The much longed-for holiday is imminent, but the weather forecasts are bad. 80% rain on the planned four days of travel! And this in Cyprus, the island that is known as a perfect year-round destination because of its sunny, subtropical Mediterranean climate. This is not how I imagined the coming days! What to do? Cancellations and wasting hours and hours looking for alternatives? No, I’m not doing that. So I simply pack warm clothes and set off on my journey. After all, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. That’s what we say in the mountains.

And see there, the trip from Larnaka airport to Parklane Resort & Spa at the South coast of Cyprus is not as dull as announced. A few sunbeams and the flowering yellow fennel plants along the streets create a holiday mood.

Welcome with Cypriot sweets

And now for the first time I enjoy the view from my balcony on the 4th floor to the nearby harbour of Limassol and the beach promenade. And I feel very comfortable right away. It is wonderfully quiet here before the approaching sunset.

Parklane, Luxury Collection Resort & Spa
DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE

Already the entrance to the resort with the special floor tiles in the Cypriot Lefkara pattern suggests a well thought-out design.

The five-star Parklane Resort & Spa opened its doors at the beginning of March 2019 and is located in the middle of a 25 hectare garden landscape on a 300 metre long sandy beach. The team of London architects from Harrods Interiors is responsible for designing the rooms and suites in a modern Cypriot style. The selected luminaires and design objects in the open areas and bedrooms as well as the works of art, which can be admired through the entire resort like in a gallery, are striking.

“Wall wood skupture” by British designer Giles Miller Studio 2,000 wooden discs on a 2 x 8 m long wooden panel “Wallpainting” by the Italian artist Roberto Ruspoli based on a Cypriot legend – Aprodithe and her children

ROOMS AND SUITS
at Parklane Resort & Spa

The park suite villa with 3 bedrooms and bathrooms, living room, terrace, garden and private pool on 335 m2 (max. occupancy 6 persons)

KULINARIK
Five restaurants, two bars and an excellent wine list

I’m looking forward to dinner at one of the five restaurants. In this humid weather I feel like eating meat and the restaurant The Grill, the elegant steakhouse in the Parklane is just right for it. The selection of Dry Aged Beef and the side dishes on the evening menu are very tempting. I choose an Irish beef and Head Sommelier George Loukakis recommends a Cypriot red wine YIANNOUDI 2016 Vintage from the wine region Panayia (1.000 m). Everything tastes wonderful.

The wine list of the Parklanes restaurants is impressive and wine gourmets will certainly get their money’s worth with a selection of over 1,000 varieties. 160 wines and also a Domperignon can be ordered individually in the glass.

One of the most precious drops in the wine cellar of Parklane Resort: a French red wine from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (€ 22.000/bottle).

The next day there will be a cooking course with the chef at The Grill. We look at the preparation of the traditional Fedes with Bulgur and can meanwhile taste two young Cypriot white wines: the Xinisteri from the winery EZOUSA at 1,000 m, a very young, fresh, very fruity white wine and the vasilikon EYNISTEPI 2018 (vines at 600 m).

The restaurant Dafne with terrace to the sea side serves Greek and Cypriot specialties from the grill or wood oven for lunch and dinner. We have twice enjoyed Greek and Cypriot starters and fish dishes in this cosy restaurant. The lamb chops were excellent. Again Cypriot wines, I preferred the dry white wine MOROKNELLA 2018 to a red wine.

THE OUTDOOR RESTAURANTS

Unfortunately due to the bad weather we were not allowed to visit the open-air restaurant Islands. On sunny days you can enjoy Mediterranean fish dishes and seafood. The il Teatro, , which opens already in the morning and offers South Italian delicacies, wood-fired pizza and ice cream until the evening, is also located outside.

All-day refreshing drinks are also available on sunny days at the Vithos Bar outside, not far from the sea and the saltwater pool.

Breakfast at the International Main Restaurant Lanes offers a rich selection of salty and sweet dishes, juices, muesli, fruit and baked goods. My breakfast is very light after the sumptuous dinner.

