Imagine a breathtakingly beautiful yet rugged coastline, clear waters gently lapping at the shore, secret coves and 340 days of brilliant sunshine. A place where luxury holiday resorts jostle for space among ancient ruins dating back thousands of years and where there is some kind of celebration almost every week. Welcome to Cyprus.

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean with a mainly Greek Cypriot population. Since 1974 the capital Nicosia has been divided and one-third of the island has been under Turkish rule. This has resulted in an interesting mix of cultures in the north but is hardly noticeable in the south.

The main tourist resorts are found in the south, such as Paphos in the south-west. Limassol in the west is the island’s second largest city, swelled by an influx of Greek Cypriots in 1974. Larnaka, the honorary capital, is home to the island’s main international airport and is the first port of call for all visitors to southern Cyprus.

The lively town of Ayia Napa – located in the eastern region of Famagusta – was once a small fishing village, initially claimed as a tourist destination by travellers in the Sixties. Today, it is an internationally renowned holiday hot spot, famed for its nightlife as much as for its beaches – yet it has still retained much of its original character.