Paphos, Cyprus data sheet:
I’ve just returned from a 2 week stay in Paphos, Cyprus. Paphos is a town of just under 50,000 people, situated on the Western shore of the island.
The island is divided into two zones due to Turkish occupation, but the Republic of Cyprus (essentially Greek) has a population of around 850,000.
Nicosia (capital):400,000
Limassol:240,000
Larnaca:140,000
Paphos:50,000
Small towns/villages:20,000
Firstly, I’ve got to say, I really like Cyprus. I like the people, the food, and the landscape. You’ve got some great historical sites, mountain scenery and amazing beaches. It’s easy to get around (if you hire a car). The Turkish divide makes for some interesting views and politics, and the capital is the only divided one in europe.
The island is VERY touristy; however, you can get off the beaten track and visit places that look as if they haven’t seen a human in years. Once you leave the trashy resort towns, it’s a different world. Nicosia in particular, is a very cool little city. This data sheet however, is only really going to concern Paphos town, for those that end up on holiday there...
Why would you end up here?
The island only has two main airports, both of which are small. One is near Larnaca, in the East, and the other, near Paphos, in the West. If you’re from the U.S.A, you probably won’t end up here at all (I’m sure Greek Kamaki etc. can recommend better islands if you’re in the area? If you do come here, Larnaca might be a nicer option) but Britons will know friends who’ve holidayed here, and friends might ask them if they want to tag along for a cheap vacation in the sun. So I thought I’d let you know what you’re in for.
Guys from the U.S.A might not realise how “British” the resort towns are in Cyprus. The island even drives on the same side of the road as Britain. Paphos district has more expats than anywhere else, and nearly all the locals speak good enough English to help you out with directions/in shops etc. Most seem pretty fluent.
Nightlife:
If you’re a tourist, you’ll end up staying in “Kato Paphos”. It’s the section of town nearest the seafront, historical sites, and all the restaurants. 99% of visitors don’t go to any other part of town (unless they’re buying groceries).
I’ve been here a few times, and although it does happen, you won’t find millions of stag nights in this part of town. You WILL see a ton of British people of all ages in small groups, and with a mixture of sexes. Most of the people here aren’t the sort I’d hang out with at home, but they all seem friendly enough. It’s a cheap, sunny holiday destination, so it’s not super-classy.
The main problem with night game here, is that you have to contend with the nightmare of having a large British military base down the road. This means that without warning, a chilled night out can descend into a colossal, aggressive, sausage fest within five minutes. The fact that this base is a major stopping point on the way to Afghanistan means the variety of sausage can change between British, Canadian, USA, and various other NATO members at the drop of a hat. If you’re lucky, you might escape without seeing any at all.
There’s a little street that’s used exclusively for drinking: it’s nickname is “Bar Street”, and it’s the only place tourists (and the military!) know about. Everyone here is on holiday. It’s not very Greek at all. I’d estimate the nightlife to be 70% British, 20% “other” (i.e Swedish, German, a few French) and 10% curious Greek guys here to gawp or bag a foreign chick.
I’m going to find it a struggle to review venues, because they change name (or close down) regularly. The street looks to have had its day in the mid-nineties, and the decor not been updated since (all the venue names are very tacky and old school). Music is generally chart cheese, and bad mainstream house later on. (sound systems are loud and grating!)
Firstly, you’ll want to pre-drink and head out of your apartment around 10pm. In the summer, you’ll be able to hang around the harbour until well after midnight with a few portable drinks, and watch the passers by. (you could actually run “daygame-at-night” here if you know what I mean?)
When you head to “Bar Street” start from the Western end (ANY passer by will know where it is). Start the evening in a bar called “Robin Hood’s” on the corner. This tries to be an old school pub, but still has loud cheesy music and a small dance floor. It’s a good place to chill, before the street gets hectic, grab some cheap booze, and maybe do some warm up approaches. You can definitely roll solo here, it’s not weird at all. I managed to bag one of the staff after a few chats on my last trip... In the winter months, there aren’t many places open, so this is your main venue for gauging how good the night will be.
Next, walking East a few steps, is a place called “Flairs” it has aspirations of being a bit Mediterranean and classy, but is actually a bit naff. It’s often playing horrible U.K. Garage from 10 years ago, trying to emulate the Ayia Napa vibe. I’m not keen on the place, but it’s probably the place you’re going to meet the most chicks when they’re in the ideal gaming stage, i.e, they have a buzz, but aren’t completely smashed yet! (unless you pefer the smashed thing!). This place is more open plan, and has a ton of good places to position yourself too. The dancefloor is heaving, and although very British, you’ll see a good portion of other nationalities here, including Greek guys in packs of 5 sat around tables looking for foreigners to chat up.
