PART 1 – Discovering Cyprus with Cyplon Holidays by Nick Parry.
I was so pleased to to be able to go on to this amazing fam trip with Cyplon Holidays and it was a perfect way to learn all about this specialist tour operator and the Island of Cyprus.
Over the last 40 years Cyplon Holidays have been providing their customers with quality holidays. They have unrivalled knowledge of the destinations that they offer – Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Jordan and Sicily are just to name a few, plus Island Hopping in Greece and Croatian Cruising.
Cyprus has always been somewhere I’d wanted to visit, but somehow have just never got there – so what an amazing way to see it!
The group was travelling from 20-November until 24th November 2019 so I was definitely looking forward to some winter sun. Spending 2 nights in Paphos & 2 nights in Limassol was going to be great, I was really going to see a lot!
Cyprus is stunning and exactly how you imagine it, a beautiful Mediterranean Island with crystal blue waters and miles of golden beaches. I was definitely right about getting some sunshine, the weather was fantastic and I would highly recommend it during the winter months, although the climate is great all year round making it perfect to visit anytime.
Our first stop was at the Louis Ivi Mare. This luxury 5* hotel only opened in May 2019. I loved spending 2 nights here, it’s contemporary and modern and is located on the beach front, just a short walk to Paphos harbour. The food here was incredible. The hotel operates on Half Board Plus which means you can have breakfast and evening meals at the hotel including alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks with dinner. There’s 3 restaurants to choose from- the main buffet, ‘Meze’ a speciality Greek Restaurant and an Asian Fusion Restaurant Akakiko Japanese Restaurant, we ate here one night it was delicious.
The outdoor pool here is the largest in Paphos and it even has a jacuzzi that’s big enough for 10 people. The pool area has stunning views over the beach and promenade. There is also an indoor pool and a fitness centre.
Guess what…
… The Louis Ivi Mare only has 148 rooms, so you can imagine how amazing the service is. All the rooms have tea and coffee making facilities, bathrobes and slippers, and come with balcony or terrace.
During our 2 days in Paphos, we looked around another 8 hotels, it was such a fantastic opportunity for me to see these.
Our team highly recommended to our customers the Constantinou Bros Hotels – The Asimina Suites, Athena Royal and Athena Beach, and after visiting these hotels I can understand why.
The Asimina Suites is a 5* Adult Only hotel with its own area of beach. All of the suites have large balconies and some even have private pools with wooden decking!
The 4* Athena Royal Beach Hotel once again is adult focused. It has 3 swimming pools and an incredible 24 rink green bowls court. There’s a great spa here too with heated indoor pool.
Families will love the 4* Athena Beach, it’s paddling pools, a water slide and 3 swimming pools will make it a great hit with the kids. This hotel is in a great position, just a short stroll to Paphos harbour and directly on the beach.
One of the most iconic hotels in Paphos has to be the 5* Annabelle and this spring reopened its doors to show of its €11 million makeover! This hotel is pretty special. The Annabelle is set in 6 acres of beautiful gardens and is mixes classic, elegant and modern perfectly. The rooftop pool and terrace adds an extra wow factor to this hotel.
The 5* Almyra is the Annabelle’s sister hotel and went through its own renovation in 2008. The designer rooms have amazing views over paphos and the secret valley. Activities such as scuba diving, windsurfing and sailing can be arranged onsite. Just a 30 minute walk to Paphos centre makes this hotel a great choice.
‘Holiday perfection for couples’ is the Amavi’s tag line and, yes I could see me and Helen here…
A ‘Made For Two’ hotel, the Amavi is set on a blue flag beach with unobstructed sea views and postcard sunsets, there is no better way way to relax. I could really feel the intimate atmosphere of this hotel and love the design and furnishing that contributed to it. It’s in a great area to reach bars and restaurants too.
Our last hotel (but certainly not least) to visit in Paphos was the multi award winning Elysium Hotel. It has a world class spa, 5 incredible restaurants and bedrooms that shout luxury. The Elysium definitely has a romantic feel about it and would be perfect venue for a wedding. For weddings, couples can choose between a traditional Chapel ceremony or to tie the knot on the sunset pier.
So I hope you can feel how enthusiastic I was about the hotels in Paphos, but what about the resort of Paphos itself…
… for me Paphos was a fantastic surprise. I was expecting a loud noisy resort that was very commercialised but what I found was a lovely clean resort with a compact centre and great atmosphere. There is a whole range of eateries, suiting every budget and some lovely cocktail bars. The harbour area is really bustling and a great place to try out a seafood meze, before exploring the castle walls. If you fancy taking in some history, head to the Tomb of the Kings and the Kato Paphos Archaeological Park. The beach areas in, and surrounding Paphos are clean, sandy and perfect for safe bathing. There are some beautiful secluded bays great for snorkelling and many of the main beach areas have water sport centres and lots of facilities. I didn’t know, but the island is fantastic for cycling and extremely popular for Crown Green bowling.
I have so much more to tell you about the next party of my journey, so watch this space for my next blog. For now if you have any questions please pop in and see me, I would love to tell you more.,
I hope I’ve inspired you so far,
Nick x
