Cyprus - The land of the grape and the olive

The true essence of the Mediterranean can be found in Cyprus – Europe's eastern edge – amid the infinite beauty of its landscape and culture. This is a place seemingly untouched by time, with slumbering villages, awe-inspiring classical amphitheatres and temples. Haunting monasteries cling to craggy cliff tops and scattered Byzantine churches, with their treasures, precious icons and frescoes just wait to be discovered by the visitor with a thirst for romance, history and adventure.

The Green Island – as Cyprus was known in ancient times – is the land of the grape and the olive, relishing its reputation for sharply accented oil and refined, smooth wines. It is also a botanist's dream with the spring air thick with the scent of lemon blossom, and the ground – from the lush hills of the Akamas Peninsula to the remote cliffs of the Troodos Mountains – being carpeted with wild flowers and herbs.

To visit Cyprus at any time of year is to ramble agreeably through history, while enjoying the comforts and pleasures of some of the finest resorts of the world in seemingly constant sunshine.

The gently rolling hills and ancient vineyards of central Cyprus gradually give way, as you drive towards the island's north-westerly tip, to wild and dramatic beauty on the Akamas Peninsula, named after the mythical son of Theseus.

Carpeted in the spring with wild orchids and cyclamen, this lyrical Homeric landscape is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and unspoilt parts of the island. It is a landscape fit for the Gods. It comes as no surprise to learn that it was here that Aphrodite, who loved to bathe in the sweet waters of a local spring, first set eyes on Adonis.