My fabulous family holiday at Aphrodite Hills, Cyprus
Gushiness aside, this resort really does have it all. I was lucky enough to be shown round the resort by the lovely Maria who is the Sales and Marketing Representative for Aphrodite Hills Residences and it was great to get an insider’s view of what the place has to offer. I definitely wasn't disappointed.
I'll start with the great range of accommodation available. From one-bedroom apartments equipped with all the mod cons and set around a shared pool to five-bedroom elite villas set high on the hill with gorgeous views out to sea and a private pool of your very own to view them from. They are all privately owned so each apartment or villa is individually decorated giving a lovely home from home feel. They're all huge too. Apparently, the Cypriots build on a large scale and you can tell when you look around the accommodation.
There is also an 18-hole golf course that stretches out across the East and West plateau of this vast resort. I'm not a golfer but I have it on good authority that it's a pretty decent course. The views out to sea certainly help with the game!
Of course, no five-star resort is complete without a spa. The Retreat Spa at Aphrodite Hills is probably one of the nicest I've seen. It has 27 treatment rooms and numerous other areas to cater for every sense. Relaxation is the name of this game! However, if you want to keep yourself fit whilst your away, they have a gym with a resident fitness trainer and loads of good classes such as cardio kick, Zumba and Pilates.
Watching all those people physically exerting themselves really helped me work up an appetite so I walked around the village square where there's an array of restaurants catering for different tastes, from Italian to Indian and of course traditional Cypriot fayre too. And if you have a sweet tooth there's even a Haagen Daaz shop too!
Whilst having a walk around the village square we came across a small chapel where they were preparing to hold a wedding. It was decorated with beautiful lilies and white linen on the chairs, idyllic doesn’t even describe it. I enquired with Maria about the weddings and how easy it is to arrange such a massive event for the bride and groom. She told me about Natalie who is the wedding coordinator who takes all the stresses away and deals with everything from flowers to food. I was almost tempted to ditch the hubby and find someone new just to experience a wedding in paradise!
The kids don't miss out here either. There's a brilliant kids club that runs from 10am to 6pm where the kids can play and have fun whilst you soak up the sun or play a round of golf! They also have a tennis academy which has been designed by Annabelle Croft and she often comes out here to teach some sessions. This along with the football academy really does give you and the kids a great range of activities if laying by the pool isn't your thing, although it really is my thing!
If all of that doesn't entice you to visit Aphrodite Hills perhaps the all-inclusive five-star hotel might! It's run separately to the residences and is part of Thomson Holidays’ Sensatori concept which is designed to cater for UK holidaymakers looking for family friendly luxury but also with great adult facilities too.
Cyprus is a great place to visit, be it Aphrodite Hills or some of the other great hotels and apartments on the island. It's very friendly as everyone speaks English and they even drive on the same side of the road as the UK. There's plenty going on in the major resorts of Paphos, Limassol and the clubbers' Mecca of Ayia Napa. There are also lots of pretty villages with traditional Cypriot buildings and there's even some vineyards which are definitely worth a visit.
The weather is pretty good year-round with average winter temperatures of 15 degrees and summer highs of mid to early 30's. And with flights from Bournemouth and Gatwick it's only a 4-hour flight so very easily accessible.
If this all sounds like your little piece of paradise give me a call!