Cyprus with the family, our recent trip and why we recommend Cyprus.

When you think of Cyprus what do you think of? I think of blue flag beaches, archaeology, sunshine, mountains and and the never ending meze’s. It has the perfect mix I think, to tempt you to spend time there if you are a young family, or have teens. It’s not just for families though, as it has a history of being a great place to get married, and has strong expat and retired communities too.

We went for the second time this summer, after a really successful trip a couple of years with James Villas.  You can read about that trip HERE. I thought it would be fun to share some of the images from our last holiday this summer. Showing you what staying in a villa, a little away from the very touristy Paphos looks like, and what we got up to whilst we were there. Usually as a family, we don’t stop searching out things to do every day whilst on holiday.  This year we decided to have a totally different kind of break, and really just chilled, enjoyed the villa and the surrounding area that were staying in.

We actually stayed in two villas in Cyprus this summer, the first very near the Tomb of the Kings Road in Paphos, the second in Episcopí a village 11 kilometres northeast from the city of Paphos in Cyprus. Without a doubt I loved the second of the locations more.  It was a real taste of traditional life, we met some expats who also lived in the village as well as locals, and they reiterated that this was exactly why they choose this location to live too. The setting was breathtakingly beautiful, and I felt at peace (we all did really) in the beautiful stone walled garden and traditional villa. It was surrounded by quite a rugged terrain, as Cyprus (especially in the summer months receives very little rain) this is accentuated by the Episkopi Rock the towers over the valley.

Here’s our view from the outdoor eating area of our villa down to the pool.

I think you can just about spot Nia, who set herself up with a bluetooth speaker and a book most afternoons.

View from hammock to the house

I loved the small recesses in the rocks, which had collections of things that they had found on the site, as well as small trinkets that must have been left by other holiday makers.

View from hammock to the orange grove and mountains

We soon got into a routine of getting fresh pitta and pastries in the morning.

Then cooking something early evening and enjoying it as the sun went down over the mountains, with a glass of local wine or a (local) Keo beer.

In the day we fought over who was going in the hammock that hung between two olive trees. I didn’t win may times, but when I did I made sure I spent the time reading and drinking in that view, which was amazing.

When we did venture out to have a meal, or visit somewhere, this villa was the perfect backdrop for my daughter to pose!

Why do I think that Cyprus is a great place to visit with the family?

• With beaches and water parks, Cyprus has lots of water fun.  The beaches are beautiful, and the ones we visited were not too busy, clean and with lots of water sports available. We definitely recommend – Protaras, in the Paphos region and Alagadi Turtle Beach.
• If you go to Paphos harbour you can also book snorkeling, diving, fishing and even turtle spotting trips. Special mention to Cydive a beginner bubble-maker scuba-diving courses for children aged eight years or older
• Restaurants & mealtimes, children are generally made very welcome at restaurants, they are very used to adapting meals slightly to make the portion smaller or offer a childrens menu.
• Castles! There are many old buildings, castles and ruins that most children love discovering.  St Hilarion Castle (Northern Coast) Walt Disney apparently drew inspiration from this castle for his Snow White.
• History and Museums – Cyprus is bursting with history! Natural History Museum (Larnaka) Great for kids, with a good playground and peacocks, pelicans and macaws.
• Pafos Zoo, we’ve been to this Zoo twice now. We definitely recommend the very talented bird show, where you might get to meet one of the famous Harry Potter owls.