I feel as if I'm in some hi-tech whirl at the moment, with a new phone, router, netbook and not to m...
I feel as if I'm in some hi-tech whirl at the moment, with a new phone, router, netbook and not to mention all the other stuff that keeps needing replacing, I'm no stranger to Currys etc.
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We have been to Cyprus about four times in the last ten years, always centred in or around Paphos - the thought of visiting the eastern end of the island with all that Aghia Napa suggests does not fill me with any joy. I’m probably doing the place an injustice, but I’m not willing to risk a holiday on finding out.
When you visit a place at regular intervals, you can tell whether it’s getting overdeveloped, and Paphos, to my mind is.
What was once a town with some local atmosphere has now been ruined by Western European commercialism. OK, the harbour and its Venetian fort still look the same, but one of the things that I used to like about Greece and Cyprus, was seeing signs in Greek, which made you feel further from home than you really are.
Now that I’ve learnt some Greek, everything is in English, so you might as well be anywhere in southern Europe. It seems that Cyprus is now catering for travellers who don’t want to feel a long way from home. Of course, if you have never been there before, then you might find Paphos to be a nice enough place for a family holiday, but it seems to be losing any real identity, which would set it apart.
Of course, hiring a car is easy enough, and less traumatic for the uninitiated, since they drive on the left. This then enables you to get out and sample the delights of this end of Cyprus. The hill village of Pissouri gives magnificent views of the Akrotiri peninsular, and is home to The Bunch Of Grapes, a charming old collection of buildings around an inn with about 11 rooms, where we stayed on one of our trips.
The British owners seem to have created what all the Cypriot property developers have missed - atmosphere, with breakfast taken to birdsong in the courtyard.
The Akamas peninsular is a haven for wildlife and walkers, and parts of it can only be entered by permitted vehicles. This includes the jeeps used in “safaris” - we went there to be caught in a very rare cloudburst, and then you get to find out what a Land-Rover Defender can do, as all the gullies became torrents in minutes. Whilst up this way, try the twin villages of Polis and Latsi, famous even with the locals for their fish restaurants. On the way back, you can visit the snake zoo of all things.
Paphos is also a reasonable drive from Limassol, a town with not a lot to recommend it, but it is after all a working seaport. Mind you, it does have an M&S and the seafront is a useful source of parking and eateries.
You can also visit Nicosia, but this is where a coach trip comes in handy, since it’s quite a long way. You CAN cross through to the “Turkish” part, but only on foot.
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Advantages: It is very friendly, drive on the Left hand side, and mostly speak English Disadvantages: You can't lay on the beaches in the winter, and the evenings are cold.
elinor.z 07.03.2008 (20.05.2008)
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Review of Paphos (Cyprus)
Dec 19th, 2000
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