Ayia Napa Holidays
Ayia Napa Overview
Clubbing holidays:When it comes to holidays to Ayia Napa, we have to mention the fantastic, frenetic nightlife. Ayia Napa holidays have built up an enviable reputation as a hotspot for dance music and big name DJs, so much so that Ayia Napa holidays are now even threatening to topple Ibiza holidays crown as the king of clubbing holidays. With its sleek, modern bars and large lively clubs, holidays to Ayia Napa can even lay claim to increasing the popularity of the R‘n’B, Garage and Grime music scenes in the UK.
Family-friendly holidays: Surprisingly, it’s not all about the nightlife in Ayia Napa holidays. It’s perfectly possible to have peaceful or even cheap holidays to Ayia Napa, even if you choose to relax on all inclusive holidays at the many all inclusive hotels. And with plenty of activities to enjoy on your holidays like water parks and go-karting courses close by, it’s easy to see how Ayia Napa holidays offer just as much fun for families with children as they do for the clubbing community.
Great beaches: Nissi Beach is often the stretch of coastline that the young clubbers on their holidays head to during the summer holidays season. With soft golden sand leading to clear warm waters, it’s certainly a nice enough place to spend your holidays, but you’ll be pleased to know Liminaki Beach is even nearer – it’s much more peaceful and is ideal for relaxing holidays. Beaches are always a great choice for cheap holidays to Ayia Napa, because they’re often free or very cheap to spend the whole day sunbathing there.
Attractions in Ayia Napa
Ayia Napa Monastery: This quaint little monastery is right in the centre of Ayia Napa, amid all the hustle and bustle of the bars, restaurants and shops – not what you’d expect on holidays here! Built in the 16th century, the monastery is a charming refuge from the loud and lively nature of Ayia Napa holidays. Inside, there’s a yellow sandstone chapel, and a leafy shaded courtyard with a stone fountain surrounded by olive and pine trees. In fact, the verdant gardens and Moorish buildings are so beautiful; many people choose to get married here and then spend their honeymoon holidays in Ayia Napa!
Makronissos Tombs: A fascinating, little-known site well worth checking out on your holidays to Ayia Napa. There are a total of 19 rock tombs here, all dating from the Roman and Hellenistic periods around 2,000 years ago. You can actually walk down the steps into the tombs themselves – they’re extremely dark and narrow, and make a complete contrast to the open, dusky plains of the area above. They make a very memorable visit on your holidays to Ayia Napa.
Activities in Ayia Napa
Thalassa Museum: Based in the heart of Ayia Napa, this museum is focused on all things marine. Inside you’ll see a full-scale reconstruction of a 4th century ship, and there’s also a reconstruction of an 11,000 year-old papyrus raft.
Waterworld: This huge themed water park is said to be the largest in all of Europe. Its design has been based on ancient Greek mythology, with towering columns and whitewashed sculptures all adding to the experience. The slides in this watery wonder world include The Fall of Icarus, Apollo’s Plunge and Drop to Atlantis – all great fun on family holidays to Ayia Napa!
EMW Go Karts: Right next door to Waterworld, you’ll find this action-packed go-karting course which is another favourite for family holidays in Ayia Napa. There are several speeds of karts, going all the way up to high-octane, full-throttle engine for thrill-seekers. Of course, there are some slower vehicles too for children and those who want to hold onto their breakfast!
Bungee Jump: We just had to mention the bungee jump located on Nissi Beach. It’s very well known with people who spend their holidays in Ayia Napa every year, as it’s a thrilling 200 foot drop towards the Mediterranean Sea. The cord is the perfect length so you’ll dip your head into the sea too! Plus, after your holidays you can boast to all your friends back home about conquering the Nissi Beach bungee jump!
Cape Greco: Just a short drive from the centre of Ayia Napa, Cape Greco is considered to be the ‘Land’s End’ of the south-eastern side of Cyprus holidays. It’s also worth noting that the famous sea caves of Ayia Napa are located here too, where you can actually wonder between the labyrinths of interconnecting holes in the rocky cliffs. Being a natural sight, it’s completely free to visit, making it a great place to visit on cheap holidays to Ayia Napa.
