Limassol, my base

Monday means work for my friend, so I planned accordingly to move on to Limassol, Cyprus' 2nd largest city. Regular intercity buses make it very affordable and easy to move between cities here. 5 euros and an hour and a half later, I was back on the coast.

At first glance, Limassol reminds me of any relaxed beach city. A beautiful long promenade allows people to fully enjoy being by the water. A number of beach resorts are clustered about 12km from the city center. My recommendation? Stay in the Old Town. I booked the Sir Paul Hotel for 3 nights and it is possibly the best hotel I've ever stayed in. I got a little distracted upon arrival so hear me out as I rave a little about this gem.

Being off season, the price of the almost luxury room was a very affordable $160 CAD a night. It's spacious, comes with touch panel control for all your lighting and temperature needs. The waterfall shower was also amazing and so relaxing. The front desk is super helpful and the breakfast is lovely. Plus, there's a little balcony overlooking a pedestrian street below.

With the help of the girl at the desk, I managed to get myself to Kolossi Castle (not quite exactly where I wanted to go - Kourion) but it was still fun. I almost had the place to myself and started experimenting with the timer on my camera to take non selfie photos. Nice and quiet out here as well.

One more thing about Sir Paul, the location can't be beat. It's close to the bus stop for both local buses and intercity buses, and it's also within walking distance to the old town, the marina and even the Old Hospital where you catch buses to other nearby destinations, such as Kolossi Castle and the Troodos Mountains. Yes, you can take an hr and a half bus ride for the low price of 1.50 euro.

In the evening, I wandered the streets the hotel before strolling down to the water for sunset. The clouds were a beautiful tint of pink, and sculptures along the promenade were getting lit up. I wound my way down to the marina before returning to the hotel to figure out what to do for dinner.

I was feeling a bit lazy and didn't want to go far. Lucky for me, the #1 restaurant in the city (and price friendly) was actually just a few blocks away: Meze Taverna. Being Monday, it wasn't too busy and I ordered a traditional dish, eggplants stuffed with meat and covered with bechamel and sauce. One might say it's like a variation of the pasta dish I'd enjoyed the day before.Read more