Mediaboss Marketing

Mention Ayia Napa to anyone under 30 and a glazed yet slightly euphoric look may well cross their face. Either that or a look of shame. Of course, the majority who have been will have no idea where Ayia Napa actually is, but that's what breakfast lagers, fishbowl cocktails and free shots in every bar do to you.

Ayia Napa has a reputation as the party capital of Cyprus. The third- largest of the Mediterranean islands, Cyprus lies deep in the southernmost corner of Europe, past Greece and close to the coasts of Turkey, Syria and the Lebanon.

With its ancient history, Middle Eastern temperatures and aquamarine waters, it's an island that should shout of the exotic, but it seems every- one's had a piece of it. Under British administration until 1960, Cyprus retains a legacy of driving on the left, three-pin electrical sockets and, more controversially, two military bases.

In 1974, Turkey invaded, and still controls the north of the island in the shape of the self-styled "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" the Green Line marking the border with the internationally recognised Republic runs close to Ayia Napa itself.

However, from a tourism perspective, the past 15 years have seen Ayia Napa become synonymous with hot summer clubbing, rather than political intrigue.

Although not nearly as wild as it was in its early Noughties heyday, Ayia Napa still has more than 80 bars and more than a dozen nightclubs. In July and August it's a magnet for the 18-30 demographic: a young-and-looking-for-fun crowd. But despite this hedonistic reputation, the partygoers make up only a small percentage of Ayia Napa's visitors. The rest are families and couples who flock here for the pale, sandy beaches, safe, clear waters and relaxed, friendly atmosphere all at affordable prices.

It's easy to see why they come. If you can see past the somewhat tacky bars advertising live sport, London Pride and a full English breakfast, Ayia Napa is home to some of the best beaches in Cyprus. A string of stylish lounge bars have also opened recently including the super-cool Pepper and smart hotels such as the Napa Mermaid and Sunrise Pearl, which come with designer spas and slick restaurants.

I stayed at the Nissi Beach resort, Ayia Napa's very first hotel. Built in the Seventies, when the town was little more than a fishing village and the nightlife was of the games-of- dominoes variety. Now a smart four-star hotel set in lush tropical gardens, it overlooks the beautiful swathe of Nissi beach itself, Ayia Napa's most popular stretch of sand.

At my insistence, Stelios, my local guide for the week, took me on a brief tour of Platia Seferi, known as "The Square", the small but infamous party district that's recognisable from shows such as Channel 4's Sun, Sea and Suspicious Parents. This pocket of fun in the centre of town is the area most families avoid. The square is a dense clutch of neon-lit theme bars, nightclubs and big-brand, fast-food outlets. Perhaps it's the heavy bass beating from every bar, the Day-Glo posters promising a good time or the pints of cocktails for 4 , but as a former worshipper at Ibiza, Magaluf and the Costas, I felt a certain affinity to the place.

But just as I was about to give in to temptation, throw on a "Frankie Says Relax" T-shirt and down a pint of Sex on the Beach, Stelios whisked me past a bar called Teasers and straight into a monastery tucked away in the very heart of Ayia Napa's party zone. Formed around an ancient chapel carved from a cave, the sandstone 15th-century Venetian monastery is set in a beautiful, tree-lined courtyard and is just the place to confess the sins of the night before.

View post:
The quiet side of Ayia Napa