With the major tourist resorts arranged around the coast it¹s easy to forget that there's a whole other side of Cyprus.
Inland, away from the hustle and bustle, you can find peace, quiet and an insight into a traditional way of life that has been going on for hundreds of years.
I stayed in a sensitively renovated old stone house in the tiny village of Tochni, twenty minutes outside Limassol, courtesy of Cyprus Villages.
A quick glance around confirms that this is a world away from the beachfront hotels you might associated with the island.
Old gents while away hours in the Kafenion, drinking coffee and putting the world to rights. Venerable women with failing eyes sit in the street, making intricately patterned lace or in one case, knitting a shocking pink furry cardigan. The voices of children playing elaborate games echo around village squares.
I visited villages and monasteries, tasted the local wine and ambled through the winding hillsides on the back of Milly, a long-suffering and sure-footed pony.
It was relaxing and refreshingly Cypriot and if you miss the feeling of sand between your toes, a quiet beach is only five minutes away by car.
By Jo Booth
I always love going back to Cyprus. I love walking through the old villages, many of which are being restored - the cobbled streets, the old architecture, the traditional colours, the vines with the grapes hanging down them, people sitting at the Kafenia. This time round I was in Kilani ( a village not too far from Limassol) when they had their grape festival. The colour, sounds and food where all amazing, and world away from hustle and bustle of tourist resorts. Worth the visit