PAPHOS, CYPRUS ALMYRA
The only way I can balance testing times with work is knowing that there will be moments when I can be with my family and relax (the two not always synonymous). The best way to do that is in the sun and by the sea and, to be frank, with some way of making being the mother of three lively boys as easy as possible. The second we walk into our interconnecting Kyma suites at Almyra I know we’ve found a little piece of heaven. Close enough to hear the lapping of the waves, our own seaview daybeds, complete privacy (aka no one being able to hear how early our children wake up), ground-level – so our three-year-old will stay relatively in one piece, and with a 270º view of the Med.
The rooms are stunning, and the kind we would have stayed in pre-children; contemporary luxury (the Almyra is the design hotel in the family owned Thanos group), billowing fabrics, beautiful roof deck, luxuriant bed linen. In fact, the Almyra manages to be a hotel that different groups can coexist within while quietly catering for everyone’s needs – couples, spa lovers, families of all ages. We find a shade-covered pool, so our small white Vikings don’t burn in the relentless sunshine, a child-friendly lap pool, a toddler pool and an adults’ pool and spa for those without small encumbrances.
My husband I enjoy one deliriously happy afternoon by the adults’ pool while the kids are in the Almyra’s age-specific kids’ clubs, superbly run by Scott Dunn. Our boys are torn between playing with new friends or the fun of the club. I am torn between the sun and the spa, but eventually leave my sunbed for a blissful body massage. Relaxation is taking hold by this point.
The Almyra also solves one of my usual holiday gripes; I like the feel of a small hotel but get bored with samey dining options. Here, there are five restaurants – our favourite is Notios, Japanese-mediterranean fusion. Children are welcome, so we don’t need to use the on-site babysitters.
We also love lazy lunches in the Ouzeri seafront tavern, and eat at sister hotel, Annabelle. This is as far as we travel. While Paphos has all sorts of tombs, mosaics and UNESCO ruins to discover, my poolside reading and sea gazing is too enjoyable to take myself away from the Almyra for long.
As a family, we don’t tend to go to places twice, but the fact that we all feel the need to return before we have even left is telling.
This design-led hotel caters for couples, spa lovers and families of all shapes and sizes.