Sun-soaked and lining the sea, our editors share their pick of the best hotels in Cyprus for families, couples and friends
When selecting the best hotels in Cyprus, several key factors should be taken into consideration. The Republic of Cyprus’s sun-swathed, golden-beach-swagged coasts are a major lure for most travellers, but a crop of lost-in-the-past mountain villages – blissfully cool when temperatures soar in summer – are also well worth visiting. As is the island nation’s edgy capital, Nicosia. Basking in hot sunshine for most of the year, the Med’s third-largest island is also the perfect all-year-round getaway, and with international airports in Paphos in the west and Larnaca further east, it’s a cinch to get here, too.
Add a slew of new hotels to this sunbaked mix and you have the perfect recipe for a thrilling Cyprus vacay. Whether you fancy slinky all-inclusive resorts where you won’t need to lift a finger, ritzy boutique properties ideal for adventurous spirits, or city hotels within easy reach of the sights, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to cool places to stay. This is our edit of the best hotels in Cyprus. Alternatively, look to something more private and consider one of the best villas in Cyprus for your next jaunt to the island.
How we choose the best hotels in Cyprus
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve.
Amyth of Nicosia
Best for: city slickers
Latest venture of the Thanos family, Cyprus’s leading luxury hotel group, this glorious boutique beauty at the heart of the city’s storied old town is the perfect skip-off point for exploring Nicosia, Europe’s last divided capital city. Inside this cannily renovated 19th-century mansion, the ambience is cool-calm combined with lashings of yesteryear style: vintage tiled floors gleaming beneath lofty chandelier-strung ceilings, and antique bibelots sitting next to lounge-inviting sofas.
The star of this scintillating show is an original 19th-century circular staircase which winds its way up to 10 suites where solid circular wooden desks preen on parquet wood flooring and plump beds glow in the light of ruby-red globe lamps. Some rooms also have balconies with views of the surrounding web of alleys (perfect for people-watching).
Overseen by David Goodridge, alumnus of countless Michelin-starred establishments, the hotel’s Kouzina restaurant serves up Cypriot cuisine made with organic ingredients and locally sourced produce. Just steps away from the city’s main sights, the hotel also offers effortless access to the Archbishop’s grandiose palace, hip designer stores along Ermou, the Shacolas Tower’s lofty viewing point, and the Ledra Street checkpoint, which leads to the occupied northern half of Aphrodite’s island.
Anassa, Latchi
Best for: the whole crew
A previous Gold List winner for one of the best hotels in Europe, Anassa breaks the mould in terms of location. Its series of immaculate white buildings, spilling down the hillside to pools and onto the beach, is on the north-west coast, about an hour’s drive from Paphos airport. The drive is worth it – the hotel sits right on the scoop of Chrysou bay, great for scuba diving straight off the shore. But it’s the multigenerational appeal that draws Anassa's loyal following. The kids' club is slicker than most London nurseries, and the adult-only spaces are effortlessly chic. The spa is a leap above your average, with healing thalassotherapy pools and treatments by cult farm-to-face brand Tata Harper. With its four reliable dining options plus a ‘Baby Go Lightly’ service that provides any essentials you may have forgotten and more, Anassa ticks all the boxes in one big elegant marble-covered swoop.
Almyra, Paphos
Best for: fun-loving families
Paphos hotel Almyra is the ultimate hotel in Cyprus for families. Children are wonderfully catered for here without compromising on design and sophistication. Parents can lounge under bougainvillea as they watch. their kids do handstands in the shallow emerald pool, or enjoy some sunshine from their Kyma suite’s seafront terrace while little ones have a daytime snooze inside. Like the sister property to Anassa, Almyra also offers the same handy ‘Baby Go Lightly’ service, as well as a kids’ club that's up there with the best. Breakfasts are perfectly geared towards children with plastic cutlery and a greatest hits menu. At night even the most jaded foodie will be satisfied by standout restaurant Notios with its almost-Nobu Japanese-Mediterranean fusion. For lunch, don’t miss the seafront taverna Ouzeri, where you can enjoy a relaxed meal and sunset with the whole family.
Click here to read the article in the Condé Nast Traveller.