Hi,

We are thinking of going to Cyprus for a week around Christmas this year, possibly from 21st to 28th December.
I was wondering if anyone can help with the following questions -
1. Are the resaturants, tourist sites, shops etc likely to be open during this period?
We don't mind self-catering over the Christmas days but would like to know if the businesses will be open except those couple of days? or is it a complete shut down during that period?
2. We will rent a car. What areas would you recommend for self-catering accomodation. We don't need a resort or a spa or even a pool but would like somewhere quiet, possibly with views (mountains or sea). We don't mind driving for shops, groceries and restaurants.
3. I have been through previous posts for recommendations for sites to visit and local restaurants but a lot of them are quite old. Can anyone recommend local restaurants not to be missed?
That's all for now. I may have to come back with more questions!
Thanks.

Cyprus is open all year round. There will be some businesses closed around that time e.g. small hotels or remote restaurants that close right after the main tourist season from October to March and tourist sites might have different opening hours in the winter but in the main it is all open and Christmas is a popular time for locals to go out as well as tourists visiting.
You can do self catering anywhere on the island, it doesn't matter if you have a car, there are alot of quiet places and private villas/apartments for rental. Try areas such as Lysos or Lofou for mountain villages,Paphos and vicinty for the sea etc.
Local restaurant recommendations would depend where you end up as the island is big.

Thanks Odin. I will come back for more advise on restaurants, once we have booked the accomodation.#
Thanks for your help.

I would expect the weather to be cool to cold, wet and windy in December.

Will the weather be that bad? We will be coming from the UK. I know it won't be warm but just hoping it to be better than in the UK. Local food is another attraction.

Cyprus is known for their mild winters and large UK expat population who live there for the weather amongst other reasons. There could be snow on the higher mountain peaks which is stunning against the blue sky but warm enough on the coast for being outside. I'd expect about 15C upwards in the day with rain sometimes but mostly sunny days.

Hi Odin - what are your thoughts on Pissouri and Peyia as the base for a week in Cyprus in December? We have found decent self-catering apartments in both places and are now confused as to which would be a better option. I would be very grateful for any advise on pros and cons of these places.

Can't think of any cons for either place, you have a car so it does not matter, both are good options. Peyia is close to Coral Bay which I'd expect to be mostly closed since that is a very touristy area. It has many amenities in the village which is great for self catering eg a great bakery, butchers, fishmongers, several restaurants, cafes, place where they cook kleftiko (& other dishes) once a week which you can take away, small supermarket on the main road from Paphos. Peyia is not far from Paphos or Polis and the several villages on that road eg Kathikas which has several eateries. It's a very pretty part of the island.

Pissouri is in between Limassol and Paphos so a good location off the main road that connects those two towns. It's closer to the sea than Peyia which is on a hillside but has same kind of amenities as Peyia. Both have large populations of British expats but are also traditional villages.