IN THE LAP OF GODS: THE AMARA IN CYPRUS
Sublime wines, sybaritic spas and meze that never ends: Christian koch finds out why the Amara hotel in Cyprus is the closest mere mortals can get to living like a god for the weekend…
Pore over a map of Cyprus and you’ll find many of the hotels are brought to you by the letter ‘A’: Anassa, Annabel, Apollonia, Almyra, Amphora, Alexander the Great and so on. This might be because they want alphabetic adjacency to Aphrodite (famed goddess of love, who first stepped onto dry land here) or a retro desire to have front-of-book billing in the Cypriot Yellow Pages. But if you’re looking for the acme or most amazing hotel in the island’s pantheon of A-list accommodation, then the Amara should win, hands-down.
This luxury five-star on Cyprus’s south coast has been attracting glitterati and travel-savvy holidaymakers since launching in 2019. Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince Edward (of United Kingdom) and HRH Kylie Minogue have all rested their royal heads at this beachfront pleasure-palace. Meanwhile, the Amara’s growing portfolio of celebrity-chef restaurants – the only Locatelli outside of London, Matsuhisa Limassol (from the eponymous Nobu-founder), stellar seafood eatery Nerea and latest addition Beefbar, an outpost of Monte Carlo’s swanky steakhouse – means it’s also a foodie pitstop for those docking their superyachts in nearby Limassol marina.
The Amara derives its name from the Greek word ‘amarantos’ which means ‘everlasting’. As MTL opens the door to its deluxe grand seaview room, this sense of the infinite is immediately apparent with the Med horizon stretching endlessly from the glass-to-ceiling windows, balcony and beyond (all Amara rooms/suites have a sea view; no garden/courtyard room chicanery here).
The hotel is also minutes’ away from Amathous archaeological site, one of Cyprus’s royal kingdoms until 300BC. It seems to have left a psychic residue: today, the Amara is full of marble furnishings, travertine stonework and ancient statues/objet d’art all suffused with natural light that will have you feeling like you’re floating like a god on his/her personal cloud every time you walk down a corridor. Along with the contemporary, carefree design (top US architect David Rockwell was involved) and a 30,000 sq ft spa so huge MTL got lost inside, the hotel evokes heaven-like metaphors at every turn.
All of which might imply the Amara is an oppressively trendy, snobby place. Far from it. The rooms are bedecked with what one employee calls “huggable” colours (sandy tones, off-whites and blues) while the perma-friendly staff showcase the natural warmth Cypriots are famous for.
As tempting as lingering by the Amara’s seawater infinity pool might be, Cyprus itself demands discovery. The following can be easily managed in a day-trip. Strangely enough, they all begin with ‘A’ too.
Aphrodite. The goddess of love is inescapable in Cyprus. A 40-minute drive from the Amara is Petra tou Romiou where, legend has it, Aphrodite emerged Ursula Andress-like from the sea before embarking upon her sexual escapades. The beach is also home to jutting Aphrodite’s Rock. Many Cypriots believe if they swim around the giant sea-stack three times, it’ll bring them love. Aphrodite was apparently born from the foam created from the crushed genitals of the recently-castrated Ouranos, after his son threw them into the sea. Just like any other local family squabble, foreigners should not get involved.
Ancient stuff. The swag of ruins at Pafos Archaeological Site dates to the 4th century (but was only discovered in 1962 by a farmer ploughing his field). If you’ve forgotten the Greek mythology you learned at school, then the Roman floor mosaics inside the House of Dionysus are a great primer. Elon Musk could learn something from the tale of Narcissus portrayed here.
Alcohol: They’ve been making wine on the slopes of the Troodos mountains for around 6,000 years and today the area hosts around 50 wineries. At family-run Ktima Gerolemo in the time-warped village of Omodos MTL sampled shiraz maratheftikos and Commandaria sweet wines before taking care not to topple on the cobblestoned-backstreets afterwards.
An abundance of food. When it comes to culinary holiday experiences, eating the tagliatelle with kid goat ragu while gazing at a full moon-illuminated sea from Locatelli’s terrace or nibbling on black cod yuzu miso at Matsuhisa Limassol is hard-to-beat.
But meze is what Cyprus does best, which is why MTL found itself on a Saturday lunchtime at Mediterraneo restaurant as a non-stop armada of small dishes (we lost count after 19) were ferried to our table. Locals will tell you “the only thing in Cyprus that never ends is the food” and that was certainly the case with the (deep breath) carob tahini, red snapper with purple potato, squeaky, honey-drenched halloumi, sheftalia (spicy sausage), souvlaki and baklava so sticky it should be sold in DIY stores as an adhesive. Our tips? Loosen your belt, go easy on the bread and locate a sunlounger for a long, postprandial nap afterwards.
Ayia Napa: just an hour’s drive from the Amara, it’s a clubbing… Hang on, let’s ignore that.
Finally, there’s another A-starred reason to visit this part of Cyprus: autumn. October and November are trying months for sunseekers: hurricanes in the Caribbean, typhoons in southeast Asia, lukewarm temps in Spain. In Cyprus, however, the thermometer nudges 30c with the sea warm enough to swim until Christmas. The Amara might not arrive slap-bang at the start of the alphabet, but if you’re looking for a luxe beach-break in 2024’s final sky-darkening months, then its name should be one of the first words you type into your browser.