Where to Stay in Cyprus

We were looking for a little getaway when we booked our visit to Cyprus, therefor a private villa with private pool was high on our list. We found a great deal through Airbnb that gave us the mountain and ocean views we were looking for. Upon arriving, we soon found out that this villa is in Northern Cyprus, which is occupied by the Turkish Army. Who knew the country was divided?!? (apparently this is why you do your research, because we had no idea that we weren’t actually staying in the Cypriot side of the island - this meant our car insurance wasn’t valid as soon as we crossed the boarder). After a beautiful drive and a little hesitation, we arrived at the villa, which was perfect for some peace and quiet. We enjoyed our time here, taking in the panoramic views, however, it was not an ideal location to go out and sight see. We had expected to be swimming and getting our tan on, but the weather in November is a little too chilly for diving into an unheated pool! If you’re looking for an isolated place to stay, a villa in the mountains on the Northern side of the island is great, but if you want to have easy access to attractions on the island, you may want to choose a different spot.

What to do in Cyprus

Cyprus is full of lots of great outdoor activities. During the summer months, there are lots of water sports, diving, swimming and beaches to keep you occupied. You can also spend lots of time exploring the mountains through hiking, ATVs and jeep tours. And don’t forget the historical side. Cyprus lends itself to display many churches, mosques and ruins for the archeological savvy people. Seeing as most of the things you do on the island are outdoors, there isn’t a fee to enjoy the sights, creating an inexpensive holiday.

Here are my TOP FIVE THINGS TO DO & SEE IN CYPRUS:

1. Cape Gkreko

Cape Gkreko is a a national forest park on the east side of the island. The huge cliffs allow the sea waves to crash against them in unforgiving ways, creating an amazing sound from everywhere along the coast. We drove along the coast, stopping at all the main attractions, with each one being a new breathtaking view. By starting at the most northern stop you can see the cliffs and waves up close. If it’s a windy day, you may even get wet! After spending some time here, get back in your car or start hiking and find your way to the next point, which has a bit of a hike up the mountain, but then stop abruptly. You can see the ocean waters for miles, and all the way up the coast line. Sit for awhile and feel the ocean breeze climbing the cliffs before your move onto the next stop. The sea caves are in my opinion one of the most stunning views on the water. I was sad that it wasn’t warmer when we were there, because there is a perfect spot to jump off the cliff into the sea. Even though we didn’t go in the water, climbing around on the cliffs and looking across the small bay at the caves was pretty incredible. The last stop is Lovers Bridge, which is a beautiful arch carved into the cliffs. All of the stops are full of breathtaking views and completely worth the time to visit. The is no charge to view these beautiful sights, so don’t miss out!

On the north west side of the island, you can find your way to Latsi, a cute little beach town, which is the gateway to more amazing beaches and the beautiful Blue Lagoon. The Lagoon is not accessible by car, so the only way to get there is by boat, ATV or walking. We chose to rent an ATV to make our way there, which was totally epic! If you’ve never driven a quad before, you may want to choose walking the 5.4 km or take a boat ride along the coast as the road is pretty treacherous to drive. Blue Lagoon is famous for the shallow waters nestled into a small bay creating the most magnificent colours of turquoise blue. Most months of the year the water is warm enough to swim and float in the sea, enjoying the clear blue water and mountains surrounding you. The road that leads you here goes right along the coast, so you are constantly surrounded by the scenery of the coastline and mountains. Before you head down to the lagoon, you should stop and see Aphrodite’s Bath. It’s a small watering hole where legends say the Goddess Aphrodite use to bath. This is also where she meet the God Adonis and they fell in love. The area is not large, or much to look at, but it is a tranquil little spot to visit.

3. Millomeris Waterfalls

Tucked away in the mountains there are SOOOO many hiking trails. I wish we would have had more time to indulge in more hikes, but we had to limit ours to only a few. The hike to Millomeris Waterfalls was a great way to spend a morning. It’s a little bit of a drive, for a short hike, but the mountain forests were so peaceful to walk in. If you’re physically fit enough to climb a few rocks and scale a few steep paths, it’s a great walk to the waterfall. Now the falls are not Niagara Falls, but non the least, it’s a cute little waterfall to stop and have a picnic at. The water is so fresh, it looks good enough to drink! The other thing I loved about our day we spent in the mountains was the drives down the windy roads, through the quant little mountain villages. We stopped for a bit to eat in Kalopanayiotis, a small mountain town that scales the side of the mountains down towards the valley. It was rainy when we were there, so we didn’t end up exploring too much, but I’m sure it would be a great place to walk around and take a few photos.

4. Avakas Gorge

If you like climbing through rocks, and navigating your way through tricky little paths, this is a great place to spend your morning hiking. The gorge is famous for the suspended rock that is stuck between the valley walls, but the hike through the entire path leads you to so many beautiful areas. If you just want to see the rock, as soon as you hit the gorge your could turn around and go back, totalling in about 3 km of walking. However, we decided to walk the whole thing. It’s about 5 km from your car to the end of the valley, full of little rivers to cross, rocks to climb over and pathways to navigate through falling rocks and trees. It was so quiet past the gorge, as most people don’t continue on. We enjoyed seeing mountain goats climbing the steep walls and listening to the birds along the way. When you get to the end of the valley there is a path that you can follow along the top of the gorge to go back to your car, but we figured it would be more fun to hike back through it! The total hike is about 10 km, and it’s a bit tricky at times, but if you go slow and take your time, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun (if you like this sort of thing!). Remember when you’re out exploring in remote areas to always be on the lookout for wildlife. We did come across a Black Cyprus Whip Snake about 2m long. It was minding its own business, but caught me off guard! All in all, if you like hiking, this is a great place to go.

5. Adonis’s Bath

A lot of different travel blogs gave many mixed reviews about visiting Adonis’s Bath. First things first, the road to travel here is terrible. It’s not just bad, it’s really bad! There are two roads to get you here, and the one coming from Paphos is by far the better one if you have to choose. Do not travel the road from Coral Bay! It’s pretty deadly, full of huge rocks, pot holes and tight spaces that are straight down the cliff. The other part that a lot of people comment about is the admission. It costs 9 Euros to get into the Bath, which I will admit is a lot for what you get. However, especially if you are here during a hot summer month, you could spend your entire day swimming and jumping into the pool of water below the small waterfall. We went in November, and my husband still had to jump into the freezing cold water. It’s a serene little spot, and we were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves.

There is a lot more places to see and visit on this beautiful island. The cities are full of cute little streets and restaurants to walk around and hang out in. If you’re looking for a place to relax, this is it. If you’re more of an outdoorsy type and love hiking, Cyprus is a great place. Not to mention all of the beautiful beaches you can visit. I had no idea this little country tucked in between all of these middle eastern countries was full of such breathing beauty. For me, it’s for sure a place I will want to visit again.