Summer Vibes in Cyprus

With a midday flight from Luton, we arrived in Larnaca in the evening and took the transfer to the hotel. After checking in, we went to grab some food from the Rock & Roll diner. As it was late, this was the only one of the 6 restaurants in the hotel that was still open, and we grabbed some nachos. We then had one drink at the lobby bar before calling it a night.

The next morning we grabbed breakfast before having our first chilled day in the hotel. We then headed to the pool. The hotel had an interesting sun lounger policy, whereby they allocated them for your stay. It did save us having to run down in the morning to grab a spot, but it did tie us to a certain location all week.

Sadly, despite being warm it was quite cloudy today, and we ended up spending it still in our t-shirts around the pool. After getting lunch at the restaurant we then headed back to the pool. By mid-afternoon it had started to rain - so much for the hot sunshine! As dinner time approached, the weather started to clear and the prospects for tomorrow looked better.

The hotel was very good at evening entertainment, and most nights had a full on theatrical show. Tonight was Grease, which we sat and enjoyed over some cocktails.

The next day was much nicer, with plenty of sunshine, perfect for lounging in all day. The hotel also had a lazy river, which we spent lots of time going round on rubber rings.

That night was a very good performance of Mamma Mia.

The next morning we got up early to join our excursion to the northern side of the island. We were one of the earliest to be picked up, and after an hour or so of picking people up from Ayia Napa town and Protaras, we arrived at the crossing point.

Since 1974, the island has been divided between the Greek south and Turkish north, and even almost 50 years later, the division remains with a buffer zone patrolled by the UN.

We crossed this buffer and after getting our passports back headed to the ruins of the ancient city of Salamis - the largest such site on the island.

We had a look around the site - the amphitheatre, the forum and the baths, before heading around the corner for a drink of traditional "lemonade" made with lemon syrup.

We then made our way over to the monastery of St. Barnabas, the patron saint of Cyprus.

We then were taken back to the south to the ghost town of Varosha. I had been here before, back in 2015. However at that time it was still closed off to the public - but now, parts of it were open to the public to walk around.

The former holiday resort was abandoned during the conflict, and whilst falling apart after years of disrepair, still stays in a bit of a time warp.

After going through a security barrier, we entered the ghost town to find that bicycles and scooters were available to rent! Even in an unrecognised country, commercialisation has arrived!

We took a short walk around, past hotels and shops before arriving at a section of the beach.

After this, we went to a café by the beach for lunch, before making our way into the town.

The centre of Famagusta is inside huge citadel walls, and was one of the largest and most important harbours in the Middle Ages.

The town contains the beautiful gothic cathedral of St. Nicholas, which was partially destroyed in earthquakes, and was converted into a mosque after the Ottomans took control in 1571.

I took a look inside the mosque, before we went for a walk around the centre of the old town. We then wandered around to the Othello Tower, before waiting to reboard our bus and head home.

After crossing back into the southern side and going back through Protaras and Ayia Napa, we got back to the hotel and went for dinner before watching a performance of The Greatest Showman.

The next day was a well earned chilled one after the busy day to Famagusta. That evening however, we had booked a table at the Cypriot restaurant, where we enjoyed a four course meze of traditional foods.

That evening was a Cher show, and the next day was another chilled one around the pool with cocktails and food. Before dinner however, we went for a short walk to the archaeological site of Makronissos, where 19 tombs were found in 1989.

En route we were approached by a little cat, and when we said hello, suddenly all his friends came to join, and we were surrounded by 7 of them!

The wind had picked up tonight, and the sea here was pretty rough. After having dinner, we sat and watched a local Cypriot dance performance, which included balancing glasses on the guy's head...

The next day was our last full day, and we spent the day once again lounging in the sun. It was Greek Easter whilst we were here, and today was Good Friday, so the hotel had put up lots of Easter related items around the complex, despite the heat making it feel nothing like Easter at all!

The final full day was unfortunately very windy, which meant it was a bit too chilly to spend time around the pool. Instead we enjoyed a few final cocktails before heading back to the airport and eventually home.

Although a bit early in the season for some proper summer vibes, it had been a nice opportunity for a bit of sunshine! If the summer is a washout again, at least we've had a week of summer!