Cyprus

[Participant]

Who's been? Anyone else going this summer?

We're off to Pafos in the south west in late July, staying at a hotel for 14 nights. Last time I went I was 9, so I can't remember too much about it, except for the fact that it's very hot and the diving and snorkelling is amazing. I remember there being a couple of bays that blew my mind for quality of sand / water / sea life (Buttons Bay, Akrotiri).

Just looking for some tips as to where to go and for any experiences you had, good or bad!

The water park o), Coral Bay and a 4x4 trip up Mt Troodos are already lined up. On the 4x4 subject, is there any reason that I can't hire one myself and take us up the mountain? Or is a guide necessary? Probably try a day excursion somewhere, but to get from the west coast to the east, do stuff, and get back again in one is probably a bit ambitious?

Wouldn't mind learning some lingo, I usually try and brush up before I go on holiday...any recommended websites for learning Greek / Cypriot that have audio files to help with pronounciation?

Cheers.

 

[Participant]

Thanks all, some very handy info.

Leon made us eat prickly cacti

Strange name for it, but whatever floats ya boat!

I'm off to Paphos in a month, with the missus, but staying just outside it. Thomson Gold holiday which means no kiddies - bliss

My hotel is adults only too...no screaming kids, no footballs hitting my Pina Coladas, ultimate relaxation!

However I know nothing about hotels or touristy things as I go there purely as a "local" - but if you need any help whilst out there feel free to drop me a mail.

Thanks for the offer, appreciated .

I lived there for a few years until 2007...(

Cheers, some useful info there.

Clubbing on holiday isnt my bag either, unless it's as part of a stag do.

The other thing I remember is haloumi cheese...I love it so much and am going to eat it by the bucket load .

 

[Participant]

Terrible place - full of nasty tourists and naff English bars full of trash bags. It's really hard to find anything related to Cypriot culture or cuisine.

You're talking about Pafos? It's just a base, we'll be hiring cars / 4x4s.

Regarding the argument about why not go further afield while you're young and air travel is still cheap...is long haul really worth it when you can only get two weeks consecutive holiday? I went to SE Asia for a month and it still felt too short, so for a two week summer holiday, 24 hrs on a plane to Oz just isn't sensible. We'll go further next year, when I've got more spare leave.

In any case, I'm not sure that long haul air travel will necessarily become prohibitively expensive as the price of oil rises further, as fuel price rises will drive new technologies such as larger planes, putting downward pressure on price per ticket. Also, more efficient engines, suborbital travel, alternative fuels...humanity will find a way, as long haul travel is so important.

In any case, air travel isn't the only way to see the world and when I retire at 40, I can spend my life seeing the rest of the world if I wish . I seriously doubt that long haul travel by whatever means will ever be a problem in price terms.

 

[Participant]

You're retiring next year?

Eh?! Do you know something about me that my birth certificate doesn't?

 

[Participant]

Lol at the Pete Sampras banter .

This Fig Tree Bay beach sounds amazing, shame it's on the other side of the island! I take it that it's not really feasible to get from the west coast to the east and back again in one day given that the island is what...200 miles long?

Still there are good beaches on the west side also.

 

[Participant]

How did Cyprus manage a separate entry on Eurovision?

Yes, five seconds on Google could probably tell me the answer.