The Remarkable Experience of a Golf Holiday in Cyprus

Tombs & Tee Times, Sweets & Sunsets. A Cypriot Odyssey by Golfshake Ambassador Andy Picken.

I have visited the beautiful island of Cyprus on at least five different occasions for beach-based holidays with the family. Its climate is superb given its position within the Mediterranean Sea.

First settled over 13,000 years ago, its location has allowed it to enjoy many different influences as its strategic position encouraged many different invaders over the years. These range from Roman to the Ottomans, followed most recently by a period of British rule until it was granted independence in the 1960s. Thus leaving a legacy of driving being on the left-hand side of the road and English being widely spoken.

Access to the island is simplicity itself with direct flights from most UK airports into Paphos. 

Originally the capital of the island, this city has a wonderful atmosphere combining the new with the very old and well preserved. We were lucky to be provided with excellent tour guides enabling us to widen our analysis to include many of the cultural experiences I will detail later in addition to the sublime golfing experiences we were able to enjoy.

Paphos sits within a UNESCO World Heritage Site and there are a host of fascinating experiences available for the traveller who wishes to look outside of the excellent golf related products that are available within a 20-minute drive of the town.

Base For The Trip

We used the excellent Constantino Brothers Athena Beach Hotel. Simply put this venue was superb. Excellent cuisine with exceptional facilities including indoor and outdoor pools. A beach side location supported by private swimming pools linked to accessibility to the four main golf courses ensured that this could not have been a better base for our adventure. 

There was direct access to glorious beach and walks across the dunes leading directly to Old Paphos town. It has an excellent wine cellar, and I was astonished to discover that the history of wine production here rivals that of the French and the Italians.  

Cypriot Wine & Food

Wine has been produced on the island for thousands of years with depictions of the god Baccus being illustrated within the amazing mosaics being found in areas protected by the UNESCO World Heritage status that covers many areas of Paphos due to its historical importance to many different cultures.

‘Commandaria’ is the oldest known wine anywhere in the world. It is a sweet amber coloured dessert wine made from sun dried grapes. Described by Richard the Lionheart during his 12th century crusades as the "wine of kings and the king of wines". Prior to my visit I did not understand the importance of wine to the Cypriot economy or history, and it has been a very pleasurable journey of discovery.

I was delighted to discover that Minthis Golf Club had a vineyard and from this they created an excellent range of wines. The gastronomy within all the golf clubs I visited was of an excellent standard with locally produced food being the main focus of the menus.

We took a morning for a walking tour of the Paphos Old Town that concluded with a visit to the harbour and its castle followed by a meal at the wonderful Theos Restaurant that sits directly on the harbour's edge. The food here is some of the best sea food that I have ever tasted and yet it still had a family feel about its service provision. If you get the chance to visit do not hesitate, it was superb.

I loved the chance to visit a family that have been producing Halloumi cheese and breads for four generations in a bakery and cheese production facility that sits in the rear garden of their house. 

To taste the freshly made cheese flavoured with home grown herbs on bread still warm from the outside oven was a delight that is difficult to describe adequately in words. This was then washed down with a strong sweet Cypriot coffee and wines that came from the vineyard located five minutes away. If you like local food of the highest quality this is a trip not to be missed.

I also sampled Cyprus Delight. This is a sweet product that is like what I knew as Turkish Delight from my childhood and was able to see the production of this unique sweet treat. The Ouzo flavoured version is a genuine delight, and one taste resulted in the purchase of additional supplies. 

I also acquired some first press extra virgin platinum standard Olive Oil that is some of the best I have ever tasted. It was ridiculously cheap in comparison to UK prices. 

When visiting, hunt out the Carob based products that use this fruit as a chocolate substitute. It is excellent and much healthier than the sugar laden alternatives. Make sure you leave room in your luggage for extra items to take home as I defy anyone sampling this type of product not wanting to take some with them.

Tombs & Things - What to See And Do in Paphos, Cyprus

I was very pleasantly surprised by our visit to the World Heritage Sites of the House of Dionysus and the Tombs of the Kings. These were not scheduled within the trip itinerary but our guides enthused the group sufficiently for us to make time to visit them. I am so pleased we did as they were fascinating and thought provoking in equal measure.

This part of Cyprus has a unique heritage that is important to the history of the world and the fact that a farmer discovered mosaics whilst ploughing then allowed them to be protected and shared with everyone is an important feature of global history recognised by the World Heritage status it attracted.

Study is still being undertaken to fully understand the significance of the Tombs of the Kings. It was an awe-inspiring site to walk amongst these incredible tombs, literally hewn from the rock, into incredible shapes and styles for use by the rich occupants in the afterlife.  

We also visited Aphrodite’s Rock and wandered to the beach through an underground tunnel. This was around sunset and it was a magical place to see without the crowds of tourists that are usually present. 

I love my golf but also like diversions when visiting locations that take my mind off playing. Paphos and its general area is packed full of such delights if you take the time to hunt them out. 

Paphos was the European City of Culture for 2017 and the legacy of this award still lingers with many cultural displays and items of interest still accessible to the tourist visitor.

During my trip we sampled the delights of four different golf courses all within a 20-minute drive from our hotel base. They included Minthis, Elea, Secret Valley and finally Aphrodite Hills.

Highly Recommended Golf Courses

I researched all the golf courses prior to travel using the Golfshake archives to reveal that every location had earned a Highly Recommended status with 100% of all reviewers wishing to return and play again or that they would recommend a visit to friends. 

These reviews are by golfers for golfers, and I was genuinely excited at the prospect of sampling the delights of each golf course. 

• Elea Golf Club Review
• Secret Valley Golf Resort Review
• Minthis Golf Club Review
• Aphrodite Hills Golf Resort Review

I found nothing in my experience that would allow me to argue against the 100% rating that each course received, and I would wholeheartedly recommend a visit to a friend and will be trying to arrange a repeat visit for myself.

For more information on golf holidays in Cyprus, please visit our travel partners Golfbreaks for the best deals and packages by clicking here.