Just 40 miles off the coast of Turkey and bordering the Eastern Mediterranean waters, the island of Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with a population of only 200,000 in teh North.

The strategic location of the island and its wealth of natural resources have always attracted those seeking wealth and power, resulting in a multitude of cultures populating the island since 7000 BC when the first inhabitants migrating from Anatolia, Syria and Palestine were believed to have settled the island.

An island of legend, it is believed that Cyprus was the island where Aphrodite, the goddess of love, rose from the waves, the lover's gift which Mark Antony gave to Cleopatra and he place where King Richard the Lionheart wed.

A treasure of cultural heritage remains today from the island's many settlers which have included Egyptians, Assyrians,  Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, and Ottomans. Many of the ancient sites can be seen around the major towns in the North, with a number of interesting sites such as the Salamis ruins, St. Barnabas Monastery, the Old Fortress Town of Famagusta only minutes from the villa.

Today, the island is divided into South and North. The South is recognized as the island of Cyprus, inhabited in most part by the Cypriot Greek population and the North falls under the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, populated by Cypriot Turks. Although talks on re-unification are on-going, there is still a border (the 'Green Line') separating the two parts. You can, however, travel freely between the North and the South ( in a Greek Cypriot hire car) through designated border crossing points.