Published on Jun, 2023
Booked through Tui.
This was a really good excursion day with variety and enough to keep you entertained for the majority.
Our tour guide Cris was excellent; funny, knowledgeable and approachable.
We were picked up from our hotel with several other couples and headed for Kourion first, the excavation site of an ancient town. This was my personal highlight. There are preserved mosaic floors and heating systems, as well as a theater which is used for performances to this day. Fantastic views for photos.
Afterwards it was in to Kolossi Castle, which is a rebuild of an earlier castle, this one dating from the 15th century. Not a lot to see here, it's really just a shell, but good views from the top.
The winery was next, found along winding roads up into the Troodos Mountains. The tasting was interesting and with variety, and this was our first introduction to the much-talked-about Commandaria sweet wine.
The final stop was Omodos, a small village in the mountains, which is where we ate our meal. It was quaint and quiet, with a large monastery steeped in history.
A few observations we made;
- The meal in itself was nice, and we as vegetarians were catered for specifically. However we were packed into the corner of the restaurant as a whole group, making it impossible for anybody to get out to use the toilet. This would have been better with smaller tables.
- Probably could have used a little less time in Omodos overall. Though it looks to have a few smaller streets off the main one, they all seem to lead to residences.
- The winery was beautiful. It was a shame that as soon as the tasting, and buying, was over we had to leave. Instead of spending as much time in Omodos, it would've been lovely to have been given the option of a glass of wine of our choice, even if we had to pay for it extra, to enjoy the scenery that the winery provided.