There’s a ton of other bars, and you’ll be able to get an idea of what’s going on just by looking through the windows... It’s all quite visible. They’re all a few steps from each other too, so just wander around that one street.
Later on (after 2pm) I find the best bet is to head to a club that’s below ground level in a basement. There are a couple, but the names change. “Vibes” is one of them. The basements seem to have more of a European crowd, with less Brits, and definitely no soldiers (they've all gone home). Drinks here can be pricey compared to everywhere else.
Conclusion:
If you’re booking a vacation just for game, I’d say you’ll find better elsewhere. If your friends are dragging you along, you’ll have a fun time. All the bars are close together, the gaming is very easy, and the booze is mostly cheap. It’s tacky and limiting, and girls aren’t of high quality, but hopefully you’ll have hired a car and you’ll head out into the countryside and have a cool time sightseeing.
The local girls are hard to game. Firstly, you don’t see many in the tourist area. It’s mostly middle aged men and young guys cruising on bikes/in cars. Most of the waitresses etc. are Romanian and Bulgarian. I managed to close a Romanian on her night off in a bar...
Secondly, they all seem to hang out in cafes and daytime bars on large tables that are quite hard to penetrate. If you’re from the USA you might have a better image here than a Brit. If you spoke Greek, you’d clean up, I’m sure of it.
If you really want a Greek flag, head out of the tourist area and run day game in the older part of town up the hill. Better yet, fly to Larnaca instead and check out Nicosia.
I’ve only made 2 short day trips to Nicosia, but I’m definitely going back. I saw some smoking hot women, and the atmosphere seems very friendly with ZERO tourists or idiots. Naughty Nomad's site has info, he seemed to love it...
It’s also worth mentioning that Limassol (half hour from Paphos) is loaded with Russians (35,000 I’m told) and I heard more Russian than Greek being spoken in the Cafes along the seafront... There are plenty of Russians in Paphos too, but I was unable to locate where they hang out... I heard plenty of Russian being spoken in the grocery stores... But zero in the bars.
I’ve just returned from a 2 week stay in Paphos, Cyprus. Paphos is a town of just under 50,000 people, situated on the Western shore of the island.
The island is divided into two zones due to Turkish occupation, but the Republic of Cyprus (essentially Greek) has a population of around 850,000.
Nicosia (capital):400,000
Limassol:240,000
Larnaca:140,000
Paphos:50,000
Small towns/villages:20,000
Firstly, I’ve got to say, I really like Cyprus. I like the people, the food, and the landscape. You’ve got some great historical sites, mountain scenery and amazing beaches. It’s easy to get around (if you hire a car). The Turkish divide makes for some interesting views and politics, and the capital is the only divided one in europe.
The island is VERY touristy; however, you can get off the beaten track and visit places that look as if they haven’t seen a human in years. Once you leave the trashy resort towns, it’s a different world. Nicosia in particular, is a very cool little city. This data sheet however, is only really going to concern Paphos town, for those that end up on holiday there...
Why would you end up here?
The island only has two main airports, both of which are small. One is near Larnaca, in the East, and the other, near Paphos, in the West. If you’re from the U.S.A, you probably won’t end up here at all (I’m sure Greek Kamaki etc. can recommend better islands if you’re in the area? If you do come here, Larnaca might be a nicer option) but Britons will know friends who’ve holidayed here, and friends might ask them if they want to tag along for a cheap vacation in the sun. So I thought I’d let you know what you’re in for.
Guys from the U.S.A might not realise how “British” the resort towns are in Cyprus. The island even drives on the same side of the road as Britain. Paphos district has more expats than anywhere else, and nearly all the locals speak good enough English to help you out with directions/in shops etc. Most seem pretty fluent.
Nightlife:
If you’re a tourist, you’ll end up staying in “Kato Paphos”. It’s the section of town nearest the seafront, historical sites, and all the restaurants. 99% of visitors don’t go to any other part of town (unless they’re buying groceries).
I’ve been here a few times, and although it does happen, you won’t find millions of stag nights in this part of town. You WILL see a ton of British people of all ages in small groups, and with a mixture of sexes. Most of the people here aren’t the sort I’d hang out with at home, but they all seem friendly enough. It’s a cheap, sunny holiday destination, so it’s not super-classy.
