Cyprus: Sunrise

Report Serge Barret, Photos Alain Parinet

Day 1: Arrival at the airport, transfer, welcome drink and installation in your room, followed by a yoga session. Dinner at the hotel

The hotel: Amathus Beach Hotel

Behind the glass wall of the immense lobby, there is the sparkling blue of the Mediterranean. There is also a private beach, but above all, there is the bright green of an abundant garden, a paradise for a host of well-behaved cats. There are also swimming pools - three, one of which is exclusively for adults - and restaurants, bars, terraces... and rest areas set out under rustling palm trees. This is the setting for the Amathus hotel in Limassol, the most popular seaside resort town in Cyprus. It's also the best located, being just over 40 minutes from all the island's points of interest. This hotel has been here since the 70s. But today it has been so skilfully renovated and re-conceptualised in its tones and volumes that you'd think it was built yesterday. The most beautiful rooms, the most sought-after, overlook the sea and have a large balcony/terrace where you can peacefully enjoy the late afternoons. The spa, a splendour in shades of Klein blue, complies with the rules of feng shui. Amathus Beach is a member of Leading Hotels of the World. 239 rooms and suites, five restaurants including the very chic Cyan, three bars and lounges, tennis, spa, 10 meeting rooms for 10 to 450 people.

75 Amathounta Avenue, 45 32 Limassol. Tel: + 357-25 83 20 00.
Mail: amathusl@amathushotel.com. Internet: www.amathuslimassol.com

Yoga: rediscovering your body

To set the tone for a programme built around the elements of feng shui, it was difficult for the agency to propose anything other, within the walls of the hotel itself, than a moment of pure well-being, a sequence in which the hustle and bustle of the contemporary world would fade away in favour of an exclusive 'me and my rediscovered body'. Yoga, then! But yoga for neophytes learning to control their breathing to get rid of the day's fatigue. As you can see, it's not rocket science, there are no legs tucked behind your neck and no killer headstands. Depending on your tastes, the session can be extended by a few lazy swims in the seawater pool. Or better still, a session of miraculous massages. After a treatment like this, the world can only be 20 years old.

Day 2: Discover the island by 4×4: a day in the wine-growing villages, visits to cultural sites, cookery workshops and tasting of shoushoukos, the famous Cypriot sweet. Mezze dinner.

The Troodos: above the scorched earth

This is the real mountain, with its hills and valleys, its mountain passes and winding roads, and even a ski slope perched on Mount Olympus, a very exotic sight in the middle of the Mediterranean. The mountains, then, and all that is needed in the way of hiking trails, lost villages and ancient mountain resorts, such as Platres, once frequented by King Farouk, as well as fabulous churches that don't look like much on the outside, yet are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Troodos volcanic massif, a geological curiosity much studied by scientists, stretches over almost 1,500 km2 in the centre of the island. So far away, so close to the lights of the seaside festivals.

Omodos: in the vineyards of the Lord

The steep streets, the central square with its café terraces, the old ladies embroidering on their doorsteps... the whole Mediterranean is here! Without a shadow of a doubt, Omodos, 40km from Limassol, is the most visited village on the island. And why is that? Firstly because of its monastery, probably founded between the 12th and 14th centuries, and above all for the holy relics it houses, notably a piece of rope supposedly used to bind Christ to his cross, as well as a small piece of the Holy Cross itself. Secondly, for its crafts, in particular the lace patiently decorated by the famous old ladies... And last but not least, for its seven Commandaria wine cellars. A wine tasting followed by a mezze dinner served by the fireplace in a cosy mountain restaurant. Yamas! To our health in Greek!

Makrinari Tavern, Omodos. Tel: +357 25 422 151

Kolossi: knights and earthly foods

Standing sentinel in the bucolic countryside on the outskirts of Limassol, Kolossi Castle - in fact a square tower of blonde stone - marks out a very turbulent Middle Ages in Cyprus. With all the coats of mail and crosses brandished in the area, notably by the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem who took refuge here in 1291. Driven out of Saint-Jean-d'Acre by the Muslims, they settled in Kolossi and worked so hard that they covered the region with vineyards for export to the West. This included the famous Commandaria wine, which was a hit at the Plantagenet court. What we see here is a reconstruction, begun in 1454, of the ancient fortress destroyed by the Genoese and Mamelukes. The thick walls provide welcome coolness on hot days.

Commandaria: the king of wines, the wine of kings...

The year 1224. A fine vintage, a blessed year in which the first world classification of wines was organised in France. And the winner is... Commandaria! A sweet wine in the tradition of Portos or Marsalas; in short, a liqueur-like beverage that the macho 20th century dubbed a "lady's wine". It was Richard the Lionheart who gave it its letters of nobility and put this "king of wines, this wine of kings" on the tables of his court. Today, it is perfect with desserts.

