Amyth one of the two five-star Design Hotels in Cyprus
A truly stunning five-star boutique hotel has just opened in a carefully restored historic mansion in the old city of Nicosia.
Amyth, which officially opened on Friday, is owned by Thanos Hotels and Resorts Group and – in a first for Nicosia – is a member of the prestigious Design Hotel group of 300+ hotels worldwide which all focus on design, locality and culture. Amyth offers all three in abundance.
“We want to offer our guests the authentic Cypriot experience, connecting them to the place, in this case Nicosia,” Thanos Michaelides CEO of Thanos hotels told the Cyprus Mail.
The group already owns three internationally acclaimed luxury resorts in Cyprus: Anassa, Annabelle and Almyra, the latter also a member of Design Hotel club. The group also owns two hotels in Mykonos.
Michaelides added that the ten-bedroomed hotel aims to showcase a different side of Cyprus and encourage visitors to discover traditional Cypriot culture and heritage.
And they could not have chosen a better setting. The boutique hotel is located within the Venetian walls, opposite the Mansion of Kornesios Hadjigeorgakis and just around the corner from the Archbishopric of Cyprus to name just a few of the many historic and cultural sites within a short walk away.
The hotel is housed in a mansion built in the 1920s – though parts of the complex are far, far older. The house was once owned by the Chrysilios Vasiliou and Stylianou families. They later rented out part of the building to KES college. In 1998, the church bought the building, moved KES college elsewhere and left the mansion to the elements for the next 25 years.
Finally, Thanos hotels took the building on a long-term lease from the church and spent around two years transforming it.
“There was this beautiful painted ceiling that I could see through the open windows, banging in the wind and open to the wind and rain, and getting increasingly faded down the years,” recalls one longtime nearby resident.
That ceiling and many other historical details have been lovingly restored by antique restorationist Andrew Scott Stokes, while the overall architecture and renovation of the project was undertaken by Eraclis Papachristou.
Each room of the hotel has been given a unique twist and sensitively modernised – particularly in the furnishings – by Maria Neophytou while the focus remains on its traditional details, the original flooring and grand imposing staircase not least among them.
Two of the bedrooms have verandas facing the Archbishopric while they all offer beautiful views of the old city.
Along with the ten bedrooms, Amyth offers a courtyard restaurant and bar
The restaurant will serve food by chef Andrew Michael Smith, inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, creating recipes using locally sourced, organic ingredients bought from the farmer’s market in the old town and also collaborating with local producers.
The restaurant is expected to become the capital’s new culinary sensation, and it can accommodate up to 100 people both indoors and outdoors, while another restaurant just across the road has the capacity to host 15-30 people.
It will also be available for parties, business meetings, weddings and many more events. The hotel will also host selected works of art by Cypriot artists.
And with parking always an issue in the old city, guests will be pleased to learn the hotel offers a car valet service.
Admittedly, the price of such luxury does not come cheap. Nightly rates start at €350.
The group’s next major projects through Hotel Management services include the development and reopening of the historic Berengaria Hotel in Prodromos, and the revival and development of the iconic Palm Beach Resort in Larnaca.
For reservations, call 22 888400. Amyth of Nicosia, 29, Patriarchou Grigoriou Street, 1016, Nicosia
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