A couple of years ago my family and I visited Cyprus and I decided to blog about our amazing holiday. I hope you enjoy it!
I'm on location in the beautiful 5-star resort of Aphrodite Hills on the South West coast of Cyprus. The resort is so-called as according to Greek Mythology this is the place where Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, rose out of the sea. With the rolling countryside and the stunning views out to sea it's easy to get lost in the mythology!
But gushiness aside, this resort really does have it all. I was lucky enough to be shown round the resort by the lovely Maria who is the Sales and Marketing Representative for Aphrodite Hills Residences and it was great to get an insider’s view at what the place has to offer. I definitely wasn't disappointed.
I'll start with the great range of accommodation available. From 1 bedroom apartments equipped with all the mod cons and set around a shared pool to 6 bedroom elite villas set high on the hill with gorgeous views out to sea and a private pool of your very own to view them from. They are all privately owned so each apartment or villa is individually decorated giving a lovely home from home feel. They're all huge too, apparently the Cypriots build on a large scale and you can tell when you look around the accommodation.
There is also an 18-hole golf course that stretches out across the East and West plateau of this vast resort. I'm not a golfer but I have it on good authority that it's a pretty decent course. The views out to sea certainly help with the game!!
Of course no 5-star resort is complete without spa, the Retreat spa at Aphrodite Hills is probably one of the nicest spa's I've seen. It has 27 treatment rooms and numerous other areas to cater for every sense, relaxation is the name of this game! However if you want to keep yourself fit whilst your away they have a gym with a resident fitness trainer and a loads of really good classes such as cardio kick, Zumba and Pilates.
Watching all those people physically exerting themselves really helped me work up an appetite so I took a walk around the village square where there's an array of restaurants each catering for your different tastes from Italian to Indian and of course traditional Cypriot fare too. And if you have a sweet tooth there's even a Haagen Daz shop too!!
Whilst having a walk round the village square we came across a small brick gazebo area where they were preparing to hold a wedding, it was decorated with beautiful lilies and white linen on the chairs, idyllic couldn't even describe it. I enquired with Maria about the weddings and how easy it is to arrange such a massive event for the bride and groom, she told me about Natalie who is the wedding coordinator who basically takes all the stresses away and deals with everything from flowers to food. I was almost tempted to ditch the hubby and find someone new just to experience a wedding in paradise!
The kids don't miss out here either, there's a brilliant kids club that runs from 10am to 7pm where the kids can play and have fun whilst you soak up the sun or play a round of golf!! They also have tennis academy which has been designed by Annabelle Croft and she often comes out here to teach some sessions. This along with the football academy really does give you and the kids a great range of activities if laying by the pool isn't your thing....although it really is my thing!
Now if all of that doesn't entice you to visit Aphrodite Hills perhaps the All-Inclusive 5-star hotel might! It's run separately from the residences and is part of TUI Holidays’ Sensatori concept which is designed to cater for UK holidaymakers looking for family friendly luxury but also with great adult facilities too.
Cyprus is a great place to visit be-it to Aphrodite Hills or some of the other great hotels and apartments on the island. It's very user friendly as everyone speaks English and they even drive on the same side of the road as the UK. There's plenty going on in the major resorts of Paphos, Limassol and the clubbers Mecca of Ayia Napa. But there's also lots of pretty villages with traditional Cypriot buildings and there's even some vineyards which are definitely worth a visit.
The weather is pretty good year round with average winter temperatures of 18 degrees and summer highs of mid to early 30's. And with flights from Bournemouth and Gatwick it's only a 4 hour flight so very easily accessible.
If this all sounds like your little piece of Paradise give me a call!
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