CyprusVista

The recent fire in the Troodos Mountains between Larnaca and Limassol has highlighted the very real danger of forest fires during Cyprus’s current drought.

With only minimal rainfall over the winter, the island is not only short of water in its reservoirs, but the land is also tinder-dry. It is not known what caused the forest fire that threatened the villages of Klonari, Akapnou, Vikla, Vasa, Kelaki and Sanida. Fanned by strong winds, the fire spread rapidly and engulfed almost 15 square kilometres of Troodos forest and olive groves.

However, the combined efforts of 300 firefighters, 95 vehicles and seven water-dropping aircraft, plus helicopters from the British base at Akrotiri, had the fire under control after just 48 hours, an impressive achievement.

Forest fires are dramatic headline makers, but the prevention of fires can be helped by small measures we can all take. All Cyprus residents are well aware of the need to be extra careful with any source of ignition during the dry Mediterranean summer, but tourists may not be.

So, if you are coming for a holiday in Cyprus this summer, here are our top three tips to help you help us!

1. Love Your Barbecue!
Your Cyprus rental villa barbecue deserves lots of careful attention! Place a bucket of water beside your barbecue before you even start to light it, just in case. (Rental villa owners, make sure there is a bucket under the sink or the barbecue for just such as purpose.) Once your barbecue is lit, never leave its side, and once the party is over, make sure the barbecue is fully extinguished before retiring to bed.

2. Stub It Out
For UK smokers used to braving the cold and rain now that smoking is banned in most buildings, the joy of being able to smoke outside in sunny Cyprus without freezing must be immense! However, always make sure you use an ashtray - never stub out cigarettes on the ground and just leave them. Use a lighter rather than matches wherever possible. Rental villa owners should leave ashtrays on patio tables to encourage safe outdoor smoking.

3. Bring a Torch
There can be few items as indispensable on holiday as a good torch, whether it’s guiding you back to your accommodation after a lovely meal in a local restaurant, or sitting by your child’s bedside in case of the occasional villa power cut. An electric torch is so much safer than the traditional standby of candles. Make sure you pack a good torch with fresh batteries every time you come to Cyprus, and leave the traditional rental villa power cut candles safely unlit in your rental villa kitchen drawer.

Popularity: 67% [?]

Just 25 miles east of Larnaca airport in Cyprus, Ayia Napa was once a sleepy fishing village, with one bar , the Romaza, nestling at the bottom of steps cut into the rocks on the shore.

Then the clubs arrived, and almost overnight Ayia Napa was snapping at the heels of Ibiza as the club capital of the Mediterranean. Ayia Napa was loud, funky, brash, wild, - and very cheap.

But with such success came problems. The resort earned a reputation for young, excessive drinkers spoiling the party, and the authorities decided enough was enough.

The inevitable clamp-down, however, could be the best thing that has happened to Ayia Napa in years. For those who always came to Ayia Napa for the music, the dance and the atmosphere, it’s still all there, waiting for you. All that’s gone are the gangs of drunken lads swaggering down the main drag, or tainting the dance floors with booze-fuelled aggression. Ayia Napa is still the club capital of Cyprus, and all the better for the departure of the ‘drink ’till you drop’ teenagers.

So, here’s the CyprusVista guide for enjoying a clubbing holiday in the new, improved Ayia Napa!

For the best deals on club entry, head for the main square in Ayia Napa at around 10pm, and hold out your hand! You’ll soon have more discount entry vouchers and flyers than you can possibly use, so pick what appeals, and then head off for some food and a drink.

You’ve got lots of time to eat a good meal, as most Ayia Napa clubs don’t open until 1.30am. Ayia Napa has a wide range of good quality restaurants open until late, serving local dishes to world food, from Polynesian curries to Japanese tempura.

You also have a massive choice of bars in Ayia Napa to choose from, all competing for your Euros! Listen to live bands over a pint, or sip a bewildering range of wild cocktails (just be careful, the local spirits are deceptively strong). Make music of your own at a karaoke bar, or cheer on the football stars at a sports bar. Pull on your green tights for a merry night at Robin’s Den pub, have your drinks with plenty of ice at the Titanic bar, or find new friends at the Lost City.

