Cyprus for an extended family holiday
An 11-day extended family adventure. Self-drive.
Date of trip: October 2025
Total cost: £9080 (£757 each)
Including
Flights direct to Larnaca International from Gatwick: £4200. Can reduce price if you have a non-direct flight.
Car hire: £900 for 3 cars.
Fuel: £180
Accommodation: £2000
Food: £1200 including 4 meals out, tea and cakes, self-catering and a Cypriot night with large buffet and entertainment.
Activities £600 (including glass bottom boat trip, historic sites, waterpark for children and 3 adults)
Number of party:12 (7 adults, 5 children).
Growing up, my grandmother would tell me tales of her adventures living all over the world. My Grandfather was in the Airforce, so locations included Canada, Singapore, Germany and Cyprus. For an untravelled child with a passion for exploring, I hung on every word and dreamed of the day when I could explore them.
Cyprus was the last place my Mum and older sister by 9 years lived together, so it holds a special space for them. This was the year we finally gathered the extended family with my Mum and Aunt for a Cypriot adventure and a mission to find the spots significant to them from 65 years ago. Three cars were packed and 11 days to fill to entertain three generations from 5 – 79 and a mission to find their old house.
Cyprus was a delight; welcoming and the children were never bored. The whole family have asked to go back.
Here’s how we did it and our top recommendations.
Day 1: Direct flights. Arrive and check into hotel near Larnaca airport. Explore the area and dinner by the sea. There were plenty of child friendly options within walking distance of our hotel.
Day 2: Hotel swim to keep cool.
We then visited Larnaca Salt Lake to see if the flamingos had arrived, they hadn’t yet as the lake was still dry, but we saw lizards and interesting insects. For the best views of the wildlife, stop at the Akrotiri Environmental Education Centre. The centre offers free entry, parking, and a viewing platform.
Drive to Akrotiri to find my mother’s childhood house. Settled amongst high rise flats, one little single storey painted house remained and it was their house, the same colours as they remembered.
Lady mile beach was just a few minutes from Akrotiri where we spent the afternoon swimming, drinking tea and playing in the sand. There was an inflatable water activity course here. The beach was gently sloping so great for younger children. The beachside restaurant rented out beach loungers and had nice toilets which were handy for our older and younger party members.
Drive to accommodation near Pomos on the other side of the Island. Pomos was the perfect location for us for a private house rental with a pool and direct access to the sea for snorkelling. This gave us ease for our wide age range and interests. The teenagers were happy snorkelling and exploring rocks whilst our youngest and oldest members were happy swimming in the pool and chilling outside.
There were plenty of supermarkets in the cities for food shopping. We used a small local shop for top ups.
Day 3: A more relaxing day around the pool and snorkelling with a walk at Paradise beach in the afternoon. You can park at many several spots along the beach and walk along the sand. Look out for turtles, nests and hatched turtle eggs. It is illegal to disturb or harm the nests but at the right time, you will see evidence of turtles along the whole beach.
Day 4: Glass bottom boat trip from Latsi which took us to the blue lagoon for a swim in turquoise water. The water was so clear and you could see plenty of different fish swimming under the water along the way. Costs are around £20 each.
Day 5: Troodos mountain (Kykkos monestry, Botanic garden, Omodos village, vinyards). Make sure you plan your route along the main tarmacked roads or you may find yourself in difficulty. The SatNavs often try to take you through a short cut down steep rugged mountain tracks leading to sandy tracks with little grip.
Day 6: Paphos Aphrodite waterpark provided an excellent boost for the kids. It was clean, kid friendly food and drinks and plenty to keep everyone entertained. The outdoor lockers were useful so we could move with the children at their pace. You get an electronic wristband to make your purchases on. We found plenty of places to rest and use the poolside recliners. Book tickets directly in advance online for the best price at 32 euros for adults and 18 for children.
Day 7: Avakas National Park– Lara beach to find turtles and gorge walk. This was one of my highlights. We found turtle eggs, enjoyed the beachside restaurant with excellent food and the wild terrain. Wear sturdy shoes for walking and take plenty of water. You can park at the park entrance to avoid driving on rocky dusty tracks or continue with care to shorten walking distances for children. There are several parking spots. Look out for goats.
Day 8: The Tombs of the Kings is a massive UNESCO listed ancient necropolis located on the coast near Paphos Harbour. There are no actual kings buried here but it was a site for very important people. It is worth looking at the architecture, mosaics, learning about local history and spotting different lizards. There is free parking on site and it only costs €2:50 to enter.
We attended a Cypriot night in Latchi at the Yialos Beach Grill House with traditional music, dance and food. It was everyone’s favourite experience from the whole trip with a buffet style dinner with plenty of food that even the fussier eaters enjoyed. We enjoyed Greek games including trying to set fire to a paper tail on a Cypriot dancer, glass balancing with the world champion and dancing the night away.
Day 9: We stopped at the Pissouri Amphitheatre and purchased tickets easily on arrival. We explored at our own pace before heading to the nearby pebbly Pissouri Beach for a swim.
Day 10-11: We headed to Ayia Napia for the next few days for snorkelling and the hope of finding a delayed turtle. We didn’t find the turtles but the snorkel spots were easy to access for all ages and plenty to see. Watch out for the invasive lionfish that can sting. If you see one, give it plenty of space and don’t touch. We found plenty of safe snorkelling areas for our family and didn’t feel unsafe. We did spot one lionfish amongst deeper rocky areas. None in the shallow areas which are idea for younger family members. We also didn’t spot any jellyfish.
There are lots of restaurants and bars here and a vibrant lively feel.
When to go
Anytime will be beautiful and the sea is fine to swim all year round ranging from 18oC to 28oC. To see turtles swimming, aim for May to the end of September. We had missed the season to see turtles hatching July-September but we saw lots of nests with eggshell in them. August is great timing for hatchlings and adult turtles. The flamingos arrive in the Autumn from November onwards. It can be very hot in August so check the conditions are suitable for your family.
Activities for free
Snorkelling, swimming, walks, wildlife spotting at lakes.
Difficulties
Driving steep roads that quickly become dusty rutted tracks difficult for a regular car. Stick to coastal routes and main roads. Check your route before you set off.
Top tips to keep the kids interested
Lots of swimming, keep hydrated. If you are visiting the historic sites, tell stories to make the place come alive. Our kids enjoyed making up silly stories about the mosaics and what they may have been showing and then pretending to be gladiators at the colosseum.
Useful links:
We fancied this water and light show but could not fit it into our itinerary.
Aphrodite Water Park – Book Online
Blue lagoon latchi Glass Bottom & big slide+drinks – Viator
If you have enjoyed this article and found it useful, please consider signing up to become a member of our site. Membership is free, you get all our articles sent directly to your inbox and you can message us asking questions. Many thanks. x
Leave a Reply