Cyprus is an island of legends that basks year-round in the light of the warm Mediterranean sun. A story past 10,000 years long has seen civilizations come and go and the likes of everyone from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra stake their claim here - but then, people do tend to get possessive when faced with such beauty. Aphrodite made her home on Cyprus, and travellers throughout antiquity came here just to pay her tribute.
Today Cyprus is a modern country that effortlessly marries European culture with ancient enchantment. Here you will discover a compact world of alluring beaches and fragrant mountain peaks, vineyards studded with olive trees and ancient ruins that stir the imagination, citrus groves and old stone villages where sweet wine flows as freely as conversations at the local café. A carefree place where a sense of timelessness is magnified by the kindness of the people.
Paphos
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.
Paphos combines both culture and entertainment in a conveniently sized package. In Paphos you will find some of Cyprus' most stunning archaealogical gems such as its Roman mosaics and Tomb of the Kings situated amongst beach-front resort hotels and golden beaches. Cultivated bananas grow in profusion along the south-western litoral, 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 sea based activities to suit every taste. While Limassol is brash and Larnaka is demure, Paphos is quite friendly and is one of Cyprus' most desirable cities. Kato Paphos (Lower Paphos) is the port annex of Pano Paphos (Upper Paphos) and is home to the greatest number of archaeological sites in the area. It provides a lively and friendly ambience in it's 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 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 Pano Paphos for an afternoon's stroll or evening meal. |
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