Now for the clubs. The main street of Ayia Napa is lined with a crazy assortment of themed clubs, from the popular Flintstone-themed Bedrock Inn to the 70s funk-inspired Starsky and Hutch or Car Wash. Go wet and wild at the Aqua Club with its own swimming pool, explore the Castle Club’s maze of rooms, or pay respect to Ayia Napa’s garage music heritage at Insomnia. Feel like a star at Hollywood Boulevard, go ape at Monkey Business, plunge into the Abyss club or chill out at Freedom Reggae - the choice is yours, and if you think there is just too much choice, there’s always tomorrow night!

Points to remember:
• You must be over 18 for entry into an Ayia Napa nightclub or to drink at a bar. ID may be required if you look younger.
• The local authorities and the police have a zero tolerance policy on drugs, recreational or otherwise. Possession will involve arrest, criminal charges and deportation from Cyprus.
• Drink drive laws are very strict in Cyprus. Don’t even consider taking the risk, and keep a few Euros in your pocket for your taxi home.

Popularity: 59% [?]

A German newspaper report recently published a list of popular places for the British to go on holiday - so their readers can avoid them! The article, in the daily “Bild Zeitung” claims that Ayia Napa in Cyprus and other Mediterranean resorts such as Malia in Crete are full of Brits because of the “drinking, sex and beaches (they) offer.”

However, the newspaper is out of date. This summer, you are just as likely to find a family enjoying the lovely beaches at Ayia Napa, or a retired couple strolling through the town for a leisurely lunch, as bleary-eyed clubbers emerging for breakfast at 12 noon.

Yes, the town is still a fabulous place for clubbing, and that’s where the real change lies in Ayia Napa, in the clubbers themselves. The lager louts and drug-abusing crowd seem to have moved on. In their place are an energetic, thirty-something crowd who want to party during the night, but not so hard that they can’t enjoy all Ayia Napa has to offer during the day, beyond the bars and football screens. And these days, they are more likely to bring their kids.

Not that this change will come as a surprise to the business owners of Ayia Napa. They have already seen their once-quiet Cyprus fishing village evolve into a club capital of the Mediterranean in just a few years. During the 1990s, Ayia Napa was a boom town, where clubbers spent money on enjoying themselves 24/7. On the downside, the younger clubbers who came in their thousands eventually tainted the resort’s reputation with excessive drinking and loutish antics.

As a result, both the police and the Municipality clamped down on antisocial behaviour and other drink-related issues, and it worked - almost too well. As visitor numbers started to fall, so did the tourist income, and the big debate in Ayia Napa now is how to develop the resort for the future.

Ayia Napa is certainly up for the challenge. Already there are plans for an Ayia Napa marina and a golf course, facilities to attract a more mature - and wealthy - tourist. The resort is also aiming to become a year-round destination, making the most of the 300 days of Cyprus sunshine a year, and there is certainly plenty to do during a family holiday in Ayia Napa once the clubbers have gone home.

• Ayia Napa Beaches
The main beach in Ayia Napa is just what you want from a Mediterranean beach; clean sand, watersports, sunloungers, sun umbrellas, and easy access to a cooling drink in the summer. Nissi Beach is the happening beach during the summer, with open air DJ sets, so if you prefer peace and quiet, head for the coves and beaches around Cape Greco, to the east of the town.

• The Monastery of Ayia Napa
The Monastery at Ayia Napa dates from the Venetian occupation of Cyprus in the 16th century, and the 600 year old fig tree in its grounds is proof that whatever happens in the town, some things in Ayia Napa don’t change!

• WaterWorld Ayia Napa
Kids and adults alike will have a great time at WaterWorld, whether hurtling down the Fall of Icarus waterslide at 40kms per hour, or twisting down the pipes of the Quest of Hercules double twist slide. The park has a great sense of fun, as all the attractions are all housed in mock ancient Greek ruins to suit their classical names, including the Midas gift shop!

• Eat the World: Restaurants in Ayia Napa
Ayia Napa has an impressive selection of restaurants serving world food from Japanese cuisine at Sapporo, Mexican favourites at Los Bandidos, and excellent Polynesian green curries at Fiji. Or venture out of the town to the villages of Liopetri, Sotira or Paralimni, where traditional tavernas will fill your table with a magnificent meze, freshly cooked to order.

