Paphos Apartment Out and About

The Paphos Apartment makes an ideal base for exploring the surrounding area. Please take a few minutes to look at the various attractions we have listed below. We are sure you will see why staying at the Paphos Apartment makes an ideal base when exploring this part of Cyprus.

Coral Bay

Coral Bay,
Paphos

11 kilometres (15 minutes drive) to the north of Paphos and 3 kilometres below the friendly, hillside village of Peyia is Coral Bay, the best natural beach in the area. This is an established resort with many villas set apart from one another above a wide curve of dark golden sand. The summer heat is often tempered by a gentle breeze, the sea has a shallow margin where children may play safely and, in the busier months, water sports on offer include pedaloes, water skiing, banana boats, wetbikes and windsurfing.

Close by the Bay you will find four large hotels, banks, minimarkets for provisions and souvenirs, bars, restaurants and other shops and, for casual alfresco meals, a couple of tavernas/snack bars overlooking the sea and a large restaurant in the next bay which is open during the day. More tavernas and local shops are a short drive away. A perfect location for a casual seaside holiday, this is also an excellent base for touring the Paphos area, with all it has to offer. European Blue Flag beach.

Latchi

Latchi,
Cyprus

Latchi with its coastal paved walk is the picturesque harbour of Polis, known throughout Cyprus for its fresh fish. In the past it served as a small port for shipping carobs. The old stone carob warehouses have been converted into restaurants, fish taverns and places of recreation. From Latchi, travelers to Polis can go on short cruises to the Akamas, a must for all visitors.

Limassol

Limassol,
Cyprus

Limassolians have a reputation for being fun loving and always ready to party. The wine festival in September and the Carnival in March are major events on the island. Limassol is a large, cosmopolitan port and resort with some of the best hotels in Cyprus and an enormous selection of restaurants, night clubs, discos and shops.

This the gateway to the mountain resorts which can easily be reached via a very good road from Limassol. Pissouri and Governor's beaches are within easy reach as is the enormous beach at Curium. The villages in the mountains around Limassol are set in the midst of vineyards and several are featured in our programme. The crusader castle of Kolossi, the headquarters of the Knights Templar and St John of Jerusalem, is within easy reach as are the ancient kingdoms of Curium to the west and Amathus to the east. It was in Limassol castle that Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre.

Nicosia

Nicosia,
Cyprus

The capital and the main commercial centre, Nicosia, the last divided capital in the world, is often ignored when visiting Cyprus because it is not on the beach. A very dynamic mayor has, over the last 10 to 15 years, forced the renovation of the old town which is now quite charming with many cafes, open-air restaurants and shops within the narrow streets and gracious old buildings.

Nicosia is only a half hour drive from Larnaca and it is very easy to reach the Troodos mountains from here too. The archaeological museum is world famous and must be visited. The Cyprus tourist office runs free walking tours every Thursday. The restaurants in Nicosia, because they cater for the home market, are the best on the island.

The historic, divided inland capital and centre of the island's activities. Not a resort but a place of interest and a useful base for excursions. The old quarters are coming alive with courtyard restaurants, craft shops and houses as traditional buildings are renovated to stand side by side with excellent modern shops. A visit to the Archaeological Museum is a must, the restored 18th century House of Hadjigeorgakis is worth a visit and guided tours within the walls of the old city are run regularly.

Paphos

Paphos,
Cyprus

This south-west corner of Cyprus has an ambience all of its own: soft breezes, old stone, elusive enchantment and an air of antiquity. This is the kingdom of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and her presence seems to linger. Paphos itself is really two towns, each with its own character; Ktima on the cliff and Kato Paphos by the sea, two kilometres down the road. The one is unchanged over centuries and thoroughly Cypriot while the other has expanded over the last decade from a sleepy fishing village and harbour into a bustling, busy, sprawling cosmopolitan resort which is still growing.

Roman Paphos was the island's capital, and the 3rd century mosaics here are the finest in the Mediterranean. The atmosphere is funloving and friendly, with plenty of bars, pubs, discos, a few nightclubs and innumerable eating places providing anything from choice Italian cuisine to sizzling souvlaki off the spit.

Swimming in the bay's deep, clear waters is good. The coastline to the north is peppered with small sandy coves but the area's best beach is a 15 minute drive away at Coral Bay. Paphos is an ideal centre from which to explore this region of wild coastline, unspoilt hillside villages and natural beauty; yet it takes less than an hour by car to reach Limassol.

