Paphos and the Troodos Mountains
We flew from Gatwick and the Aegean flight was very comfortable, the staff friendly and helpful and the free meal and drinks service very refreshing.
We stayed in the 4* Athena Beach Hotel and I must say that the hotel has the most comfortable beds I think I have ever slept in - we all wanted to bring them home with us! The hotel is beach front and around 15 - 20 minutes’ walk along the coastal path to the centre of Paphos and the harbour area. They offer a great range of facilities including three outdoor and one indoor swimming pools, a spa, kids club, a well-equipped fitness centre and spa, tennis court, indoor and outdoor bowls greens (yes, we did have a match), shuffleboard, mini golf, dance hall (with sprung floor) and bridge room. During the winter months the hotel has bowls and dance coordinators to help guests make the most of the facilities. There are a good selection of bars and restaurants and we were treated to a cookery lesson and a cocktail making session - Brandy Sour is the local drink. The food was excellent and the service outstanding.
We also visited the sister hotels the 4* Athena Royal Beach (which is adjacent to the Athena Beach and gives a great feeling of space), the 4* Pioneer Beach and the 5* Asimina suites which are further along the coastal path away from the harbour but still within a 40 minute walk - all three properties are adult only. The Asimina Suites Hotel is an all-suite property, some of which have their own private pools and the style is much more contemporary than the other hotels. Again the service and attention to detail is noticeable. All the hotels offer a range of room types. We were able to sample the delights of a number of the bars and restaurants throughout all four hotels during our stay and all demonstrated a very high standard.
As well as sampling the delights of the hotels and all they had to offer we also spent a day in the Troodos Mountains where we visited the beautiful village of Omodos with its delightful square and monastery and the Lambouri Winery for wine tasting and a history of wine making in Cyprus - it has a much longer history than I was aware of. I would recommend taking time to travel to one of the many wine routes that Cyprus Tourism has put together. We had lunch in a local taverna before spending time at the world famous Kykkos Monastary with its stunning Iconosos. On the way back to Paphos we took a drive pass Aphrodite’s Rock which has significance in Greek mythology.
In Paphos itself we were treated to a tour of the ancient mosaics at the House of Dionysos close to the harbour and the Tombs of the Kings both of which are Unesco World Heritage sites and definitely worth a visit - they were fascinating. The whole area and Cyprus in general is steeped in history and mythology.
Paphos harbour has some great restaurants and we had dinner at Theo's Seafood Restaurant where the seafood was excellent - I struggled to eat all the courses we were served which included calamari, ink fish, mullet and sea bream and were all delicious.
Cyprus has a lot to offer and the local people are amongst the most welcoming you will ever meet. I hope it will not be so long before I get the chance to visit again.