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A Visit to the Ethnographic Museum
11/03/2020
Centrally located in the Old Town area of Pafos, the Ethnographic Museum is a good place to learn about the history of the region and the folk arts that supported village life. The private museum was founded in 1958 and developed over the years by the late George Eliades, educator and scholar. The museum is housed in a private home constructed in 1894. The top floor, which has been used as a residence by the Eliades family, presents historic items found locally. These include collections of coins, prehistoric tools, pots, amphorae, glassware, sculptures, and jewellery. The lower level focuses on the material culture of agricultural villages in the Pafos region. You start in the Villager’s Room, which contains a wide array of mostly handmade tools used in the home workshop; featured items include a hand mill, a cotton gin, and a loom. In the Bedroom, you will find textiles on display, including bed and table linens and traditional clothing. The Ceramic Room collects pots from the major ceramic centres of Cyprus. Domestic implements are displayed in situ in rooms representing a traditional kitchen and a laundry. Outside in the courtyard, you will find an olive mill, a cart, stone-made ovens, and a water fountain. Beyond its coverage of folk life, the lower level presents a room devoted to artefacts from the Chalcolithic era (3900-2500 BCE) and a rock-cut tomb built here in the Hellenistic period (300-200 BCE). Step into the museum and immerse yourself in the material culture of bygone eras.
Almyra Reveals Fresh New Look
28/02/2020
On 1 March 2020, Almyra reopens after a three-month, multi-million-euro renovation of all guest rooms and suites and the Lobby. The refreshed guest rooms and suites riff on the hotel’s Mediterranean modern look with a colour palette featuring navy blue, white, and lavender, sleek materials like Italian Carrara marble and brass, and stunning black and white photographs of Pafos harbour by local artist Michalis Kouloumos. The floor-to-ceiling upgrade includes the addition of sound-insulating doors, smart TVs, custom closets, and focused lighting. The room furniture, all custom made for the hotel, has been crafted from olive and oak woods by local artisans. The bespoke furniture for the Lobby has also been completely renewed. Enter the Lobby and you will be greeted by warm new overhead lighting. Turn to the right, and your eye with be drawn to additional lighting in the dome beside the fireplace. In the adjacent restaurant, Aeras, diners are now seated on royal blue chairs around tabletops of white marble with blue veining; purple draperies and brass pendant lights complete the space’s posh aesthetic. The new look is the latest contribution to the hotel from renowned French designer Joëlle Pléot, who has curated the interior spaces for Almyra since it launched in 2003. As the only member of the Design Hotels consortium in Cyprus, Almyra accentuates the horizontal lines, simple materials, and terraced approach to siting the structure within the existing landscape characteristic of its mid-century modern architecture. Check in and check out our chic new look!
Meet the Carpenters
25/02/2020
As the only member of the Design Hotels consortium in Cyprus, Almyra sets high standards for aesthetics. The current, multi-million-euro renovation seeks to preserve the mid-century modern bones of the property and refresh the look curated over the years by French interior designer Joelle Pleot. Almyra partners with local artisans, such as Mandina Carpentry, to achieve its aims. Mandina is a family business overseen by Yiannakis Athanasiou (with 34 years in the trade) and his son. When the hotel closed for renovations, Mandina’s crew brought the original wooden doors from the 1970s buildings to their headquarters for refinishing. Over successive renovations, Pleot has designed sleek, elegant furniture specifically for Almyra. Her bespoke designs came to life at the hands of Cypriot carpenters, who crafted the fine furniture from olive and oak wood. As part of the current renovation of the guest rooms and Lobby, these pieces are being lovingly restored by Yiannakis and his team. In addition, new items have been designed by Pleot and built from scratch. Over the past three months, Mandina’s carpenters have been at work on bed frames, cabinets, tables, sofas, stools—and even wooden trays. Their facility includes spaces for cutting and joining wood, sanding and patching formed pieces, and finishing the furniture with paint or stain. Soon, the doors and furnishings will be put into place in the guest rooms, complementing fresh light fixtures, smart TVs, and new shower stalls lined with Italian Carrara marble. The refreshed Almyra opens for guests on 1 March 2020.
