Quarantine Diary: Sunny Cyprus
Emerging out of winter hibernation, one of our first trips always has to be a beach. In 2020, we wanted to go somewhere new in Europe and we wanted to be able to scuba dive. As we scoured the Mediterranean Sea, we decided on sunny Cyprus!
The Idea
Other than the mandatory requirement for sunshine and beaches, the idea was born in a very cold, winter hotel room in Poland. Initially, we were looking at various other warm destinations such as Morocco or Cape Verde. However, the scuba diving in Malta had an effect and we wanted to take advantage of our hobby!
Planning our Travel
Since we decided to travel over the long Easter weekend, we had more flexibility and more options than usual!
Lodging
Rather than book a flight, then a flight, we first started with a hotel! Initially, I was deep into the all inclusive holidays where we would pay for flights, hotels, and maybe food. Because we didn’t like the flight times and I wanted to get a better deal, I started finding the flights and hotels separately.
For our hotel, after a real struggle between a few places, we chose Azia Resort, a 5 star hotel with private access to a beach, pool, and really close to Paphos if we wanted to explore. Plus, the resort faces west so we would get superb sunsets. With the pictures, it looked absolutely stunning and we were thrilled!
Flights
For Cyprus travel, there are a few different airports which can dramatically impact where you stay and do. Because we booked the hotel first, we knew we had to fly into Paphos, the historical city, rather than Larnaca on the other side of the island.
For our outbound flight, we decided to fly out on Thursday early in the morning so we could have an entire afternoon on the beach! The only flight would be at 7am from London Luton. Then, we would return on Monday afternoon to London Stansted. Because we weren’t sure on our luggage, we also went ahead and purchased a Ryanair bag.
Cypriot Food & Drink
To be honest, we had no idea what to expect in terms of food and drink. Our hotel offered breakfast, lunch, and dinner so we were probably going to do a mix of on-site food and venturing into the Paphos for authentic local cuisine.
Sunny Activities
First and foremost, we were there to soak in the sunshine. We were likely to be sun burnt, but we were going to enjoy the vitamin D! Initially, I did a quick google research and found a great blog, Fork and Foot, that gave me great details to begin my hunt for sunny activities.
Beaches: As an island, Cyprus is bound to have some of the best beaches in the world. We had a long and lengthy list and could not wait to soak in the sun
Scuba Diving: In Cyprus, we were going to go ahead and obtain our advanced open water certificate from Cydive. They have high standards and they had an incredible Easter sale for the course! Plus, we could walk to them in Paphos!
- Wine: Surprisingly, Paphos and Cyprus are known for some of the oldest vineyards in the world. I found a nearby wine tour on AirBnB that looked reasonable and really entertaining!`
The Fail
Quickly, once the quarantine began, we kept a very close eye out on Cyprus as there could be a possibility that we make it. Just barely. Then, we saw that they were shutting down the island and closing all hotels. Quickly, we moved to get refunds on our scuba diving and hotel and thankfully managed to get full refunds. It was a massive disappointment especially as Easter rolled in and we had sunshine… But, Cyprus will also be on the bucket list due to the fantastic scuba diving and sunny beaches.