The Island of Missing Trees — Larnaca, Cyprus
A Books in Places reading week inspired by Elif Shafak’s wonderful novel set in Cyprus. If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend this amazingly beautiful novel. You will never look at a Fig tree in the same way again!
6th October 2026 • 7 nights
Overview
Join us for a calm, book-centred week in Larnaca, staying at the stylish Josephine Boutique Hotel. This trip is about slow mornings, meaningful conversation and the kind of reading that shifts the way you look at a place. We’ll read The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak — a moving, inventive novel about memory, nature and the long shadows of history — while discovering the city and coast that shape its story.
The setting
The Josephine Boutique Hotel sits close to Finikoudes beach and the lively seafront promenade. Light, contemporary rooms, a rooftop pool with views across the town and an easy walk to cafés and tavernas make it a lovely base for our reading week: quiet enough for reflection, close enough to local life for exploration.
About the book
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak interweaves love and loss across decades and divides, tracing the fate of a fig tree that witnesses Cyprus’s recent history. Reading the novel here — on an island of starkly beautiful coast, olive groves and layered memory — brings fresh resonance to its themes of belonging, memory and healing.
Why Cyprus for this book?
Shafak’s novel is rooted in Cyprus: its landscape, its fractured history and its capacity for hope. By staying in Larnaca we can visit the places that echo the book’s scenes — the promenade and old town, quiet groves and coastal outlooks — and read in the kinds of spaces the story imagines: terraces shaded by trees, sea-side cafés and hidden corners of the city. Expect reading sessions that take advantage of the light and the quiet, and at least one outing into the island’s countryside to see the terrain that shapes the story.
During the week
- Five hosted evenings, including our book-club dinners and group discussions.
- Two free days to explore Larnaca, visit small villages, or relax by the rooftop pool and the sea.
- Optional local excursions — a guided walk of the old town, a boat trip, or a visit to nearby archaeological sites.
- Unhurried days designed for reading, connection and gentle discovery.
What’s included
- 7 nights at the Josephine Boutique Hotel, Larnaca
- Double/twin room for sole use (single occupancy standard)
- Breakfast each day and three buffet dinners with wine & water
- Return transfers from Larnaca Airport
- ATOL-protected flights (where applicable)
- Reading materials and hosted discussions
Reserve your place
Places are kept deliberately small to keep the week relaxed and sociable. To enquire or book, click the link below. Note: This trip is operated in partnership with Friendship Travel. Details (meals, excursions, flights) are detailed here - exact prices will be confirmed at booking.
