What's On Cyprus

Absolutely everyone is welcome, and there's a cool mix of locals, ex pats and visitors from every thinkable country, something to do with the ambience, probably 😉 oh and of all ages coz they make awesome Smoothies here too!  In fact, Andreas and the crew are impeccable hosts, always with a smile and on the menu 20 Hot Coffees by Hausbrandt of Italy, Cappuccino for me, perfect ...  most of them can be served chilled too.

It was the name that first caught my attention, brilliant I thought! ... Then, this wonderful idea, equally brilliant!, a Boardgaming Cafe, nestled in the vibrant city of Larnaca, and I just had to get together with David, owner of 'Shakes and Lattes' to find out more ...

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!"

... Whether you want to grab a takeaway and sit by the beach or sit in and relax in their comfy seating area they offer a great selection of coffees, teas, herbal drinks, smoothies, sandwiches, muffins, cakes ... the list is endless.

The setting is as good as on the beach, it's a traditional village house with alcoves and arches edging the shaded patio out front, overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean sea.  The ambience is relaxed outside and continues inside, with comfy lounge style sofas and 4 huge TV screens to watch all the live sports, there's a pool room with plenty of seating and two lovely open fires to keep your toes warm in the winter.

If you are anywhere near Oroklini, this is an excellent choice, if you're not, it's definitely worth the drive, whether you fancy breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you can sit inside in traditional surroundings, or out front in the beer garden, or out back by the gorgeous pool, or maybe enjoy a fun-filled night with live entertainment, or just pop in for a quick pint and sit next to the huge tropical fish tank while enjoying a little Sushi!

A place with a cool atmosphere, to enjoy good food, but with big portions, served fresh from the Charcoal Grill, hosting regular events and of course showing all the live sports on the 4 big screens.  The decor traditional taverna style, inside it's spacious, comfy, a lovely log burner for the chilly winter evenings and outside a covered courtyard for the balmy summer nights ... oh I'm loving the new extended bar with RGB lights, looks well cool ...

Their Coconuts are full of raw unpasturised fresh coconut juice, and tasty young coconut flesh, packed with electrolytes, containing as much potassium as two bananas and with zero cholesterol, almost no calories, and extremely low in fat, a perfect part of any healthy diet, that will help you build your immune system.

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"

I am delighted to add The Lordos Group of Hotels to our guide as I've worked closely with their 3 hotels and the Lordos family since 1993.  They are without a doubt one of Cyprus' leading companies and their 3 hotels certainly lead the way for comfort and hospitality.  Each hotel with it's own specific features, each hotel unique in it's own way.  All ideally situated in perfect locations, pretty much, right on the beach!