This is the best position on the island: a secluded (and protected) hillside spilling down to the blue waters of Latchi bay, with the unspoilt Akamas peninsula on your doorstep, and barely a building in sight. Lush flowering gardens leap up around you; every whitewashed balcony is draped in bougainvillea, every olive-shaded dinner table is lit with flickering candles.
As you'd expect in a resort of this size, there's a wealth of facilities, from an all-ages kids' club to an award-winning 'Thalassotherapy' spa, not to mention 3 pools, 4 restaurants and a purpose-built Orthodox chapel for private weddings. Best of all, the service is genuinely 5*, with a 1:1 staff-guest ratio, and concierges who can magic up a speedboat or an elusive medicine at a moment's notice. If you can stir yourself, there are cruises to turtle beaches, jeep tours to cedar-shaded monasteries, catamarans to sail, wines to taste, waters to ski, even floodlit tennis courts. But chances are you'll do as we did: laze on the beach, pop a mask on to spot swarms of silvery fish, stir yourself for grilled sea bream at lunch, and again for raspberry cocktails at sunset, before tucking into exquisite French cuisine, or Cypriot mezes.
Highs
- Seven days of this and you'll be truly decompressed; 14, and the real world may as well cease to exist
- Bedrooms and suites are big and airy, with pampering marbled bathrooms and (in some cases) lofty sea views, plunge pools or both
- You need feel no guilt at leaving your children in the kids club: besides an Aladdin's cave of toys, there's beach walks, stone painting, watersports and much more
- The beach, just a few paces away, is long, safe and secluded, with warm clear waters and all manner of sailing craft (though the sand is rather coarse - definitely not sandcastle material!)
- We loved all the little touches on our latest revisit: child slippers at turndown, copious beach towels, a box of floats and toys by the Mosaics pool, an ice cream cart, the excellent drinks service
Lows
- There's no getting away from it: it's expensive, especially the meals and extras - but sometimes the best is simply worth paying for
- At 166 rooms and villas it's bigger than most i-escape places, but it is cleverly spread around the hillside so you only see a slice of it at any time
- Cyprus is extremely hot in summer: come at Easter, May half-term or October if you can (there are lots of shady areas to escape to)
- Couples in search of a quiet romantic break should try and avoid school holidays; even with a separate pool and family restaurant, it feels really busy with families
- At busy times, beach sunloungers are in high demand
Best time to go
We recommend visiting in spring or autumn if you can. April-May and Sept-Oct are our favourite months: nicely warm but not too hot, with wild flowers in spring or warmer seas in autumn. July and August can be very hot indeed (high 30's celsius, occasionally touching 40), but there's A/C in the rooms, parasols on the beach, and lots to do, especially for families. The sea is comfortably warm for swimming from May through to Nov, and fine for a shorter dip in April too. Plunge pools (in the suites) are heated all season. The hotel closes from mid November - March.
Our top tips
Location
Anassa is on the northwest coast of Cyprus (officially the Republic of Cyprus, or Greek-speaking Cyprus), near the town of Polis and the Akamas peninsula.
By Air:
Both Paphos (Pafos) and Larnaca (Larnaka) have scheduled and charter flights from UK and Europe. Pafos is nearer, Larnaca has a slightly wider range of flights. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.
From the Airport:
You can take a taxi, book a transfer, or hire a car - see our car rental recommendations.
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.
More on getting to Cyprus and getting around
Airports:
- Paphos 50.0 km PFO
- Larnaca 170.0 km LCA
Other:
- Beach 0.1 km
- Shops 0.2 km
- Restaurant 0.5 km