Food Glorious Food! - Food - Places To Eat In Paphos.

Hi!!!

I think today's post will be the last one on Cyprus (for now), because hopefully I'll be able to write some more autumnal posts over the next few weeks, but I really did want to share this. I've gathered together a few food recomendations from my holiday in Paphos, to give you a heads up as to some great places and give a shout out to some awesome restaurants.

 

We went to Paphos Market on one of the days and went to a restaurant that is literally right beside it. I can't remember its name for the life of me and nor can I find it online but they did give us these home-grown figs for free at the end of our meal, and they were gorgeous so I wanted to mention them.

 

For lunch, I'd recommend:

King's Café at Paphos Harbour. You may well get a seat right by the water which is always nice, and you can see the castle from there. Try the Village Feta Salad.

 

Also, if you stay at the Avanti Village like we did, then I'd recommend:

The Avanti Village Taverna on the Avanti Village Complex - try the Halloumi and Lountza Pitta (it's the best halloumi I had all week!)

 

For evening meals, I'd recommend going to:

Bacchus Restaurant at Paphos Harbour. It has a lovely atmosphere and  great food. Try the Fresh Sea Bass, and the Banana Split.

Viva Cyprus. We were given a box to take the things we couldn't finish in, which was really helpful. Try the Mezze, which is huge, in particular the Moussaka and Stuffed Vine Leaves.

Theo's Restaurant at Paphos Harbour. The view of the sea is great, the staff are friendly and the fish is amazing - try the Fresh Swordfish, and the Banofee Pie.

Don Luigi's Trattoria Pizzeria (shown above). The staff are really friendly and have great banter and they serve delightful Italian food. Try the Pizza Pollo, the Pizza Con-Tutto, the Raspberry Cheesecake and the Tiramisu.

Fiesta Bar and Grill. They serve nice food and if you're staying at the Avanti Village then its super easy to go to. Try the Stifado.

 

 

My golden rules for eating in Paphos are to eat as much Greek/Cypriot Cheese as possible, eat as much fresh fish as possible, try a range of traditional Greek/Cypriot dishes, if there are fresh figs available then get them (as with watermelon and oranges), and finally get your hands on some delicious ice cream.

 

The ice cream above was bought at a shop on Paphos Harbour which I can't remember the name of but the flavours are pistachio and rose. ROSE ICE CREAM! So yeah, just keep your eye out for those flavours along the harbour and get some ice cream.

 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading and finding out a little bit more about my holiday.

What kind of restaurants do you like to eat in on holiday? Have you been to Cyprus? Are you as amazed by rose ice cream as I am? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Drop me a line in the comments.

Speak to you all soon.

 

I hope your day is filled with loveliness!

 

 GingerSnaps xxx

Going Anywhere Nice On Your Holidays? - Travel - Places To Visit In West Cyprus.

Hi!!!

So, I've done a lot of 'travel' posts over the past few weeks, I know. But I thought this one would be really fun to put together, because I can share some holiday snaps and share what I did with you, as well as give any of you heading over there some ideas of where to go.

For a bit of background: We stayed in Pafos at the Avanti Village and the apartment we had was absolutely wonderful - well decorated, great facilities, and top notch air conditioning.

 

My first recommendation would be visiting an archaeological park. We went to the

Kato Paphos Archaeological Park, Kourion Archaeological Site and to Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Palaipafos.

I'd recommend the Kato Pafos site for the House of Dionysus which is full of mosaics that are in brilliant condition and feature intricate designs. There is also an Odeon there to check out.

I'd highly recommend the Kurion archaeological site for those who want to see a bit of everything - the columns above are located there, there are the ruins of houses, baths and there is an ancient theatre there, too.

The site of Aphrodite's sanctuary is mostly known for the ruins of the sanctuary itself but there are loads of artefacts from different periods onsite. I'd seriously recommend going to check those out, they are really well preserved.

 

 

Castles are always fun, right? We were going to visit Pafos Castle but it was closed for the opera (which wasn't starting until after we left, boo) however we did see Kolossi Castle as part of our road trip (more on that later). It is only a quick visit that you'll be making, but I'd recommend it, just so you've seen a whole range of stuff. 

