A spring break in Cyprus is perfect for travellers on a budget and those who dislike the searing heat of the summer months.
Libra Holidays product manager Darren Hitchcock said: “Spring is a great time to visit Cyprus as it’s not too hot. Visitors can play golf, walk in the mountains or visit the wine routes.
“Most clients stay near the beach but hire a car and visit the mountains for a day. This time of year is particularly popular with families.”
Teleticket managing director Neil Chapman added: “During the spring, the island is colourful with flowering plants, and the sea temperature is still an acceptable 16C-17C.”
Cyprus enjoys the longest diving season in the Mediterranean, from March until November. Land-based activities include horse riding, cycling and trekking – there are 123 miles of walking trails.
Resorts in Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca operate all year round while those in Ayia Napa and Protaras tend to open their doors in April.
Here are four reasons to visit Cyprus this spring:
Spa
Celebrities flock to the five-star Columbia Beach Hotel, Pissouri Bay, thanks to its fabulous spa and reputation as a discrete hideaway. Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall has stayed here, Prince Harry ate at its restaurant and comedian Jack Dee takes a holiday there every year.
The luxurious spa offers five treatment rooms, a spa bath, plunge pool, sauna and steam room. Its heated pool lies at the heart of the resort and flows into the hotel’s centre.
The five-star Le Méridien Limassol has an adults-only spa with whirlpool baths, 34 treatment rooms and seven seawater pools, while the five-star Thalassa boutique hotel offers holistic treatments. Other great spas in Cyprus include those at Aphrodite Hills and the Paphos Amathus Beach Hotel, both Paphos.
Sample package: Libra Holidays offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the Columbia Beach Resort for £1,009 per person in May, including flights and transfers.
Golf
Overlooking the Mediterranean and sprawling over two plateaux, Aphrodite Hills has an 18-hole championship course. Situated just outside Paphos on a 578-acre estate, it also houses a hotel and spa.
Its special features include terraces overlooking the 18th hole, two instructors and a three-hole academy course. Alternative venues include the Secret Valley Golf Course and the Tsada Golf Course.
Sample package: Classic Collection offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort Hotel for £747 per person this April, including flights and transfers.
Walking
Cyprus’s Troodos Mountains offer keen trekkers the chance to stretch their legs while enjoying the scenery: quaint villages and painted churches steeped in history and tradition.
Hikers can walk through pine forests and enjoy sweeping panoramics of the island. Some of the trails take in monasteries and small Byzantine churches, 10 of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sample package: The Adventure Company offers an eight-day walking tour of Northern Cyprus for £539 in April with flights, transfers, all breakfasts and lunches and a guide. There is also a local payment of £50 on arrival.
Weddings
Cyprus is the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and its year-round sunshine and short flight from the UK also make it the ideal setting for weddings.
Most four and five-star hotels can be used as wedding venues or couples can marry at a registry office. It’s also possible to have a more traditional ceremony in a chapel or church. Operators which organise weddings in Cyprus include Planet, Olympic, Libra Holidays, Cosmos, First Choice and Kuoni.
Sample package: Planet Holidays offers a civil wedding at the Palm Beach Hotel and bungalows in Larnaca, where couples can exchange their vows on a beach, from £350, including the licence, registrar’s fees and ceremony.
Other ideas
- For pensioners: Planet Holidays also offers one and two-week line-dancing holidays at the Louis Imperial Beach Hotel, Paphos, in March every year.
- For shoppers: Take a shopping break in Limassol, staying at stylish Londa Hotel and hitting the nearby boutiques for handmade shoes.
- For families: Orthodox Easter Sunday falls on April 27 – the streets come alive with processions and fireworks, and the churches are festooned with flowers and painted eggs.
