Holiday Deals to Cyprus
Written on 1 July 2009 by adminCyprus is the third largest island in the Med and is technically in Asia but historically and culturally belongs to Europe. Today, Cyprus offers long stretches of sandy beaches, fantastic natural landscapes, mountain ranges, and small villages with hospitable locals who take great pride in their local wines, cuisine and culture.
The weather in Cyprus is sunny and pleasant about 8-9 months of the year. The short winter starts in October and will only last until about January. For those who are looking to arrive for ski vacations in Cyprus these are available between January and mid March and the Troodos mountains offer some fantastic ski resorts and great slopes.
Nicosia, the island capital, is a thriving town combining history and culture with modernity and advancement. The southern part of the city offers nightclubs and shopping while the northern part is more traditional with ancient ruins, galleries, museums and parks.
Limassol, the second largest city, lies along the Akrotiri bay in the southern parts. It has become a centre for tourists where one could find fantastic resorts, luxury hotels, festivals and archeological sites.
Aya Napa is perhaps the most popular resort town in Cyprus. Located in the south East, it attracts young tourists worldwide who come to lie in the magnificent sandy beaches, take part in water sports, and enjoy a vibrant night scene that includes clubs, bars and pubs. It is also a major site for festivals including the national festival in February, the Ocean festival in May and the Wine festival in September.
For a bit of outdoor activity, the Troodos Mountains, reaching 1952 meters in the highest point of the Olympus- the Chionistra, offer a fantastic getaway. This great national reserve offers hikes, ski, 4×4 driving and other activities. This can all be done between waterfalls, local churches and monasteries, and local villages that produce fantastic local red wines.
Thomas Cook offer great deals on holidays to Cyprus, this includes family holidays, all inclusive holidays and package holidays to the island.
You can get daily direct flights to Cyprus from most UK airports and with flight times at around 4 hours Cyprus makes for a great summer holiday destination.
Limassol
Written on 27 June 2009 by adminLimassol is a coastal city situated in the south of Cyprus along the Mediterranean. It’s the second largest Cypriot city and the Island’s largest seaside resort. Popular with beach revellers, party-lovers and families alike, it is a charming location amongst the stunning backdrop of Akrotiri Bay.
You’ll find Limassol encompasses the full seaside-city type holiday resort. With beautiful, busy beaches and generous watersports facilities, a wander around lets you experience the charm of this laid-back yet fun-loving resort. Think bustling little shopping streets full of character, local Cypriot eateries scattered amongst international restaurants and an array of interesting and extraordinary people and you’ll be some way to understanding why boredom is not an option in Limassol.
Beaches are aplenty and whilst the sandy beach of Avmidou must be sampled, one can be rewarded for venturing out a few miles either way to discover some beautiful, untouched natural havens.
The much-celebrated nightlife of Limassol is vast in choice and the most acclaimed in Cyprus. From smart and funky inner city clubs, to laid back seafront bars; there’s something to sample each and every night.
When the sunburn kicks in and you perhaps want a day away from the beach or if you had one to many beers the night before and perhaps need a healthy does of fresh Cypriot air then do not despair, Limassol offer much more to the discerning tourist. Museums such as the Medieval Museum and the Folk Art Museum offer an insight into the often overlooked, yet hugely interesting history, of this attractive Island. Take a trail around the Troodos Mountains which offers interesting excursions and beautiful scenery so close to the city. And with castles and convents aplenty, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to embrace the culture before heading back to the sand!
Limassol is the centre of winemaking in Cyprus. This dates back to the Middle Ages when Richard the Lionheart infiltrated the Island renowned for its wine and sugar cane. The culture reflects this with the Annual Wine Festival every September which is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike for ten days. The dedicated wine-lover simply must also take a daytrip to one of the local wineries to experience the production and taste of the local produce.
The four hour flight route has now been taken up by many budget airlines and flights to the local airport, Larnaca, are direct and cheap. A short ride away from the airport and with many of the city’s hundreds of hotels offering airport-pick up service, Limassol is a very accessible resort. If you can, avoid peak times for great hotel deals, as the Cypriot summer lasts almost all year.
Limassol captures the city-living urban style with a laid-back seaside influence and it works! History and culture reside efficiently with the buzz and excitement of a major city resort. Such is the close proximity and ease of travel around Limassol, you could be chilling on the beach, refreshing in your hotel and sampling the fresh seafood produce with friends outside a charming Cypriot restaurant all within the hour. Limassol presents an envious lifestyle and you might just not want to go back home!
Ayia Napa
Written on 20 June 2009 by adminSituated at the south of the Island of Cyprus, Ayia Napa is a resort famed for its beautiful sandy beaches and – more recently - notorious nightlife. A quick delve into the history of this place reveals a quaint fishing village, historically celebrated for it’s picturesque surroundings and myth has it the area was unoccupied until 1790 when a small group of Greeks settled, and so became the village of Ayia Napa.
Ayia Napa has become somewhat renowned for its nightlife. Brits flock to the resort every summer to enjoy all night parties with world-class DJs. While the wild ways of Brits abroad may grab the headlines, but put your beer down and take a look around, you’ll find there’s a lot more to this once-fishing village than meets the eye.
