Almyra and Anassa, in Cyprus – Thanos Hotels Group includes these two splendid resorts

First to Almyra, a trendy box hotel right on the coast, a few minutes’ walk from Paphos, the fishing village that turns into youthful activity when the sun goes down. Owned by Kikkos Monastery since its launch in 1973, the 158-room hotel has had such a makeover that it reminds me of Clint Eastwood reimagined as Brad Pitt.

I was in villa 10, which could be inelegantly described as a modern semi-detached bungalow, even closer to the water than the main blocks. All white on the outside, it is equally clear on the inside. You look across the room onto your private concrete terrace, from which you can walk down three steps to a patch of grass shared with your neighbours, with the beach below (you also share your flat roof with them, again white, it has been sculpted with white seats and becomes very sexy at night). In the room, thanks to French designer Joelle Pleot, who had previously remodeled Thanos Michaelides’ house, it had gray marble floors, pale white-gray walls, softwood furniture with pale blue leather upholstery, and pillows. A futuristic stainless steel fan hummed overhead. The bathroom had a large rain shower, as well as a handheld unit, and beautiful LaSource toiletries by Crabtree & Evelyn that matched the pale blue upholstery.

We meet for dinner at the open-air restaurant, by the beach. The menu is international with a twist. Fish and chips here is a basket full of fried calamari, served with a metal pot of ‘village’ chips and another pot of tartar sauce. When I returned to my villa, I found the bed turned upside down and a red apple on a round card, on which was written ‘Happiness does not lie in possessions or gold, but the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul.’

In the morning I did a pre-breakfast power walk along the coastal path, coinciding with some young revelers who were still on their way home from the night before. The fishermen were already preparing to leave. I came back, to get ready for breakfast, in another outdoor area. I checked out the huge hotel lobby, which is really only used during the winter months unless, like me, you want WiFi (perfect reception here, which is unusual for this island). Pleot has deliberately turned the lobby into a residential house, albeit a huge one, with lots of different chairs, different seating areas. In winter there is a giant open wood burning fireplace. His sense of color comes through in the bright orange chairs in the bar area. I was offered a round of golf, only 20 minutes away, but it was time to go.

Forty minutes later we were in the northwestern section of the island in the small coastal town of Polis. We head west towards the Akmasa Peninsula, and after four miles we turn off the oleander-lined road onto the private road of Anassa (‘Queen’, named for Aphrodite, whose mythical baths are a few miles ahead). This leading resort, opened in 1998, cascades over 70 acres of rugged coastal terrain. It is, frankly, huge. A water fountain in the outer turning circle and then an honor guard of seven water spouts greet you as you enter a honey-colored marble colosseum. To get to the sunset terrace, to look out to sea, is a 200-foot walk (I measured it), along wide open corridors, which take angles, say past a large mirror flanked by a pair of green lights. Thanks to designer Darrell Schmitt, you can always see something intriguing, and there are strategically placed local planters, or modern icons, to give culture as you walk, or through beautiful, impeccably manicured gardens, with lawns but also acres of natural shrubs. mille-feuille of flowers of different colors.

The 173 rooms are arranged, like in a village, in blocks. I was in 73, a ground-floor suite with a private exterior entrance, living room and bedroom, and a stone-walled terrace with a plunge pool. My rooms had light wood floors, cream walls, paint, and shutters covered with thin curtains. Here the fans were pale cream in color and hung from slightly peaked cream wooden ceilings. I had a bath and a half, with Bulgari.

I ran out to the spa, somehow finding my way through the ‘town square’ and the small church, contemporary with the resort, where a couple, attended by their ten year old son, were getting married. The spa is semi-underground, a real draw as it has 17 treatment rooms. They offer thalassotherapy and Organic Pharmacy, the London firm apparently loved by Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. I had an anti-aging body treatment, i.e. a white sugar, salt and rose petals scrub, followed by a day wrap and Andean rose petals, then a rose oil spread, then a body cream that included the following ingredients, green coffee fat acids, guarana, horsetail complex, ivy and meadowsweet – a 200ml bottle from this Organic Pharmacy website will set you back £150.

There are five restaurants, cleverly not all of them are open every night. Wednesday is Cypriot night, buffet with live dancing in the ‘town square’, and lots of fun (had I stayed another night it would have coincided with the weekly management cocktail party. The new chef here is Australian Ashley Goddard, who wants -like he did at Soneva Fushi, to plant an organic garden, for guests to visit.

In the morning, the sun streamed in through the blinds she had deliberately left open. I got up, looked over my plunge pool at the exotic bushes, down to the ocean. A mountain bike was waiting for me and I got a good workout. My room service breakfast was simple in style, a large wooden tray with wonderful orange juice and a generous bowl of local unsweetened yoghurt. I had a heart shape of butter, French jams from L’Ancienne and local honey, a Frette napkin and mounds of tasty coffee. It was time for my acupuncture, from an amazing local resident, Christine Whittaker, a Welsh woman who gave up serious law for a lifestyle change and spent four years studying detailed acupuncture in Beijing. She was supposedly doing my face, but at one point I opened one eye to find myself lying down with needles all over my legs. I felt like Gulliver with the Lilliputians. And this one is for energy, she said, putting one on top of my head. She counted them, she counted them (luckily the same).

Unfortunately, there is no time for tennis or water sports or even trying all the restaurants. My car was waiting for me and I promised to come back (35% of all guests here are repeaters). Well done Thanos and sisters!

PS: The next night, Christine’s energy needle kicked in. I woke up at 2am bursting with creativity.