My wife and I, now in our early sixties, have had holidays in Paphos on four occasions over the last 8 years, always in late February or early March. At this time of year the weather is usually pleasantly warm, around the high 60s to low 70s fahrenheit with plenty of sunshine, although odd rainy days can intervene.
We prefer to stay in a self-catering establishment because Paphos is full of nice restaurants of varying types and it seems to us a pity to to be tied to your hotel for all your meals. The last two years we have stayed at the Damon Apartments - there is quite a fair description of this establishment in the Virgin Sun brochure. The rooms and beds are very clean and comfortable and the staff are efficient and friendly. The sound-proofing of the rooms is not that good - this was not a great problem at the time of year we've stayed there when the establishment is probably less than half full and the adjacent pool and pool bar are not used at nights but I imagine it could be noisy in summer.
Paphos has a great sense of history - there are ruins and archaeological sites all around going back to Roman times and beyond. There has been a lot of modern tourist development over the last 25 years but much of this is fairly sympathetic to the surroundings, with one or two notable exceptions, and high-rise development has not been permitted.
Paphos is an ideal place for strolling around aimlessly - there are always interesting old churches and other buildings and historic ruins that you keep stumbling across and when you feel like refreshment there will always be a cafe or bar close at hand. The cafes often cater for British tastes but Greek dishes are widely available.
The restaurants are generally very good - the prices are generally about the same as in the UK or slightly cheaper. Four places we can recommend are (the first two very close to the Damon Apts):-
Anna's Plaice - Run by a lady from Harrogate who serves up fish and chips as good as you'll get anywhere.
Tea for Two - excellent for breakfast and a wide range of snacks and full meals.
Themis Cafe in upper Paphos opposite the Post Office - run by a very friendly couple - their home-cooked Moussaka is delicious.
Okio snack bar near the Harbour - excellent for light snacks with a nice balcony overlooking the sea.
Paphos is in two parts - Kato Paphos around the harbour with lots of restaurants, bars and tourist shops and Upper Paphos where there is a wider range of shops and a market. Both areas are walkable from the Damon (15 and 40 minutes respectively).
The people in Paphos (and Cyprus as a whole) are generally very friendly and hospitable and well-disposed towards us Brits, and English is very widely spoken.
Paphos wouldn't suit everone - the beaches there are generally rather gritty and stony - not very suitable for bathing although there are nice sandy beaches 15 or 20 minutes away by car or bus. Also, while there are discos and clubs in Paphos I imagine young people looking for lots of night-life may find it a bit quiet.
Overall we have found Paphos a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday destination. We have been on day-trips to other places on the island but we haven't seen anywhere that we'd rather stay than Paphos.
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Advantages: Friendly locals, plenty of historical sites, good range of bars and restaurants, exchange rate easy to work out Disadvantages: Can get very quiet in the off season, some prices are quite high, no sandy beaches
neo1138 18.07.2000 ·
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Review of Paphos (Cyprus)
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)
Apr 13th, 2001
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