Eating out has become a local habit and is part of entertainment in Cyprus. There is a wide variety of restaurants, catering for all tastes. Along with taverns, which provide local and Greek dishes, there are restaurants that offer international cuisine such as French, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Lebanese, Japanese, Russian, Mexican and others.Night clubs with good live music, discos and a variety of bars are some of the entertainment choices that can be found in all towns and tourist resorts.
In the summer tourists and regular business visitors may visit the island's sandy beaches and enjoy sunbathing, swimming or any of the water sports (water skiing, windsurfing, sailing, parachuting etc). In the winter months, snow skiing facilities are available at the Troodos mountain resorts. Horse racing takes place in Nicosia and a number of sporting clubs exist which one can easily join. Sport Clubs offer tennis, squash, bowling, archery, shooting, sailing and waterparks.
In addition there are two international standard golf courses, the Secret Valley Golf Course and Tsada Golf Course, Secret Valley Golf Course is located 18km east of Pafos and 49km west of Lemesos. It lies in a scenic valley with big trees and natural rock formations. It plays to a par 72 and measures 6120 meters. The Tsada Golf Course is also situated near Pafos and plays to a par 72 and measures 6060 meters. Both club-houses have a restaurant, bar, shop with golfing accessories, changing rooms and showers. In addition the Tsada Golf Club provides a tennis court and an outdoor swimming pool.
The local weather conditions permit an all the year round playtime. There are also a number of sites of historic and legendary interest on the island. The Troodos Mountains are rich in Byzantine monasteries and churches, many of which contain exquisite frescoes. Festivals and fairs take place all the year round. Visitors who happen to be in Cyprus in May are suggested to visit the International (State) Fair, while the Wine Festival (September) offers visitors an opportunity to try all sorts of Cyprus wines and food, free of charge or at very low prices. Other festivals include the Carnival (February), the Flower Shows, the Snow Ski games etc. In addition there are regular horse racing competitions, shooting clubs, aeronautics, sailing, diving, motorcar rallies (including the antique car rally), tennis, football games etc.
There are also various international associations and cultural societies which include the Lions and the Rotary Clubs, Round Table, Toastmasters International, Armenian Center, British Council, French Cultural Center the Goethe Institute etc. There are T.V. (5 national channels) stations and numerous national and local radio stations. Approximately 50% of the T.V. programmers are British and American and all foreign films are broadcast in their original language.
Availability of satellite dishes can provide international television connections. The radio broadcasts programs are mainly in Greek or English. In addition there is a British Force Radio in Cyprus, which broadcasts on a 24-hours basis.There are three local English newspapers, a number of local magazines, which are printed in English and almost all main international papers and well known magazines are available on the island.
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