Wanderlust: Exploring The Almyra Hotel Cyprus

I am currently sitting on the plane flying back from Cyprus, I looked at the forecast before I boarded the plan and its supposed to be raining tomorrow which will be a slight shock to the system considering its been about 32-36 degrees in Cyprus (approximately but all I know was it was baking!!!).

So lets rewind a bit shall we, last Wednesday myself and Tally Rye flew out to Cyprus to stay at the Almyra Hotel and Spa. If you follow me on Instagram and Snapchat (natalieglaze1) you will of been following our adventures….which lets be honest have just been food and Tally brutalising me at the gym with the odd bit of sunbathing.

Its been so nice to get away with Tally who is also a blogger, she is mainly fitness and posts some pretty cool workout/fitness/food related content so go check her out (Insta @tallyrye & Snapchat @talitharye). So I have always got along so well with Tally when we bump into each other and events and shared our love of food over brunch. But this trip made us realise that we are pretty much spirit animals on so many levels. One I have found someone with an appetite that matches mine….pretty hard to find trust me. Then two her approach to breakfast literally makes me so happy, y’all know I love breakfast and Tally has two course breakfasts as a staple in her daily routine. We had a savoury option followed by sweet every day which honestly gave me so much joy….sad right. Three the whole time we were there we never ran out of anything to say, in fact we talked continuously from the moment we got in the taxi at 2am till we left each other at the airport. Actually I could write a whole blog on Tally and how much I adore her and how much we have in common but I won’t because this post is about my trip as a whole not just my love for Tally ha (maybe I’ll save that for another time)

So as I was saying before I rambled off on one Cyprus, Almyra Hotel (keep on track Natalie!) we flew out last Wednesday from Gatwick with Monarch Airlines. After we tucked into a delicious Pret breakfast of five grain porridge, topped with Berries and Pip & Nut which Tally packed loads of (told you such a babe) and a side of eggs and spinach. We boarded our Monarch flight and headed off to Cyprus. The flight was honestly so smooth we basically spoke for most of it and watched some Graham Norton and before we knew it we had arrived. Thanks Monarch for flying us and for such a pain free chilled journey.

So we arrived and checked into the hotel, which was beautiful, think very white, sleek modern vibe which I am all about. Makes for a good instagram pic alright…life priorities ey. We were given separate but adjoining rooms which was great giving us our own beds and space but we opened the doors out so it was like we were sharing. The rooms were large, airy and bright with a beautiful view over the sea.

The hotel itself had two sections one which was more family orientated with a beautiful pool right by the restaurants making it the perfect escape for families and those with kids still with a modern luxurious feel. Then the second half which was for adults only which had a lot more wow factor. The area had the infinity pool which looked out to the sea which you would of seen in my Instagram pictures which was stunning and so calm. Right by the eauzone restaurant which served a lighter ‘healthier’ menu of salads and snacks and smoothies etc. Then right by the pool was the spa which had an inside pool, beauty areas, sauna, steam room, gym (which I will come onto later) and then all the rooms for treatments. I say spa rooms but they were so much more, they had beautiful sea views and were unlike any spa I had been into. If you are in Cyprus or staying at the hotel in the future I recommend a visit for pure relaxation bliss.

Now I mentioned the fitness side earlier and the gym definitely featured a lot on my snapchat! One great part of going away with Tally is that she is a PT so I basically had a PT with me telling me what to do everyday which was pretty dam dreamy. Well I say dreamy, Tally is hardcore she did not go easy on me at all but I loved it. The gym itself was on the top floor of the spa and surrounded by sea views which makes being on a treadmill that bit easier. We worked out everyday which is rare for me when I go away, don’t get me wrong I love keeping fit and working out but 35 degrees and an infinity pool sometimes seems more appealing right. Tally is so motivated though and we were up at 7am each day and at the gym. We did a combination of HIIT circuits, a leg day and an upper body day both of which finished with a sweaty bit of HIIT. I haven’t done weights in so long, I have been mainly doing body weight and Pilates which I love but it was nice to switch things up a bit and my muscles were like ‘whaaaatt have you done to me?!?!’ you know the reference doms? Yeh I got them. But even better is that Tally put up an amazing vlog on her Youtube channel which you can watch HERE which covered what we ate on our first day travelling and our first workout in the gym so you can get an idea.

Then not only did we do our own workouts but we also got a PT session with the in house PT one morning where we did a combination of abs and all body weights. It was interesting to have another PTs style and take on exercises and we had a fun session! Following this we did a yoga class which was SO chilled. It felt great to stretch out after our workouts and I loved it, especially the shavasana where I may or may not of fallen asleep. The Almyra hotel actually has quite a big health and fitness element to it, whether biking, water sports, running or golfing the five-star hotel offers challenging fitness programs in the lap of luxury hotel accommodation.

