It’s August!!!
Many of you will know it’s not my fav month, mostly coz it gets just a bit tooo hot, hitting around 45°C in the shade, so for those of us still working its really yukk, imagine Nicosia at lunch time, not a good idea!, but if you’re on the beach it’s paradise! Fact is; ‘Plato’, the infamous philosopher, first described Cyprus as ‘Paradise’, and who am I to argue? … OMG!!! I almost forgot, It’s the August Sales, anyone coming shopping?
Topical
Now I just wanna cover a bit about this pandemic that’s hitting Cyprus and the 51 countries currently allowed to visit us from Saturday 1st August, be it for holiday’s or to visit family … Well, our borders have been open a few weeks now and strict measures implemented to be allowed in, which has been all part of Epidemiological protocols that Cyprus adopted and it’s proved extremely successful, making us one of a few countries in Category A which means; we hit only a few, if not zero new cases, daily for about 8 weeks … I think we all got a bit over confident and sadly as I write this, we’ve had a little spike in the past couple of days which I hope will drop again in the next few days … keep your eye on our Facebook page for updates … or go to The Cyprus Governments web site.
Holidays
August of course is normally peak season, so expect it to get a bit busier on the coast, partly because pretty much the whole of Cyprus’ commerce and industry shuts down for about 3 weeks in August, it’s not worth trying to work coz if it gets to over 40°C in the workplace, the unions pull out the staff, and it’s definitely gonna be over 40°C, so they might as well close down for three weeks, but of course, it’s a nightmare coz you can’t get anything done lol … no probs, as we say in Cyprus ‘Avrion’ it’s the Cypriots favourite word, but I’m sure you’ll witness an occasional pull your hair out moment lol …
Drink Water
Many of our hotels that have already re-opened, with more opening in August, are still obliged to keep about 50% of their rooms available for our nationals, to make sure they’ve got somewhere to stay and of course this year more won’t be leaving Cyprus, so, just watch, as sophisticated, cosmopolitan, trendy, Nicosia spills down to the coast, and mixes with the pure party crew, the result inevitably is electric!, oh and, did I mention it’s summer, it’s hot, and I mean really hot, and if you only get one tip from me this month, make it ‘Drink lots of water’ !
Passion
I expect you’ve noticed, I love Cyprus with a passion … ‘Special’ doesn’t really begin to describe it, and if you’ve returned to this rock at least once, you’ll understand, coz it’s even got its own distinctive smell, btw, in my book Plato was spot on!
Aura?
Now, I believe this mythological party playground of the Mediterranean is unique, the rock has some sort of, not sure what you call it? Aura? That makes it so very different from any other island in the world. When you arrive here you’re sort of immediately drawn in, it’s strange but true!!! and mad as it sounds, I’ve heard many people say they decided to buy a house here within 24 hours of setting foot on this rock
Youth thingy
Anyway it’s August, the youth thingy is evident, everywhere, and why not? Their lack of inhibitions and smiles are infectious, so too their fashions, each year the girls seem to be wearing less, and the guys prefer it that way!
Clubbing
The club scene would normally be hitting its peak, but the last I heard from a couple of club owners is they hope they’ll be able to open by 16th August … of course things are changing daily, so until they do open, some I’m sure will step out of the basements and onto the beaches, and around pools, to make sure you get your clubbing fix but at the moment you can’t even dance, sooo I hope that changes soon tbh, in the last 12 years we’ve seen an increase of stylie beach bars opening along the coast, aimed more towards the local market with events happening all through August!
