Secret Cyprus - need to know
GETTING THERE
A seven-night package staying at the Elias Beach Hotel in Limassol starts at €634 and at the Nissi Beach Hotel in Ayia Napa from €899, including charter flights from Dublin to Larnaca, which run until late October. Packages are available from Falcon Holidays (1850 946 164; falconholidays.ie), Concorde Travel (01-775 9300; concordetravel.ie) and Sunway (01-231 1888; sunway.ie). For more details, contact the Cyprus Tourism Organisation on 01-662 9269 or visitcyprus.com.
When to go
The peak summer months are the busiest -- as well as the hottest -- time to visit Cyprus. Temperatures can soar to 40°C between June and August, but the heat is much less intense in September and October. The unspoiled Troodos uplands at the centre of the island generate their own micro-climate to keep the area cooler than the coast. Either way, remember that pasty Irish skin can fry to a crisp in no time, so take sensible precautions while enjoying the Cyprus sun.
FIVE GREAT THINGS TO DO IN CYPRUS
- Hire a car and travel one of the designated Cyprus Wine Routes, sampling (in moderation!) at the regional wineries as you go. (Route guides from visitcyprus.com.)
- Watch traditional sweets and delicious soutzoukos being made at Agros village (nikiagathocleous @gmail.com).
- Stroll around the medieval museum in Lemesos Castle, which dates back to the Byzantine era (mcw.gov.cy/da).
- Visit the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Omodos, which houses a piece of the cross believed to be that on which Jesus was crucified (omodos.org).
- Lie back on the pristine sands of Macronissos.
- Eoin Quinn
Irish Independent