They also offer Triathlon & Biking Camps. The camps particularly suit those looking to undertake a significant multisport challenge such as an Olympic Distance Tri and /or half ironman or more. They also suit those looking for a quality week of road biking only. Under the guidance of experts such Sean McFarlane, Merrell ambassador, elite level long-distance triathlete and sports journalist, trainer Kypros Nicolaou, an exercise physiologist, ex-champion triathlete and Level II, ITU triathlon coach and championship winning semi-pro triathlete Simon Brierley – the daily activities for the camps include open water swims, pool diagnostic sessions and extensive road cycle routes on varied gradients.

Bikini Top and Leggings from Sweaty Betty

Now onto the most important bit, well for me and Tally anyways…..food!!! So as my mind revolves around my next meal or snack food is a pretty important element of any trip for me. I try and be as healthy as I can when I travel (see my post on healthy flight essentials) but I also like to indulge as I am of the view that life is short so eat that cake…and then maybe workout the next day or something. So Tally was the queen of healthy snack packing. She brought quest bars, bounce balls and pip and nut butter which were the best decisions ever. Makes travelling so much healthier if you are prepared :)

Bikini Top and Leggings from Sweaty Betty

Obviously we didn’t just eat bounce balls and pip and nut so let me tell you about the food and restaurants at the Almyra Hotel. My favourite meal, restaurant without a doubt was a cute little seafood restaurant on the seafront part of Almyra but also open to the public. So if you are in Cyrpus you have to check it out and make sure you go for sunset! We were treated to the tasting menu which honestly if you like seafood like me it will blow your mind. There was fresh humous, freshly baked pitta, olives, mackerel salad, tiger prawns, chilli squid, octopus, and seabass to name a few elements. I will let the pictures do the talking but it was just on another level. I can’t even.

Then the Notios restaurant which was by the more family orientated pool had lovely sea views and was fairly quiet in the evening when we went. We had a tasting menu which had a mix of sushi and Mediterranean dishes which actually worked so well, chicken dishes, pitta, olives etc then a dessert of carrot cake which was insane. I didn’t bring my camera as I forgot and it was dark so I have no pictures so you will have to take my word for it that it was delicious.

Then the third restaurant Eauzone which was in the adults area, we had a delicious breakfast of avocado on muffins, bircher muesli, fresh fruit, a cinnamon smoothie and green tea which was so tasty. This restaurant was the healthier option at the hotel, the breakfast was very tasty but I wish they had an option of eggs on the menu….my only criticism just because I love eggs for breakfast. We also had a snack one day of watermelon and halloumi from this restaurant which is an epic combination fyi. Then finally the best bit of the menu were the iced fruit coolers which went down a treat mid day by the pool in that heat. My favourites being the watermelon cooler which was watermelon, apple and coconut essence and the pineapple cooler which was pineapple, some other fruit and coconut cream, Both of which were freshly made and tasted amazing!!

Then what would any hotel be without a buffet ey? Mosaics restaurant was more of your typical hotel restaurant less fine dining but still who doesn’t love a breakfast buffet! I know me and Tally did, I just love options and being able to have a two course breakfast. My favourite being the bircher muesli which was insane! I am also proud of myself for keeping away from the pastries and unhealthy options although I did have a very small scoop of nutella in my muesli just because who can turn down nutella right? If you can I salute you, that and nut butter are my biggest weaknesses….in fact anything chocolate related, I am done.

Oh and before I forget, a quick cyprus gem we discovered….if you are there you HAVE to get gelato from coldstone creamery which is in the harbour down near the castle. On one of our explores we discovered this gem. I mean there is nothing healthy about this place its pure indulgent deliciousness. We went in and had the most ridiculous flavours ever. I went for a chocolatey caramel latte gelato base with peanut butter and chocolate chips in a waffle cone. It blew my mind, that is all.

There you go a nice bit of gelato food porn to round up my Cyprus trip. It may of only been four days but it felt like we were there ages. I loved the hotel it was stunning and so so relaxing, the spa was insane and it was the best massage I have ever had. I loved the range of fitness, food and spa facilities the Almyra hotel offered. That partnered with the prettiest infinity pool going I would say its a winner. We only explored a small bit of Cyprus but from what I say its a beautiful island with the most amazing clear sea and super hot summers and delicious food. Which is a pretty good holiday combination. Then finally a shoutout to the mega babe Tally Rye for being the best blogger partner, taking the best pictures, bringing the best snacks and being the best company.