Cyprus: An Island of Little Discoveries

After my family and I picked up the pace of our travels in 2025, it didn't seem time to slow down in 2026, so we lined up a trip to Larnaca in Cyprus for early spring, following Algeria. Annoyingly, a stray drone, reportedly linked to Hezbollah or Iran, or possibly something else entirely, slammed into the British base there a few weeks before we left, ramping up the tension as to whether this trip would even happen. EasyJet cancelled loads of flights in the wake of the attack, but ours went ahead without an issue, landing safely and bringing my country total to 61.

As a hangout of a typical Brit, this is hardly an island I would usually visit, and the presence of small crowds of British drinkers in Larnaca's bars didn't change my mind straight away. But there is so much more to Cyprus than strips of beach, hotels and bars. That was the side of the island I was determined to see.

I knew before arriving that I'd need private accommodation rather than a resort, so we'd booked a cool Airbnb a few blocks back from the beach, and it was the first of many successes. The second was discovering so many cool eateries and restaurants around Larnaca. The relative affordability of eating out surprised me, including a particularly delicious Israeli place serving falafel and sabich. Third, we loved stumbling upon the flamingos and Roonie the pig. And, of course, we loved being near the Church of Saint Lazarus — the man who was the central character in the Bible's most profound miracle.

However, it was beyond Larnaca that Cyprus really came into its own. A short bus ride away lay Nicosia, the world's last divided capital. Passport in hand, we crossed the border and suddenly found ourselves in a different world — a Turkish one — and I revelled in every second on this side of the fence. The architecture, the food, the coffee, the people — everything felt so authentic and fabulous.

Of course, before we left, my son Raf and I had a swim in the Mediterranean, but this hadn't been a beach holiday for us. The sea was still a bit chilly and the sporadic bursts of rain didn't make it particularly appealing. No, the trip had been more about kicking back in an Airbnb — one I wished was our own — experiencing two cultures in one day in Nicosia and simply being together as a family on a pretty unique island.

We flew out totally filled up with delicious travel and food memories and looked ahead to spring and summer in Cromer.