Popularity: 14% [?]

If you’re looking for a relaxing holiday in Cyprus this year, leave the hustle and tour coaches from Larnaca and Limassol behind you, and head west.

Western Cyprus is a world apart that’s within easy reach of Paphos airport, and as you driver through the hills towards to town of Polis, you can feel the troubles of the world simply drifting away! As you leave the hills behind, the wide sweep of Chrysocou Bay appears, as wide as the smiles on the Cyprus faces that welcome you to this quieter, more laid back part of the island.

Polis may not be a very pretty town, but it’s a great place to potter around. Simply park in the free car park under the olive trees, and walk up the side streets behind the market hall. Here you’ll discover the town’s pedestrian centre, lined with pretty cafes and surprisingly good jewellery shops. Just off the main road to the north, the Archeological Museum is small but well-stocked, since Polis itself was built on the ruins of the ancient Greek port of Marion. This calm and cool museum is a joy to wander around, as you’ll often have the rooms to yourself, and the exhibits are interesting without being overwhelming.

From Polis, you can drive back into Cyprus’ more recent past along the impressive E704, the coastal road that hugs the edge of Chrysocou Bay. Here, the beaches may be small, but park the car and chances are, they’ll be yours alone all day long. Better still, admire the views and then head beyond Pomos to Pachyammos.  The modern church at Pachyammos is a blaze of colour, decorated with modern frescoes that gleam with gold. Afterwards, admire the stunning views over the sea from its back terraces under the shade of the trees, a picture-perfect spot.

Further up the road is the isolated Turkish Cypriot enclave of Kokkina (Erenkoy), guarded by Argentinean UN forces. The road has to head inland into the foothills of the Troodos Mountains to circle round this tiny part of North Cyprus marooned inside the Republic of Cyprus. Ironically, this road has amazing vistas, but don’t be tempted to take photos of this military area, it’s illegal.

Continue on and you’ll discover Kato Pyrgos, a small seaside resort where the Greek Cypriots go to escape from the tourists! It’s an ideal place to have a spot of lunch by the sea, and maybe a quick snooze in the shade…

Time to turn the car around and head back to the coastal road,and head out to Pomos Point for a breath of sea air, followed by afternoon coffee and baklava in a local cafe. Or if you’ve spent longer on the beach (and why not, you’re on holiday), stop for a romantic dinner at a pretty coastal restaurant, watching the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea. After all, Polis is less than 30 minutes’ drive away, one of the many delights of a holiday in this relaxed and easy-to-drive part of Cyprus.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Scuba diving in Cyprus is always a fascinating experience, especially since you never know what you might find! In 1967, a sponge diver found remains of an old wreck on the seabed just outside Kyrenia harbour, in what is now North Cyprus.

Archaeologists soon established the wreck as the best preserved classical-age Greek cargo ship ever discovered, dating from around 300BC. During the summers of 1968 and 1969, the wreck was lifted from the seabed and placed in a special museum in Kyrenia castle. The Kyrenia Shipwreck Museum now houses both the preserved wreck itself, plus the wreck’s cargo of large pottery wine jars (amphorae) from Rhodes and Samos, 29 millstones from Kos, and over 9000 preserved almonds!

Now, against all the odds, a team of archaeologists in south Cyprus have discovered the preserved wreck of another trading ship, located 45 metres down off the coast at Mazotos, near Larnaca. The exact location has been kept secret to preserve the security of the site, but the details of the finds are strikingly similar to the Kyrenia wreck.

The archaeologists have discovered the ships’ cargo comprised of around 500 amphorae, probably from the Greek island of Chios. Chios was famous in the ancient classical world for its excellent quality red wine, which is probably what these amphorae originally contained. The scientists cannot exactly say where the ship had visited prior to being wrecked off Cyprus, but suspect that Chios was just one destination in a trading voyage around several Aegean islands.

Unlike the Kyrenia wreck, where the finds included personal items as used by its four man crew, the Mazotos site has not yielded any objects apart from the Chios wine jars. However, the ship itself is well preserved, and historians are confident it will yield more information about both the trade patterns of this age and ship construction techniques.

Popularity: 20% [?]