Design Hotel Almyra sits in an idyllic location surrounded by a large garden complex right next to the sea. The lively center of Pάfos with its old fishing harbor and archeological dig sites is just a few minutes walk away. Here is more on the design elements:
After we had spent three wonderful days in northwest Cyprus in the Hotel Anassa, we still wanted to experience its sister hotel Almyra. Its sign says that it’s the only design resort on Cyprus…
The hotel entry and the lobby most definitely are stylish and were an immediate hit with us.
Almyra actually means “aroma of the sea.” You indeed do savor the sea air, especially in the mornings and evenings, since the various hotel restaurants all come with open seaside terraces. For our readers’ sake, we diligently ate our way through their menus.
Hotel restaurants in all weight classes
Downstairs on the seaside promenade we found the Ouzeri Restaurant decorated in typical Cypriot style. The fare is light, with Greek salads, mezze, or local fish and seafood. In the evening, the house minstrel with guitar fills the place with his romantic songs.
Just upstairs from the Ouzeri, next to the main pool is the Japanese-inspired Notios Restaurant. It seduces not only with its fine sashimi and nigiri sushi but also with its elegant terrace and view of the Bay of Paphos. There are only a few tables at the very front, so reservations are recommended!
A few steps above the main pool reigns the Mosaics main restaurant where mornings and evening they set up a generous buffet. This must be why it is also very popular with families.
Interestingly, you can also sit down to breakfast in the Restaurant Eauzone of the Almyra Spa. Next to the elongated pool, enjoy one of three light à la carte breakfast sets in an elegant but relaxed atmosphere. Heavenly!
And last but not least, you can go for snacks and drinks in the Helios Lounge Bar next door to the hotel reception. Definitely a venue to be enjoyed with the sun setting…
And anyone still not satisfied after all this can enjoy excellent French cuisine in the Amorosa Restaurant next door in the Annabelle Hotel. Our fish dishes were exceptionally well-balanced flavor-wise. A fine address!
Incidentally, the Annabelle Hotel happens to be the third of three Thanos Hotels on Cyprus. And since Thanos himself had invited us to stay at the other two, we at least wanted to be able to say we tested Annabelle’s kitchen. We surmised from the rooms, which are furnished in rather classical fashion, that the hotel positions itself to attract an age group above ours.
The rooms and Kyma suites
The Hotel Almyra’s 189 guest rooms are divided among the two main buildings and adjacent suite wing. Similar to the Anassa, these interiors are done in an airy-Mediterranean mix of chalk white walls, warm woods, naturally-colored linens and light blue sofas and easy chairs. Blue solar shades on the windows suffuse the rooms with a comfortably cool blue ambiance. A real achievement, given the nearly year-round heat on Cyprus.
We splurged on a Kyma suite (“kyma” is Greek for “wave”). The Kyma suites with their private patios are located right by the sea. Our Kyma 08 moreover was protected from the aggressive sun by a venerable olive tree. Perfection!
But we recommend the Kyma suites for another reason: their amenities as described help them live up rather more to our notion of a “standard” room than the hotel’s regular rooms.
A stairway takes you up to the highlight of the Kyma suites — a 44 square meter roof terrace with a breathtaking view of the Bay of Pάfos. Sunsets don’t get much better than this…
Check out prices and availability here:
Regarding Paphos:
Excursion destinations in Paphos
We mainly went to Cyprus for the golf. All four of its 18-hole courses are located in the western part of the island and are relatively easy to reach from Pάfos. But pay attention with the rental car: The driver will benefit by getting in on the right side because that’s where the steering wheel is located for driving in left-hand traffic…but in the golf cart better make it the right side because the steering wheel has been switched again…
The British-inspired entertainment district in Pάfos starts right behind the hotel. It seemed on a par with the Ballermann in Mallorca and so we made a quick beeline around the area. Along the seaside promenade, you’ll find small, tourist-oriented shops and restaurants. A leisurely 20 minutes walk, however, gets you to the somewhat nobler seafood restaurants by the medieval harbor fort.
From there it’s just a stone’s throw to the archeological park. Scattered over a broad expanse of dry terrain stand ruins of churches and mosques in all color and shapes. While rated number 1 for excursion potential by TripAdvisor, their condition, mind you, is not intoxicating. Only the amphitheater still bears witness to the original grandeur of the infrastructure.
Let it be known that near Paphos sits the rock called “Petra tou Rominou,” where Aphrodite – the Greek goddess of love and beauty — is said to have climbed out of the sea.
The Almyra Hotel is an excellent jumping off point for day trips for golfers, gourmands, and sun worshipers. Judging by the high kid quotient, the little ones apparently also find it to be a lot of fun. The graying set can get away from it all in the Almyra Spa with its in-spa restaurant and pool. Very handy ;-)
Check out prices and availability here.
Our thanks this time go to…
A sincere thank you to Sabine van Ommen of her eponymous PR Agency for acting as our intermediary with the Thanos Hotels!
And an equally big thanks to hotel owner Thanos and his two sisters for the generous invitation! We really had a fine time, especially since guest services manager Thomas was always on hand to help with word and deed. ;-)