Take the Ayia Napa festival for starters. Located in a Venetian-style monastery in a charming location, it gives holidaymakers an insight into Cypriot folklore with theatrical performances, concerts and dancing. First held in 1985, it’s a free event and eagerly-awaited every year until it kicks off in the tourist season.
If you’re looking for something that will get your adrenaline pumping a little bit more, then you should really tap into the watersports available in Ayia Napa. Whether it’s water skiing, speed boating, canoeing, windsurfing or scuba-diving there’s something for each and every water baby. Clean, safe, well-marshalled beaches are the norm, and it’s quite likely you won’t have snorkelled in such stunning surroundings.
For those craving culture, Ayia Napa doesn’t disappoint. A number of museums aim to educate, impress and stress the importance of preserving the beautiful environment of Ayia Napa. The Tornartis – located in the Town Hall – exhibits Marine life of past and present. Exhibitions of note include at reconstruction of a sea-bed during prehistoric times, fish fossils from the Mesozoic period (up to 60 million years old) and vast aquariums of beautiful Cypriot fish species.
One can’t visit the Cypriot hotspot without sampling the wonderful food. While the town centre may be littered with fast-food joints and kebab shops to cater for the partygoer, venture a few minutes out of town to find some enchanting treats. You can probably guess the local speciality – seafood. But don’t confuse this with your generic European dish. Think fresh Red Snapper, Calamari, and Octopus combined with delicious dips such as tzatziki, taramosalata and tahini, throw in some Middle-Eastern
influence and you’re on the right lines.
For the thrill-seeking holidaymaker, take a ten-minute trip out to Cape Greco, where dwells the alleged Ayia Napa Sea Monster. Spotted only a dozen or so times and described as porpoise-dragon cross, legend has it, it’s a direct descendent from prehistoric times.
Travel to Ayia Napa is direct and frequent. Flights from the UK typically travel to the International Airport of Larnaca, just a thirty minute drive away from the centre of Ayia Napa. With the Cypriot winter months just December and January, avoid the peak British summer months for cheaper travel and more reasonable rates.
So if you’ve always dismissed Ayia Napa for it’s party-town reputation, or perhaps you’re a regular visitor guilty of not venturing out of the bar, open your eyes and see the undoubted charm on offer. Just watch out for the Sea Monster!
Cyprus: Blue Skies, Beautiful Beaches, and History!
Written on 6 June 2009 by adminIn Cyprus, tourists can expect year-round sunshine and clear blue skies for their adventures. The combination of temperate weather and sunshine make beach-going in Cyprus an absolute must for any tourist. Fortunately, Cyprus is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
In 2006, the International Blue Flag Jury awarded the Blue Flag to 49 beaches in 13 coastal communities and municipalities in Cyprus. Among them were Agia Triada Beach, Skoutari Beach, and Mouzuora Beach.
Agia Triada Beach
This beach is used primarily as a boat-launching area because the water is so shallow. At Agia Triada, the sand is a little coarse, but the beach provides more privacy since tourists tend to avoid the area due to a lack of restaurants.
Skoutari Beach
At Skoutari, the sand is hard-packed and contains a bay where tourists snorkel. This beach is a little more populated because there are good restaurants nearby.
Mouzuora Beach
This beach is popular with Cypriots and serious swimmers. Lounging on Mouzuora is not an option since the sand banks slope so dramatically. However, the water is clear and beautiful for swimming! Parking is ample and there are hotels and restaurants nearby.
For none beach-dwellers, there are thousands of other attractions to see in Cyprus! Visit the Cyprus Museum, a storehouse of the island’s archaeological treasures, the Folk Art Museum, the new Archbishop’s Palace, St. John’s Cathedral, Byzantine churches, the Byzantine Museum/Makarios Cultural Center, and the Ömeriye Mosque.
If you are visiting Cyprus at the end of May, check out the annual International State Fair. If your travels bring you to Cyprus in the beginning of June, go see the Nicosia Arts Festival.
For other excursions, visit the Nicosia area to see the Royal Tombs and Agios Irakleidios Monastery at Tamassos. Enjoy the beautiful five-dome church and the mosque in Peristerona, or the Panagia Chrysospiliotissa Church in a cliff-side cave near Deftera.
If you desire more seclusion, visit Paphos, the capital of Cyprus’s western region. With a population of only 27,000 inhabitants, Paphos provides a serene environment for its visitors. Among its attractions are the beautiful old harbor, Paphos’s ancient mosaic floors, its modern hotels and restaurants near the seaside promenade. Other attractions include an archaeological museum, the Byzantine castle of Paphos, the Tombs of the Kings, St. Paul’s Pillar and the Temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
Another popular Cyprus destination is Limassol, which is situated in the south of the island. Limassol is Cyprus’s main industrial and maritime area, and also the second biggest town in the country. Tourists flock to the Berengaria Castle, which is where Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria.
Whether you desire historical sights or beautiful beaches, Cyprus has it all!