Lunchtime can be ordered in Lanes à la carte or chosen from the rich buffet according to preferences. One is almost spoilt for choice with so many wonderfully prepared dishes. Fish and meat dishes, traditional dishes, soups, salads and a rarely varied selection of breads for a Mediterranean island. And sweet toothers can eat their fill at the almost endlessly long dessert buffet to their heart’s content.

The The Gallery-Bar is a wonderful place to relax at any time of day and in the evening hours with luxurious afternoon tea, snacks, desserts and sundowner cocktails and sushi. In the evening, smokers can enjoy a Sisha pipe in the cigar lounge on the terrace.

We enjoy another evening in a cosy lounge corner and let ourselves be spoiled with freshly prepared sushi dishes, a taste experience!

As a bedtime treat and the end of a wonderful evening – an excellent tasting Gin-Tonic at the cosy bar of the Gallery-Bar and tips and stories from Sales Manager Panayiotis Markou.

Goodnight in the Parklane – Καληνύχτα

Limassol at 05.30 am

Good morning – kalhmera

The beds are wonderfully quiet with the pleasant linen washing and early in the morning there are a few bruises in the sky. But unfortunately these are only of short duration, afterwards the rain pours down on the balcony windows. But I don’t let this spoil my mood and after breakfast I plan enough time at the Parkfit and at the Kalloni Spa.

SPORT & SPA at PARKFIT

“Never miss a workout day on holiday”

The latest Technogym equipment for strength and endurance training is available at Parkfit Fitnessclub and the rainy day is ideal for a fitness workout, followed by a few lanes in the heated indoor pool (open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.) or a sauna aisle after a swim in the Vithos saltwater pool outdoors.

The spacious garden landscape with Mediterranean plants, flowers, herbs and palms around the outdoor pools on the 300 m long sandy beach surrounding the resort is strikingly beautiful.

In the exclusive Kalloni Spa one finds daily from 9 to 20 o’clock on 3,000 square meters relaxation for body and spirit in the Thalassotherapie basin, the saunas and steam baths. Russian Banya is also offered in the spa suites. In the spa menu you can choose from classical massage to luxurious, partly minimally invasive beauty treatments for face and body. I let myself be pampered with a candle wax massage.

• The Carol Joy Hair salon for the perfect hairstyle and a traditional barber for men round off the spa range.

SHOPPING
at Parklane Resort & Spa

“Upscale retail boutiques for a luxury shopping experience”

The Parklane Resort & Spa offers several luxury class shops: The sophisticated guests will find jewelry and watches in the Michaelis Diamond Gallery and a selected clothing assortment in the Parklane Boutique. A small Shop with sweets and magazines is in the basement.

My dress of the Italian designer Ermanno Scervino made of 100% linen feels wonderful and fits like a tailor (€ 600 in the Parklane Boutique).

VALUE OF SEE & EXPANSIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT

It’s raining and raining and there’s no sun in sight. Since the next days promise only rain, we do not cancel the planned trip to the village Lefkara . Armed with umbrellas we walk through the picturesque old village. It is quiet in the narrow streets, it is off-season and the rain has probably scared off many tourists. Interesting and conspicuous the large selection of silver, jewellery, cutlery and mugs as well as the embroidery with the typical Lefkara pattern on table linen and fabrics.

The port and university town Limassol is only 15 minutes away from the resort. It is the second largest city on the island after the capital Nicosia. The trip there is rainy, melancholic the view to the grey sea. But then we manage to stroll in the dry through the picturesque old town for some time. Here, old and new are mixed up, modern cafes and small boutiques, many galleries, dilapidated houses in the narrow lanes, it smells of soaps and lemon. But at the medieval castle the queue is too long for us, so we stroll on, past the gothic pilgrimage church Panagia Karmiotissa and the town hall with its Art Deco clock tower.

The last morning is again wet and humid and besides the clock was changed to summer time which caused some confusion for me and many guests.

But now time is pressing and departure is imminent. Recovered and relaxed despite rain and cooler temperatures, full of culinary delights and wonderful impressions we get into a taxi and drive in the light drizzle past yellow flowering fennel plants and isolated mountain villages in the distance, back to the airport to Larnaka.

Thank you for these wonderful days at Parklane Resort & Spa!

Σας ευχαριστώSas
efcharistó