Almyra is the trendy hip box-of-a hotel that’s right by the beach. It is just a short walk away from Paphos which turns into youthful life at sunset. The 158-room, Kikkos Monastery owned the hotel since 1973 when it was launched. It has been remodeled to the point that I think of Clint Eastwood as Brad Pitt.
The villa 10 I was staying in could be best described as a contemporary terraced bungalow. The outside is all white, but the interior is just as light. Through the room, you see to the private concrete terrace. There are three steps that lead to it. Joelle Pleot (French designer) designed this room. She had previously renovated Thanos Michaelides’ home. I used grey marble floors, pale white-grey walls and soft wooden furniture, with pillows and leather upholstery. An overhead stainless fan spun in futurity. The bathroom had a big overhead rainforest shower as well as a hand-held unit, and lovely LaSource toiletries, from Crabtree & Evelyn, that matched that pale blue upholstery.
The outdoor restaurant is right by the sea, and we met up for dinner. It offers an international menu with a twist. Here, fish and chips are a basket of fried calamari served with metal pots of “village” fries and another pot with tartar sauce. The bed was turned down when I returned to my villa. There was also a card with the following message on the back: “Happiness does not reside in possessions, not in gold but in the feeling that one is happy.”
The morning began with a power walk on the coast path. I was joined by young people who were returning from the night before. Already, fishermen were getting ready to leave. In another area, I went back to get ready for breakfast. It was a huge lobby that is used only during winter. Pleot made the lobby a residence, although it is a large one with many different types of chairs and different areas. The lobby has a huge open fire place in winter. Bright orange chairs and tables in the bar are a sign of her flair for colour. Although I had been offered a round, it was too late.
We arrived in the northern-west corner of the island, at the tiny coastal village of Polis forty minutes later. After four miles, we turned left onto the Akmasa peninsula, where the road was oleander-flanked. We then entered the Anassa private driveway, which is named after Aphrodite’s mythical baths, just a couple of miles ahead. The resort is located on 70 acres of rugged coastal terrain. The resort is massive. You will be greeted by a water fountain in the outside circle, followed by seven water jets as a guard-of-honor. It takes 200 feet to reach the Sunset Terrace. (I measured it). The corridors are wide and open, with angled passageways that lead to a large mirror flanked in the middle by two pairs of green lights. You will find interesting things thanks to Darrell Schmitt’s design. Also, there are many strategically placed pots (or modern icons) to help you see the culture of your surroundings.
Blocks are used to build the 173 rooms. I was in the 73rd room, which is a down-level suite that has a parlor, bedroom, outside entry, and an outdoor entrance. It also features a stone-walled terrace and a plunge pool. My rooms featured cream walls, pale wood floors and paintwork. Shutters were also covered in fine curtains. These fans had pale creams hanging from slightly peaked cream ceilings. Bulgari provided a full bathroom for me.
As I raced to the spa, I somehow managed to find my way through the village square and the small church, which is contemporary with the resort. This was where the couple were getting married, their 10-year-old son being present. Semi-subterranean spa with 17 treatment rooms is a big draw. You can also get thalasso or Organic Pharmacy from London, which is apparently a favorite of Madonna or Gwyneth Paltrow. I had an anti-ageing body treatment, namely a scrub of white sugar, salt and rose petals followed by a wrap of day and Andean rose petals, then a rose oil spread, then a body cream which included the following ingredients, green coffee fatty acids, guarana, horsetail complex, ivy and meadowsweet – a 200ml pot this from the Organic Pharmacy webset will cost you £150.
Five restaurants are open, but not all of them every night. Wednesday night is Cypriot Night. This includes a buffet and live dance in the “village square”. It’s a lot of fun. (Had I been there another night, it would have coincided the weekly management cocktails. Ashley Goddard (Australian) is now the chef. Ashley wants guests to see an organic garden just as he did with Soneva Fushi.
Through the shutters, which I left open in the morning sun, it rushed through. My plunge pool was surrounded by exotic bushland. I looked down towards the ocean as I stood up. It was a mountain bike that was waiting, and it gave me a lot of exercise. Room service was simple in style. It consisted of a large wood tray with orange juice and unsweetened local yogurt. A heart-shaped bowl of butter, French L’Ancienne jams, honey and local honey was my breakfast. I also had Frette napkins and lots of flavorful coffee. Christine Whittaker (a local resident who was a Welshwoman who quit serious law to pursue a better lifestyle) came to my aid and I received acupuncture. Although I was told she was doing my facial, at one point I opened my eyes to see needles sticking up my legs. It was like Gulliver and the Lilliputians. This one was for energy she explained, and I slapped one into my top. She counted them in and out, but they were all the same.
It was too busy to even try out all of the restaurants, tennis and watersports. The car was still waiting, and I made a promise to myself that I would return. 35% of the guests at this hotel are repeats. Bravo Thanos, sisters
P.S. P.S. Christine’s energy needle went into effect the next night. At 2 AM, I was bursting with creative energy.