Byzantine art: churches in barns

From the outside, they look like barns, farm buildings sometimes perched on the side of a mountain or set in the middle of a meadow. Gabled roofs, stone walls, no bell tower, tiny windows... Nothing, really nothing, indicates that these Byzantine churches contain some of the most beautiful paintings of their kind in the world. There are ten of them on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Agios Nikolaos Tis Stegis, a stone's throw from the village of Kakopetria, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. It is home to murals painted between the 11th and 14th centuries, in an atmosphere of chiaroscuro and almost celestial peace. In other words, they read like a real history book. And it's sublime!

Day 3: Full-day cruise followed by a visit to the ancient site of Paphos and lunch of fish mezes at Theo's restaurant.

Paphos: drenched in blue under the Cypriot sky

Paphos is pretty, pretty and at the same time very curious, as it is both a city, a real city where people live all year round, and a crowded tourist resort every summer. So, when it comes to shopping, you'll find just about everything a Cypriot city dweller or tourist looking for souvenirs or beach accessories could want. And then, adjoining the site with its formidable Roman mosaics listed as a UNESCO heritage site, there's a delightful fishing port, with freshly painted boats waddling in the sun and billionaires' yachts. Mooring there are the excursion boats, notably the Ocean Flyer and Sea Star, perfectly suited to business groups, with capacity for 100 to 150 people depending on the boat chosen. The programme includes an open bar and buffet, an anchorage near the caves carved out of the cliffs, a stop on a sandy beach and water sports. Then it's time for lunch at Theo's, the elegant fish restaurant on the harbour. It is very popular with Cypriots, which is undoubtedly a guarantee of quality.

Ocean Flyer and Sea Star Email: info@paphossecruise.com - Tel: +357 26 91 02 00 Theo's. 100 Apostolou Pavlou Ave. Pafos. Tel: +357 26 93 28 29

Old capital: above the mosaics

Things happen by chance. And, it seems, in Cyprus even more than elsewhere, since it was by chance that in 1962 some inspired diggers unearthed some marvellous Roman mosaics, undoubtedly the finest in the Mediterranean. They are so well preserved, so fine and so meticulously assembled that they have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As a result, the whole of Greco-Roman mythology is laid out at the feet of the visitor, who is cleverly perched on wooden pontoons offering a bird's-eye view of every room in these ex-large private villas belonging to an ex-rich ancient city. All the gods, demi-gods and more; all the Zeus, Dyonisos and Ganymedes inspired the artists of the time, who drew them in action, some in bucolic settings where the grapes are deliciously sweet and the water always fresh. It's a journey to the roots of Western culture, when the gods were numerous, had the same faults and qualities as humans and lived almost the same adventures. Only better, of course, because they were gods.

Day 4: Day at the donkey farm in the village of Kelokedara. BBQ lunch and gala dinner.

On the back of a donkey

How docile a donkey is! They're easy to lead, straightforward... and sure-footed, with no stumbling on volcanic rock. The participants in the operation experienced this first-hand at Argonaftis Donkey Farm, which offers a hilarious donkey ride along a riverbed to reach a monastery which, although abandoned, is nonetheless perfectly visitable. It's a real expedition, starting with a descent from the village to the donkey farm, via an unlikely old road and in a vintage bus from the 1950s. It ends with a restorative snack and a tasting of the island's very sweet specialities...

Argonaftis Donkey Farm. 317 E, 28th October Ave,
Kanika Business Center - Tel: + 357 25 58 6333 - Email :
info@argonaft.com.cy - Internet: www.argonaftis.com

Day 5: Morning at leisure with optional activities

Limassol: the old walls of a seaside town

Even though the Amathus hotel is right on the beach, in the middle of Limassol, and so we were able to get a feel for the city's plastic appearance, we'll wait until the last day, the one that the agency had the good idea of leaving free, to get a better idea of the island's economic capital. The first thing we saw was a city of great length, running up against the ruins of ancient Amathous to the east. A succession of hotels, restaurants, cafés, nightclubs and fashion boutiques stretch along the seafront for some fifteen kilometres. And it goes on like that all the way to the city centre, where the old walls tell a whole host of stories: stories of the Franks, the Genoese and the Ottomans, some verified and others totally fanciful.... In any case, wandering through these winding streets is a delight, with the Orient omnipresent, with its churches, mosques, markets, crowds and ever-populating café terraces. Limassol has a reputation for being the island's gastronomic capital. You'll be convinced of this when you sit down at the table of chef Skevos Kapsos, who officiates royally at Karatello, located next to the medieval castle and which, in a New York loft decor, serves around thirty mezzés for a single dinner... Which is a lot!