Columbia Beach Resort

[Dominic]

A few weeks ago we took a look at Cap St Georges. Billed as a new standard in Luxury Leisure Resorts, people were concerned with the effect it would have on the surrounding countryside. We were happy to report that the beaches were still accessible to the general public. However, that got us thinking; if this is the new standard, what was the old one? So when we were recently passing through Pissouri, and a friend told us to take a diversion to see an established luxury resort, well, it was too good an opportunity to miss. This is what we found when we went for a wander...

Read the article and chat about it below...

[Bograt]

Good lord, that is absolutely stunning and actually does look "luxury". It completely wipes the floor with Cap St George, which is a building site with houses crammed really closely together. Like Dominic, if I had the money there is no question which one would get my money. Thanks for the beautiful pictures, I will without doubt be visiting here.

[die6]

It's definitely stunning, an amazing place.

[Kili01]

Yes, it is lovely. I have been there not long after it opened a few years ago, but I think that now that the gardens and plants have matured it looks even better! I also prefer the local style of the buildings using stone and wood at the resort. This helps to make the resort fit in wellwith its surroundings.
Incidentally, just next door,but not shown in the blog, is the older and more reasonably priced Columbia Beach Hotel. This is also very comfortable since its refit, and it shares the same proximity to the beach.

Dee

[Yioula]

Fantastic hotel thoroughly enjoyed my stay when the year it opened in 2003.......if my memory serves me right Zara Tindall had her honeymoon here.

[PaphosAL]

A superb blog, thanks, Dom! Hope I'm not 'overposting' today, but sometimes I just cannot help myself...

@Bograt: Enjoy your visit to Columbia and food! But do please take your camera and pop in to the little beachfront chapel, then share your photos here on PL? It will make your day out, I reckon!

I rather fancy a fortnight at Columbia on HB over Christmas / New Year, actually... Will start looking for packages from LTN methinks, hmmm..

AL

[J B]

We stayed in an apartment about 100m from there in the mid 90s and were told that we could use the pool for a small fee.

It was mid April and after the 2nd day of paying, I noticed that my ticket numbers were consecutive!!
As long as we bought a few drinks at the bar, nobody seemed to mind.

Incidentally, on day one, we strolled around the pool surveying the area. There were a couple of chaps that I recognised and was just going to go and do the "don't I know you" routine, when I clicked ... it was Robson Green and Jerome Flyn ... they were filming Soldier Soldier

[Bograt]

A superb blog, thanks, Dom! Hope I'm not 'overposting' today, but sometimes I just cannot help myself...

@Bograt: Enjoy your visit to Columbia and food! But do please take your camera and pop in to the little beachfront chapel, then share your photos here on PL? It will make your day out, I reckon!

I rather fancy a fortnight at Columbia on HB over Christmas / New Year, actually... Will start looking for packages from LTN methinks, hmmm..

AL

Well Al, I am not really a chapel kind of person - but just for you, maybe I will. Mind you, I have no idea how to get pictures onto PL, thankfully for you all........

And yes, absolutely come over, you know you want to.

[cyprusmax47]

It is not that difficult to get pics on to PL, Bograt. But hassle-free for you, a pic I did recently from the colorful chapel..



How I put it on PL: google: picr.de and bookmark it for future use. So when you on their website you just click on: "Choose file" which will connect you with your computer files and you choose picture gallery. When you found the pic you want to transfer you just click on: "open". Then you choose the pixel size instead of 800 you scroll down and click on 1024. After that just click on "Upload starten" and wait until the link appears in the window.
(can take some time) This link you just copy and paste onto PL where you want to place the pic. Than click on "Preview" to have a look if you are happy with it. (if not you just cancel it) That's all. It would be nice if more members would join in and put their photos on PL.
Max

[Bograt]

Thank you Max, for taking the time to explain so thoroughly how to get pictures onto the forum. I'm sure other people will find that helpful as well. Anything I take will only be from a phone I'm afraid, but I'm up for giving it a go now.

[Mrblobby]

Thanks for the tip on the chapel Al . We have been to the Columbia for lunch a few times but never had a good roam around . Next time we will .

[cyprusmax47]

Thank you Max, for taking the time to explain so thoroughly how to get pictures onto the forum. I'm sure other people will find that helpful as well. Anything I take will only be from a phone I'm afraid, but I'm up for giving it a go now.

Did you had a go with your phone, Bog rat? Would be nice to have another member showing pics on here....

Max

[Bograt]

Did you had a go with your phone, Bog rat? Would be nice to have another member showing pics on here....

Max

Well, at the moment I'm in the UK so there is little excitement in my life. I had a look back over some past pictures of mine, but nothing really grabbed me as worthy of posting. Not even an intriguing telegraph pole for Al to muse over, and certainly no startled looking fish. But I will surprise you one day Max.....

[cyprusmax47]

Did you had a go with your phone, Bog rat? Would be nice to have another member showing pics on here....

Max

Well, at the moment I'm in the UK so there is little excitement in my life. I had a look back over some past pictures of mine, but nothing really grabbed me as worthy of posting. Not even an intriguing telegraph pole for Al to muse over, and certainly no startled looking fish. But I will surprise you one day Max.....

Looking forward to that Bograt. Maybe when you come back to CY next time ....? A sunset from your new place with Geronisos Island on it?

Max

[Bograt]

Looking forward to that Bograt. Maybe when you come back to CY next time ....? A sunset from your new place with Geronisos Island on it?

Max

I would love to be able to do it justice.

I may be able to get a good picture of Ted the visiting tarantula, who decided to have a snooze in my sunlounger the day before we left. Note I said "in", not "on". I was taking the cover off, and found a rather interesting surprise in the folds.

[cyprusmax47]

Back to the topic, I forgot the say thank you to Dominic for this blog and the excellent pics. It brings a lot of memories back to me when I was visiting the place in the past. Just want to add a photo, showing the Pissouri Bay, but not the nice Resort Hotel complex as it is perfect hidden in a small ravine, unlike p.e. the ugly Hotel monster which is just built at Latchi. The only thing one can see is the lush vegetation on the beach right hand side.
If you don't know it is there you would never find it, but thanks to Dominic's blog it is easy now not to miss....



and of course as I love nice gardens so much, a pic from a nice pepper tree in one of their alleys.



Max

[Mrblobby]

We went for lunch today , and finally got to have a good look around the chapel . It truly is amazing with a great story behind the artist who painted the interior . 2001-2002 He started working on the frescoes of a small Byzantine church – All Saints Church – at the Cape Aspro, Pissouri, Cyprus. During the autumn 2002, Corbidge completed this masterpiece, still open to visitors .

[trevnhil]

The owner of the Columbia Resort & Beach hotels is a very generous man and a great animal lover.

He has special areas set aside for the hotel cats with beds, food and water as well as working along side local animal charities and donating space on his private jet to take rescued dogs to their new homes in Germany!

That's the good side of Animal Care that we don't seem to hear about..

[Mrblobby]

Two young cats we saw at the hotel yesterday .

[cyprusmax47]

Just a link of his company and a photo as well.... http://www.schoeller-holdings.com/index ... mpany.html

Max