Winter sun European island with 21C sunshine has donkey sanctuaries, waterfall trails and huge new resorts

AS Britain shivered, I was wandering on a sandy formation successful Cyprus successful dazzling 21C sunshine.

At the water’s edge, a household relaxed connected sunloungers portion a antheral struck yoga poses.

And adjacent successful winter, the h2o was lukewarm capable for a dip.

Summer enactment blistery spot Ayia Napa whitethorn beryllium slumbering until the spring, but beauteous Larnaca, conscionable 40 minutes away, continues to invited a much relaxed traveller successful the depths of winter.

That was my cue to observe conscionable however overmuch determination is to bash retired of play connected this Mediterranean island — and brighten up an different dreary winter.

Food would play a starring relation — and I was astir to spell meze mad.

First up was Larnaca itself, wherever the caller Rise Street Art Hotel has brought a fantastic funkiness to the city.

Street creation is everyplace successful this place, from the fabulous facade to the rooms and the rooftop bar, wherever guests get a escaped invited drink.

It is simply a useful basal for exploring the city’s Finikoudes Beach and its palm-shaded promenade, wherever Militzis Restaurant tempted maine with its lavish meze.

Appetisers of creamy tahini dip, tzatziki and crockery topped with halloumi acceptable maine up for kleftiko (slow-cooked lamb), grilled chickenhearted and pork souvlaki.

These are each dishes I’ve had galore times before, but there’s thing precise appealing astir eating authentic Cypriot food by the oversea connected the land itself.

It was an enticing sensation of things to come.

After a chemoreceptor astir Larnaca’s nutrient marketplace and the colourful streets of the aged town, I headed disconnected to the colony of Skarinou adjacent the foothills of the Troodos Mountains.

There, I was fixed a masterclass successful however to marque halloumi, the “squeaky” food from Cyprus.

It is present recovered each astir the satellite — but this worldly was the existent deal, and bursting with aggravated flavour.

It was 1 of the activities offered by Golden Donkeys Farm, 1 of Europe’s biggest sanctuaries for the animals — and 1 of the cutest places I’ve ever seen.

It was hard not to spell gaga implicit these gorgeous beasts, on with adorable babe goats and their mothers, whose beverage is utilized for that fantastic halloumi.

The beverage from the donkeys, meanwhile, goes into products successful the farm’s shop, from look creams to a beauteous liqueur alternatively similar Baileys.

There was a speedy halt astatine the Neolithic colony of Choirokoitia, whose ruins day backmost to astatine slightest 7,000BC, earlier heading to luncheon astatine Dragon Nest successful the colony of Pentakomo.

Before I could accidental the connection meze, I had plates of tahini dip (my caller addiction), moreish courgette patties and perchance the champion kleftiko successful Cyprus laid successful beforehand of me.

I was going to request each that macromolecule for a hike the pursuing greeting aft recharging my vigor astatine the cosy Petit Palais Boutique Hotel successful the colony of ­Platres.

Set successful the Troodos Mountains, the colony has an astir Alpine feeling and is simply a large starting constituent for immoderate exhilarating hikes.

Autumnal forests

My extremity was the Caledonian Waterfall Walking Trail.

This two-hour hike took maine done autumnal forests and past waterfalls and rushing streams — with a fewer tricky log bridges and stepping stones to support maine connected my toes.

Here successful the Troodos range, I was discovering a antithetic broadside of Cyprus.

And erstwhile I arrived successful Marathasa Winery, precocious supra the colony of Oikos, I thought I had landed successful a James Bond lair.

Perched connected a hilltop, the ultra-modern winery and barroom features immense windows that springiness fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and villages below.

It was an enchanting spot to effort exceptional section wines, including the crisp achromatic xynisteri, which rapidly became a favourite.

The winery’s owner, John Papadouris, has brought abandoned vineyards backmost to life, but didn’t halt there.

He has besides rejuvenated parts of the neighbouring colony of Kalopanayiotis, including Casale Panayiotis Traditional Village Hotel & Spa.

Its Byzantino edifice has different winning meze, this clip with herb and rootlike fritters and slow-cooked rabbit added to the mix.

Afterwards, I wandered circular Kalopanayiotis’s beauteous lanes, breathing successful scents of mulled vino from the nutrient stalls successful the glittering festive market, 1 of the isle’s 7 authoritative Christmas Villages that tally from precocious November till mid-January.

Soon, though, it was clip to caput backmost to the coast, and Cyprus’s second-largest city, Limassol.

The recently-opened five-star City of Dreams Mediterranean, adjacent Lady’s Mile Beach, offers 500 stylish rooms and a immense casino alongside fantabulous restaurants, a spa and a monolithic excavation analyzable with an escapade park, waterslides and question pool.

Enchanting place

Some of the outdoor pools adjacent for the winter, but not the Beach Pool, which is surrounded by soil and loungers for lazy days successful the sun.

There was inactive Limassol to explore, particularly its buzzing Old Town with lanes filled with bars, restaurants, outdoor terraces and radical enjoying the mild evening air.

It was the cleanable spot for a stroll aft different mega Med meze — this clip a seafood extravaganza astatine Afxentis Fish Restaurant. Dish aft crockery arrived — calamari, prawns, mussels, octopus, oversea bream, reddish mullet. All divine.

Sea, sunshine, superb food, Cypriot hospitality and beauteous landscapes — all I needed for a blissful wintertime escape.