 

Finding Troodos Geopark was a hilarious mess on our part - we turned back down the hills just before the turn off for the park without even realising and had to drive back up.

The area is home to Millomeri Waterfalls, which you can see above. The waterfall is so beautiful and you can actually get in the water and have a bit of a swim/splash about - the water is really cold but it is so worth it.

 

 

Cyprus is sometimes known as Aphrodite's Island, which probably has something to do with her birthplace being located there. It's a quick stop to see, unless you chose to go down to the beach, but its a cool thing to see.

 

A trip to somewhere like Cyprus wouldn't be complete without spending some time at the beach. Our holiday rep suggested Coral Bay, which we did visit, but we all much preferred the Pachyammos Beach in Pafos. It was not only closer to the hotel, but it was also so much nicer - it's a bit more secluded, there are lawns, the water is crystal clear and there is plenty of space. I loved it and would recommend it over Coral Bay. 

 

In order to see as much as we could during the week we were there, while also relaxing and swimming and reading, we decided to go on a bit of a 'road trip' of the West of the island. We had gone to the Kato Paphos Archaeological Park earlier in the week, and I would recommend doing that separately like we did.

On our road trip, we went to (in this order): 

Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Palaipafos, Aphrodite's Birthplace, Kourion Archaeological Site, Kolossi Castle, we stopped in Limassol for lunch, and finally Troodos and Millomeri Waterfalls.

By doing this you drive down along the coast from Pafos, then along the Southern coast towards Limassol, up to Troodos and then you can easily get back to Pafos.

 

I'd highly recommend seeing some of these things in a one day road trip style because it is so much fun, it feels like an adventure and you get to see far more than you would if you tried to make separate trips to each thing.

 

  So, I hope you enjoyed this post. I hope I've achieved my aims of a) telling you a bit about my holiday and b) giving you some recommendations in case you're jetting off there any time soon.

Have you been to Cyprus? Where did you enjoy visiting most? Which of the places that I visited do you most like the look of? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts. Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks so much for reading, you darling human beings.

Have a totally groovy day!

GingerSnaps xxx

So, To Sum It All Up - Summer Summary

Hi!!!

Well, hello again! I'm back from my travels (and I had a very nice time) and thought that as it is now September, a summer summary was in order, to fill you in on everything I've been up to. I haven't written a summary in ages but this was really fun to write and I hope you like it.



I've been to the theatre a lot this summer - I went to see Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter (which I enjoyed lots), King Lear at Malvern (which I didn't ever get round to reviewing, but was good), No Villain at the Trafalgar Studios (which I wasn't all that impressed by, to be honest), The Seagull at the National Theatre (which was amazing), and The Plough and The Stars at the National Theatre (which was a very good production). I'm super lucky to have seen such a variety of plays and to see some really memorable productions. I also went on a tour of the National Theatre and for afternoon tea - I got tickets for my birthday - and it was awesome and something I would highly recommend.

 

I celebrated my birthday in July, as I do every year. It was lots of fun. I spent my birthday with my family and had a lovely time catching up with everyone. I also spent some time with my friends as part of a joint-birthday-type-thing with Elf Girl which was great. I was fortunate enough to receive lots of lovely cards and presents, which I'd like to say thank you for once again.

 

I've also been to a whole bunch of places this year. I've been in London a few times, which I always enjoy, I went to Cambridge to see some outdoor Shakespeare performances and see my cousin, I stayed in Watford for some family time and I went to Cyprus for a week with my Mom and Auntie S, which was such a great trip. We went to archaeological parks, the beach, to see a waterfall, to castles and we ate some wonderful meals.

 

Some other things that deserve a mention include - going to the cinema with my friends, getting my guitar, feeling really proud of my blog and content and regular posts, watching movies and getting the right answers on quiz shows.

 

So, to some it all up, I've had a really rather wonderful summer - I've spent time with my favourite people, I've been to great places, I've seen plays, I've read books, and I've enjoyed myself.

