I spent two weeks mainly traveling around the Greek side of Cyprus with a friend and her mother. Went to the big tourist areas and we also got ourselves lost in the wine/silk villages in the mountains! Tried some amazing Greek Mezes and wines and had a blast climbing in the mountains and hanging out on the beaches. My main points of travel were to Limassol, Kourion Ancient Runes, Paphos, Omodos, Leftkara,Nicosia, Pissouri beach, St. Hilarion Castle, Kyrenia and Tombs of the Kings.
My expenditure includes a two way £150 plane ticket (I live in London but convert everything to USD). I got it cheap by stopping for 16 hours in Ukraine, which was amazing even though I didn't leave the airport. I definitely plan to go back there to experience Ukraine culture. Accommodation was free and most of my meals were paid for or shared payment because my flatmate lived there so I just stayed at her house.
There are both nice resorts and some youth hostels available to suit different price ranges. I used the bus twice to get around and it is fairly simple and the people are very friendly and willing to help.
Nice Mall next to the beach and not far from everything in Limassol (AKA Lemesos). We walked around Limassol as far as the Grand Resort to My mall, lots of sights to see.
Beautiful beach, probably one of the most sandy in Cyprus that you'll get. A lot of the beaches are just rocks, so be prepared. There are three nice restaurants on the beach and sunbeds for hire. You can see Kourion up on the cliff side behind you. I loved swimming in the Mediterranean sea!
Beautiful coast with lots to see and do. We went to the Mosaics (again students are free) and wandered around Paphos (AKA Pafos). We didn't do a boat tour but there are regular tours everyday from a lot of boats. Got a free Segway ride for a couple minutes.
Got to ride camels and bumper cars, nice refreshing pool on our hot day. Also had some good food and a Baileys Frape. Must try a Frape in Cyprus. Plus there are so many restaurant cats to pet! We then got lost trying to get to Leftkara (a silver/wine village in the mountains).
Same day as the camel park, we drove into the mountains. We took the scenic route and got lost in some villages but ultimately made it to the silver village of Pano Leftkara. They handmake silver necklaces and lace gifts. Prices can be bargained. They are all very persuasive to get you into their stores. Learn to say no here, cus you'll use it a lot. There is no simple wandering in these villages, they want tourists and love to talk.
For Easter Sunday we went back to Paphos for a Greek Mass at the Church by St. Paul’s Pillar. It ended up that we went to the English mass instead but things go interesting when an old lady fainted (she's okay) during the holy water ceremony (I'm not Catholic so I don't know the correct term, sorry). Overall it was a great experience.
Climbed up St Hilarion Castle, which is said to have modeled the castle seen in Disney's Snow White! There are a lot of steps and a lot of exploring to do. This is on the Turkish side of Cyprus. I never knew that one country could be so different on two sides. Equally beautiful.
After climbing the castle, we went down to the harbour/bay of Kyrenia itself. Lots of restaurant owners wanting you to try their, so like the wine and silver villages in the Greek side, you have to learn to say no. There is lots to see and do here as well.
Amazing food! Greek Mezes are the thing to experience. No menu, just order veggie or meat and the food keeps coming. My friend and I downed an entire litre of wine, her mother was laughing at us the entire time.
