Map of stories

One week in Cyprus

We chose Cyprus for our honeymoon because of those reasons:

  • It is a relatively small island so you can spend a few days of traveling around it and then have some lazy days on the beautiful beach;
  • Because of the unstable situation in the world with the COVID-19 virus, we decided to make a last-minute decision with the destination, so we bought our direct flight tickets a few days before the flight. The price of the flight tickets was reasonable and there were a lot of available hotels for a good price too.
  • The good situation with the Covid-19 also mattered a lot, so we hoped that there would be no major changes during our holidays.
  • And of course, we badly wanted sun, heat and a beach with the blue sea, who wouldn’t? 

Now that we are already back home, we can say that we are 100 percent happy with our decision to choose Cyprus for our holidays. Not only we had a great time there, but it was easy, fun and not that expensive to travel there. Here are our tips and ideas for traveling in Cyprus:

What you should know before arriving in Cyprus

  • It’s hot and dry during the summer, usually, the air temperature rises up to 30-35 Celsius. You can get sunburn very easily. Sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses are mandatory.
  • The choice of sun protection creams is very big in Cyprus, so you can buy then when you arrive.
  • We found prices to be quite reasonable in Cyprus, currency – Euro.
  • We recommend renting a car for exploring the island, the choice of car rental agencies is big. You can rent a car on the internet before arriving, it will help you to save time. 
  • In Cyprus, they drive on the left-hand side of the road, but as the roads are well maintained and the traffic is not big, we had no problems with that. 
  • You will need a travel plug adapter for UK (Type G) for your phone charger.
  • It is not recommended to drink tap water, so you should buy it in the shop.
  • It is very hot during the summer so an air conditioner is a must-have in your hotel or studio room. You should also rent a car only with an air conditioner.
  • Food portions in the restaurants are quite big, we often bought one portion for 2 people and every time we were full, but it is only our opinion.

A bit of preparation

We decided to go to Cyprus 4 days before the flight (2020-07-20), so we simply bought our flight tickets from Vilnius to Larnaca and booked a hotel in Ayia Napa. Less than 24 hours till the flight we filled Cyprus Flight Passport https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/ which was needed at the Airport to enter Cyprus. We knew that it was hot in Cyprus, so we decided not to pay for the checked-in baggage and managed to put all the needed belongings into 2 small backpacks that match the size of Wizzair cabin bags. Finally, we decided to plan the whole trip after our arrival in Cyprus.

Arrival

There were not many people at Vilnius airport, but our plane was almost full. The duration of the flight to Cyprus was about 3.5 hours. When we landed in Larnaca we were taken to a separate terminal for additional registration. Also, all passengers of our flight underwent a COVID-19 test and it was related to an increased number of infections in Lithuania recently. After 4 hours we got SMS messages with negative results so we continued our trip with relief that everything was ok. Our hotel was located 60 km from the airport and there were no direct busses to it. We decided to go to Larnaca center by bus and then to make a transfer to another bus which took us to our hotel in Ayia Napa. It costed 4 Eur per person to get to our hotel, it was really cheap but time-consuming. Of course, it was possible to go to the hotel by taxi, but it would cost us 50 Eur.

Our first impression about Cyprus

It was very hot outside the airport, so we couldn’t stand in front of the sun for a longer time. The island looked very dry and burned by the sun, there was a lack of greenery. The locals were kind and helpful. Unlike in Asia, there were no annoying taxi drivers or street vendors. Well maintained roads, clean environment, and supervised beaches. We saw quite a lot of constructions, it seemed that Cyprus is continuing to develop tourism. Firstly it looked like there was a lack of tourists in the cities, but the beaches were full of people, it was difficult to find a free sunbed at noon. Some restaurants were closed, but the majority were opened and some of them were full of people in the evenings. Our hotel looked fully booked and we did not feel uncomfortable due to the lack of tourists. During our vacation, we met tourists mostly from Poland and Germany.

Accommodation

We wanted a hotel not far from a nice beach, with a balcony or terrace, and breakfast included. The size of the hotel was not important for us because usually, we do not spend too much time there. By the way, there are many options to rent a studio in Cyprus with the kitchen and you can cook yourself. We chose Napasol Boutique hotel in Ayia Napa which was just 4 minutes to the Nissi beach on foot – one of the most beautiful beaches in Cyprus. It costed us 560 Eur for 7 nights stay.

