After five days in Cyprus I’m back in London – a little tanner, a little blonder, and a lot more well rested. At the start of last week I got a touch of the stomach flu and the few days before the flight were touch and go. However, once I arrived I started feeling instantly better and I wanted to share with you my Cyprus holiday highlights. The main reason I chose Cyprus and Ayia Napa specifically was because I wanted somewhere in Europe that was still warm in mid October, plus, somewhere that had good scuba diving. Thus, when I saw the Zenobia wreck and that the weather was in the 80s (30 Celsius) I booked the trip. But because I’m nothing if not competitive, I did my PADI Advanced Open Water Certification in only 2 days, leaving me three to explore.
My first day I slept in and then walked the two miles from my hotel in the center of Ayia Napa to the famed Nissi Beach. Cynically, I thought “well, I’ve to a lot of beaches, this one can’t be that special”. And then I was proven wrong. It’s rated one of the top 10 beaches in Europe and I can see why – the water is crustal clear, the sand is soft, there is a ton of room to wade / swim, there are hardly any waves, and even mid day you can get a chair for 3 euro. I read a book cover to cover and took a break to check out the island in the middle which turned into an unplanned drone photoshoot. #wheninRome
The second day I had booked a boat tour to see the famous coast line as i didn’t know how much I would see when scuba diving (which was a good call as meaty all of our dives were land entry. The tour was aptly named “Discovery Sightseeing Boat Trip from Ayia Napa” And while it Booked on for a four hour tour with the hotel pickup it was more like five but we had plenty to see! leaving from the Ayia Napa Harbour on a round trip journey that included Konnos Bay, Blue Lagoon, the Sea Caves, Green Bay, and the Agioi Anargyroi Chapel. I’m glad I read the reviews and bought some snorkel gear the night before at the supermarket as there were three swim stops and I would’ve been sad without it! After the boat I checked out the Ayia Napa Statue Park on the way to sunset over Lovers Bridge, truly gorgeous!
Friday and Saturday were what I came to Cyprus for – scuba diving. Five dives over two days is a lot, especially as part of a course, but the hysterical but mostly silent instructor Thomas made it a blast making sure I got the most out of every five – from photos with the statues at Green Bay, to exploring caves, and two great dives at the Zenobia wreck. As I was doing my PADI advanced open water certification I didn’t take my underwater camera (you can see past diving here) but here are a few land shots and ones from the instructors go-pro which help bring these Cyprus holiday highlights to life. (And after the fourth dive, the one where I blew through my air because I was so excited about the wreck, he still told me I was “more than qualified”)
(You can shop this cute blue suit and the rest of the look here)
And for my last day I decided to see a bit more and went on an ATV adventure around Ayia Napa. This adventure was supposed to be a planned affair but when I showed up they handed me back my payment in cash as I was the only person who had signed up. Thus, I rented a bike at a different shop and when on a self guided tour of East Cyprus – driving to Cape Greco and hiking to the top, seeing the famous hidden Agioi Saranta Cave
Which of these Cyprus holiday highlights do you want to see more of?
Lauren says
I feel dumb is this Greece?
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Lucy says
This looks like it was the best vacation and those scuba diving shots are awesome!
Tammy says
Looks like you had an awesome mini vacation. I love all of the views of Cyprus. I have to add this to my travel list. I wish it was still 80 f in New York. Sad to put away my summer outfits for now. I love both of your bikinis especially the blue bikini. Cant wait till Thanksgiving week for my trip to Florida so I can enjoy more summer weather and slip back into a bikini and summer dresses with sandals. Was able to get in one last beach day in late September in NYC before fall weather swept in.