Cyprus Tourist arrivals down for January - April 2009
Written on 13 May 2009 by adminNICOSIA, May 12 (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting Cyprus — a major source of income for the island — was down 8.6 percent on the year until April, the statistics department said on Tuesday.
Tourism, which accounts for about 10.9 percent of Cypriot gross domestic product, has suffered this year from the global downturn that has hit its key market Britain particularly hard and eroded the value of the pound against the euro, which Cyprus adopted in 2008.
Passenger survey data from January to April showed arrivals falling to 375,523 people compared with 411,054 holidaymakers visiting in the first four months of 2008, an 8.6 percent decrease.
Year on year for April alone, arrivals were down by 0.4 percent.
Tourists from Britain, who usually account for just over half of Cyprus’s annual tourism intake, totalled 84,526 in April compared with 93,862 in the corresponding period of 2008, a 9.9 percent drop.
Tourism arrivals from Russia — Cyprus’s second biggest market — fell 11.8 percent, while Swedish arrivals were down 15.6 percent.
However, there were more visitors from euro zone countries Germany and Greece. The number of German visitors increased by 56.5 percent in April and arrivals from Greece were up 23.7 percent.
Cyprus Winter Holiday Offers from Libra
Written on 20 March 2009 by adminLibra have some great Winter Holiday offers to Cyprus from £200 per person, which seem to be until the end of April….
As an example I did a search for a week in Ayia Napa, 25/04/09 - 02/05/09, and it came back with 5 holidays for £158.05, now I don’t know about you but for a week in Cyprus for £160 you can’t go wrong, I hadn’t been planning on going but at that price I think I will be booking a week away now!
New housing plan for low income families in Cyprus
Written on 13 February 2009 by adminThe Cyprus government has announced yesterday its new housing
plan for low income families. The plan will make 200 million euro
available for loans through the Housing Finance Corporation.
The housing plan applies to couples acquiring their first permanent
residence in Cyprus or European citizens who live permanently in
Cyprus the last five years and have a yearly income of up to 40,000
euro. The plan covers houses up to 200 sqm all over Cyprus.
The loan can be used for either building a house in an existing plot
or buying an existing house or apartment. The maximum loan amount
can be up to 200,000 euro. The interest rate on the loan will be set to zero
for the first two years and after that it will equal the current interest
rate of the Housing Finance Corporation.
For more information on the housing plan or for properties covered
by the plan call free 80-000-222 or visit your local BuySell office or
reply to this email.
More on www.BuySellCyprus.com
Ayia Napa, Nissi Beach Photo
Written on 12 February 2009 by adminI just wanted to post one of my favourite photos of Cyprus, Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa, every time I look at it I wish I was there seeing that blue sky 
The sandy Nissi beach stretches for 500m with clear blue waters.
Do you have a favourite picture of Cyprus? Send them to me and i’ll publish them
Cyprus Tourism Revenues Fall 3.5 % in 2008
Written on 28 January 2009 by adminCypriot tourism revenues fell 3.5 percent in the island’s key holiday sector during 2008, official figures showed on Wednesday.
Revenues weakened to 1.79 billion euros (2.38 billion dollars), from 1.85 billion euros in 2007.
However, in December alone, revenues edged forward 0.4 percent to 51.6 million euros from 51.4 million a year earlier.
The average daily spending by tourists was about 64 euros in December, and the average stay was 11 days.
The biggest spenders were Israeli visitors, splashing out 231 euros a day, while Swedes were the most frugal spending only 21.5 euros a day on average.
The disappointing revenue figures are coupled with a 0.5 percent decrease in tourist arrivals in 2008 to 2.40 million people from 2.41 million in 2007.
It was only the fourth decline in visitor numbers since 1996 and the outlook for 2009 is worse, with hotel bookings said to be 25 percent down for the coming summer.
Bumper spending by holidaymakers helped the Mediterranean resort island achieve GDP growth of 4.4 percent in 2007.
The finance ministry has trimmed its GDP growth projections to 3.7 percent for 2008 and down to 2.1 percent for this year due to concerns that the global financial crisis will trigger lower tourism revenues.
The lion’s share of visitors holidaying on Cyprus come from fellow European Union countries, especially from recession-hit Britain and Germany.
Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis said on Wednesday the government was mulling an additional 40-million-euro stimulus package for the struggling tourism and construction sectors.
A 52-million-euro injection for the two sectors was announced in November but the economy is slowing faster than predicted. EU Commission estimates for the islands GDP growth in 2009 is one percent lower than the government’s forecast.
Tourism contributes nearly 15 percent to Cyprus’s GDP (AFP)
This information is taken from naharnet.com
Another Cheap Cyprus Holiday!
Written on 17 July 2008 by adminAfter my last trip to Cyprus being cheap I have found yet another deal which seems to be pretty cheap, this time for my parents, once again it’s with Olympic Holidays and staying at the Anthea in Ayia Napa, self-catering, for two weeks for just £316 all in!!
When I did a search for just 1 week from 3rd September the price came in at £346, you’d be mad not to go for two weeks, just looking for flights individually seem to be around the £200 mark at the cheapest!
So once again Olympic Holidays seem to come out a winner for me!
