FAMIILY TIME IN A YURT
When we say Cyprus, what comes to mind? Gorgeous Beaches? Clear blue sea? Stunning views? – all of these are a definite in Cyprus, however, what about Yurts… did you realise Cyprus has Yurts?
What is a Yurt you ask?
A traditional Yurt or Ger is a portable round tent. These are covered with skin or felt and the structure of the tent is made from wood (or bamboo) and there is no central structure. They originate from Central Asia… however the Yurts in Cyprus come directly from Mongolia.
Weekend Away
We decided to escape the hustle and bustle of our normal lives and take an “Off the Grid” weekend away with the boys. Where there was no technology, no distractions… just us… and some serious board game playing.
When we say “Off the Grid” we mean Off the are-you-sure-the-map-is-correct-as-it-looks-like-we-are-in-the-middle-of-nowhere Grid. Yurts in Cyprus is located in the Simou Village which is around a half hour drive from Pafos and is surrounded by gorgeous fields and hills.
Pawel the owner is such a lovely man and it was his vision to create this sanctuary… which he did – from scratch. We arrived at 3pm and was greeted by Pawel straight away. We booked the Engke Yurt which is the furthers away from the entrance and Pawel gave us a quick tour. Showed us how to use the Eco toilet and also told us when dinner would be served. The boys were so excited so we pretty much stayed in the Yurt for the rest of the afternoon and played games, explored around the grounds and enjoyed some delicious home-made food in the communal dining area
Day One
Our first full day was all about exploring, after our breakfast we decided to firstly explore the local abandoned village and we decided to take the local Yurts dog with us. Shukra is one of the most friendliest dogs I have ever met and the boys loved walking with her as well.
Sarama Village – this is very close and a short walk from Yurts in Cyprus. It is an abandoned Turkish Cypriot village that was devasted by an earthquake. It was so much fun to explore and we loved the fact that it has slightly been taken over by farm animals. We got a bit of a shock when exploring one of the homes to walk in to find a Mother Pig feeding around 8 little gorgeous piglets. We apologized for intruding and left the home to give her some privacy!
Skarfos Bridge – The day started to get a bit hot so we jumped in the car to explore further afield. Our first stop was Skarfos Bridge. There is not much to do there but the bridge itself is quite old and beautiful and worth stopping for a few minutes to look at and take photos. The bridge dates back to 1618
Steni Village – Not far from here towards Polis is a lovely little village. We decided to stop here at the Neromylos Watermill Café Taverna. This cute café was very busy with locals and the food was delicious. There was loads of shade as well (which was needed).
After our lunch we decided to drive up to The Monastery of Virgin Mary Chrysolakournas and take in the views.
There is only a small part of the Monastery that is still there and the church that is there has recently being renovated.
Trimihousa village – The boys enjoyed the abandoned village of Sarama so much so we decided to find another one close by and on Google maps “Trimihousa village” popped up…. What a mission! The road to this village is quite overgrown and we kept having to do a few double takes at Google maps and then at the road. We came to a T junction of more overgrown roads and after looking at one another and mouthing “I think we are lost” we decided to give up and go to the damn. It was at this point when we were looking for somewhere to reverse and turn around that we saw an abandoned building. This is better than nothing we thought so we parked up and headed towards this abandoned home. It wasn’t until we got closer that we noticed there was more than one home… in fact it was quite a few homes… and in fact it was Trimihousa village!
We were so grateful as this village was a lot more impressive than Sarama and the boys were so excited.
There was even an area that was quite obviously an orchard at one point.
Evretou Dam – By now we were exhausted! The problem was there was one more thing on our list! We are a family that loves making lists!!! And the last thing on our list was only 10 minutes away – so we decided to fuel up with some crisps… bite the bullet and go to the final spot. We have no idea what was in the crisps but when we got to the Damn we were out and READY TO EXPLORE! Crossing over the bridge we decided to off road a little and ended up finding random little treks and seeing where they went. Some took us to gorgeous views, some took us to dead ends. One of the treks that became quite overgrown, took us to an area of the damn which we can only imagine is the overflow channel which our eldest son renamed “the best skateboard ramp ever” even after we pointed out the massive drop at the end. The Dam is worth a visit, it is huge, beautiful and so peaceful.
After the Dam we decided to make our way back to the Yurts where we were welcomed by Shukra and enjoyed relaxing for the evening. The boys didn’t last long so it was perfect for us to watch the gorgeous sunset while enjoying a few glasses of wine.
Day Two
This was our last morning at Yurts in Cyprus so we decided to not run off until we had too. The boys played with the dog for most of the morning while we relaxed watching them and checking out the amazing panoramic view over coffee. It was lovely to talk to Pawel some more about the area and were interested in the fact that he sometimes has open air concerts – so we would recommend looking at the website to see what upcoming shows are happening as Yurts in Cyprus is perfect for this and it would add another side to an already amazing weekend.
After being treated to our own show by the boys (lets say it isn’t ready for the West End yet) we packed up and said our goodbyes.
On our way back we decided to stop off at Kathikas village and had a lovely lunch at the Farmyard Restaurant – Wow, wow, wow – We are so glad we did as the food was perfect. The food was fresh and didn’t take too long to get there even though the restaurant was busy.
Quick tip – we always have a pack of cards with us to pull out after we have ordered. This is so that the boys are distracted and before they know it… their meals have arrived. Electronics are also good for this but we are a little old school and one of our rules is no electronics at the table (this rule applies to us as well – unless taking photos). Playing cards also means we are interacting as a family, laughing, talking and just generally having a great time.
QUICK SUMMARY AND INFORMATION
Yurts in Cyprus – Click here for more information
Sarama Village – Click here for more information
Skarfos Bridge – Click here for more information
Steni Village – Click here for more information
Neromylos Watermill Café Taverna – Click here for more information
The Monastery of Virgin Mary Chrysolakournas – Click here for more information
Evretou Dam – Click here for more information
The Farmhouse Restaurant – Click here for more information
