2010 Top Holiday Destinations – #3 Aphrodite Hills

My first visit to Aphrodite Hills, and Cyprus, was several years ago now! At the time there was very little on the site and the hotel was just a shell – Health and Safety would have been run off their feet as no-one seemed to be wearing protective clothing or hard hats and there were wires and holes everywhere!!! The resort has certainly changed and expanded and is a superb place to visit.

There was very little to see on that first visit, the Orpheus Village apartments were completed and a few villas, however, the essential was well established and functioning – the golf course! It is a buggy course and I remember being given a tour – great fun when I was allowed to drive! The descent down the side of the ravine was a little hair raising but well worth the trip as the scenery at the bottom was delightful – an oasis of natural vegetation with birdsong! Our guide told us that the plan was to leave as many of the Cypriot plants and trees as possible in order to provide a habitat for the local wildlife. I must admit that seeing a family of quail cross the track in front of me was especially memorable and I could understand why they wished to encourage this.

At the time I was impressed with both the island and its people and I was determined that I would re-visit as soon as possible. Since that first trip I have spent two holidays in Cyprus and also visited a few times to have an update on developments at Aphrodite Hills. The resort has certainly blossomed and is truly a wonderful place to stay.

I have stayed in privately owned accommodation and also at the Intercontinental Hotel – both very different but equally enjoyable. There are now many facilities available on site including the spa, tennis centre, gym, golf course, mini golf, horse riding, cycling and the kids club and playground. There are also two beach clubs within easy reach of the resort. The Village Square provides a number of restaurants, shops and a bar – dining outside on a warm evening with stunning sea views, what could be better!!!

It is perfectly possible to stay on the resort and be fully entertained but, as I mentioned in a previous post, I do like to travel around and see the sites! Paphos is a must with a lovely harbour, promenade and a fort – inland a little is the market, shops and stunning views from the top of the hill! I remember having a long cold drink in the sunshine and appreciating the view over the city and out to the sea! Don’t miss the mosaics – they aren’t widely publicised so not easy to find, but they are at the back of the car park in the harbour and the ruins cover a vast area well worth visiting!

Troodos Mountains are lovely – they even offer skiing in winter – and present a different type of scenery and vistas. There is also a lovely monastery at Kykkos with modern mosaics in vibrant colours – and entrance was free!

Also worth a visit is Kourion – a huge and very well preserved amphitheatre which I believe still features entertainment on occasion. There are also the ruins of many villas and some feature mosaics. Limassol has an old part of the city with lots of little shops, a castle that is now a museum and a carob factory converted to house a virtual reality trip through the history of Cyprus – this does get rather busy as numbers are limited so it may be worth booking, wandering around the old town and then going back! Limassol is also the main port for the island so it can be rather busy at times – avoid rush hour and its fine! There are many more towns and villages – often I just drive around and see where I end up!

Another must is to try the local cuisine! Everything from a simple Greek salad at lunch, through to the slow cooked kleftiko and the must not be missed meze! I remember being recommended a small family run restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Six of us arrived to find the family sitting on the terrace. They quickly prepared a table for us, served us with drinks and told us it would be only a few minutes. True to their word they started bringing out the meze, lots of little dishes rather like tapas, which just kept on coming!!! We eventually had to call a halt and inform our hosts that we really couldn’t eat any more. They were very disappointed because we hadn’t even tried desert! The meal was delicious, plentiful and very inexpensive – and the family were lovely and welcoming. A truly memorable experience!

My trips to Cyprus have been in March, June, September and November and the sun has always shone! I was even able to swim in the outdoor pool at the hotel in November, although there is an indoor heated pool for the less foolhardy! On that trip we did have a tropical rainstorm with a spectacular display of lightening the evening before – we sat outside with a bottle of wine and enjoyed the show!!! Truly amazing!

Cyprus is a wonderful island with many happy memories – perhaps I should be planning my next trip!

Carol Denson
Senior Reservations Executive

Select Resorts off a wide range of Apartments and Townhouses at Aphrodite Hills. These properties offer a range of one, two, or three bedroom accomodation as well as larger properties to meet your holiday requirements.