Live like a goddess on sunny Cyprus

Aug 13 2009 Katie Hodge, Surrey Herald

LEGEND has it that Aphrodite, Greek goddess of beauty and love, was born on this Mediterranean island and, so the story goes, her continuing presence brings unremitting sunshine. It's not hard to believe.

The first thing to hit me was the golden glow and blissful warmth that drew me through the airport throng. Seconds later I was plucked from the crowds and spirited away to my heavenly new abode.

I was off to cavort with the gods - in a junior suite at The Amathus, a hotel perched on the sea front, and a stone's throw from the centre of old Paphos.

My room was palatial, with a marble bathroom, minimalist Manhattan-style decor and a private, floodlit plunge pool.

A welcoming - and welcome - bottle of champagne set the tone, and a sophisticated bunch of flowers brought some Cypriot warmth to the room.

I spent my first afternoon lazing by the pool along with a few of my fellow guests; a mixture of honeymooners, single travellers and nutty professors.

But Paphos has a lot to offer, and whether you are there to sunbathe or to explore an island steeped in myth and tradition, you will want to venture out.

I began my days like any self-respecting goddess: indulgently.

Breakfast on the sun terrace was, predictably, a feast from the heavens. On the first morning I opted for pancakes with maple syrup and wafer-thin bacon. And I would have stopped there, only I spotted the cereal bar, so a modest bowl of muesli, extra fruit and nuts was added to the tray.

And I'd have pottered back to my spot in the sun, only on my way to the fruit juices, I was distracted by the mini patisseries: warm and golden.

So I nabbed a couple[2026] and some French toast, some pineapple, some Greek yoghurt - it seemed appropriate -and a glass of champagne.

Back at my table, a lovely lady approached proffering some steaming coffee. A slightly stuffed Aphrodite nodded and raised her cup.

But gods must concern themselves with higher matters, so I left the gastronomic delights behind me and made my way into the ancient world.

Unesco has recently added the whole town of Paphos to its World Heritage list. Once the island's capital, Paphos is now famous for the remains of the Roman governor's palace with its well-preserved mosaics.

At my first stop, the Tombs of the Kings, I felt like I'd been dropped onto the set of a film. The necropolis, just over a mile north-west of Paphos harbour and carved out of solid rock, dates back to the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. Renowned for their magnificence, the tombs are open to all and areremarkably untouched.

From here, I traced the passage of civilisations through Paphos. There are many spectacular views from clifftops where the ancient Mycenaean Greek settlers built temples to their gods (giving pride of place to Aphrodite, of course).

One of the most historic sites on the island is the House of Dionysus, a Roman villa dating from the second century AD, filled with representations of the god of wine.

Moving further inland, you can visit prehistoric settlements, classical Greek temples, Roman theatres, Byzantine churches and monasteries.

One trip to the lesser-developed area of Polis in the south was well worth a couple of hours on the road.

The Saint Neophytos Monastery and the Egkleistra - a cave carved out of the rock by a hermit in the 12th Century - were also must-sees. I could have lingered all morning, had my punishing schedule permitted it, but onwards, to the Vasilikon Winery, a short trip from the monastery, to see what Dionysus could offer,rounded off with a relaxing dip in the Amathus pool.

Is it possible to have too much of Cyprus? Not in three days, and probably not in three lifetimes.

This is the sort of occasion when it helps to be immortal. Unfortunately for me, Ihad a flight to catch; I wasn't born a goddess, after all.