European island with 300 days of sunshine a year 'feels like you're in paradise'

Jess Molyneux unwinds successful 1 of Cyprus’ finest luxury hotels - the caller Cali Resort & Spa - wherever she recovered 201 airy and light-filled rooms and suites which person been recently refurbished and boast tropical, emerald green-coloured décor

With an abundance of earthy beauty, astir 300 days of sunshine and a wealthiness of history, it’s hard to spot what’s not to similar astir Paphos.

Nestled connected Cyprus’ sun-kissed south-west coast, determination is glistening clear-blue sea, past sites, thriving section businesses, and delicious nutrient and vino to beryllium enjoyed. Sipping connected a solid of prosecco, I’ve lone been wrong the caller Cali Resort & Spa for a substance of minutes and I consciousness similar I’m successful paradise.

After being instantly deed with the evening vigor coming disconnected of a four-and-a-half-hour flight, a invited portion successful the chill Sonata Bar was the cleanable mode to commencement the holiday. It’s my archetypal acquisition of a five-star big hotel and arsenic I headed done the spacious lobby, up the assistance and down the corridor to my country – I already suspected thing would apical my archetypal impressions of the Cali Resort.

Each of the beauteous 201 airy and light-filled rooms and suites person been recently refurbished and boast tropical, emerald green-coloured décor. Inside, guests tin bask the modern walk-in ablution with luxurious amenities, unbend wearing the comfy Cali bathrobes and slippers oregon person a portion from the minibar oregon blistery portion facilities.

On accomplishment successful my country was a caller effect platter which was replaced daily. Sliding unfastened the balcony door, I instrumentality successful the spectacular presumption of the illuminated swimming excavation earlier collapsing onto my dreamy mattress, excited to spot much of Paphos erstwhile the prima rises.

One of 2 restaurants wrong the Cali Resort & Spa is the Aria Restaurant and a caller omelette of your prime from the designated cooking presumption is an fantabulous mode to commencement the day. From greeting to night, its lavish buffet includes planetary dishes and authentic Mediterranean and Cypriot cuisine.

Eating wrong oregon al fresco, determination is simply a antithetic culinary taxable each evening, truthful there’s ever thing caller to try. You tin walk each time astatine the edifice soaking up the glorious sunshine and relaxing by the excavation – but it’s besides reasonably cardinal if there’s much of Paphos you privation to see.

In Paphos, the locals are highly friendly, English is spoken by each and they besides thrust connected the left. A abbreviated thrust distant is Latchi Harbour, wherever you tin instrumentality a vessel travel and sail alongside the Akamas peninsula to the charming Blue Lagoon. Taking a dip successful the sapphire-blue Mediterranean Sea, the lagoon is stunning and serene.

If you’ve got an appetite, the Yiangos and Peter Fish Tavern, a fashionable harbourside restaurant, serves an impeccable seafood meze. Paired with a crisp, Cypriot achromatic wine, the tender calamari, juicy prawns, ample oversea bream and accompanying feta crockery is superb. But a basal retired for maine was the Marida – a tiny food section to the country – which you person to try.

A precocious day by the excavation is ever a bully thought aft a engaged time and it didn’t instrumentality agelong to get backmost to the edifice and person an Aperol Spritz successful hand. Around the perimeter of the awesome Cali Resort excavation are a fig of paired sunbeds immersed successful the shallow water, making it casual to enactment chill and giving you your ain idiosyncratic space.

It was a antithetic eating acquisition connected our 2nd evening astatine the hotel’s Fiki Japanese Fusion Restaurant. Serving a paper of Japanese inspired delicacies, including freshly prepared sushi and a blistery sensation of the Orient, my senses were serenaded arsenic I enjoyed caller flavours.

But the adjacent day, determination was inactive much of Paphos and Cypriot civilization that I wished to explore. Mary Patroklou from the section tourer committee is an fantabulous big and has taken tours for much than 30 years. Mary told our radical overmuch of what the land has to connection – but for her, “Paphos is quality”. We visited the Tombs of the Kings, a ample necropolis which has been connected the UNESCO World Heritage Sites database since 1980.

High-ranking officials and aristocracy were buried successful the tombs, which day backmost to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Under the scorching sun, we took shadiness by exploring the fascinating tombs, which looked consecutive retired of a movie set. But for me, a idiosyncratic item was touring a villa renowned for its singular level mosaics – the Grand House of Dionysus, named aft the Greek deity of wine. The captivating artworks remained hidden from presumption until the 1960s erstwhile a section husbandman stumbled upon them and each intricately crafted mosaic depicts scenes of history, hunting and mythology.

Since performing successful a play of Theseus and the Minotaur successful superior school, I person been obsessed with Greek mythology – truthful it was peculiar to spot immoderate of the tales I had work arsenic a kid presented successful specified a spectacular way.

While successful Paphos, you tin besides instrumentality a travel to the birthplace of Aphrodite, a formation wherever locals bask a aquatics successful the refreshing h2o adjacent an tremendous stone wherever fable states the goddess of emotion was born. A destination for tourists, you tin besides download an app, called Aphrodite’s Birthplace, to spot a integer mentation of the goddess successful your ain photographs. Paphos Old Town is thriving with businesses and it’s present wherever you tin sensation section products and get your hands connected immoderate handmade arts and crafts. The country has undergone a regeneration successful caller years and vibrant artwork decorates the walls of the historical town.

If you privation a large presumption of Paphos, caput up to Muse edifice which overlooks the town. As I devoured their lountza halloumi successful Greek pita, I spotted the M/V Demetrios II shipwreck successful the region which has go somewhat of a indispensable photograph accidental portion visiting Paphos.

Before I knew it, it was our past time and aft a speedy sojourn to the adjacent Coral Bay Beach I headed to my spa treatment. Cali Resort & Spa has a fittingness room, indoor pool, steam country and sauna escaped of complaint for edifice guests, but I wanted to marque the astir of my last hours successful paradise with a relaxing massage.

As each knot was pushed retired of my backmost and the odor of calming, earthy products fragranced the air, I knew I could person easy stayed determination each time and not near for my flight. But arsenic I headed location aft a fantastic fewer days, I knew it wouldn’t beryllium my past sojourn to Paphos.

Book the holiday

• easyJet holidays offers 7 nights connected all-inclusive+ astatine the Cali Resort & Spa successful Paphos, Cyprus, from £985pp with 23kg baggage, transfers and flights from Gatwick connected November 19. easyjet.com/en/holidays
• Holiday Extras offers a country for nighttime astatine the Sofitel astatine Gatwick North connected November 18 from £169; introduction to the Plaza Premium Lounge astatine Gatwick North connected November 19 from £40pp. holidayextras.com
• MORE INFO astatine visitpafos.org.cy caliresortandspa.com