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Ayia Napa: (Agia
Napa) |
Ayia Napa has achieved
notoriety as the Levantine answer to Ibiza and continues to be the favoured
resort of those coming to Cyprus in pursuit of the traditional package holiday
pleasures of sun, sea and sex (all washed down with copious quantities of
lager). It has also attracted the attentions of a more discerning urban
clientele, drawn to the resort by its status as the garage music Mecca of the
Mediterranean .
Ayia Napa's rise to fame has been swift and sudden. It began life as a small
fishing village and consequently there is little of historic interest in the
town today (except a monastery marooned in the sea of bars and nightclubs that
constitutes the 'old town'). Development began in earnest in the 1980's when an
enterprising local Cypriot businessman started inviting UK garage promoters over
to hold club nights on the island. The rest, as they say, is history and by the
time Channel 4 began filming Fantasy Island in 1999 the resort was a firm
favourite of Britain 's urban youth.
Arriving in the mid-afternoon you'll find little evidence of Ayia Napa's nightly
frenzy; the town is normally half-asleep and most of the tourists are either
dozing in hotels or basking on the beach. At sunset Ayia Napa slowly begins to
stir and by 11pm revellers are pouring out of the multitude bars and heading for
the clubs. The central square at this stage is a soup of sound; as cheesy house
anthems clash with garage and R&B classics. Alcohol flows, passions run high and
everyone tends to get a little over-excited.
The Cypriot police have tried to keep a lid on things and are keen to stress
that the resort is a family-friendly and respectable place. Despite their best
efforts Ayia Napa is still lauded as the island's premier party destination.
Those needing a break from Ayia Napa's frenetic charms will be pleased to hear
that it's within easy reach of some of Cyprus ' best beaches. However, if you
really want to get away from it all you could do a lot worse than hiring a car
and driving deep into the Troodos Mountains . Alternatively it's worth
considering basing yourself outside Ayia Napa and catching a cab in for a night
on the tiles.
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