Almyra Hotel

Long gone is the old Paphos Beach hotel, and in its place the Almyra brings a healthy dose of high-design glamour and an unusual young family-friendly angle. Paphos, once the Mediterranean getaway of choice for the budget-conscious and style-impaired, has reinvented itself as a destination for the young and upwardly mobile, with the Almyra perhaps its most fashionable property.

The look leans heavily on dazzling whites and a soft sky blue—just a shade lighter than the Aegean blue that has become a trademark in Greek hotels—and the interiors are all clean lines and chic minimal furniture, at times more reminiscent of high-end retail design than the traditional island resort. This is certainly a good thing; dark wood headboards and platform beds quickly prove just as suited to the Mediterranean surroundings as floral bed covers and stucco walls ever were.

Beyond mere eye candy, though, the accommodations are more than functional, with such modern must-haves as wi-fi access and satellite television. Each room has, at the very least, a floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the garden, and the better ones come with terraces or balconies overlooking the sea.

The old Paphos Beach hotel pool has been reinvented, in chic black slate, and it’s here and on the hotel’s rooftop terraces that guests mingle and absorb the summer sun. At night, the poolside bar turns into a rather more serious restaurant, its chef a Nobu alumnus who brings a Japanese influence as well as a certain air of celebrity to the proceedings. It’s all rather more than one could have expected from Cyprus just a few short years ago, and it’s probably best experienced now, before the rest of the world catches on.

How to get there:
Almyra Hotel is approximately a 20 minute drive from Paphos International Airport (PFO).