Meet the Upholsterers
20/02/2020
The multi-million-euro renovation currently underway at Almyra includes the creation of new furnishings as well as the recovering of existing pieces. Thanos Hotels are committed to working with local artisans whenever possible. Since 1992, the company have engaged the services of Kostas Charalambous for upholstery. Kostas and his brother founded their firm in 1988 under the guidance of an uncle who was a well-known carpenter. Having learned the trade through apprenticeship, the brothers developed the ability to create custom pieces. In the case of the current renovation, Kostas prepared prototypes to the specifications of project designer Joelle Pleot. After several iterations, a final plan for each item was approved by the designer. Working with a local framer, the Nicosia workshop produced about 150 new chaises longues for the guest rooms. Each is covered with a dark blue fabric with white piping. The piping is made on the sewing machine, where a thin rope is encased with a white ribbon; it is then sewn into the seams of the covering and cushion, creating a crisp contrast with the blue covering. Kostas and his team of eight Cypriot artisans have also made new cushions and pillows for the sun loungers: each foam cushion is wrapped in a protective layer of silk before the outer cover of sun-resistant fabric is slipped over it. After three months of dedicated work, the team has upholstered all the Lobby furniture and completed the guest room pieces. The refreshed Almyra opens for guests on 1 March 2020.
Meet the Designer
11/02/2020
The multi-million-euro renovation underway at Almyra realises the vision for the property curated by noted French interior designer Joelle Pleot. Pleot began her career in the fashion industry as a stylist and shoe designer. In the late 1990s, she moved into the field of interior decoration as both a designer for Christian Liaigre and director of his two Paris show rooms. In 2001, she established her own interior design practice, taking on both residential and commercial projects for Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel, among others. Pleot first worked at the property in 2003, when she collaborated with Tristan Auer on the renovation that transformed the former Paphos Beach Hotel into Almyra. They kept the mid-century modern bones of the buildings while fashioning a look that is ‘simple, elegant, with handsome materials—creating the atmosphere of the modern Mediterranean seaside’, she said at the time. In 2007, Pleot collaborated with Karim Caballos on the addition of the Almyraspa complex. She is regularly consulted on updates, including the 2017 addition of an infinity pool with terraces, a pool house, and a firepit. For the current renovation, she prepared designs for the complete redo of all guest rooms and suites as well as updates to the Lobby. All furnishings are designed by her and crafted by local artisans from oak and olive wood. With its design bona fides set firmly in the mid-century modern aesthetic, Almyra is the only member of the Design Hotels consortium in Cyprus. The refreshed Almyra opens on 1 March 2020.
Almyraspa Introduces Ilapothecary
06/02/2020
When Almyra reopens in March following a multi-million-euro renovation, its Almyraspa will introduce a new line of spa products. Ilapothecary is a British company combining insights from herbology, naturopathy, and homeopathy. Its formulations, handmade in a barn in the Cotswolds, blend plants known for their healing properties (think borage and thyme) with medicinal flowers (rose geranium, for example), gemstones (amethyst and granite), live stem cells, vitamins, and essential oils. The products are designed to counteract the stress, pollution, and fatigue prevalent in modern life. Our therapists are ready to offer you several treatment options using Ilapothecary products. The Digital Detox Facial Therapy, for example, treats the symptoms from extended exposure to digital screens (dry eyes, blurred vision, clenched jaws, stiff necks, and sore shoulders). If you feel the need to restore your inner spark, try the Light Your Fire Ritual: this ninety-minute treatment begins with meditative gazing at a fire and sage smudging, continues with a full body scrub using pearl and jasmine, and concludes with a revitalizing massage. Our Digestion Restoration features an abdominal massage followed by a warmed castor oil pack, which includes extracts of liquorice, Brazilian ginseng, and juniper berries to stimulate the liver and improve digestion. Ilapothecary products are 100% natural and free from mineral oil, silicone, propylene glycol, ethanolamine, parabens, and SLES. And they smell wonderful, releasing a base of rose geranium, blue chamomile, and green vetiver. Book a treatment and discover their power to uplift, nurture, calm, hydrate, and heal.