Coping with Limassol

The Strip – a more laid-back alternative to Agia Napa, but hardened clubbers from Ibiza and Agia Napa will find it very parochial. There is, however, more out-of-season action than in most places in Cyprus.

Restaurants – Limassol has a variety of establishments serving local and foreign cuisine – here are some of the best: Anamnaseis Taverna, Sidon, Aliada, Il Gusto’s.

Er…that’s it, apart from the mildly interesting castle and old Islamic quarter.

Check out ‘Cyprus – not just Agia Napa’ (also by ‘comrade’) for a scintillating appraisal of the best things to do in the surrounding area. Cyprus is not a big place and, thanks to the new motorways, you can easily do a day trip to somewhere halfway across the island.

Quick Tips:

If you’re going to stay in Limassol, you’ll need transport to get out in the daytime (trust me, you will want to get out).

Shopping (presupposing you don’t loathe it like me) is frustrating as the shops are not concentrated in an accessible manner, but rather dotted around. Parallel to the seafront, one block in is the main tourist shopping street – browse to your heart’s content on avoid like the plague, depending on your proclivities. Most shops are closed Wed pm.

Cheap 3-day cruises to Egypt depart from Limassol – if you only want a quick look at the pyramids, then this is the way to go.

Watch out for drunken British soldiers in the bars and clubs – they’re peaceful enough unless provoked – particularly on the first weekend of the month – Millionaires Weekend.

Be wary of any Russian-owned establishments, particularly the inappropriately named ‘gentlemen’s clubs’ – no one wants to be charged 100USD for a beer and then frogmarched to the cashpoint by some Russian heavy.

Best Way To Get Around:

Cyprus doesn’t do public transport. Your best bet is to hire a car, although taxis are not expensive and the tour operators along the seafront offer excursions to points of interest around the island.

Driving in Limassol can be a little unnerving to begin with, as road laws are taken with a pinch of salt and the lack of an MOT means there are some pretty curious vehicles on the road. There is plenty of cheap parking along the seafront (0.30USD/hour), but follow the locals and park wherever you feel like it (when in Rome…).

Located on the Akrotiri strip, about 15 minutes from Limassol, Il Gusto’s is an excellent no-frills pasta establishment. It’s good value, particularly when you consider the vast portions (they’ll do half portions for anyone who can’t manage a bucket of pasta). It tends to get fairly busy, particularly at the weekend, so it’s worth booking in advance.

This is an excellent place to try a real Meze rather than a tourist one – you’ll probably be in the only foreigners in there. The unsanitised version includes cuttlefish and snails. The staff are extremely friendly and it’s typically priced for Cyprus – more than you could possibly eat for 10USD. Eat before 8pm (the locals won’t be in ‘til later) or book to avoid disappointment. Anamnaseis is on the Western edge of town just off the coast road to Akrotiri by the minaret.

More stylish than your typical Cypriot restaurant, Aliada is located in the old town in an old colonial house, with dining rooms in what would have been the various reception rooms. The menu is fixed and the same every night, so don’t go twice in too short a space of time, and consists of a choice of soup (one of which is a peculiar, but not unpleasant, local one made with sour milk), a trip to the vast and delicious buffet bar – try not to eat so much you spoil the rest of the meal, a series of meat dishes and a trip to the sweet trolley, including crepe suzette made while you wait. Cost is slightly more than your typical Cypriot meze at approx. 15USD, but still great value.

If you’re vegetarian like me, you’ll appreciate something that’s not quite so meat-oriented. Beirut is just across the water, so it’s no surprise to find good Lebanese cooking here. You can order a la carte, but as with Cypriot food it’s best to go for the meze, which works its way through a delicious variety of dips and salads before climaxing in a vast pitta bread stuffed with a variety of different meats. Particularly recommended is the fattoush. Sidon is located in the old town opposite the covered market.

Fifteen minutes by car West of Limassol in Episkopi village is the English-style Woodstock pub. It has a cheap pool table and a massive screen showing English premiership football (inc pay per view). Drinks are local rather than English – but are good value. There is a restaurant in the other half of the building and the staff are quite happy to order you a pizza to eat in the pub. The Woodstock is popular with Brits from the nearby Episkopi camp.

Located in the Islamic quarter, this is about the only building of any historical interest in Limassol (the nearby crumbling minarets are worth a peek, but you can’t go up them). Entry, as with all Cypriot museums, is cheap (a couple of dollars) and there are various displays of moderate interest in the different chambers ranging from medieval armour to porcelain. There is a reasonable view from the roof, but it’s not really high enough to get much impression of the town, although the Troodos mountains in the distance are impressive on a clear day. Perhaps most interesting is the rather chaotic layout of the castle, symptomatic of the various additions and alterations over the centuries depending on who was then occupying the island.

Looking very much like a shopping mall, this street of bars is located in the heart of the strip. All have loud music, generally karaoke, so there’s a chaotic din as you walk along the street as the sounds merge. Most of them have English names and dispense dodgy looking free shots when you order a round of drinks. The least tacky of these places is the last one on the right, which has a more clubby feel – with a dance floor rather than karaoke stage – and tends to be frequented by more locals. Galatex is a good place to start the night at about 10pm (remember we’re very much on continental hours here) if you’re in the mood for silliness, but hardened clubbers are unlikely to see the funny side.

In the heart of the strip, this is a typical Limassol club – the décor is very eighties wannabe hi-tech and the music easy going. Entry, in the region of 5USD, is negotiable with the doormen, particularly if there are females in your party and drinks, though expensive by Cypriot standards, are not extortionate. Be aware that Cypriot clubs don’t tend to get busy until about 2am.

One of the things you’ll probably want to do on holiday in Cyprus is have a few drinks – here’s a guide to what you’ll be letting yourself in for…

Beer – only Carlsberg and KEO are brewed on the island. They are similar in terms of taste and price, but KEO is at least a local company (selling everything from water to brandy). Either can be found in draught form in pubs, but you’re guaranteed consistent quality from the 330ml or massive 660ml bottles (the latter about 1.5USD in pubs).

Wine – some of it’s OK, but most is pretty ropey. Alkion (dry white) is decent value at 3USD in shops (from 6USD in restaurants), while Pachna is a tolerable red. Imported wine is readily available – at a price.

Zivania – made from the leftovers of the wine-making process, this is the local spirit – not for the uninitiated.

Brandy sour – this is THE drink on Cyprus – great on a hot afternoon. Recipes differ, but I tend to make it 1 part Brandy, 1 part lemon cordial, 5 parts soda water and a few drops of angostura bitters.