The first 3 nights are spent in the small fishing town of Polis, in the north west corner of the island. It is the gateway to the little known Akamas Peninsula which is like a natural rock garden, with Persian cyclamen, giant orchids, and white sea daffodils. Besides the turtles who come to lay their eggs on the beach here, there are fruit eating bats, filmed by David Attenborough for his TV series on the Mediterranean. We stay at the friendly Natura Beach hotel, just 1km away from the Bay of Chrysocnou where the ancient kingdom of Marion once stood. All of the rooms have air conditioning and balconies, there's a swimming pool too.
Dinner is either at the hotel or in one of the many tavernas.
The second half of your holiday explores the mountain hideaways of the Troodos Mountains. Ancient forests of Aleppo pines, Cyprus cedars, golden oaks and strawberry trees are in abundance. In the deep valleys moufflon, Cyprus's national animal, can sometimes be spotted. We stay in the tiny mountain village of Spilia, at the charmingly modernised Marjay hotel. Eleni runs the hotel, immaculately, while her husband Jerry is very much involved with local conservation projects and trail maintenance.