Each person’s skin is unique, so it stands to reason that a custom formulation of treatment products can best address its problems and bring out its essential beauty. With this observation in mind, Almyraspa has recently added the Codage line of skincare products from France. Work with our spa therapist to identify your skin type and diagnose your skin’s treatment needs. Then draw from the range of Codage products for a custom application. Codage products are formulated with precision and finesse to support your health and wellbeing as well as your appearance. They do not include allergens, essential oils, parabens, or petrochemicals; they are not tested on animals, either. Once you have your formulation in hand, choose from over a dozen treatment options specially created to optimise the Codage difference. Consider the Haute Couture Facial, for example: your therapist will create a custom cocktail of high-performance Codage serums for treatment of the face, neck, and décolleté. Using a range of techniques, the therapist massages the scalp, hands, face, and neck in order to reduce redness, dark spots, shine, dryness, and signs of aging. Another treatment option is the Macadamia, Sugar, and Shea Butter Body Scrub by Codage: the scrub sheds dead skin cells, smooths the skin’s texture, and revitalises your appearance. The process is completed with the application of concentrated body milk formulated for your skin’s needs. After your treatment, ask for advice on your daily skincare routine: the spa can provide you with products that meet your unique needs.

Mid-Century modern architectural style is known for sleek surfaces, strong horizontal lines, and a minimalist approach to decoration. When added with care, though, handicrafts can complement the overall look. Consider the use of baskets at Almyra, the mid-century modern resort that is a member of Design Hotels. All the waste baskets in the guest rooms are handmade by Maroulla Mavromoustakou, a local artisan who also works as a chamber maid in the hotel. Maroulla hails from the Cypriot village of Mesogi, which is renowned for its tradition of basket making. She learned the craft from her mother and has been practicing it for 40 years. Working with straw sourced from villages along the nearby river valley, Maroulla begins each waste basket by holding a small wooden block between her feet and forming a circular base with 6 to 12 spokes emanating from its centre. She then weaves the sides around the frame. The top edge is finished with a continuous reed that was soaked in water to make it more pliable. Each waste basket takes her two hours to craft. She has also made very large baskets for collecting towels by Almyra’s pools. Almyra’s baskets follow a simple design befitting the mid-century modern décor, but Maroulla is also adept at weaving the colourful geometrical patterns that are a hallmark of the Cypriot craft. Use of handmade baskets not only makes aesthetic sense—it helps preserve a folk craft tradition and is eco-friendly, too. What’s not to like about that?

A fusion cuisine takes ingredients and techniques from two culinary traditions and merges them into something new and exciting. At Notios, Almyra’s restaurant fusing Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines, Sous Chef Akos Richweisz has just introduced two new entrées to the menu. The Massaman Lamb Roll spices up that staple of Mediterranean cuisine, lamb. The lamb is first marinated in Massaman curry sauce, a Thai seasoning that is very popular in Japan. Then the lamb is vacuum sealed in a bag for sous vide cooking: the bag is placed in a 45°C water bath for 30 minutes. The cook removes the lamb from the bag and finishes it on the grill. The Massaman Lamb Roll is served on top of an edamame puree and garnished with shallots pickled in vinegar and beet root, sautéed snow peas, edible flowers, microgreens, and curry sauce. To make the Cashew Pork Belly entrée, Richweisz combines pork belly in a pan with soy sauce, sake, mirin, spring onions, garlic, ginger, and sugar and bakes it very slowly in an 80°C oven for 24 hours. The pork belly is then removed from the pan; the remaining liquid is subsequently reduced on the cooker for five to ten minutes. Sweet and sour elements balance the flavouring: Chinese cabbage, fig chutney, taro wasabi, herb-infused olive oil, and microgreens round out the presentation. Stop by Notios to stimulate your palate with these innovative entrées in our seaside pavilion.