Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is the capital of the largest Cypriate municipality to which it gives its name. The island's second largest town was, and is, traditionally a major port, and has been since the British occupied Cyprus in 1878 - with the first hotels beginning to operate in the area not long after. Cyprus has had a long history of occupations and disputes over the island's ownership. The most recent of which led to the division of Cyprus in 1974 and created the Greek republic of Cyprus and the Turkish republic of northern Cyprus - the second of which is only recognised by turkey itself. Limassol does owe a great deal to its volatile history, especially as it has thrived as a tourist destination since the now Turkish Famagusta, one of the most important tourist destinations in Cyprus before the divide, is no longer accessible to holiday makers.

Probably the easiest way to get to Cyprus is on a package deal. Often you can find one that provides flights and accommodation for not much more than the cost of the return flights themselves. You can reduce the cost again by buying your holiday later and accepting allocation on arrival. This does of course mean that you run the risk of being placed in sub-standard accommodation or in an area that does not fulfill your requirements. This was the option that a friend and I went for over Easter last year, and we ended up finding ourselves in the old town...

Limassol does have a small number of attractions, some of which did and did not appeal to us, and some of which were not open until 1 May. We chose not to visit: the Sea Sponge Exhibition (situated in an old carob warehouse and displaying different types of sea sponge); the Time Elevator (a trip through Cyprus' history that costs CY£7 for adults and CY£5 for children); Limassol Castle (13th century castle standing on the site where Richard the Lionheart is said to have married Berengaria of Navarre); or the Amathus ruins (dating from 1000BC, but that we couldn't easily find). There are also a large number of waterparks all over Cyprus, but unfortunately most of these were not yet open.

The one thing that does make Limassol ideal is that it is an easy place to see the rest of the Cyprus from. Being situated on the coast between Paphos and Ayia Napa (meaning you will either fly into Paphos airport or Larnacka airport) it allows you to reach other areas fairly quickly provided you hire a car. There are plenty of local hire places along with larger chains, and I would strongly advise against using Avis - who did not provide us with adequate maps or the full tank of petrol that we paid for. (We used Avis in order to take advantage of being able to have free accommodation near to Protaras for one night through our tour operator - a deal that is only available in low season.)

We did this on the way to Paphos. (A forty-five minute drive on the motorway, or a more leisurely and beautiful hour's drive). En route we came across a 2nd century stadium that had the capacity to hold 6,000 spectators. It was one of the largest stadiums in Europe, but all that now remains is the oval wall. Standing on the top of what, I imagine, must have been some sort of dais gives a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside.

On heading towards Ayia Napa, (about an hour and a half's drive from Limassol) Avis' lack of linking maps led us to Nicossia (also about an hour and a half's drive). We had hoped to find road signs to Ayia Napa near Larnaka, but on not finding them found ourselves heading towards the world's last divided city that forms both the Greek and Turkish capital of Cyprus. A city which contains many of the shops and amenities you would expect from any capital city - along with the evidence of its history imbedded in its walls in the form of bullet holes. Although we did not enter into the city properly, (we had been told there was not really that much to see by other tourists), we did see the Turkish flag that was blasted into the rock-face in order to remind the Greeks of the Turkish occupation. As you head towards Nicossia, you cannot help but see it - at one point the road finds you driving directly towards this eerie and chilling reminder of the still contentious issue of the ownership of Cyprus.

Ayia Napa itself is probably only really suitable for those looking for a clubbing lifestyle. On entering the town (a taxi costing CY£8 from Agios Eglias) we found few eating places that looked like they served anything resembling traditional Cypriate food. The majority appeared to be Karaoke bars or British style pubs.

English is spoken widely throughout the island, although Greek is the national language. (Normally when abroad I attempt to learn a couple of words such as 'thank you', but in Cyprus I would have felt embarrassed to use them).

You can drink the water, although a separate drinking water tap is normally available in rooms.