Food

I'm sure most of you will be happy to make your way through all the delicious food that Cyprus has to offer, but here are some ideas of what you should look out for and try!

Pastourmas: Armenian (beef) spicy sausage
Loukanika: Wine soaked (pork) sausage
Souvlaki: kebab pieces, can be chicken or pork
Sheftalia: Chargrilled lamb or pork mince with herbs
Kleftiko: Lamb shank in the oven with herbs and bay leaf
Souvla: big pieces of meat on a spit. We make souvla with chicken, lamb and beef.
Kalamari: Squid, normally in batter
Oktapodi: Octupus, normally chargrilled and accompanied by oil,lemon and parsley dressing
Barbouni: Red mullet, nomally wiuth batter
Tsipoura: Sea bass, normally chargrilled
Choriatiki slata: Greek salad
Lahmadjou: Baked flat thin almost pizza-like crust with mince lamb, parsley and other herbs. Squeeze lots of lemon, roll fajita style and enjoy!
Boureki: Pastry filled with anari (Cypriot equivalent of riccotta) or can be savoury and contain halloumi and or spinach
From a bakery try the "almira", which means a selection of little baked savoury tasty things! From olive pies, spinach pies, halloumi pies to mini pizzas and mini sausage rolls.

With a mezze (which can be either a fish one or a normal one), the standard things you will always get are salad, pitta, taramas, tzatziki and tahini, the chargrilled meats at the end and some fish in the middle. All the other dishes will vary according to the taverna/restaurant.

Car Rentals

Renting cars: There are the big standard car rental agencies in Cyprus- Avis, Hertz etc. Expect to pay for a standard car between 34-38 Euros per day. It is the start of the peak summer season so prices are quite high for cars. You could arrange for the car to be at Larnaka or Paphos airport for your arrival.

I can recommend that you contact Mr. Phivos at Phelena Rent-a-Car on (mobile)+357 99577771 or (land line) +357 2383 2292. If you say you are coming to Cyprus for the wedding of Maria Pierides, he will take care of you. He will be able to get you a car for between 27-30 Euros for one week and if you are staying longer, a better deal could be had. He speaks great English and is very friendly. You should ask him if he could drop the car off at your hotel because he can sometimes do that.

Car Parking in Nicosia on day of Wedding

There are 2 large muninipal car parks near the locations of the wedding. Near the Town Hall is the large car park within the Venetian Walls, called the "Tavros" car park. Make your way into central Nicosia and you will easily find it. It is safe and cheap (often free as the machines are broken!) For the dinner and party, it is within walking distance, so you need not move the car. If you are not someone who can do a 10 minute stroll to the dinner venue, then you can move the car and park at the underground "Phaneromeni Church" car park in the heart of Old Nicosia. It is a one minute walk the dinner venue. This is also a municipal car park. Trickier to find but sign posted once you hit Old Nicosia.

Agrotourism

Over the last 4 years, Cyprus has received grants from the European Union to preserve and promote its natural heritage. So this means that many village houses, old mills, barns etc have been converted often into sweet little places away from it all where you can stay. This is definitely an option you should consider if you want a much more rural, away from it all time on the island. You will definitely need a car to get around. You will no doubt be in beautiful surroundings where you can go for long walks, hikes, sit in the village coffee shop and generally relax. The beach in most cases is never far away!

Here is the link:

http://www.agrotourism.com.cy

I have heard lovely things about these places, but have not personally stayed at any of them. It is also unlikely if you do go for the package deal thing to get to Cyprus,that any of the agrotourism places are available.

The properties can vary in size so you can find anything from just a room for two to larger houses which can sleep up to 8. Most will have been restored with the traditional characteristics of that area.

Later! x

Nicosia (Lefkosia)

The following is some information about where to stay in Nicosia, nice places to eat and tips about what to do.

The wedding is taking place in Nicosia in the afternoon of the 1st of June (me to kalo). As Nicosia is not by the beach, I would imagine most of you will want to spend your time based somewhere else and make your way to Nicosia on the day. As explained before, distances are no big deal.

If you do want to stay in Nicosia, the follwing hotels are the best of the bunch. I am making enqueries into self-catering apartments too and will provide that information when I get hold of it. Nicosia does not have an enourmous range of accomodation. The city is not a tourist catchment area and so the hotels are much more businessman orientated and places for the well to do Cypriots to go and have a drink by the pool.