Pafos combines both culture and entertainment in a conveniently sized package. In Paphos you will find some of Cyprus's most stunning archealogical gems such as its Roman mosaics and Tombs of the Kings situated amongst beach-front resort hotels and golden beaches. Bananas grow in profusion along the south-western coast, yet the Akamas Peninsula is one of the island's last unspoilt wildernesses and is home to flora and fauna species found only on Cyprus. Small beach resorts that have not yet succumbed entirely to commercialisation await discerning travellers and there are abundant land and seabased activities to suit every taste. While Lemesos is busy and Larnaka is demure, Paphos is quite friendly and is one of Cyprus' most livable cities.

Kato Paphos (Lower Paphos) is the port annex of Ano Paphos (Upper Paphos) and is home to the greatest number of archaeological sites in the area. It provides a lively and friendly ambience in its renovated port area where visitors unlike elsewhere in Cyprus' ports, can actually swim. With its palm tree lined boulevards, tasteful public and private buildings, Paphos is a very pleasant place to spend a holiday. There are ample restaurants and watering holes and if you tire of the beach annex you can always retire to Ano Paphos for an afternoon's stroll or evening meal.

Peyia

Peyia,
Cyprus

A very large, almost overwhelmingly friendly village, now designated a town with its own municipality, and tucked away in the hills about 3.5kms from Coral Bay and 15kms from Paphos. There are several coffee shops, grocers and heartily welcoming tavernas which provide simple but excellent food (if you ask in advance they will prepare special dishes or buy fresh fish for you). A picturesque drive north along winding roads through the Peyia forest and pretty villages brings you to the Akamas peninsula and Latchi's beaches, giving the possibility of countless memorable days out.

Pissouri

Pissouri,
Cyprus

Pissouri is one of the most attractive and friendly villages in south-west Cyprus. It is situated in the principal vine growing area with sultana grapes covering the surrounding countryside. This south-facing village, set high up on the hillside about 1,000ft above the sea, commands the most magnificent view of some 20 miles of Mediterranean coastline. To the south and east there are panoramic views of the coast, across vineyards, olive and carob trees and to the north one can see the majestic Troodos Mountains.

Pissouri is situated just off the main Paphos to Limassol road. Pissouri Village has a lovely flower-filled central square (right) for pedestrians only. There is a Greek Orthodox church (above), a good bakery, postal agency, banks and small supermarkets. Several family-run tavernas and restaurants serve excellent fresh food at competitive prices.In the summer months the village holds a Cyprus Night in the square every Wednesday evening. There's food and traditional Cypriot dancing; everyone is welcome!In Pissouri village, where almost everyone speaks English, one can enjoy the friendly atmosphere and savour the relaxed and stress-free life of the village.

Polis

Polis,
Cyprus

There are not too many places left in Cyprus that haven't totally succumbed to the lure of the fast buck and, in some cases, overdevelopment, but Polis is one of those places. Polis is on the wide Hrysohou Bay that runs along the north-west sweep of Cyprus. The small town is ideally situated for holidays that actually leave you time to relax. Polis is ideal base for trekking in the Akamas, swimming at a number of nearby beaches, touring the wine-making villages of the Akamas Heights or exploring the often wild and under-visited north-west of Cyprus.

The jewel of the island, the Akamas National Park is in the northwest. Ideal for walks and offering stunning views to both sides of the island it has to be the main magnet for visiting this quieter and less developed region. Development in the northwest is only about 8 years old and the area still retains its agricultural feel. Polis is much smaller and far more intimate than Paphos and the razzamatazz of mass tourism has not quite reached here yet. The northwest also gives easy access to the Paphos mountains and has some very large and interesting villages such as Droushia, Neohorio, Pomos and Pyrgos. It is an area to be explored with a great many beaches, many of them completely empty.

Troodos

Troodos,
Cyprus

The mountains of the Troodos rise grandly above the scorching plains and coastal strips of Cyprus' south, culminating in Mt Olympus, the country's highest peak at 1952m. In the past the mountains have provided refuge to religious communities, colonial civil servants and the wealthy of the Levant seeking respite from the heat. More recently it attracts skiers in winter and, in summer, hikers and weekend picnickers throng the spiralling mountain roads. Visitors to the Trodos should allow themselves at least a week to see most of what the region has to offer.