Ayia Napa is famous for its parties and we liked the idea to stay 3 km away from the center. We added a comment for the hotel that we were honeymooners and we asked for a room on an upper floor if possible. It was so sweet we got a sea view room on the top flour and after we checked in the owner greeted us with the bottle of sangria and a basket of fruits. Such a pleasant surprise it was for us 🙂

Transport in Cyprus

The public bus system is well developed in Cyprus, so you can easily take any bus to Larnaca center from Larnaca airport for 1.5 Eur and then go to Ayia Napa for 2.5 Eur. This is the cheapest way to get from Larnaca airport to Ayia Napa, but it is time-consuming, busses usually run every hour. You can rent a car very easily too, the price starts at 35 Eur a day. Rental cars are quite new. It is very popular to rent a quad bike or a buggy car in Cyprus, yo Eur u can explore the city or surroundings. You can also take a taxi, but it is not cheap. We paid 8 Eur for a 3 km ride from our hotel to Ayia Napa center. Of course, if you are sharing it with your friends, it’s not that bad 🙂

Itinerary

We had 7 days in Cyprus, so we decided to travel around the island for 3 days and then have a few lazy days on the beach. We found a car rental agency with better reviews on the internet and the next day we went there to rent a car. Due to the fact that there were not many tourists, we got a quite new Nissan Note with automatic gear right away. The car costed us 120 Eur for 3 days for 2 drivers. By the way, we had to leave 300 Eur deposit which we got back after the car returned. Here is our Itinerary:

Day 1: Flight to Cyprus – Larnaca center, St. Lazarus Church, Larnaca harbor, Finikoudes promenade – Napasol Boutique hotel – Nissi beach.

Day 2: Love bridgeCape Greco park, Blue LagoonFig tree bayKonnos beach.

Day 3: Kolossi castleOmodos villageMillomeris Waterfalls (we started our route from “trail start” and had a nice trek, but it was also possible to get to the waterfalls by car) – Mount Olympus.

Day 4: Aphrodite’s Rock (the name of the place is Petra Tou Romiou) – Tombs of KingsAvakas gorge.

Day 5-7: Nissi beach – the center of Ayia Napa, harbor, bars street. 

By the way, it is worth taking a cruise tour from Ayia Napa harbor, which takes 6 hours and stops at the nicest spots where you can swim or enjoy the view.

Safety

Protective masks were mandatory in the airports and public busses. Also, it was mandatory for taxi drivers, waiters, and sellers. Hand sanitizer was at every entrance of the public place. There was a safe distance between sunbeds on the beaches. All tables were sanitized in the restaurants after each client. During breakfast we couldn’t take the meal by ourselves, only the waiter was allowed to put the meal on our plates. It was a bit unusual, but we got used to it very quickly with no problems. In general, all basic safety requirements have been met in Cyprus.

Expenses

  • Flight tickets (for 2 persons) – 340 Eur (Wizzair Vilnius-Larnaka-Vilnius, only cabin luggage);
  • Hotel with breakfast included (7 n.) – 560 Eur;
  • Car rental (3 d.) – 120 Eur;
  • Petrol – 60 Eur;
  • Restaurants ~ 300 Eur;
  • Taxi, busses ~ 70 Eur;
  • Other small expenses (sunbeds, icecreams, tickets, etc.) ~ 130 Eur;
  • Total ~ 1 580 Eur.

To wrap up

We really enjoyed our vacation in Cyprus, we managed to find a balance between active traveling and passive leisure. The weather, I would say, was perfect all the time, blue sky and soft wind followed us every day. However, it was a bit hot, but we got used to it. It seemed to us that Cyprus is a mega-resort which can handle a huge amount of tourists, however, because of the lack of tourists we had the opportunity not to queue in the lines, we could take photos without tourists in the background, we rented sunbeds in front of the sea easily. Locals were kind, helpful, and waiting for tourists.

Gallery

Aurimas (Admin)

Aurimas (Admin)

Become our friend on Facebook and Instagram. Follow inspiring travel stories from bloggers around the world.