THE FACTS ABOUT COLUMBIA BEACH RESORT

This 94-suite hotel is on a winding road halfway between Paphos and Limassol, on the south coast. In a beautiful, remote location on a sandy beach between two headlands (near its older sister property, Columbia Beachotel), it is perhaps the loveliest of all the new hotels on Cyprus. It has been built to resemble a Cypriot village and is decorated in a classic-meets-contemporary style. While not quite as luxurious as rivals such as Anassa, it has a likeable, relaxed atmosphere, and is also slightly less expensive. Most of the rooms are in little stone houses with pretty, shuttered windows, arranged around a spectacular lagoon-style swimming pool that starts in the main building and extends as far as the sea. All the suites have stone floors, huge beds, bathrooms with king-size tubs, large seating areas with elegant tweed sofas, and balconies big enough to dine on. There are two restaurants: Dionysos, which has a gourmet menu, and Apollo, an informal restaurant modelled on a traditional taverna and serving reliably delicious Greek food. The resort's health club is excellent. In addition to the obligatory sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, there are two treatment rooms with an impressive list of de-stressing and detoxifying treatments, including several types of massage, reflexology and aromatherapy. The resort's star masseur is a rather wonderful elderly Greek Cypriot called Mr George. His loyal clientele often check into Columbia Beach Resort just to experience his Chinese massage. There are tennis and squash courts, a fully equipped gym and a hall for yoga and aerobics. CONTACT Columbia Beach Resort, Pissouri (00 357 2583 3000; fax: 2583 3688; www.columbia-hotels.com). Doubles from CYŁ195 (about Ł235)