“Life is short, and the world is wide. Be grateful for every chance to explore.” – Unknown
This post is from Dec 19-25…hence all the Christmas decorations.
Happy New Year and cheers to more adventures in 2025!
Hello from Cyprus! I’ll wait while you look it up on the map.
Fun facts about Cyprus that you might not know.
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It is a divided island. Cyprus is the only divided nation in Europe. The island is split between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey, in the north. The United Nations maintains a buffer zone between the two.
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They have flamingos. Yes they do, I saw them.
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Birthplace of Aphrodite.
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Commandaria, is produced in Cyprus and believed to be the oldest wine in the world. Dating back at least 5,000 years.
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They are the only country with their map on the flag.
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Halloumi cheese originates from Cyprus.
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It is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia.
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They tout more than 300 days of sunshine but unfortunately, it rained for several days of my trip. Boo.
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They have a ton of cats! Legend has it that St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, introduced cats to Cyprus in the 4th century to combat a snake infestation.
I arrived in Larnaca late in the evening from Cairo and only stayed for one night. I had a dinner date in Limassol the next evening. I’ll be back but I did walk around to see the town and eat some sushi. They have festive displays around town for the holidays including a fun, brightly lit ornament on the pier. Nice touch!
The next morning I took an hour-and-a-half bus ride to Limassol to see an old friend – Tony from Italy. I’ve written about him before, click here.
I knew that Tony had previously visited Cyprus so I reached out to him before booking my ticket to get some information. Surprisingly, he also had a trip planned around the same time to visit some of his friends. Our trips overlapped for one day. Perfect!
He set up a dinner reservation for us at the Amara Hotel in Limassol where he was staying. Tony’s career was spent managing luxury hotels around the globe (not a bad gig) so my good fortune by being his friend was that I got a private tour of the hotel! It’s good to have friends with connections.
Tony and Elena from guest relations walked me all around the grounds and even into a few of the rooms including the Deluxe Suites. Fancy! I don’t know much about luxury hotels – they are slightly out of my budget – but it was fascinating to learn about the behind-the-scenes details that make an upscale hotel operational and successful. It’s no easy feat, let me tell you. Every inch has a purpose and the design and attention to detail is top notch. The entire hotel is water-facing so all 207 rooms have a sea view and balcony or terrace! Sadly, I was only there at night but I imagine during the day that the views of the Mediterranean Sea are incredible.
An infinity pool that looks as if it flows right into the sea. 🩵
The rooms have everything you could imagine, even a steam room in the bathroom of some of the suites, and it is all included in the price of the room, including the mini-bar (non-alcoholic) drinks and snacks. Honestly, I would never leave.
Every room was amazing but this infinity pool in the Duplex Roof-Top Suite was the cherry on top.
After the tour Tony and I caught up over an amazing dinner at Matsuhisa, a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant. Matsuhisa is one of four restaurants in the hotel. I had the black cod with miso and it was out of this world!
If you end up in Limassol and want the créam de la créam of hotel and dining experiences, definitely make a reservation at the Amara Hotel! I’m saving up for my next visit.
Unfortunately, I was only in Cyprus for one week so I spent two nights in Limassol and took a day trip to Paphos and sadly it was raining pretty much the entire time. Most everything, except for a few cafes and restaurants, were closed because it is the offseason. They were both pretty towns and hopefully I can return when the weather is better and swimming is an option!
The remainder of my time I spent in Larnaca with a day trip to Nicosia (the capital).
Nicosia is divided by between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the north. These two sections of the city are vastly different, from the architecture to the food to religion. It even requires a visit to immigration to cross over the line. So don’t forget your passport.
The Republic of Cyprus side.
The Turkish Republic side. I had a Turkish coffee and it was delicious. I also watched these gentlemen play backgammon in a market. They were having so much fun ripping on each other as they played – it was hilarious.
I think my favorite city was Larnaca. Maybe because I spent the most time there but truly, I really liked the vibe and the people. Plus, I was in a really great hostel and met several lovely travelers. I definitely made a mistake by not staying here longer (not an uncommon mistake that I make far too often). There is just too much to see and do in this big world!
Holy Church of Saint Lazarus. It is beautiful inside. I was there during a service so I did not take photos.
While waiting for the bus to the airport (because where else would a full-time traveler celebrate Christmas?) at 6:50 am, I snapped this beautiful Christmas morning sunrise.
It felt like my visit to Cyprus was over before it even started. Happy Holidays!
Good Things List
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Catching up with dear friends in random places
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Festive holidays
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Flamingos
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Experiencing the world and all of its unique places and culures
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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On the drive between Limassol and Paphos along the coast is Aphrodite’s Rock – believed to be the birthplace of Aphrodite in Greek mythology. Fortunately, I looked up just in time to snap a photo as we drove by.
The hostel in Limassol had a traffic mirror in the kitchen…bonus points.
