About Cyprus

Golf Holidays in Cyprus | Living in Cyprus | Useful Numbers | Useful Websites | Public holidays | Weddings in Cyprus | Tax in Cyprus | Law in Cyprus | Cyprus and the EU

---

Cyprus - a hit for the perfect Golf Holiday!

About ten years ago, if anyone had mentioned the word golf and Cyprus in the same sentence, you would have been at the receiving end of some rather strange looks. But today, Cyprus and golf are becoming synonymous and people are starting to get very excited about the future of golf in the country.

According to official sources, there are plans to develop fourteen courses in total in Cyprus, with the number now at four, with three of those in the Paphos region Tsada, Secret Valley and Aphrodite Hills. It is to a large degree thanks to these golf courses and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation together with the Cyprus Golf Federation that golf has started to become a selling point for Cyprus as a quality holiday destination. But this year golf is being promoted and tours made easier to organise by a small number of specialist golf promotion companies on the island and, of course, Internet companies like WOW Cyprus.

Off To A Tee Travel Advisors have already organized three big tournaments, two of which were celebrity events, attracting big names from the worlds of both entertainment and sport. Off To A Tee Travel Advisors aim to take golf as a tourist concept in Cyprus to the next level. We are primarily a travel advisory company, says Managing Director Andreas Antoniou, and we arrange every single detail of a golfs stay, from their accommodation, to their flights, to advising restaurants and things to do. Obviously we arrange their golf games as well.

Off To A Tee Travel Advisors have certainly made their mark in Cyprus and impressively raised many thousands of pounds for the Cyprus Red Cross, handed to the patron, First Lady Fotini Padadopoulos at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace. The money was raised at the Legends of Sports golf tournament, held at Aphrodite Hills on 10 June and organised by Off To A Tee Travel Advisors. The superb event attracted sportsmen of the caliber of rugby legend Jason Leonard, British Olympic athlete Geoff Parsons as well as sportsmen such as Kevin Ratcliffe, Dave Johnson and George Burley.

Tala Golf can arrange your golfing or lawn green bowls holiday to include private villa accommodation within the "Golf Triangle" of Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley and Tsada Golf courses, or at hotels in the lively Paphos area. They have access to dozens of villas, and 3,4, and 5 star hotels to suit all pockets. Tala Golf will organise everything you need for a wonderful, stress-free holiday:

• Villa, apartment or hotel accommodation
• Meeting you at airport
• transfers to and from your accommodation
• car rental
• pre booked tee times for you at Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley or Tsada
• transfers to and from the courses if required
• hire of golf clubs and other equipment if needed

Tala Golf will check availability for you or your club's specific requirements and provide a tailor-made quote with an all-inclusive price and will make all the necessary arrangements for you personally in Cyprus to show you how to really savour the delights of our truly beautiful and friendly island!

But what about the golf courses themselves?

There are currently three golf courses in the Paphos region, all within 20 minutes drive of each other and Paphos town:

APHRODITE HILLS

The newest course in Cyprus, Aphrodite Hills, opened amongst much fanfare in November 2002. Owned and operated by Lanitis Development, the golf course forms part of the Resort a concept dedicated to rest, relaxation and total enjoyment. Along with the golf course, the Resort offers a spa, a tennis academy and a village square with restaurants and shops offering a great excuse to indulge in some retail therapy. With its on site Intercontinental Hotel as well as luxurious villas, Aphrodite Hills is the perfect place to eat, sleep and play golf.

The course itself was designed by Cabel Robinson and is surrounded by protected forests. It overlooks the Mediterranean and is named after Aphrodite, Cyprus' resident goddess. In fact, in some places, you can see her rock from the course, the famed Aphrodites Rock, from which legend says she arose out of the foam crashing on the rock. The entire resort spans 234 hectares and the golf course is situated in and around the hotel, villas and grounds. The course comprises 2 plateaus separated by a steep, rocky ravine and really makes the most of the dramatic terrain of lakes, olive and carob groves. The clubhouse is of as high a standard as the course and the menu is as delicious as it is extensive.

