Have been living in Cyprus for 18mths now and love it. My family move over in may and I have a new b...
Have been living in Cyprus for 18mths now and love it. My family move over in may and I have a new business so life is great :)
Member since:26.03.2004
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Limassol, the 2nd largest city in Cyprus and by far the most cosmipolitan.
This area of Cyprus has just about everything you need to enjoy a few weeks of rest and recuperation.
From local tavernas run by Mom & Pop to 5* resturants and nightclubs. Whatever your heart desires you will find in Limassol.
There are some beautiful cove beaches where you can hire a sunbed & umbrella for about £2.50 cyp a day and be served frappe's at the waters edge while you laze in one of the 300 days of sunshine the island is bathed in.
If you wish to be more physical on your holiday, why not try one of the water parks? There is one located conveinently at Fassouri just outside Limassol with a bus service every day.
Beautiful walks maybe your thing and Cyprus has the mountains and the coastal walks that make you wish you could walk forever. There are some very handy walking guides which you should find in your hotel or in one of the tourist offices.
Things you should see in Cyprus.
Take a trip to the other side of the island and visit Anitas Viewpoint. This is the last occupied house before no mans land and the ghost town of Farmagusta. You can enjoy a refreshing frappe (cold coffee) and
a fresh cake while you learn a little of Cyprus's history and meet the 2 wonderful ladies who still have faith that one day they will be able to go home.
A visit to the Trodos mountains is a must. The views are breathtaking and here you will find homemade preserves and fresh honey. Try the village bread, only made traditionally on the mountain. It is said to have virility properties ;-). Stop for lunch in one of the Tavernas in Platres on your way down and experience a relaxed way of life while tasting such delights as Stifado and Afelia.
For those of you who like your food and are a little adventurous then head out to Pyla. Go through the village and head over the mountain, on the main road on the left hand side you will see a plain looking building. This is Ali's resturant. If you get to the boader patrol you have gone to far! Turn back. You won't find this resturant on any food guide and your rep will probably never have heard of Ali's resturant. For around £5.75 a head you can experience a traditional meze cooked to perfection. Take your time, a meze should last at least 4-5 hours! Ali had his resturant for over 30 years and it is one of the best kept secrets in Cyprus until now. Although he retired last year the new owner keeps the tradition of Ali both in the food and the decor!
Do you enjoy camping? Then go down to Polis and book into one of the camping sites. The best one we have found is in Latchi. After setting up you can take a 30 second walk to the beach where there is a nice little bar for you to while away an hour or 2. Latchi has some beautiful resturants as well and the fish is very fresh. Don't forget to try it.
Back into Limassol and one of the most reasonable priced resturants is Rebeccas. It is popular for the atmosphere, good food and excellant portions. Oh and the owner is just a little bit on the crazy side but it is all in good fun :))
There are litterally thousands of eating places in Cyprus from Cafe Bars to Psterias's (cyriot takeaways) I could tell you about Tara la Mare where the main course price includes a starter, buffet second course and a dessert, prices start from $15.75 and the I challenge you to find a better meal anywhere on the island!
On a different note I can tell you that Cyprus has sking! Yes in the winter months you can visit the Trodos mountain provided you have snow chains on. You can have a dip in the sea in the morning. Do a few downhill slaloms in the afternoon and finish off with a karaoke session in the evening. If you have the energy.
Visit the old churches, each one has their own story and are unique. There are wineries where you can have tasting sessions. Keo brewery do a tour of their factory daily in the summer months and you get to taste their beer too. Follow that with a visit to the sweet factory and get samples of locally made sweets. You can be merry and well fed in no time.
Spend the day at Kouriam beach just outside Limassol where you can watch the handgliders take off from the mountain behind you or visit the equestrian center and take a horse for a canter along the shoreline. There are also 3 resturants along the beach for you to tickle your taste buds further.
How about something a little more relaxing? Limassol hosts a number of spa and beauty centres for the lady that wants to relax. From the 5* Four Seasons Hotel or the St Raphael to the beauty cottage located near the Ajax hotel.
Limassol hosts the only undercover flea market in Cyrpus. Located at Fassouri, there are buses running daily. Every and Sat and Sun you will find a host of stalls selling traditional and modern items as well as books, clothes etc. There are a number of eating areas also at the flea market.....well as you are now aware the Cypriots love to eat so it would have wouldn't it? There is Lebanese, Cypriot and a traditional english burger van which does the best bacon rolls.
In February Limassol hosts the Carnival fortnight. It starts at the Limassol Town hall where the King of Festival comes to town this is followed by street parades with bands and floats. There is childrens week with the childrens Carnival parade finishing with a huge parade of floats, bands and anyone who wishes to dress up at the end of the fortnight. You will also see individual bands going through the streets of an evening entertaining you with traditional greek music. This is traditionally the time before fasting where people party and eat until Green Monday when they start a strict diet which does not include meat or dairy products. At the end of the 40 days of fasting there is Easter.
For every occasion i.e Christmas, Easter etc Limassol rises to the occasion and decorates their streets and when able their roundabouts! Its a faboulous site to see Father Christmas on a train riding around the roundabout when your stuck in the 5 car jam which is rush hour.
August/September sees the 2 week Wine Festival in the o Municipal gardens just on the sea front. Pay an entry fee and taste beers and wines to your hearts content!. Don't recommend driving, use one of the local taxis.
One quirk of Cyprus that I love is the traditional opening of a new business. A priest comes to bless the premises and bring good fortune to the business. This is followed by a party at the premises where you will be offered food and wine by the owners. It maybe a bar-b-que or a full scale buffet but whatever they put on is always delicious.
Vsit St Andrews street and see the beautiful leather goods on offer from purses to shoes and handbags. This is a lovely shopping area and has stores such as Essence, Top Shop etc as well as the tourist shops.
Well if you make it to Limassol call in to see me. I'll either be on one of the small cove beaches or in the Smugglerspub drinking a Brandy Sour and putting the world to rights with the owner Vas. I'll be happy to point out lots more interesting places that you might like.
Happy Holidays.
A quick ps. i have been asked to add more content to this review which I have now done. It is very difficult as I could probably write a book on Cyprus. However I am never going to be able to put something in for everyone. I'm not the Cyprus Tourist Board but just wanted to give my account of Cyprus and let people see the good things there are to do here.
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Advantages: Great base for visiting the tourist sites. Has a fantastic waterpark Disadvantages: Not really a disadvantage but more like a city in parts than an actual tourist resort
rustifer 01.10.2001 ·
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Review of Limassol (Cyprus)
Advantages: Great base for visiting the tourist sites. Has a fantastic waterpark Disadvantages: Not really a disadvantage but more like a city in parts than an actual tourist resort
rustifer 01.10.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Limassol (Cyprus)
Feb 17th, 2007
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