We like Cyprus, yes there is plenty to do and seethe what to do and see thread

don't expect it to be like Greece [another favorite of ours] you can find some out of the way places which retain the cypriot feel, but all the main resorts are very British in style

yasus
wizard

Will you be having a car? If yes, why not try a village. Pissouri, for instance.
I can highly recommend a villa in a quiet area of the village, with pool. Sleeps 4 to 6.

There are about half a dozen restaurants in the village, 3 mini markets, a supermarket, a couple of takeaways. The bay offers similar, a couple of miles down the hill. Plenty of villages around within a few minutes driving time with authentic restaurants.

A car would be handy. With the amount of Brits having to return to the UK you have your pick of villas and September is nearing the end of the season when a lot of schools are back. Lovely island

but all the main resorts are very British in style

Well that's done it for me then. I shall not be going to Cyprus.

Thanks for the info anyway guys.

First of all, it could hardly be surprising that there is a huge British influence. It was under British rule for about 80 years( ending 1960)
Second thing- I have only been to Cyprus twice and both to commercial places but we ate at tavernas every night( well one night we fancied Italian food ). But you can easily find accomodation in a village. My favourite part of Cyprus was the Troodos mountains. the villages there are definitely Cypriot. I wouldn't like to stay there though as the higher you get the cooler it gets. If you do decide to go there I would avoid Protaras and Ayia Napa- I don't think you would like them.

intervoice wrote:

but all the main resorts are very British in style

Well that's done it for me then. I shall not be going to Cyprus.

Thanks for the info anyway guys. :tup

WHY?

Yes it's commercial as any tourist place is but it's not like Egypt where it's a hassle going NEAR a shop

Yes it has a British Base because we ran it for a long time

BUT take a drive out into the country and suddenly once away from the tourist tat then you get the Cypriots Cyprus rugged and beautiful with food that is so plentiful you're Stuffed permanently and the beers not bad either

The beaches are really good, the sea is WARM (when we were there in June it was warmer than the UK at the bottom of the Sea), the fish are beautiful (rivals Sharm) and you don't need to take adapter plugs for the wife's Hair Dryer and Straighteners which is a bonus

If you want somewhere that still has a traditional Cyprus feel, you need to stay away from the tourist resorts.

Try one of the villages closer to Larnaca - I would suggest Kalavasos for a typical village atmosphere, Pentakomo or Tochni if you're looking for villages and tradition. You will get a pool in possibly Tochni or Pentakom but probably not Kalavasos. But, if you want tradition - that means a pool is out!!!!

Otherwise, try Larnaca (nearer to Finikoudes beach and the mosque side) rather than where the bigger hotels are further along the bay. Larnaca has a mixture of old and new in the back streets but still only a short drive from the airport.

Avoid the tourist resorts of Ayia Napa, Protaras, Limassol (Potamos Germasoyia, Amathous and as far up as Governors Beach), after that you're ok for Limassol. Avoid Paphos tourist resorts, Chloraka, Peyia, Trimithousa. Polis and Latsi are still relatively traditional but growing.

You could try the mountain resorts but you will be 45 mins drive from the coast.

There are plenty of places to go - it's just knowing the places not to!

CwB
Living permanently in Limassol since March 2004 and not been back to UK since then!

My two penneth....

Cyprus is Cyprus... its not Greece, its not Britain, it is what it is ! That said we must now explain what Cyprus is all about and what there is to be found.

We stay in Pernera which is about 2 minutes drive from Protaras and is very similar but smaller and quieter. It is a holiday resort area and does cater to British people as well as Local Cypriot holiday makers and several other nationalities... It isn't a mini Britain.. !
Lots of British people go there so things that they want will make sales so you can get a really well done roast dinner and you can get a great full English breakfast. You can get most things you can back home in the shops (which often makes the holiday easier than other places) including baby milk and marmite if you look hard. The roads are like the UK, driving on the same side, using almost identical traffic laws, junctions etc which again can make the holiday easier (you don't struggle to drive around and visit other places). Public transport is very much the same as the Uk with buses and taxi's operating much like ours.

So as it is a holiday resort area it does take on that feel which is why people book "holidays" and not "expeditions" to it. If you want a voyage of discovery into mountains, tiny villages, relatively undiscovered (by the tourists) areas you can get that in Cyprus but "you" need to do the ground work. Holiday companies tend to book to resort areas where the majority of people want sunshine, pools, bars and restaurants so don't really do deals to Stavros' garden shed where you can spend weeks watching wildlife and eating what his family make....

So here are a few things worth mentioning...
Cyprus is FULL of history (places like Malta have similar backgrounds with changes of ruler, invasions and British ties etc), you can visit Unesco sites like Tombs of the Kings (in Paphos), you can visit many old churches (like Profit Illias above Protaras), go to old wineries, visit the villages, discover little tavernas and coffee houses (hire a car and go exploring the villages / take a trip on the Red Bus Tour to get a feel for what is going on), go to local village fairs and events (we went to the strawberry festival celebrating the harvest and what an event !!), even in Protaras you can get traditionally cooked Cypriot food with real hospitality (people with a genuine passion for what they do and as with all Cypriot people, a massive amount of friendly, caring and sharing attitude).
Extra to all that, you then get the great beaches (some quiet and secluded if you go looking), watersports, waterparks, buggies for hire, bike hire, all manner of boat/coach/jeep/bus trips, all the general holiday type offerings..

Cyprus is a stange place... we have been going for years now and still haven't had the same holiday twice ! We keep discovering new and different things that might have been on our doorstep but hadn't noticed before. Ask about local events and places and things to see and you find little markets, charity events, celebrations for varying things, lots more to the island than first meets the eye.... You could spend 2 weeks by the pool/beach or you could spend two weeks and never see a beach depending on what you wanted to explore.

I suppose there is only one way to really find out and that it to give it a try... You can drive from Protaras at the East of the island to Paphos at the West in about 2 hours so nothing is too far to go and see.

Hope this helps

Steve

what a great post Steve

Steve

WOW ! you have experienced more of Cyprus than we did on our first visit I'm really looking forward to more relaxing more expeditions more diving more FOOD

Why someone would not want to go now amazes me I was only there 14 nights I spent 5 days underwater and in the classroom but I still managed to fire off 980 photographs on one camera and lots more on the others (underwater & splashproof)

I was only there 14 nights I spent 5 days underwater

it rained a lot when we were in Corfu... !

AskCy wrote:

I was only there 14 nights I spent 5 days underwater

it rained a lot when we were in Corfu... ! :rofl

OK

Cyprus IS a Scuba Paradise and there are so many dive sites available by just walking into the water from the beach it's amazing

There are also agrotourism sites on the web which offer holidays in remote villages. We did Kathikas a few years ago and its excellent for getting to see the less commercial side of Cyprus.

Richie

Ditto great post Cyprus is not Greece, im off to Protaras for the tenth time from 12th September and cant wait i love the place, yes the main strip has become a bit cheesy over the years but i mainly go for the beaches, we always have a few nights out in peneraas well.
Intervoice can you recommend a greek island, ive just come back from Parga, and have been to Zante, Rhodes, Skiathos, Santorini and one of my favourites kafelonia, im looking for something really greek with a lovely beach with a few tavernas at night, ive been looking at Thassos, Ithica, been looking at Crete but too many resorts too choose from. Did a day trip to Paxos whilst in Parga which was really gorgeous