Beaches in Ayia Napa
Nissi Beach: The liveliest and busiest beach on Ayia Napa holidays enjoys great popularity with the thousands of clubbers who come here during their summer holidays every year. So expect loud music, fun and frolics in the sand and action-packed water sports out to sea. And don’t forget to see the bungee jump – it’s not for the faint-hearted!
Liminaki Beach: A much quieter beach than Nissi, Liminaki also has the advantage of being nearer to the centre of Ayia Napa. It’s a very attractive place to spend your holidays sunbathing, thanks to the soft golden sand and a rocky shrub-covered headland which helps calm the waves out to sea. It’s this and the gently sloping sand which leads to shallow waters that make the beach ideal for children on family holidays.
Makronissos Beach: You’ll find lots to interest you at Makronissos Beach, and it’s not just because of the lovely soft sand and sapphire sea! Makronissos is also the home of the famous tombs we mentioned in the ‘sights worth seeing’ section of this Ayia Napa holidays guide. So after you spend some time enjoying this gorgeous beach on your holidays to Ayia Napa, you can go and brush up on your history by viewing these ancient Roman tombs too!
Restaurants to Ayia Napa
Hokkaido: Being a resort which attracts tourists from all over the world, the cuisine on Ayia Napa holidays is suitably international as well. Hokkaido is one such example of this. It’s an authentic Japanese restaurant serving ultra-fresh sushi, and much of the raw fish is caught locally. But apart from the sushi, the restaurant’s real claim to fame is the Tepanyaki-style cooking. This is basically where highly-trained chefs cook your food in front of you on metal hotplates.
Los Bandidos: This Mexican restaurant in the heart of Ayia Napa has been a firm favourite with tourists on their holidays here for many years now. Everything is served with a smile and super-fast too! Expect a large choice of Mexican classics such as burritos, enchiladas, and tacos accompanied by spicy rice and guacamole. The large portions actually mean your money goes a long way, making the prices very low for cheap holidays in Ayia Napa.
Clarabel Restaurant: For a more traditional, low-key eating affair during your holidays in Ayia Napa, how about Clarabels? The restaurant may not look like much, with simple wooden furniture and a rather plain decor, but the food sure makes up for it! The menu is eclectic and international, serving favourites such as spaghetti Bolognese chicken Kiev and perfectly cooked steak in Dianne sauce. And at just over 10 euros for three courses, the set menu is exceptionally good value too; ensuring cheap holidays to Ayia Napa are definitely possible.
Nightlife in Ayia Napa
Monastery Square: When it comes to nightlife on Ayia Napa holidays, this open square is where all the action is at. The lively Buzz Bar is within walking distance – it serves huge buckets of cocktails for surprisingly cheap prices, so you can be certain of enjoying cheap holidays to Ayia Napa if you haven’t got a very big budget! But mainly, it’s all about the clubs in Ayia Napa holidays, and current big names in dance music have all been here recently, including Freemasons, DJ Tiesto and Stonebridge as well as famous MCs from the Grime scene such as the Boy Better Know and Roll Deep crews.
The best clubs for Grime include Club Ice and the Abyss Club, while the Castle Club will be your best bet for house music. Many people think Ayia Napa holidays are all about hip-hop, Grime and R‘n’B, but there’s actually a surprisingly diverse array of music played here. For example, the Starsky and Hutch bar plays 70s soul and funk, whilst Carwash plays pop classics from the 80s! And how could we forget Bedrock Inn – as you may be able to tell from the name, it’s designed like a Flintstones cave and has a lively atmosphere for karaoke singing and playing recent chart hits.
Shopping
Shopping square: As well as being the best nightspot, the Monastery Square is also the main place to be for shopping on Ayia Napa holidays. Interspersed between the bars, clubs and restaurants, you’ll come across shops selling all kinds of designer labels and High Street brands. Clothes and Jewellery can be very cheap, so it’s well worth shopping around on streets such as Nissi Avenue and St. Makariou Avenue to discover those bargains for bringing back from cheap holidays in Ayia Napa!
