The Island of Cyprus is large enough to be diverse and interesting, yet small enough to retain its original character and charm. The Cypriots themselves are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality, and Cyprus remains one of the few places in the world where you can walk alone through quiet streets or along the beach at night - safely.

Greek is the main language, but English is spoken almost everywhere, and French and German speaking staff are employed in most areas of the holiday and travel industry. Cyprus has managed to maintain a delicate balance between the old and new, and features the best of both. It is the perfect location for a family break with exceptionally good facilities and plenty to do for children and teenagers.

If it is a lazy few weeks on the beach you yearn for, look no further. The sun shines at least 340 days of the year on long silver beaches, and the warm gentle sea is an almost impossible blue. Its every bit as idyllic as you would expect Aphrodite’s birthplace to be, but there is much more to Cyprus than just beaches and sunshine. The island is rich in archaeological sites considered to be amongst the finest in the Mediterranean. Cyprus has been strategically important and coveted throughout it’s long history and relics of past conquerors litter the landscape throughout the island.

In striking, but not unpleasant, contrast with tiny villages where customs and tradition have remained unchanged over hundreds of years, the towns and cities are geared right up to the 21st century. Telecommunications are excellent and well up to International standards. Distances between towns and cities are relatively small and are linked by motorways and well maintained road networks.

Two international airports at Larnaca and Paphos handle over two hundred scheduled and charter flights a week, and the modern shipping port at Limassol makes arrivals and departures by sea efficient and uncomplicated. The island also has two pleasure harbours at Larnaca and Limassol, much favoured by yacht owners for winter stop-overs.

Another of the island’s outstanding features is the beautiful Troodos mountain range and pine forests. Just an hour’s drive from Limassol or Nicosia, the bracing mountain air offers welcome relief from the blazing sun in summer months and in winter when the slopes are blanketed with snow, Troodos becomes a popular ski-resort.

Due to Cyprus’s geographic position, the island is an ideal stepping stone for cruises to nearby destinations such as Israel, Egypt and the Greek Islands.