Land between Phaethon Beach Hotel and the church

[Anarita John]

Yesterday, men were erecting a fence to cordon off the land. I asked a man in a suite if I would still be able to walk round it and he informed me it was private land. Looks as if they might be building the proposed hotel. The archaeologists were digging there in autumn, 2017, but not for long. Some of the places where they dug were marked off with orange tape, but these have long disappeared.

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[Dominic]

You can see some of the ruins here:

https://www.paphoslife.com/blog/kato_paphos_in_spring

[sued51]

Probably around 9/10 years ago I used to walk my dog on there and one day a Cypriot man told me he was he owner of all that land and that he intended to build a hotel on it eventually

[Anarita John]

I noticed that this wall had been excavated recently as I don't recall seeing it before. I feel that the archaeologists were not given long enough to make any finds and excavate what is a large area. However, I am not an expert.
Just hope that anything that is found is treated with respect and any ruins are preserved.
Interesting blog Dominic. I enjoy my walk around this headland, especially as the wild flowers are beginning to flower.

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[Anarita John]

Yes you can continue walking past the chapel, but not straight across like you used to, but round the coastal path bit, which is the way I always walk anyway. There were supposed to be plans for the coastal path to continue, as a made up proper path to Geroskipou beach. I suppose there will be a time when the present path is blocked off, but there will be nothing to stop you from rock hopping on the beach.

[Kili01]

Its a real shame that the whole length of the coast from Gereskipou to Agios Georgios is relentlessly being built up. Miles and miles of concrete and glass hotels and expensive villas. Those of us who have lived here for a long time can remember this area as it used to be peaceful and scenic. Spain used to over build, but they have learnt from their mistakes and are leaving areas in iteir natural beauty.
Dee

[Yioula]

I remember the time when the Cyprus Maris was the only hotel in this part and further towards the Winery Rania Apartments beyond that the The Paphos Beach Hotel (Almyra) The Annabelle pre extension on the TOK Rd Kissos Hotel then The Cynthiana Beach now it’s almost built up all the way .............it’s getting to be too much concrete

[cyprusmax47]

How the beach looked just after the war 1974, when I stayed 3 weeks at Paphos Beach Hotel in their bungalows....at least they did not built like Spain, hundreds of high rise hotels on each beach... It was the only hotel from the harbour up to Yeroskipou that time.The design was a copy of the Mare Monte Hotel, Kyrenia area where I enjoyed my first holidays in Cyprus in 1970 ....



Max

[Kili01]

Flossie, just what I was thinking re greed! Whether those who sell their land to the highest bidder, enter the greedy developer...who will develop it to the maximum return..

The first time I came to Paphos from Akrotiri, was pre 1974! But I remember how Paphos looked in the late 1980’s. It was quieter and safer. Also more friendly I think.
Bears little resemblance to the busy traffic snarled placec it often is today..
Dee

[cyprusmax47]

Traffic-snarled Dee? Hardly. Anyone who has driven in London, Birmingham, the M25, A45, M11 and so on would not call Paphos 'traffic-snarled'. I've done more than my fair share of driving in the UK over decades and I would say it is a pleasure driving on Cyprus roads, which are almost deserted by comparison.

When I was living some years ago in North Italy I was shocked how dense the traffic was, compare to sleepy Cyprus. The ride from my house to the Milan airport could be anything between 1.5 hours and 1/2 day as I had to use the highway connecting Milan with Verona. 6-8 lanes were packed with heavy traffic, 2 lanes each side only with trucks and if it happened that your car was on "their" lane it was the most scary situation one can imagine as they were pushing you all the time...
Same huge traffic on normal roads around the big lakes like Lago di Garda, where I lived. Many times I got stuck in that traffic on my way shopping to the next town which was only 20 km away and sometimes it took more than 4 hours to arrive in the shops there in the morning. Starting 9 AM was already too late to reach that town before all shops were closed for siesta break (1 PM - 4 PM)...

