Cyprus has long been a popular holiday destination for families and is a breathtakingly beautiful Mediterranean island that promises all year round sunshine and plenty of holiday activities.
Cyprus is renowned for its beaches and many of them hold the coveted blue flag award making it an ideal family choice. The resort areas of Protaras and Pernera offer great beaches for all the family as well as plenty of family friendly themed bars serving kids meals.
The culture of Cyprus also lends well to family breaks. Cypriots are very family orientated and will regularly indulge in long meals and BBQs with their families and extended families.
Cyprus is known for its unspoiled natural scenery with long stretches of sand or pebbled beaches, a rugged coastline and forested mountains which make for great hiking and mountain biking excursions. Official nature trails can be found in Persephone and trekking and mountain biking centres can be found across the island to aid you in your family adventures.
For the more adventurous types within your family there are also a host of sporting activities to partake in. Popular beachside activities include windsurfing, kitesurfing, paragliding and scuba diving, all of which are widely available across the island.
As well as providing ideal summer holidays filled with almost guaranteed long days of blazing sunshine, you’d be surprised to find that Cyprus holidays do in fact offer the chance to ski. Yes from January to mid-March you could take a break from the beach and hit the slopes of the Troodos Mountains. There are only four lifts and eight runs so don’t expect the ski experience you might find in France of Austria. However, Cyprus’s ski spot has been hailed as a great place for children to be introduced to skiing.
How to get around
There are so many things to do and see in Cyprus that it’s important to consider how you and your family will get around.
According to Time Out Magazine, “Public transport in Cyprus is unreliable and inefficient. Very few people (bar pensioners or visitors) use public transport on the island. The only mode of public transport on offer is the bus network, but the service is poorly run, unreliable and with limited routes”
However, you can enquire about bus services to mountain villages within your hotel and travel agencies on the island. You could also enquire about any shuttle services your hotel offers as well as any trips they may have available as this could sort out your travel and itinerary in one go.
For short trips perhaps into town and back from your resort taxis are readily available. They are generally meter taxis which may go up in price after 8.30pm. For long journeys across the island, taking a taxi may not be a feasible or cost effective solution.
Hiring a car to explore the island has been hailed as one of the most convenient and cheapest ways of discovering Cyprus. By renting a car for all the family you can visit Cyprus’s most renowned and beautiful beaches, enchanting sleepy villages, glorious mountain peaks, pretty harbourside café bars and nature trails which stretch across the island, with minimum hassle and cost.