In terms of organizing golfing tours, competitions or just games for groups, all three courses are geared towards most needs. Whether is buffet lunches or dinners, organizing entertainment or just making sure everything runs smoothly, from the first player to tee off, until the last person has left after a post-game dinner, all three courses can handle any reasonable request. All three courses also offer the normal services expected from good golf courses and clubhouses, PGA professionals, practice ranges, pro-shops, etc.

Of course, the best way to organize a golf tournament or a special group game, or book a round is to contact the professionals listed on WOW Cyprus Golf Promotion.

Sited next to Secret Valley Golf Course, Aphrodite Hills is a challenging 6,200 metre, Par 72 course. Peak rates; £60 including shared buggy. Handicap certificate required. Excellent practice facilities and PGA professionals. Clubs £20 to rent. The new Intercontinental Hotel, Spa and Tennis Academy are excellent facilities for those visiting the complex or staying next door at Secret Valley. Click this link to view more on Aphrodite Hills.

SECRET VALLEY

The second golf course in Cyprus is Secret Valley. This is an 18-hole championship course and as the name suggests, it really is situated in a valley. Just eighteen kilometers east of Paphos and forty nine kilometers from Limassol, Secret Valley seems to have gained the reputation amongst the country's golfers as an old favourite. It's the golf course everyone goes to when they want to just relax and enjoy the game as it seems to offer the best of both worlds and the glories of both nature and golf with the front nine offering four nice holes to warm up and two birdie opportunities. But don't be fooled, because the second nine holes play longer than the first and that's when the real challenge starts - no warm up holes here!

The course was designed by Iacovos Iacovou and was opened in 1996, playing to a par 71 and measuring 5989 meters. Perhaps the biggest beauty of the course though is the natural environment in which players find themselves competing with ducks as they cross the greens! The mature trees, which were the original inhabitants of the valley, are still there and along with the natural rock formations, provide a rather dramatic setting. As with Tsada, Secret Valley also offers a recently renovated clubhouse and their restaurant, which now also features a stunning outside section, is a great place to have lunch or dinner in fact, it's not unknown for the ladies who lunch to spend their mornings playing bridge and then indulging in a spot of lunch. Highly recommended at Secret Valley? The fresh and succulent seabream accompanied by a glass of crisp white wine.

The course is a challenging 5,900-metre par 71 course with fabulous views. Peak rates; £30 per round during 16th Sep to 15th May. Clubs from £6 to rent. Individual lessons are available from resident PGA Professional at £25 per hour of 1 or 2 people. Golf practice areas. Secret Valley has a brand new, stylish club house and pro-shop. A second golf course there is under construction, with a Championship course planned for the near future. Website: www.cyprusgolf.com.

TSADA

Tsada was the first golf course in Cyprus built in 1994 and while owned by the Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus (you get to play next to a monastery - this can only help your game!), it is operated by Cyprus Golf Resorts, a company affiliated with Aristo Developers. The company also owns the Secret Valley Golf Course. Tsada itself is perhaps impressive in its setting, as it is nestled rather dramatically in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains, 500 metres above sea level about fifteen kilometers of Paphos.

Donald Steel, a golf architect of international reputation, designed the course. It is laid out in two loops of nine, allowing the natural environment of Tsada's breathtaking setting to blend beautifully with the greens. Players will find fruit trees, grape vines and slowly sloping streams accompanying them as they tee off on what looks like a simple course. Be warned though, because many players rate Tsada as the most challenging of the golf courses in Cyprus. The course is overlooked by an elegant and very Cypriot clubhouse, which includes an excellent restaurant, offering a wide range of gourmet favourites. It could be said with ease that Tsada's clubhouse and especially the restaurant, is the most relaxed. It very much blends in with the countryside and there is a definite feeling of enchantment at Tsada. Perhaps it is the magnificent setting, or perhaps it is the holy land of the monastery on the course, but whatever the reason, Tsada is a place where you go for golf but come away feeling as if you have gone to another place. The green fees and facilities at Tsada are similar to Secret Valley. 6,000 metre, par 71 course set high is the hills. Website: http://www.cyprusgolf.com/tsada.htm

With all of these courses playable in sunshine almost all year round, you are spoilt for choice! So whether you want to enjoy a winter golf break or combine golf with your a summer holiday, Cyprus is for you!