What's On Cyprus

What started as a weekend gig, grew into a week long party, a week long pure rock festival, live bands on a big stage, and often in intimate venues, where you get a chance to grab a drink and socialise with like minded mates you've not seen since the last festival, as well as the band members who hang around the venues, along with the thousands of rock fans that started to follow Cyprus Rocks Festival over ten years ago ...

Over a delicious Illy coffee, I asked Charbel how it all started; he said, "In the past, I was an HR Operations Manager in the F&B Sector ... Then we found this place, and between 2016 to 2021, we took Rise of the past, and Re-Branded it ... it was during the pandemic where I got the idea to take it to a new level and we had the time make some improvements, the idea was to 'Elevate your Hotel Experience' ... it's not just about the decoration it's about culture and spirit"

There's 8 different Cocktail Mixing Competitions that will be held over the two days, with big cash prizes to be won.  At the exhibition will be around 20 Booths, where members of The Cyprus Bartenders Association can present their services and local products, anything from glasses, and bar tools to craft beers and award-winning wines and spirits ...

Still one of the oldest, most classic and much loved pubs in Larnaca, after over 30 years ... the décor, all wood, prints and rock memorabilia everywhere, the courtyard out back all traditional and delightful. It's Cypriot, Rock hospitality, all the way!  with music ranging from Classic Rock to Jazz and Rhythm & Blues, and even occasionally, a little Reggae ... I just love this pub!

Standing proud at the top of Hero's Square, right in the heart of Limassol, a place where people gather, in days of old a mix of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, apparently once a red light district, now a mix of popular stylish bar's and eateries, and as the decline of cinema in the 80's inspired the new Rialto Theatre, that launched in 1999 and helped to develop the area into a hive of activities, cultural or not! 

Fāinā told me "We originally opened a French restaurant in Makarios Avenue, introducing Lebanese cuisine after 2 years, but when we moved our restaurant here we switched to a Lebanese Restaurant with just a few French dishes as our customers were mostly locals.  These days its a more varied international mix as more and more tourists have discovered us.  As the years past, we found more and more of our customers were asking us to cook French cuisine for them".  She laughed and said "ha! but many restaurants cook Frogs Legs, but none can cook them like ours!  And, then she added; just wait til you try our Duck!"

It has a great reputation and is well known for it's hospitality, the food is tasty, the cocktails delicious, the atmosphere chilled, the staff friendly and welcoming, the music fab ... all this mixed together makes for the perfect place to go whether it be for lunch, dinner or just drinks ! 

I asked why their beers are so good;  Taras explained, "The biggest difference of Craft Beer is it has more flavour and taste, mainly because it's not filtered or pasteurised, making it a much richer flavour.  Craft Beer is like a finger print because we never brew our beer in a bad mood, that's how we are here at Octo and we hope you are just like us" …

When I asked George why they called it Dionysus he said; "because he is the God of the Vine, Grape Harvest & Winemaking, but mostly because he is also the God of Fun, and the idea of the restaurant was inspired by wine, fun and theatre, and most of all enjoyment! Then we found the house, it was the perfect venue to set the ambiance we wanted"!

Times have changed as far as the fascia goes, but for the past 28 years, the service is still exemplary and the cuisine is as traditional as it gets.  It's a family-run restaurant, from Luigi's warm welcome to the homemade Cypriot specialties using mum's secret recipes and the lovely touch of complimentary seasonal fruit, grown in dad's orchard, that they'll bring to your table for afters.