Prices and contact details are provided in through the following link as well.

http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Cyprus-Lefkosia-Nicosia-R983.html

There are 2 hotels listed on the above website for Northern Lefkosia too. If you choose to stay in the Northern half, please take into consideration the information provided earlier.

A word of caution. You will no doubt find other hotels/pensions listed as being in Lefkosia (especially if you branch out to look at what is offered through the agrotourism scheme). This does not always mean the accomodation is in Lefkosia, rather that it is in the district of Lefkosia which stretches quite far (up to the mountains some 50 minutes journey time away). So watch out for places listed in Kakopetria and Lythrodontas which are not in Lefkosia but are in the Lefkosia district. The accomodation listed above is all in Lefkosia proper.

Where to eat in Nicosia

If you have some time, the tavernas, cafes, restaurants are well worth exploring in the capital. Far more competitively priced than say the beach towns of Protaras or Agia Napa.
I am only listing Greek-Cypriot places to go and check out! If you want sushi/pasta/chinese, you're going to the wrong country! Not that good international restaurants don't exist, it's just you're much better off focusing on the local produce. You should go for the mezze at most of these places, or just the mixed grill. The Cypriots chargrill food well! For drinking, try the frappe (ice coffee) and finish off any meal with the tasty sweet preserved fruits washed down with a glass of water and a Greek coffee.

In Old Nicosia try any of the tavernas along the Venetia Walls towards Famagusta gate particularly. Too many to name but all friendly and in the summer chairs and tables pour out into the street.
In Laiki Gitonia in the old part of the city, try "1900 Paei Keros". It is set among some tourist trap places, but this does a nice mezze and it is a nice walk through this little neighbourhood.
Near the old church of Phaneromeni in Old Nicosia, there is a taverna called "To Steki tis Loxandras". A great mezze place, with music at the weekend, chairs and tables out into the square.
For a drink and to relax, these are my 3 favourite: "Brew" in Laiki Gitonia as well. An old house converted into a cafe by day and bar by night. Lovely.
"Octana". A challenge to find but well worth it. It is a book shop upstairs and has a lovely courtyard downstairs. You will find it on Aristidou Street in Old Nicosia. if you get lost, ask a local!
There is also a place called "Platos" (not far from Octana) again in an old converted house. This is much more of a bar with dark corners and serves 3 dishes:burgers, souvlaki or lahmadjou. All tasty! But this spot may be more for the "young ones"!!

You won't be disappointed with food and drink especially in Nicosia.

I just want to add that I will of course be providing information about the rest of the main towns and placs to stay but it really is Nicosia (as I'm from there) the mountain region and Protaras and Agia Napa that I will be able to give the best information and help out with any further issues. What I will be doing which we hope is useful for everyone though, is providing "inside" tips and info that may not be so obvious for those who have not come to Cyprus before. And naturally, we want you to have the best possible time while you're here.

More to follow shortly!

Getting to Cyprus and General Information
To travel to Cyprus you have 2 options:
Package deals for the 3-5 days, 1 or 2 weeks you will be spending there Charter flights are in abundace at that time of year. They do not always fly at the friendliest times, but transfers should always be provided from the airport to hotel/apartments if you are not arranging to get a car at the airport or at all for that matter.
There are 2 airports: Larnaca and Paphos. The former is the largest and most modern. We recommend you fly to Larnaca (easier for links to the rest of the island and more options for accomodation if option for package deal)
The accomodation on offer when booking package holidays ranges from allocated upon arrival (for the braver among you, but it will primarily be self-catering 2 star standards) to luxury hotel (e.g Annassa Hotel in Paphos) or villas. Links to various websites of hotels and villas are provided town by town later on.

Or, if you need more flexibility, then book flights and accomodation seperately. You will obviously then have more choice as to where you stay.

You don't need to worry about traveling long distances in Cyprus as it's a pretty small place. By car:
From Larnaca to Nicosia: half and hour
Limassol to Nicosia: 40 minutes:
Troodos to Nicosia: 50 minutes
Larnaca to Protaras or Agia Napa: 35 minutes
Paphos to Nicosia: 1.5 hours

For getting to Nicosia for the day of the wedding therefore, you need not worry as you can come in that day and potter around. We will also be giving hotel options for Nicosia for those wanting to spend a night there after the wedding revelries.