The main problem with night game here, is that you have to contend with the nightmare of having a large British military base down the road. This means that without warning, a chilled night out can descend into a colossal, aggressive, sausage fest within five minutes. The fact that this base is a major stopping point on the way to Afghanistan means the variety of sausage can change between British, Canadian, USA, and various other NATO members at the drop of a hat. If you’re lucky, you might escape without seeing any at all.
There’s a little street that’s used exclusively for drinking: it’s nickname is “Bar Street”, and it’s the only place tourists (and the military!) know about. Everyone here is on holiday. It’s not very Greek at all. I’d estimate the nightlife to be 70% British, 20% “other” (i.e Swedish, German, a few French) and 10% curious Greek guys here to gawp or bag a foreign chick.
I’m going to find it a struggle to review venues, because they change name (or close down) regularly. The street looks to have had its day in the mid-nineties, and the decor not been updated since (all the venue names are very tacky and old school). Music is generally chart cheese, and bad mainstream house later on. (sound systems are loud and grating!)
Firstly, you’ll want to pre-drink and head out of your apartment around 10pm. In the summer, you’ll be able to hang around the harbour until well after midnight with a few portable drinks, and watch the passers by. (you could actually run “daygame-at-night” here if you know what I mean?)
When you head to “Bar Street” start from the Western end (ANY passer by will know where it is). Start the evening in a bar called “Robin Hood’s” on the corner. This tries to be an old school pub, but still has loud cheesy music and a small dance floor. It’s a good place to chill, before the street gets hectic, grab some cheap booze, and maybe do some warm up approaches. You can definitely roll solo here, it’s not weird at all. I managed to bag one of the staff after a few chats on my last trip... In the winter months, there aren’t many places open, so this is your main venue for gauging how good the night will be.
Next, walking East a few steps, is a place called “Flairs” it has aspirations of being a bit Mediterranean and classy, but is actually a bit naff. It’s often playing horrible U.K. Garage from 10 years ago, trying to emulate the Ayia Napa vibe. I’m not keen on the place, but it’s probably the place you’re going to meet the most chicks when they’re in the ideal gaming stage, i.e, they have a buzz, but aren’t completely smashed yet! (unless you pefer the smashed thing!). This place is more open plan, and has a ton of good places to position yourself too. The dancefloor is heaving, and although very British, you’ll see a good portion of other nationalities here, including Greek guys in packs of 5 sat around tables looking for foreigners to chat up.
There’s a ton of other bars, and you’ll be able to get an idea of what’s going on just by looking through the windows... It’s all quite visible. They’re all a few steps from each other too, so just wander around that one street.
Later on (after 2pm) I find the best bet is to head to a club that’s below ground level in a basement. There are a couple, but the names change. “Vibes” is one of them. The basements seem to have more of a European crowd, with less Brits, and definitely no soldiers (they've all gone home). Drinks here can be pricey compared to everywhere else.
Conclusion:
If you’re booking a vacation just for game, I’d say you’ll find better elsewhere. If your friends are dragging you along, you’ll have a fun time. All the bars are close together, the gaming is very easy, and the booze is mostly cheap. It’s tacky and limiting, and girls aren’t of high quality, but hopefully you’ll have hired a car and you’ll head out into the countryside and have a cool time sightseeing.
The local girls are hard to game. Firstly, you don’t see many in the tourist area. It’s mostly middle aged men and young guys cruising on bikes/in cars. Most of the waitresses etc. are Romanian and Bulgarian. I managed to close a Romanian on her night off in a bar...
Secondly, they all seem to hang out in cafes and daytime bars on large tables that are quite hard to penetrate. If you’re from the USA you might have a better image here than a Brit. If you spoke Greek, you’d clean up, I’m sure of it.
If you really want a Greek flag, head out of the tourist area and run day game in the older part of town up the hill. Better yet, fly to Larnaca instead and check out Nicosia.
I’ve only made 2 short day trips to Nicosia, but I’m definitely going back. I saw some smoking hot women, and the atmosphere seems very friendly with ZERO tourists or idiots. Naughty Nomad's site has info, he seemed to love it...
It’s also worth mentioning that Limassol (half hour from Paphos) is loaded with Russians (35,000 I’m told) and I heard more Russian than Greek being spoken in the Cafes along the seafront... There are plenty of Russians in Paphos too, but I was unable to locate where they hang out... I heard plenty of Russian being spoken in the grocery stores... But zero in the bars.