Beachside
Nightlife Street in Paphos has changed a bit over the years but Vibes, Black ‘n’ White and Notorious, and the Loft still lead the way … Napa still boasts a few of Europe’s top clubs including of course Black & White, Castle Club, Club Ice, Prestige, Sin, Shuffle, Aqua and Carwash, all within walking distance of the Square … Larnaca pretty much spills onto Makenzie Beach with several café style lounges turning a bit clubby at night and up in Limassol the classy Breeze Club, Bedroom and arguably Cyprus’ number one club Guaba, on the beach, it’s a perfect setting for a club day or night out, and I heard we were going to have some of the world’s top DJ’s as usual unfortunately just like Beach Cult Live aka BCL has been cancelled this year …
Live Events
The awesome Minus One are at Darcy’s Restaurant in Coral Bay, Paphos on Saturday 29th August … This local Rock Band from Nicosia are rarely over on the west coast of Cyprus so grab a chance to see them … This English singing Rock Band, formed in 2009, preforming the UK, North America, Europe and Russia. The band was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016, with the self-penned song ‘’Alter Ego’’ … Click Here for more info …
Adventure Sports
You must check out Sayious Adventure Park on the outskirts of Limassol for off road, quads, buggies, motorbikes and a whole lot of fun … There’s Flyboarding all over Cyprus at various water sports, I’ve tried it and let me say, when you come out of the water like Iron Man and dive like a dolphin it’s just awesome! Check them out at Paphos Water Sports left of the promenade, Octopus Water sports in Kato Paphos and at Stephanos Water sports in Protaras … it’s also a great month to learn to dive, with the sea at its warmest, it’s almost like a tepid bath and where better to get away from the sun then discovering the underwater world of the Mediterranean!
School Holidays
Don’t forget it’s school holiday’s so loads of little’ns around too, and it’s too hot to do much except chill, but there’s so much to do, … and so little time, hmm ? … try searching ‘Kids & Grown Ups on our website … but let’s start you off with a visit to Ocean Aquarium Park in Protaras for a lovely day out with the kids …
Kids & Grown Ups
Time to spend time with the nippers, so a few of my favs include; The Camel Park in Mazados is an excellent day out with swimming pools and cafes and loads to do or maybe Pafos Zoo, it’s a wild way to catch up with the wild animals, up close, there’s nothing quite seeing the kids’ faces when they come close to wild animals, check out the walk through Avery at bird feeding time, it’s a fantastic day out … and one of the coolest things is The Jungle Float in Protaras, a floating waterpark with trampolines and rope swings into the sea, go check it out …
Out & About
Maybe get out on a Jeep Adventure up to the Akamas or a little unique Trackers for an alternative excursion or maybe try The Cyprus Maze at CyHerbia, who knows, you might be able to lose the kids for a few hours, safely 😉 while you enjoy real cream teas or a glass of wine and check out their gardens and natural, herbal world …
Living on the sea
its perfect weather for a boat trip … From the award-winning Black Pearl, in Napa to glass bottom boats all over the place, semi subs and catamarans, fishing trips where you can catch your lunch and have it cooked for you at the harbour … Or, there’s pedallos on every beach and they got slides on them these days 😉
Boat Trips
A must for the tiny tots is The Mermaid Cruise in Protaras, it’s an awesome idea. Just seeing their little faces as they finally believe in real mermaids, it’s absolutely awesome! … The Lazy Day Cruise on Aphrodite II a complete delight … The brilliantly designed Nemo Boat a great idea for the kids … So to Yellow Submarine which is one of my favourits coz everyone comes off smiling Whilst up the West Coast, Paphos Watersports have a variety of cruises, love the Snorkelling Trip to find Turtles … and the best boat on the harbour has to be Wave Dancer as it Salsa’s its way up the West coastline with daily cruises and stunning sunset dinners and a spectacular entertainment with a huge firework party finale!
Getting Around
Cyprus is a small rock, just over three hours drive from far South East to high North West, along the coast, or from Kapparis to Pomos … So jump in the car and go touring, maybe a trip up to the mountains to get away from the maddening crowd and intense heat, mmm, and if you dare, cool down a bit in one of the natural waterfalls. On the way, back down, stop off at one of the left back in time villages of Lofou in the Troodos foothills, btw in the centre, Lofou Taverna is highly recommended!
Cultural
Cyprus is versatility to the extreme, so for a full list of Cultural Events and Exhibitions go to the Cyprus Tourist Organisation’s web site …
Party Gods
Remember kids you didn’t start it, the Greek God’s did, some 12,600 years ago, right here on this wonderful rock we call Paradise, so as it was the gods who introduced us to the world of party, I think it’s only right that we show them our gratitude and continue where they started and show them how to party twenty-first century and more importantly, Cyprus Style !!!
And finally …
oh, and just in case you wasn’t taking note, please drink more water, increase the UV factor, drink loads more water and make sure you do at least one thing you’ve never done before!
Na da bou’men!
Tony Dynamou
Cover photo by www.pixabay.com