Briefly on the major towns in Cyprus:

Nicosia is the capital. Not by the sea but has plenty of cultural bits and bobs to look at and this is where the wedding is happening! Plenty of good shopping and places to eat. You can explore the Venetian walls and Old Lefkosia. Also called Lefkosia.
Limassol (also called Lemesos)- is the second largest town and is by the sea. Busy place, lots and lots of bars, cafes and restaurants that open out onto the sea. Good for all ages as there is a variety of accomodation to be had.
Larnaka- with palm tree-lined promenade and a marina, cafes along the promenade and old Turkish part of the city. Can look a bit scruffy at first glimpse, but has its charm in the old parts and you can easily access Protaras and the low-lying hills from here.
Agia Napa- The "party town" of Cyprus. Not for families! It has some of the best beaches though. Cheap accomodation to be had.
Protaras- along the same coast line as Agia Napa, but quieter and much more family friendly. Also with great beaches ("Fig Tree Bay", Konnos Bay. Food in both towns is available round the clock, but the more traditional Cypriot cuisine will be a little more expensive than in other towns as it is full of tourists. Nearby is a smaller town called Paralimni. The two towns have all but merged as the hotel numbers increase. Stick to somewhere in Protaras.
Troodos mountains- Kakopetria and Platres- if you really want to escape it all, head to the mountains. Beautiful, peaceful and you can hike up there, eat trout and relax.
Paphos- an increasingly popular destination with people from the UK, it is prettier out of the town towards Latsi and Polis. The town is not too big and there are some ok little beaches. Our recommendation is at it is the furthest to travel to Nicosia, you are better off in the above other towns and you will have a much more authentic Cyprus holiday if you stay elsewhere. Unfortunately, as in Agia Napa, there are a few too many fish and chips places to be seen.

If you are not going to rent a car, the options for getting around are rather limited. There is no train in Cyprus but there are some bus links or long-distance taxi services. For both, enquiries can be made at the tourist offices in the relevant towns. They are all reasonably priced but could cause you delays in your travel plans as the buses frequently break down and often do not run over the weekend or religious holidays.

And briefly on the political situation in Cyprus: Cyprus is part of the European Union and the currency, as of January 2008, is the Euro.
The island has been divided since 1974 following the Turkish invasion of the northern part of the island. The south is Greek-Cypriot, the north is Turkish occupied. As of 2004, a part of the border was opened (At the Ledra Palace in Nicosia)in an attempt by both sides to shift the stale-mate. Crossings from both sides are allowed for 24hours only, on foot or by car (although please note a rented car from the southern half will not be covered by the insurance policy of the rental agency in the northern half). You must show your passport and you receive a temporary loose paper visa. You do not need to pay a visa entry fee and it is all quite safe. The northern half of Cyprus is not in the EU and therefore does not use euros. You would need to take out Turkish lira.

Lastly, Cyprus is a very user-friendly place! Everyone speaks English. All road signs are in English as well as Greek and if you really want to experince the genuine Cyprus rather than tourist Cyprus, always ask the locals where to go and more importantly, where to eat. To fit in even more, reschedule your body clocks to doing everything a few hours later than you are probably used to. Lunch at 2.00-3.00pm. Siesta is a must from 3-4.30, and dinner from 9 till late. If you are going to be going out after to bars/clubs, it is a much later affair: show up around midnight.

For more information about Cyprus below is the link to the Cyprus Tourism Board. It is a good website that has accomodation information and the like:

www.visitcyprus.com

And look out for all the details about where to stay ovr the next couple of days.

Hello everyone.
We have created this page primarily to give some advice and tips about Cyprus for those coming over later this year to our wedding. Some will already know their way around the island. So this is for friends and family who need a guiding hand with where to stay, what to do, see and eat. It is not a full guide to Cyprus. For this you need to buy a guide book! This is more an "insider's mini-guide" to the country.
The idea is that we update this page with more/new information and you can post comments that we will try and help with.
Cyprus is a really easy place to get to and to navigate once here so we are sure that whatever you decide to do, wherever you decide to stay, it will be great.
We're really looking forward to seeing you all soon!!
Lots of love
Maria and Leigh