Happy September everyone, I hope you're having a good week so far.
What have you been up to this summer? What were your favourite parts? Have you got any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post.

Have a spectacular day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx

The Bare Necessities - Essentials - My Carry On Essentials.

Hi!!!

I don't know about you guys but when I'm going on holiday (even if its weeks away), I'll be looking at packing lists, airport outfits and carry on essentials posts on the blogosphere. These are my own carry on essentials - I'm talking short haul today, because I have no experience of twenty hour flights. Let's roll.



Passport, Boarding Pass, Phone and Purse. These are the real essentials for your flight so pack these first, preferably in a little side pocket in your bag (if there is one...) so that you can find them easily and you don't have a mini did-I-leave-it-at-home heart attack.

 

Camera. I like to keep my camera in my hand luggage so that I know where it is and that it isn't going to get damaged in transit (or, you know, when its taken on and off the plane...). If you have a little case for it, then pop it in that. Having it in my hand luggage also means that, should I want to use it when at the airport or when I arrive, I have it to hand. Obviously it isn't in the photos because I was using it.

 

Sunglasses. I keep my sunglasses in my bag for multiple reasons. One is the good old 'don't want them to get damaged in transit' thing. Another is that, if I want/need them on the plane for any reason, then I have them handy. Finally, I might need them when I arrive (obvs this is dependant on the time of year and where I'm going). Mine will be in their plastic case.

 

Books and magazines. As much as staring out the window is my favourite thing to do on a plane journey, sometimes you want some other options. Bring a book for longer flights or a bunch of magazines for longer and shorter flights.

 

Tissues. They're just handy to have and even if you don't need them, someone else might. Buy a little packet and pop them in amongst the rest of your things.

 

Lip balm and hand cream. While I love plane journeys, I do sometimes notice it can leave my skin a bit dry. I like to bring hand cream as this keeps me feeling fresh and lip balm to keep my lips from drying. Pop them in one of those little clear bags and make sure they're under 100ml.

Pocket Size Sun Cream. This is somewhat dependant on where I'm going but if I'm going to somewhere sunny, then I like to bring this with me. Nivea do pocket size sun lotions which are less than 50ml, so you can bring these on the plane in your clear bag. You can then pop some on when you arrive at your destination - that way, you won't start your break with lobster red skin.

Sweets. I like to have some with me because they help to stop my ears popping (*shudders*) and also because I like sweets. I get them at the airport once I'm through security at WHSmith or something.

Water. You can bring water on a plane if you buy it at the airport, just to let you know (because I didn't until recently). I don't bring a bottle of water on shorter flights - I just get a cup of tea from the trolley - but on a longer flight, it's good to have the option. Dehydration at 30,000ft is not the one.

So, those are my carry on essentials. Hope you're enjoying the 'holiday-y' content.

What do you bring in your carry on? Do you have any recommendations for other things I could take? Do you have any suggestions for future posts or any other comments? Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading. 

Have a sunny day! 

 

GingerSnaps xxx

I've Been Thinking... - Going Anywhere Nice On Your Holidays?

Hi!!!



Today's post is a bit of an update about what I'm going to be getting up to in the next week or so. I thought that it might be interesting and also, I want to give you guys a heads up about some things blog-wise. Also, do you like the title? It is, as you may have guessed, based on *that* classic hairdresser question.



So, I'm going on holiday! I'm off to Cyprus and my flight leaves today. I'm super duper excited and it'll be a real adventure - I've been abroad a few times but I've done more city breaks with the occasional visit to the beach (sometimes in a jumper!) as opposed to a summer holiday. I'm going with my Mom and my Auntie S and I'm sure we're all going to have a lovely girly holiday together. I get back on the 31st. 

 

This brings me on to the blog related bit. I've written up posts and scheduled them so you can still expect your regular dose of 'A Dash of Ginger' content, there will still be lots for you to read. However, if you choose to leave any comments (and please do!), I won't be able to reply to them as speedily as I normally would.

 

I hope you enjoy this week's content and you have a lovely time, whatever you're doing.

Are you going on holiday this year? Have you been already? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading.

 

Have a beautiful day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx