Cyprus was my little post-birthday trip this year.
My birthday is the 8th of February, and we didn’t actually travel on the day — we travelled a few days later — but it still felt like part of the same birthday chapter. The week started here in England with my parents coming over from Portugal, which made Romi ridiculously happy. He loves having them around, and honestly, it was just really nice to have family here.
We did a proper London day, showed my parents around, did fun stuff, and the highlight was ABBA Voyage for my birthday — genuinely such a good time. Best, was that it was all a suprised. Romeo didn’t know about my parents coming… no one knew about ABBA voyage until we got to the venue, etc… I love surprising my loved ones.
But it was also… England in February. Cold, rain, grey skies, the whole thing.
So when my parents flew back to Portugal, me and Romi basically went straight the other way — off to Cyprus for a week of sunshine, sea air, and a bit of breathing space. Nothing too far (because we only had a week and I’m not wasting half of it on flights), just somewhere close enough to feel easy and warm enough to feel like a reset.
And that’s exactly what Cyprus was.
This was the first time for both of us, and overall I really enjoyed it: nice weather, nice people, easy pace, beautiful beaches, and the kind of calm “European island” vibe that works really well for a short break with a child.
A quick Cyprus observation (and then I’ll move on)
One thing I found genuinely interesting — and I’m not going to turn this into a political essay, it just stood out — is that I swear I saw more Greek flags than Cypriot flags.
It was the first time I’ve been somewhere and had that odd moment of thinking, wait… is this really Cyprus? Even when I’d ask people where they were from, sometimes they’d say “Greek” and then clarify they were from Cyprus. It was just a strange little detail I kept noticing. And yes, I am aware of history, Greece/Turkey etc… just wasn’t expecting that level of…. connection.
The car: the reason the trip worked
I rarely rent a car. It’s not my default travel style.
But in Cyprus? I honestly think it makes the whole experience better — especially if you’re travelling with a child and you want freedom without exhausting yourself. Cyprus is small enough that you can drive around quickly, but you still need that flexibility if you want to see different areas without turning every day into a mission.
Driving was way easier than people made it sound. I was expecting it to be stressful, but it wasn’t. People weren’t crazy on the roads, parking was easy, and there’s a lot of free parking (which feels like a miracle these days).
Romeo also loved the car life. He was the DJ, obviously. And he loved sitting in the front next to me (which felt like a huge privilege in his little world).
We even ended up giving a lift to a couple of lovely Polish girls we met — they were doing Cyprus by bus, walking, hitchhiking… and I respect it, but it also confirmed what I already felt: Cyprus is so much easier when you can drive.
Romeo around Cyprus
Limassol area (Agios Tychonas): the practical first stop (and the vegan win)
We spent our first night in the Limassol area (Agios Tychonas) — not because it was a big “destination” for us, but because it made sense as a landing base after the flight.
And honestly, one of the main reasons I chose it was simple: food.
Limassol felt easier for vegan options than some of the other places we stayed. We had a proper vegan dinner, a vegan breakfast, and just generally more choice — which, when you’re travelling as a vegan (with a hungry child), is not a small thing. I wanted our first night to be straightforward: arrive, eat something decent without stress, sleep, and start properly the next day with a brilliant vegan breakfast at a vegan health bar.
So Limassol was our practical “reset” stop — and then we hit the road and headed to Paphos.
Paphos: lively, touristic (in a good way), and our favourite base
Paphos was probably my favourite part of the trip.
It felt lively and easy — more open, more “alive”, more like there were people actually living their lives rather than everything being shut down for winter. And it also has the most obvious “things to do”, especially if you like history.
We did the Tombs of the Kings and the archaeological side, and we genuinely loved it. Romeo was completely into it — at one point he kept saying he wanted to be an archaeologist, which made me laugh because that was literally my childhood dream too. So that felt like one of those full-circle moments where you’re watching your child get excited about something you once obsessed over.
Food-wise, Meraki Market Cafe was a must. We went a few times. When you’re vegan in a country that doesn’t exactly have vegan places everywhere, finding one place that’s reliable and actually good becomes a big deal.
Trip to Cyprus
Ayia Napa: beautiful… and a ghost town in February
Ayia Napa was the “ghost town” part of the trip.
And I’m not saying that as a complaint — it was just genuinely strange. You could tell it’s built for summer. In February it felt like someone had turned the volume down to zero.
It got to the point where Romeo would get excited seeing familiar signs like “Wagamama” and say, “Let’s go!”… and even that was closed. Even McDonald’s was closed. And we don’t go to McDonald’s, but seeing McDonald’s closed makes you realise how quiet a place really is.
The beaches were still beautiful, the sea was still doing its thing, and it was peaceful — it just didn’t have much “going on” because so much was shut.
Larnaca: real town vibes, flamingos, planes, and easy beach days
Larnaca felt like a proper town. More real, more lived-in, more movement.
And it had some of my favourite simple moments of the whole trip.
We went to see the flamingos — twice — because it was genuinely lovely. And we spent a lot of time by the beach watching the planes arriving and departing. There’s something weirdly calming about it, especially for kids. Romeo could’ve sat there for hours just watching them come in and take off.
One thing I loved (and I wish more places did this): there are playgrounds everywhere along the beach. Actual playgrounds right there. So you can be at the beach, sitting in the sun, and your child can be playing properly — not just “sit still and behave”.
There were also free beach beds just there as well, which is rare. It wasn’t hot enough for us to swim (some people did, not us), but it was warm enough to relax, walk the promenade, eat, and just enjoy the sunshine.
Vegan in Cyprus: doable, but I expected more
Cyprus wasn’t a vegan nightmare — you won’t starve, there are options.
But I was surprised by how few proper vegan places there were. I expected more, especially in 2026, especially in a place that gets so many tourists. We made it work (as always), but I’d love to see Cyprus step it up on that front.
The honest takeaway
Cyprus was a really lovely trip. Calm, easy, sunny, and family-friendly — and the car made it possible to see a lot without turning it into an exhausting mission.
Am I desperate to go back next year? No. But I’m genuinely glad we went, and I’m glad Cyprus was part of our story — especially as a post-birthday escape after a week of cold, rainy England.
Emma and Romeo – archaeologist wannabes.