Travel
02 June 2010
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If you're heading to the Mediterranean for a spot of golf, forget booking a hotel in Portugal or Spain - try Cyprus instead, says DOMINIC PICKSLEY
WHEN it comes to golf, Cyprus is the new kid on the block - it only boasts three courses, but there are ambitious plans for another 14 in the next few years to turn the island into another golfers' paradise.
If the impressive courses at Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley and Minthis Hills are anything to go by, Cyprus is well on its way to becoming a utopia for golfers of all abilities. I teed off my experience at the opulent surroundings of the Aphrodite Hills Resort, a fabulous five-star development on a plateau overlooking Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of love.
This five-star resort oozes elegance, with many of its 290 rooms and suites fit for a king, but it also boasts an 18- hole championship golf course, designed by Cabell Robinson, Europe's leading course architect. It's spectacular, but for 150 euros a round, you expect something special. Aphrodite Hills has plenty for golf widows and families too: it also features a first-class tennis academy, a beach club and a multi-purpose sports court for children with everything from volleyball to mini-football.
The surrounding region of Paphos is steeped in local history and culture too: taste the local vintage at a nearby winery and wine museum, or try your handiwork at workshops which turn out traditional Cypriot clay pots. Completing our rounds in near darkness, we headed back to base, the fivestar Columbia Beach Resort in the picturesque coastal village of Pissouri, for a traditional Cypriot meze, a constant supply of small dishes of meat and fish, including delicious barbecued octopus, all cooked to perfection.
Smaller than Aphrodite Hills resort, the Columbia is equally luxurious. With elegant suites around the main pool, a stone's throw from the sea, this hotel is rightly regarded as one of the best in the region. After a day's golf, what better way to relax than in the hotel's spa, with highly trained therapists on hand to massage aches and strains away?
Next up was Secret Valley Golf Club, a short drive from Aphrodite Hills, and a course within a colourful, picturesque valley. An "easier" proposition than the previous day, but hardly one to be taken lightly. The course has a stunning new clubhouse, redeveloped in 2006, and manager Stelios Patsalides summed up the course perfectly: "The views of the surroundings combined with the design efforts create a unique and memorable golfing experience." Quite right. Although less glamorous, Secret Valley still had an air of grandeur, in the setting of a natural amphitheatre with the hills looming up to create a bowl.
It felt the most British of the three - and the rain we encountered made us feel decidedly British too. While we got drenched by a heavy downpour - rare in these parts, but welcome for the rain-starved country - this being Cyprus, we were soon dry and the round was completed in bright sunshine.
We then moved up the road to Paphos, a city rich in history and an archaeology lover's delight, whether it be the immaculately preserved mosaics at the House of Dionysus, near the popular harbour, or the world heritage site of the Tombs of the Kings.
One of the main selling points of the Almyra is the Almyra Spa, which promises "to create a holistic approach through health, beauty and fitness". With luxury treatments ranging from Fragrant Flower Rituals to Mountain Herb Retreats, the spa provides a pampering to ease any painful memories of poor shots on the fairways.
Travel tips
GETTING THERE
Dominic was a guest of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and flew with Cyprus Airways which offers return flights ex-London, Manchester and Birmingham.
Reservations: 020 8359 1333 and www.cyprusair.com.
Operators to Aphrodite Hills Resort include Olympic Holidays, which offers seven nights' halfboard from £900 with return flights ex-Gatwick June 2, incl transfers.
FIND OUT MORE
Olympic Holidays reservations: 0844 576 2386 and www. OlympicHolidays.com
Further resort information: www.aphroditehills.com.
Destination enquiries: Cyprus Tourism Organisation (020 7569 8800 and www.visitcyprus.com).