Latchi Beach, Cyprus: If you’ve ever thought about taking an island holiday away, you’ve probably thought about, or even visited, the usual spots: Majorca, Ibiza, or one of the many Greek Islands. One place you’ve maybe not thought about is the island of Cyprus. One of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, Cyprus has an interesting history, along with some of the most diverse terrain to be found in a single location.
I had the benefit of spending a weekend in the beautiful Latchi Beach area in the Akamas region, staying
at a beautiful villa managed by the Akamas Villas group. Latchi Beach may not be your first thought for a weekend getaway: many tourists prefer the larger areas of Nicosia (the Island’s capital) or Paphos: the major city in the area, and the closest airport to fly into to stay in Latchi. Latchi is however a hidden jewel in the islands crown, blessed with quiet roads, friendly locals, fantastic nature trails, and more water-based sports than you can poke a stick at.
The Akamas Villas selection of villas offers a range of houses to call home for a weekend, a week, a month, or as long as you want to stay, most offering private pools, multiple bedrooms, and ample space to relax inside or out. My villa was a wonderful three bedroom with a pool, and a lounge room large enough to host a small dance party. It was also within walking distance to the main area of Latchi Beach where I was able to find some great restaurants and cafes staffed by very friendly locals. The town is pretty small, and the staff at the local restaurants can be found there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (You can see one of the locals in our small fashion shoot on location in Latchi - Memories Of Summer)
Of course the villas are all fully equipped with kitchens and BBQ areas, so if you prefer to cook for yourself, you can, or if you prefer to walk or drive into town you can do that too. The local restaurants are reasonably priced – particularly if you’re used to city prices, an incredible slow-cooked traditional lamb dish with two bourbons will only set you back about 20€ (Akamas guests also get a discount at many local venues).
Two of the local restaurants, Faros and Milos are next door to each other, in the centre of Latchi Beach. Faros also has the wonderful feature of Karaoke on Friday nights at about 10 or 11pm, the many of the islands adopted ‘locals’ showing up to sing the night away. Once things wrap up at Faros, there are plenty of small bars along the waterfront where the local youth gather to drink the especially cheap drinks and dance well into the morning.
It’s worth hiring a car while you’re on the island, even though the good folks at Akamas Villas can arrange for you to be picked up at the airport, you can arrange a rental car through the company as well. The more adventurous may want to hire an All Terrain Vehicle (ATR) to tackle the off road tracks of the Aphrodite and Adonis trails to the west.
In the other direction, towards the North east, you can find the Moustakallis tavern and restaurant, run by three generations of one family. It’s one of the oldest taverns in the area, and serves a range of traditional Cypriot food. The service is excellent and the staff very friendly, even stopping on occasion to sit and chat with the guests after dinner. The menu includes many options, though I would recommend trying the traditional Cypriot fare (although most things you order on the island come with a side of either a jacket potato or chips). The slow cooked lamb is a specialty, and while it’s more expensive than other options, it’s still super value at about 14€ for a main course.
Other than stopping to eat, the local area has many attractions including one of the largest water sports companies in the Mediterranean. Depending on the weather and the season (which is mostly excellent) one can select from a range of activities including scuba diving, snorkeling, boat hire, and water-skiing. For those of who prefer to stay on dry land, there are the mountains and hills in the Akamas range, a short walk to the Aphrodite baths, where legend says Adonis first met Aphrodite when she was bathing on the island. The surrounding area has many trails worth exploring by ATV or a good hike. Cyprus isn’t only a place to visit in the summer, while the winter months see most of the island closed, Cyprus boasts the honour of being one of the few places in Europe where you can ski in the morning on the local mountains, and then head to the beach for a swim in the afternoon.
Far from being completely cut off from the outside world, the Akamas region is only a 45 minute drive from the city of Paphos, and only a couple of hours from Nicosia. Every local food and drink venue also comes equipped with free wifi to help you stay connected to family and friends no matter where you are on the island.
Cyprus is an especially easy island to visit, especially for people from the UK. You’ll find that Cypriots drive on the same side of the road as the UK, their appliances use UK plugs, restaurants serve English Breakfast tea as standard, (and an actual English Breakfast), and most dishes come with as I’ve mentioned a jacket potato or chips. The most popular drink while I was on the island was of course a Gin and Tonic. It really can be like having a holiday while not going far from home.
Paphos is also an easy airport to get to from the UK, with many airlines flying direct from several airports around the UK, in around 4-4.5 hours.
Bookings for the 2015 season can be made now via www.akamas-villas.com
The reporter stayed as a guest of Akamas Villas.
More Stories
1 Song for Equality and Peace by Craymo
Gay Film Weekend Banned In 1,100 Catholic Owned Cinemas In Italy
Big Brother’s Aaron Frew Leaves Nothing To The Imagination With Completely Naked Shot