Step 1: Getting to the Hotel, Renting a Car
Cyprus is not a big island. It takes maybe 3 hours to drive from one coast to the other by car. Depsite it's small size, it is shared by 2 republics: Turkey to the North (flying a slightly different flag than Turkey), Greece to the South. 
Considering the rather tumultuous relationship between the two countries in the past, it's not the most convenient thing to travel from one side of the island to the other. Emily and I flew in first, a couple days before Kate and Caitlin. We flew into the North and had reservations for a hotel in the South. Our master plan was to return a car immeditately after we landed. Tamam. The trick is that if you rent a car in the North, you're not allowed to take it to the South, but if you rent a car in the South you can take it to the North and we were determined to see as much of the island as possible. And instantly our plan was thwarted! All because of Easter! Greece is Orthodox and in comparison to the States, Easter is a much more elaborate holiday. It quickly became evident that it was impossible to rent a car the night of our arrival; we're told it is too late (10pm) in the evening to do so. Thus, yet again, problem-solving skills are put into practice. The plan is to go from the airport on the Turkish side to a hotel on the Greek side and rent a car the next day. Forty Euro for a cab to the border, a short walk and passport check to skip through the EU zone and enter Greece. We find a nice little hostel, settle in for the night with high hopes for the next day.
And...yok! The next day we hiked all over Nicosia with no luck. We return to our hostel and after about an hour of the friendlist people trying to help us locate not just a car, but an automatic car, much to our dismay we are not successful. Frustrated and tired, we opt to take a cab to the Turkish side - which naturally does not celebrate Easter - and seek out the hotel we were originally planning on staying at in a few days time. A slight adjustment to our travel plans wouldn't put us out...you would think.
Another sixty Euro to make it to L.A. Hotel in Girne. It's Sunday, so we imagine that on Monday we should be able to return to the Greek side, get a car, and finally be one our way. We decide to relax and spend the rest our or day enjoying the GORGEOUS resort.
It was still early for the Tourist season, and as the only guest we were free to embrace the sun, pool and coastline in total comfort and peace.
Em and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at the harbor and then made it an early night in preparation what was sure to be another adventure the next day.
Back to the Greek side it was - a 40 minute dolmus and a 30 minute cab ride brought us back to our starting point in Lefkosa/Nicosia, but still the Monday after Easter the holiday continues and we are hopeless yet again. We decide to return to our original hostel to see our old friends. After another failed attempt to aid our quest, I sit at a cafe table, head in hands, trying to generate yet another Plan B at which point a very kind Lebanese man asks the simplest question: "What's the problem?"
It seems that in the this part of the world a problem is never really a problem. I explain our situation and he informs us that we can most definitely find a rent-a-car at Larnaka airport, further to the South. Tired of forking out extra cash to pay for cabs, we gratefully except his offer to drive us there in an hour or so.
Three hours, countless cups of tea later, and we're off!
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