The sun’s shining, the days are getting longer and just passing the beach driving down the main road gives the you the feeling that summer is here. And, for anyone looking for property, that means one thing: viewing trip season! With warm but not yet hot temperatures, and life returning to the quieter villages, now’s the perfect time to find your dream home.
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A warm welcome
The good thing about this is that Cyprus has had many years to practise the art of hospitality and tourism, and I have to admit they are very good at it. It’s very rare that you find yourself eating a badly cooked meal and the Cypriot hotel and restaurant staff are trained to the highest standards. You are guaranteed a welcome right from the time you set foot in your hotel or restaurant. The Cypriots believe in a warm smile and personality – something that I think has gradually disappeared in other tourist destinations.
The sun’s shining
So how do we know when the summer season is here? From the weather! This is definitely the first sign. When the warm weather starts (usually from May/June) we take off our long sleeved clothes and we put on our T-shirts and short sleeve tops and shorts.
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The sun is constant and the days are longer. Just passing the beach when driving along the main beach road with the sea on one side of you gives you the feeling that the summer season is here. Along the beach road the Cypriots are relaxing in the open air cafes and this is where I go to find the buzz of the start of the summer. You can buy the traditional frapes (iced coffees), iced lattes, milkshakes (these I recommend as they are made with lovely ice cream) etc. and ice cold juices.
Viewing trip season is upon us in Cyprus!
And then there are the tourist rental cars. These are distinctive because they have red number plates so everyone knows they are tourists in them So I know that holiday season is upon us! You see them buzzing about – all the usual rental companies are here like Budget, Europcar, Hertz. In recent summers I’ve seen Porsche’s as rental cars! It’s amusing because you can see an expensive car as a hire car and then the next minute you see a cheaper rental car. In other words, there are all types of cars and sizes for your budget.
Time for a swim
As for the sea itself, I myself have been in the sea from the end of April/May because the weather is warm enough. But this is not always the case every year. Usually, the sea is warm enough to swim from about June until the end of September. To be honest, I prefer to swim in the sea at the start of the summer season, and not in the main summer season (July/August) because the sea is not so busy. The water sports operators open up their positions on the beach – another sign that the summer season is going to begin.
The island wakes up
From about March the hotels start to ‘wake up’ from the winter months. Although the main chain of hotels here remain open through the winter period, and have a winter programme of events, many of the tourist hotels close in the winter. They use this time to renovate their hotels, and the staff tend to take their own holiday before the intense summer season. The hotels offer special packages pre-summer season, and this is why you can see one or two British and other international tourists around from April/May. Then, from June the warm, balmy evenings bring out the smell of the barbecues in the open air and you can smell the kebab and souvla grilling. The restaurant tables fill up as the tourists come to eat al fresco at lunch and dinner times, and into the night. Many young tourists and Cypriots visit Ayia Napa nightclubs.
The ‘summer’ nightclubs start to open, as Cypriots and tourists alike visit to dance the night away into the early morning hours (some Greek nightclubs open until 5 am!). Added to this, in Limassol and Nicosia, well known Greek and American singers and rock singers visit Cyprus to do gigs for a couple of nights, usually in the football stadiums in these towns. Bon Jovi was here a couple of years ago, and Bryan Adams before him, along with Elton John. These stars stay in the hotels and tend to mix with the tourists.
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Generally, Cyprus’s preparations for the summer season are laid back. They don’t believe in rushing about. They make their necessary preparations but they want to provide a friendly, caring atmosphere for the tourists that visit here. That’s why when you come to Cyprus you will find that life here is so much slower than in the U.K. and so you really will wind down and relax. So take advantage of the warm weather and lack of pressured approach to organise your viewing trip to Cyprus this summer. Download your viewing trip guide below to find out more.
