus of sun & sea. By staying at Aperanti you will have the possibility not only to relax and to explore our beautiful countryside, but to "Live the Agrotourism" in Cyprus by tasting our home-made products (cheese, jams, cakes, pastries,...) and to participate in local activities (traditional h... read more

After a horrendous day yesterday, delayed flight to begin then getting stuck with a bundle of Lebanese money I cant get rid of, I then had to pay way to much for my hire car. I had no maps it was dark and it took me hours to find my guest house in Larnaka's old town. Yet today was brilliant, talked to Ruth this morning which is always nice then had an almost full English, visited the tourist office, Larnaka's old fort and Agia Lazarus before hitting the road. First I visited and old mosque on the shoreline of a dry salt lake, cats everywhere, then a pretty church in the village of Kiri. Next was an extremely old neolithic village and a impressive medieval fortress. This was followed up by some stunning Roman ruins, although ... read more

Lynne and I have spent a couple of weeks resting and relaxing on this wonderful island where the weather has been perfect, although it is now hotting up, and the people are so friendly and helpful. We have been staying at a villa near the coastal town of Latchi which is on the North West point of West Cyprus. Both Latchi and the nearby town of Polis have a fair selection of decent restaurants and I must say Trip Advisor has been very helpful in locating the best. Most of the time has been spent relaxing around the pool at the villa and I am now on my 5th book. A swim between chapters is most refreshing.However we have not been completely lazy and we have had a few trips out in the car (which is ... read more

This was our first trip to Cyprus. This, like Israel, is another divided country. We docked in Limassol, which is the Greek part of the island. The northern part of the island is controlled by Turkey. Our guide, Naflia, said that it has been occupied by the Turks since they invaded in 1974. Even the capitol city of Nicosia is divided by The Green Line which separates the Turkish Cypriots from the Greek Cypriots. Cyprus has fallen on hard times and is in the throes of a terrible financial crisis. This is not so evident to the visiting traveler. We had a private van tour with John and Brooks and Bert and Lani. We went up into the foothills to the lovely village of Omodos, which is a well preserved country town. We ... read more