Our trip to Aphrodite Hills Golf and Tennis Resort
If Paphos, Cyprus was good enough for “Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty” who, according to Greek mythology, is believed to have landed here when she emerged from the sea then I figured Aphrodite Hills Hotel, Golf and Tennis Resort must be a rather nice spot to take a golf and tennis holiday. Located in Paphos, Cyprus we took a TUI 4 hour flight from Stansted airport and then a very short, 20 minute transfer from the very efficient Paphos International Airport and we had arrived.
We were not to be disappointed.
The 5 star hotel offers everything you would wish for from a high quality, prestigious resort such as this, including 4 swimming pools, (with adults only, children’s splash pool and fitness/activity pools), 5 restaurants, (one buffet style, Asian, Mexican, contemporary European and a grill house), a variety of bars to suit all tastes and a fabulous outdoor, covered, entertainment and events theatre. There are a huge variety of options of rooms which are all excellent, modern, spacious, with fast WiFi, great air conditioning and minibar. We stayed in a “Family Suite with Jacuzzi and Sea/Golf Course Views”. It was fantastic! Very spacious, walk-in wardrobe, huge bathroom room and the best bit of all a view to die for from the huge terrace, sitting in the 4 person jacuzzi. I could certainly see why Aphrodite chose to make this her home!
What about the golf I hear you ask? My expectations were high, as were my feelings of apprehension as I had read all about the Aphrodite Hills Course being an incredibly well maintained, immaculate course, good enough indeed to be regularly part of the European Professional Golfers tour. I wondered how my mid-handicap standard skills fair against the challenges provided by this incredible course. These feelings were exacerbated by the fact I had convinced my wife, (newly into golf and a high handicapper) that the lessons she had been taken recently with our local club pro would more than prepare her for whatever the course could throw at her. I booked a 3 round, 2 person package, including buggy which came in at a “reasonable” price of about £60 per round when you consider the quality of the golf offered. It would certainly provide a thorough assessment of our skills and allow us to really understand what the course had to offer.
Right from the start we were incredibly impressed. The club house, restaurant and pro-shop are all housed in a wonderfully smart, sleek, spacious, modern building and this is matched by the friendly, efficient, professional service offered by the golf team. Check in was smooth, quick and before long we were whistling along in our modern buggy, (fitted with the latest golf course sat nav technology) and perhaps more importantly a fridge stocked with water to the first tee. We absolutely loved the front 9 holes. A real mixture of immaculate tee boxes, pristine fairways bordered by lush, thick Bermudan grass and protecting wonderfully prepared, fast, challenging greens.
Though not the longest course the level of challenge was just about perfect for my mid-handicap skills and though I confess one or two balls did go missing in action, I out this more down to my first round rustiness rather than anything else and as we settled into our game we were impressed how playable the course was. No need for a driver on every hole, but certainly a case of thinking carefully where to land your ball to lay up for a short iron to the greens.
Then we reached the jewel in the Aphrodite Hills crown, hole 7. I can confidently say I have never played a more spectacular of beautifully scenic hole in my life! You actually arrive at the hole via a buggy path which is so steep and has so many hair pin turns it is more like an Alpine climb on the Tour de France! Your destination is the tee box which is cut into the mountain side on a narrow strip of flat land and in front of you is 120 yards of nothingness as you stare into the abyss of the ravine bottom towards what looks like an impossibly tiny green backed by an equally steep mountain just behind. The hair on the back of your next stand to attention as you realise you need to land your ball on what looks like a postage stamp surrounded by certain ball loss.
My thoughts were that perhaps I should put my brand new Pro V1 back in the bag for this tee shot and go with my lake ball! Of course the challenge is all in the mind and once you have allowed your brain to control the fear it is a relatively simple loft on to the green, which I was delighted to achieve.
Holes 8 and 9 place you right next to the beautiful coastline, affording stunning vistas and then it is back via the clubhouse to hole 10 and the back 9. These are again a mixture of wonderful fairways, immaculately manicured bunkers and fantastic greens. More of a feature are lakes and water hazards which culminates in the stunning, par 5, 18th hole where your second and third shots challenge you to see how close you dare get to the water whilst trying to hit the long, narrow green.
All in all a fabulous golf course and certainly not too great a challenge for all standards of player, though it is certainly more suited to a “thinkers game” rather than just a “bish, bash, bosh driver game”, which was perfect for us.
We also experienced the on-site Aphrodite Hills Tennis Centre which was a wonderfully laid back experience. There is a great little air conditioned club shop and a cool outside drinks/snacks bar facing the 4 hard, (one of which has covers to provide shade from midday sun) and 4 clay courts. These were all in excellent condition and the on-site professional coaches were offering an extensive programme of group and private lessons to a wide range of experience and ability levels.
Whilst in Paphos we hired a car to explore a little bit of what the island had to offer and also take a half day, boat cruise. This was a wonderful way to see a more the “authentic Cyprus” experience and as a family we loved the chilled out, relaxed vibe of the boat trip, the opportunity to swim/snorkel in the sea in the crystal clear, azure blue waters in a beautiful bay and then taste home cooked Cypriot BBQ food whilst listening to live music. I’m certain if Aphrodite was still around she would certainly have approved.
Overall, we enjoyed an absolutely fantastic holiday in this first class sport holiday resort on one of the most beautiful Mediterranean islands.
Why not call me on 01638 586373 or send an email direct to me at [email protected] to find out how we can tailor make a perfect sport holiday for you?