Max

[Kili01]

HIC, coming from the east along the motorway is the fastest route into Paphos which I suspect is the way you probably come. I was referring to traffic snarls along the Polis Rd, Agios Pavlos Ave towards and away from the traffic lights at the top of the hill and Gasolene Alley ( a good description) the narrow in places road that links them.

Dee

[WHL]

Some of the comments on here make me laugh... Greedy developers, etc etc, if anyone on here owned a beach side piece of land, they would not leave it as nature intended, they would sell for the highest price they could possibly receive, so please spare us the lectures, because I guarantee you would be exactly the same as those you criticise

[Anarita John]

Hope this land is not going to be used for a tipping place for builders rubble. A solid fence was being erected by the roadside between the hotel and the church. It blew down in yesterdays high winds. However, when I drove past yesterday a concrete mixer wagon was being rinsed out and depositing the water near the road and there is a pile of rubble there today. I just hope that any archaeological finds on that site are dealt with sensitively and correctly.
Hudswell, you can still walk across from the church to Geroskipou beach, both straight across and round the coast.
Some interesting posts have been made about the developments in Paphos. When we first came here on holiday, we used to stay at the Imperial Hotel. The land next to it, where Stavros's Kiosk now is situated, was completely overgrown and unsightly. We were warned by the hotel to keep to the track if we used the coast path to walk to the harbour and not to cross were it was overgrown because of the danger of snakes.
The path was rough by Sodap and impassable in wet weather. Also there was a rickety bridge near the Alexander the Great Hotel which again was very muddy and impassable in wet weather. The path now is a huge improvement on how it used to be.
Also, the beaches are much improved; Municipal Beach, with its new carpark and Pachymos Beach (sp). The new hotel, which is supposed to open in March, will be a world class hotel for couples only and all of the hotels on the strip between the harbour and Geroskipou beach are high quality.
We came on holiday and had we not stayed in a good hotel in a town we liked, we would have not bought here. At least the hotels, even with the extra floors that are being allowed, are still low rise. Just hope Paphos retains this in the future.
It was interesting to see Max's photo of the hotel he stayed in when he first came to Cyprus.

[cyprusmax47]

It was interesting to see Max's photo of the hotel he stayed in when he first came to Cyprus.

As I mentioned in my above post: first time I came to Cyprus was in 1970, in an area far nicer than Paphos (Kyrenia) but unfortunately after the war 1974 it was not the same anymore and the hotel Mare Monte where I stayed then, became a Turkish Army place. Paphos town and the Paphos Beach Hotel was only a staging post until I settled in Polis/Akamas area, as it was a bit like the " North "where I was falling so much in love in the first place. 1985/86 I built my first house outside Neo Chorio which was the only villa at that time in the area where it looks nowadays like Kamares village with hundreds of houses...

Max

[Anarita John]

A bit of activity on this land today. I have noticed that further trenches have been dug and was thinking that the archaeologists were digging very quickly. Today's photos.

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[Anarita John]

Pictures today, Sunday 24th. Could this be another huge archeological find?

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[Anarita John]

I was surprised that they were using a digger to excavate. However, there is someone watching what the digger is excavating and on Friday there was a group of archaeologists uncovering this area by hand. Some of the trenches that were dug out last week have already been filled in.

I keep on looking out for someone with a dog. I got talking to someone with a large black poodle the other day. Now I know you have a Jack Russell I will keep an eye out for you. I was easy to recognise last year when I was on my bike, but, because the river is flooded and the farm track way down to Kato Paphos is so wet, I haven't been out on my bike.

[Ancient History]

The digger is only used to remove heavy topsoil and is indeed constantly monitored. Digging by hand then takes place thereon in from the moment anything sensitive is encountered. This is standard practice in many places.

[Ancient History]

The digger is only used to remove heavy topsoil and is indeed constantly monitored. Digging by hand then takes place thereon in from the moment anything sensitive is encountered. This is standard practice in many places.