Paphos, Cyprus: where to stay, eat and drink

As this year's European City of Culture, Paphos can finally show it's not just offering value and Vitamin D
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Richard Mellor16 January 2017

Paphos, in western Cyprus, makes an unlikely European Capital of Culture for 2017 (pafos2017.eu) on first inspection. It’s chiefly frequented by perma-tanned Brits, most of whom come for the good life: cheap prices, Mediterranean food, constant sun and temperatures that go above 20C even in January.

Along the waterfront there’s a Pizza Express and a Next. There’s Beckhams Bar (sic), which shows every England game, and there are hotels, apartments and pools galore, plus pebble beaches, touristy tavernas and souvenir shops.

Look again, however, and another Paphos emerges. This was the Cypriot capital in Greco-Roman days, and the Unesco-protected legacy is impressive: fabulous mosaics, awe-inducing cave tombs, crumbling theatres and a still-standing pillar beside which St Paul was flayed for his Christian preaching.

Caramel-coloured Paphos Castle has served as both sea fortress and salt warehouse over the years, and just south is the rock where love goddess Aphrodite is said to have been born.

And thanks to its new Capital of Culture status, an extravaganza of castle concerts, cave-staged plays, tango workshops, screenings and street-art slams will occur throughout 2017 — proof that this underrated Cypriot corner offers far more than value and vitamin D.

Where to stay

Most visitors favour harbourside Kato (Lower) Paphos over older Ktima Paphos up the hill. The public areas at Almyra (00 357 26 888700; almyra.com), a Design Hotel, are a beautiful exercise in spacious, white-marble minimalism with the odd bit of bling. The estate then rolls down to the salty-aired promenade via a large pool, various restaurants, flowery lawns and dozens of daybeds. There’s also an extensive spa, while Paphos tour guides can be hired at reception. Doubles from £104, B&B.

Where to eat & drink

Cypriot cuisine is a blend of Mediterranean freshness and spicier, drier Middle Eastern approaches. If that doesn’t sound good, there’s always Pizza Express.

A vine-covered house in pretty Geroskipou village, next to Paphos, contains what many chefs reckon is the best restaurant in Cyprus. For their Seven St Georges Tavern (00 357 99 655824; facebook.com/7stgeorges; closed Mondays and most of January) the Demetriades family grow vegetables on an organic farm and source and forage everything else locally. The mezze is seasonal, so whether you get served fried wild asparagus, goat salami, tender kleftiko (oven-baked lamb or beef on the bone) or okra in tomato-and-mint sauce depends on the time of year. Set prices are €45 for two including drinks, with plates continuing until you raise the white flag.

Ten miles up the coast, close to Lara Bay, where sandy beaches and nesting turtles (May to August) await, is the imposing Edro III shipwreck. Later this year there will be a sea-themed play in the adjacent caves. Most audience members will then decamp a few steps to Oniro by the Sea (00 357 99 372255; no website but you can find it on Facebook), which combines coastal views with quietly good nosh. Sous-vide calamari with fennel-seasoned mash costs €7.50, while meat platters — kebabs, skewered chicken and the like — are €22.

Positioned on the busy promenade, with sparkling views of the harbour and Paphos Castle, Ouzeri (00 357 26 888700; almyra.com; Apr-Nov only) is Almyra’s least formal restaurant and often features strumming musicians. The grilled halloumi salad (€6.50) and wine-glazed octopus (€8.50) are both very good. Sip a little Commandaria dessert wine afterwards as you watch sunset from under the pergola.

The most authentic bars are found up the hill in Ktima Paphos, much of which has been redeveloped — new squares, prettied-up theatres — in advance of Capital of Culture year. Close to the cathedral is Muse (00 357 99 176232; facebook.com/musecafekitchenbar), also a restaurant. Grab a fresh-berry caipiroska and head through to the multi-level terrace, which has superlative views of the Mediterranean and that sinking sun.

Where to shop

Shops in Kato Paphos are geared towards tourists and expats — including the two-floor Kings Avenue Mall (kingsavenuemall.com) and its international branches, from Mango to Marks & Spencer — at the cost of local flavour. But uphill in Ktima Paphos, big-name clothing (Guess, Benetton) vies for attention with local businesses such as womenswear boutique Neli Studio (00 357 26 221766, facebook.com/nelistudioshop) on the main Nikodemou Mylona, Archbishop Makariou III and Glastronos streets. For bargain-priced leather bags, lace or jewellery, try the busy, bazaar-style Paphos Market (Petraki Miltiadous 11), which will open Monday-Saturday, 9am-2pm once refurbishments finish shortly.

What to do and see

Highlights of the 2017 programme see the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual Concert of Europe relocate to Paphos Castle on May 1, a sound-and- light spectacular in the harbour on July 11 and Charlotte Rampling reading poetry under the stars on August 11. Most of the 350 events are temporary shows or festivals but some are permanent — like local sculptor Yiota Ioannidou’s beguiling bronze figurines on the seafront. Aphrodite’s Rock and those Roman mosaics are among numerous alfresco performance venues, too.

Alamy Stock Photo

The mosaics occupy the House of Dionysos, a grand villa that is the headline attraction of sprawling Paphos Archaeological Park (visitpafos.org.cy; €4.50), along with a well-preserved odeon theatre. The sandstone-cut Tombs of the Kings (€2.50) haunt visitors just outside town, while St Paul’s Pillar (free) awaits back in Kato Paphos.

Details: Paphos

Monarch (0333 003 0100; monarch.co.uk) flies direct to Paphos from Gatwick with returns from £136. visitcyprus.com

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