Easter
to when January 2 rolls around. Most schools break up on Thursday, March 24, just in time for Good Friday, and return on Monday, April 11 The Greek Orthodox Church
celebrates Easter at a different time from the Church of England, but many hotels still offer activities to cater for British guests, and the pleasant spring weather is ideal for active visitors.
w ADVENTURE: ON THE MOVE Greece: Easter falls early this year, on Sunday, March 27, before the proper Greece and Cyprus season gets underway. That’s a bonus for guests who can’t stand crowds, as long as they are aware some shops and tavernas might still be closed. But don’t let that put them off:
families in need of an action-packed stay will find Thomson’s 5T-rated Sensatori Resort Crete up and running, with loads of excitement to fill a week. Even if the sea is a tad chilly for snorkelling, try tennis, volleyball, mini- football, archery and daily activities. Its family rooms and swim-up family suites are a good base to cool off afterwards, plus there are two adult-only pools, a spa and comedy evenings if parents want some time to themselves. Cyprus: “Our clients love the wild flowers in Cyprus over Easter,” says
Inntravel product manager Alison Hall. “In March, the trees are covered in pink and white blossom, and the landscape is awash with wild flowers of every colour. If the weather is unpredictable, the vibrancy of the landscape makes up for it, and because Cyprus doesn’t share our Easter, it’s quieter and a fantastic time for walkers to visit.” Inntravel’s self-guided walking trip Island of Surprises runs over Easter, touring the gentle trails of the lower Troodos Mountains and Akamas Peninsula from villages Lofou and Neo Chorio. The price (£575 land- only) includes car hire so visitors can venture out for their favourite walks. Classic Collection Holidays also finds its villas in Miliou and Latchi perfectly placed for springtime cycling and hiking around the scenic Akamas Peninsula, with a chance of spotting the mouflon – a wilder relative of the sheep. Those villas make a good base to
explore the Troodos Cycling Network, a 35-mile circuit linking up roads and dirt tracks criss-crossing the forest, or to tackle sections of the E4 European long-distance hiking path, which cuts across the island from the northwest to its southeastern tip at Larnaca.
w BEACH: SUN AND FUN Greece: You’d be forgiven for thinking spring too chilly for a beach break, but
parents of very young children or those with sensitive skin, who would struggle in the hotter summer months, might appreciate being able to get their beach holiday fix without spending the whole time chasing their offspring around with a bottle of factor 50. Luxury Cretan resort Domes of
MAY 1, 2016
Greek Orthodox Easter “Easter is bigger than Christmas as
far as the Cypriots are concerned,” says Olympic Holidays’ Photis Lambrianides. “There will be church processions on Friday evening, and churches will be full on Saturday night – in much the same way as the UK starts Christmas with midnight mass, the celebrations on Cyprus start at midnight on Easter Saturday and just keep going. Expect lots of noise, fireworks and on Sunday the smell of roast lamb – most villages have a big open-air barbecue that you can join in.” The most authentic way to enjoy the Orthodox Easter, which is on May 1, 2016, is to stay in a village – Olympic Holidays has village houses in Kalavasos, Tochni or Omodhos – and
join in with the locals. Alternatively, some hotels embrace the Orthodox Easter. Marbella Corfu will hold a cracking of the red eggs (an Easter tradition) at La Terrazza restaurant on Saturday, followed by Easter dinner with live music, then a lamb barbecue with dancing and ouzo on Easter Sunday. Meanwhile, Thanos Hotels in Cyprus
are still finalising their plans, but last Easter they included midnight soup and flaounes pastries at Annabelle on Easter Saturday, then a Cypriot barbecue with music and dancing on Easter Sunday; while sister hotel Almyra hosted an Easter mezze (pictured, left) on Sunday and Cypriot lunch with live piano and guitar on Easter Monday.
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travelweekly.co.uk 10 December 2015
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