Posted on March 12, 2010 by Fiona Hilliard

Look no further than Cyprus if you’re after reliable beach holiday weather this Easter. Average temperatures on the island simmer around the 24C mark in April – almost hot enough to boil an egg, but definitely hot enough to melt a chocolate one.

Cyprus still upholds many unusual Easter traditions.  In Cyprus, the period before Easter is called Apokria and starts in February during Carnival time.  The first week of this fasting period is called Meat Week (kreatini) and is the last week when you are allowed to eat meat. The second week is known as cheese week (Tyrini) and, as you can probably surmise, is the last week that you can enjoy cheese and other dairy products.

Cypriots have their very own version of hot cross buns called flaounes and tsoureki. They’re sold at bakeries and supermarkets and are a popular accompaniment to breakfast or coffee.  Look out for cakes decorated with eggs dyed red, blue, yellow and green.  They’ll come in handy if you choose to join locals in a conker-like game of smashing them off each other. The owner of the egg that doesn’t break wins.

April is the ideal time to enjoy nature walks on the island before the sun scorches the lush spring greenery.  It is also a nice time to take an off-road adventure in the picturesque Akamas Peninsula, home to over 700 colourful plant species. 

Don’t forget to make a pit stop at famous attractions including the Baths of Aphrodite.  This is an especially romantic road trip that can be reached within under 50km when you rent a car in Paphos.  According to local legend, Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of Love used to take her baths in this fern clad grotto.