Agent offer
Cyprus Villages owner Sofronis Potamitis is offering Travel Weekly’s agent readers a free week’s accommodation with a partner for Cyprus Villages packages booked through Olympic Holidays. To find out more, email:
director@cyprusvillages.com.cy
w VILLAGE PEOPLE
Rural agrotourism continues to evolve with latest opening Palatakia in Kato Drys village near Larnaca. This village-based model, with its restored stone buildings and focus on local food and activities, was pioneered by Cyprus Villages, which has 65 apartments around scenic Tochni and its environs. Guests are encouraged to get active in the day, exploring the island or sampling activities such as yoga, spa treatments, horse riding, hiking and cooking classes. Tochni-based Bikin’ Cyprus can
take care of any two-wheeled needs with its range of quality road, mountain and electric bikes. Its guided tours swing by farms for olive-pressing demos and other activities, plus there are week-long tours, and yoga and cycling workshops available.
palatakia.com bikincyprusadventures.com
Rural doesn’t have to mean basic, as the past few years have seen more-luxurious offerings spring up, such as Arsorama in Arsos village. Available self- catered or with breakfast, it’s a lovely space with quality fittings in the rooms, a pretty courtyard and great food. The owners’ aim was “to combine tradition with luxury”, having refurbished their old family homestead into this character-filled property. Weddings are a focus, catering for groups of up to 17. Another fine example is
Eveleos House, a collection of self-catering apartments around a pool area. Featured by Sunvil, it’s big on activities such as hiking, biking and cooking classes.
arsorama.com.cy filokypros.com More impressive still is Casale
Panayiotis. Its ‘rustic boutique’ apartments, with fireplaces for colder months, are scattered around the village where the owner was born, with a collection of buildings housing restaurants and other public areas. The owner has spent £4 million on its vast new spa alone, and an infinity pool and gym are in the offing for 2016, with plans for spa suites and a high-end winery. Activities include fishing, quad-bike safaris, yoga and bike tours, and non-guests can buy day packages for the spa.
casalepanayiotis.com For a larger, more affordable alternative edging the Troodos,
Cyplon recommends the four-star Forest Park near Platres, which is still a world away from built-up beach resorts and offers easy access to this unspoilt region.
w ACTION STATIONS The Troodos Mountains and Akamas Peninsula offer hiking opportunities aplenty. Autumn and spring are ideal, with the island coming alive with colour from February to April, and my hiking guide Zenonas Zenonos comes highly recommended (
zenonljg@cytanet.com.cy). Kitesurfing is the latest big
thing for water babies, with a school and kitesurfing beach in Mazotos, near Larnaca. Winter is also a great time for diving, as waters remain relatively warm and visibility is excellent. Dive schools abound in resorts such as Limassol, with popular dive sites including the drop-offs near the Akamas Peninsula, while the annual Zenobia Week dive festival is centred on
70
travelweekly.co.uk 8 October 2015
PICTURES: CYPRUS TOURISM ORGANISATION; CYPRUS VILLAGES
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