Tatler - Anassa, Neo Chorio, Cyprus
October 2015

Anassa, Cyprus

Cyprus has Europe’s longest summer. We’ll just let that sink in for a second. EUROPE’S LONGEST SUMMERS. Which means no sand-gritty sandwiches, no windbreakers, no jumpers on the beach. It means no long0haul schlep for a blast of late-season or early-spring sun. It means the balmy benefits of a Mediterranean high season, but with none of the madness. So that’s one thing that’s brilliant. Another is there’s no bling. And another: oodles of breathe-easy nature. And, finally, Anassa, with its long stretch of beach by the Troodos foothills. This hotel isn’t spanking new, or boutique chic, or even particularly grand. But that’s why we love it. It has staff who’ve worked here forever, guests who’ve been for eons. It is family run, smart as a pin and adored by all. The 166 rooms are laid in the style of a traditional Cypriot village, which sounds contrived but is utterly charming -- and gives you space to spread out, to let the sprogs run wild. There are five restaurants, run by David Goodridge who trained under Raymond Blanc. But the best bit? You barely need to pack a thing -- they have everything from bottle sterilisers to car seats to potties. Children will have to be prised out of the Explorers’ Club with its tennis and shiny bikes. And early supper sittings and babysitting allow you to sneak off (guilt-free) to the gargantuan spa, with its blissful ila treatments. Lie back and don’t think of England.