Favourite Haunts

At the Three Arches, the Papakaliatis patisserie-cum-coffee shop (where the Bank of Cyprus building now stands) was always busy, as were the Doré and the Neon Kentron a short distance away. Hookah connoisseurs could find the best pipes at the Nevrezi coffee house at the eastern end of Daedalou St, near the Astoria Hotel, while the Ethnikon on Dikeosinis Avenue was the haunt of billiards fans. As well as being a patisserie, the High Life owned by Emmanouil Renginakis often served as a venue for social events such as children's dances, known in Greek by the French term bals d'enfants.

Receptions, dances and other events were usually held in the luxury function rooms at the Knossos and Palace hotels (on what is now 25^th August St.) and at the Fytakis Mansion. It was there, through dazzling appearances, that the town's most well-to-do inhabitants would recreate the atmosphere and fashion of European metropolises.