Cyprus Travel Diary: Aphrodite Hills Holiday Residences

There’s more to Cyprus holidays than historic harbours, gorgeous beaches, pulsing nightlife and ancient myths. Kenwood Travel Europe holiday expert Sophie shares her personal experience of luxury villa living on this Mediterranean island, including some handy food and transport hacks. You heard it here first…

Aphrodite Hills Holiday Residences in Paphos is definitely an all-round resort. So much to see and do with some great options for sport and leisure. Food-wise, we loved the Village Square so much we ate there three times. The Greek and Italian restaurants were delicious, and there’s an Indian restaurant and even a pub. As you’d expect, the island’s famous afelia and sheftalia dishes are represented with a kebab house – highly recommended. The in-resort supermarket has all your day-to-day requirements, plus there’s a Costa Coffee and Haagen Daas shop. They have a beer garden with live evening music and snacks during the day, and a Club House.

Home from home. If your house has a private pool, that is

Guests receive a blue smart card upon check-in at the main reception. You can present this card at almost all the restaurants and receive a 10% discount off the total bill; a great saving. You also receive a 15% voucher for the supermarket, and you can redeem free items in the bakery such as fresh bread, donuts, sandwiches and cakes. Service at the resort is outstanding. The Aphrodite staff are so friendly, and always on hand to assist with everything we needed; nothing was too much trouble.

Our first room type at Aphrodite Hills Holiday Residences was the five-bed superior villa, situated on the Western Plateau of the resort. It’s a beautiful, very spacious villa with an infinity pool and amazing views. The lounge and kitchen was on the top level alongside an outdoor seating area, with all bedrooms and bathrooms plus a private pool and patio on the ground floor. The configuration was three double rooms and two twin rooms. The twin rooms connected and shared a bathroom with the doubles, so this is an ideal option for guests travelling with younger kids. The cool, contemporary décor was of a high standard. Towels and toiletries are included and cleaning is once per stay. We also received a welcome pack with all your essentials for your first night.

Our next accommodation was a Mythos Villa on the Western Plateau. After staying on both sides of the complex, I would highly recommend the Western Plateau for families or couples who want to be able to get around on foot. It was only a 10-minute walk to the supermarket, bus stop and Village Square. You don’t have to hire a car at all. If we stayed on the Eastern Plateau, we’d have needed a car as it’s a bit too far to walk. But good to know Aphrodite Hills Holiday Residences provide an onsite taxi service for 10 Euros each way.

Pool with a view. The Aphrodite villas are great for the kids

Our Mythos Villa was beautiful: large infinity pool, five bedrooms, gym, sauna, two living rooms, two fully equipped kitchens and nine bathrooms in total! There’s plenty of outdoor space too, an amazing BBQ area and lots of chairs and loungers. Spread across three floors, it worked so well for everyone. There’s a daily cleaning service, plus pool cleaning. For entertainment and staying connected, the villa had good wifi, UK TV and a selection of movies and music.

There’s a bus service into Paphos from Aphrodite Hills Holiday Residences, which costs €1.50 per adult / 75 cents per child, each way. It takes about 30 minutes and drops you off at Paphos Harbour. There’s also a free bus to Bonamare Beach club (15 mins away) once per stay. It’s a shingle beach but the service and food was amazing, plus towels and water are provided as well as door to door drop off and pick up. It’s a great day out for the kids.

From beach to BBQ, Aphrodite Hills Holiday Residences is the place to be