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Cyprus has been home to many cultures over the ages, but to most of us simply know it as a great hotspot, which has made it a very popular destination with tourists, with over 2.4 million visiting its many resorts. Cyprus basks is more than 330 clorious days of sun each year, which has given it the name The Island of the Sun. With plenty of travel agents tailoring Cyprus holidays and budget airlines including Monarch offering routes to Paphos and Larnaca, it has never been easier to get there.

While attracting visitors from around the world, most of them tend to be Europeans. Affluent eastern Europeans and Russians have also joined the crowd in recent years. The British Armed Forces have long has a presence in Cyprus. With quick and easy access to the Middle East, this is likely to be the case for some time to come. As such the Brits are now almost as local and the locals, and in turn, now cater for the Brits. English is widely spoke and understood among nearly all age groups to driving on the left side of the road. No doubt the similarity to the UK makes us Brits feel more at home, but we also get to bask in the sun.

For many reading this, the prospect of taking a holiday away from England only to be greeted at the airport by a hire car representative hailing from Croydon and being served an authentic Mediterranean dish of steak and chips will not appeal. However, this side of Cyprus, that continues to attract millions of tourists year after year, is only one aspect of the island and is concentrated around the tourist hotspots of Paphos, Larnaca and Ayia Napa. Fortunately as you venture off the beaten track, your are soon reminded of the character that has made this island a popular destination for millennia.

A trip well worth taking is into Cyprus largest mountain range, the Troodos Mountains. In the heart of the mountains you will find the Kykkos monastery, a UNESCO world heritage site since 1998. Housing art and exhibits on ancient Greece, the monastery has the twin function of being a museum for visitors and a practising monastery lived in by worshiping monks. If you are a wine lover, there are treats in store for you. A daytrip to the Troodos Mountains can be a welcome change from the beach and with overnight accommodation available in many of the authentic villages dotted about; you might want to spend a few days here sampling another side of Cyprus.