Husband, Mini-AG, and I just returned from a beautiful mini-vacation to Cyprus. Forget everything that you’ve heard about the financial woes of the country, the truth is the island is gorgeous (and warm!) and is ready to welcome you for a sun-soaked holiday full of family fun.
Ok, so first off, the flights are weird. British Airways only flies to Paphos (where you need to fly to go to either of the resorts we stayed at), on a Monday and a Friday- so unless you can come and go those days, you are stuck with Easy Jet. We wanted to take Mini-AG so she could have a little sandcastle building time, and that meant taking the later Easy Jet flight and therefore not getting in until about 10PM. Our ultimate destination was the Anassa, which is about an hour drive, but our first stop was the super trendy and family-friendly Almyra Hotel. Being only about 15 minutes away from the airport, it was the perfect place to spend the first couple days on the island.
The Almyra, used to be the Paphos Beach Hotel which was the very first beach hotel in the town. The family-owned property was then transformed into a design hotel, with sleek and modern furnishings. After checking in, we were shown to our room. A crib had been set up for Mini-AG, and there were adorable little cookies for her, along with a light selection of sandwiches for us.
Our room had a huge patio with direct access to a big grassy lawn overlooking the beach. We also had access to a giant rooftop which overlooked the entire resort. The views were spectacular!!!
Upon waking up on Day 1 we walked to breakfast at Mosaics. The entire restaurant was busy with families. We felt so comfortable. High-chairs were easily accessible, and the staff were very accommodating for children. After the yummy buffet breakfast we made our way to the Scott Dunn Adventurer’s Club for Mini-AG!
What can I say about Scott Dunn? Their staff is amazing, and so are their kids clubs. Mini-AG spent the morning having her nails done, face painted, playing games in the playground, and basically running amok.
The Almyra has two main pools, one for families, and the Eauzone pool for adults only which is located by the spa. We opted for the adults-only pool and spend the morning reading in the sun, and having a cocktail (or three.)
Family-friendly pool
Eauzone, Adults only!
The Eauzone Restaurant
We picked up Mini-AG for lunch at Ouzeri, which is traditional Greek meze. The tables are literally located on a little deck overlooking the water. We had delicious fried calamari and a selection of hummus, tzatziki, and other local specialities. With live music playing, it was simply a lovely family lunch.
If you’re all Greeked-out then then you can check out Notios, which offers Japanese cuisine with Mediterranean influences and flavors. There are also additional dining options, including a light spa cuisine at Eauzone and Mosaics, which has family-frendly buffets.
The afternoon meant more Scott Dunn kids club for Mini-AG, and a little trip to the spa for yours truly. The Almyra spa stocks my absolute favourite skincare brand, QMS MediCosmetics. There was no question on which treatment I wanted, it was all about their bespoke Oxygen facial. Truth be told, I fell asleep at the hands of the wonderful therapist, and woke up looking and feeling refreshed, as I always do after a QMS-facial-pick-me-up.
After our eventful afternoon, Mini-AG was so worn out from the kids club that she passed out in our bed, which gave Husband and I the excuse to order room service on our patio (make sure you try the spinach and feta spring rolls). A nice local wine ensured we weren’t far behind Mini-AG for bedtimes.
If you happen to forget anything for your holiday wardrobe, don’t worry there is a boutique stocked with the best European designer brands. Heidi Klien bikini’s, Mui Mui bags, you name it. Room charges don’t count as real spending, right?
The first few days of our trip at the Almyra were just simply lovely. I love that the hotel was relaxed, and super family friendly, all while having a hip and modern vibe to it, and of course being located in a beautiful beach town.
Stay tuned for more on our trip to Cyprus… next up, The Anssa, also known as, heaven on earth!
[…] leaving the Almyra, we took a 45 minute drive through the winding roads of Cyprus and ended up in heaven on the Akamas […]