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Golf guide • Cyprus • Paphos District

Golf in Paphos: ravines, olive groves and mosaics in south-west Cyprus

Paphos, in south-west Cyprus, brings together four eighteen-hole courses less than half an hour from town: Eléa, designed by Nick Faldo, Aphrodite Hills, a Cabell Robinson layout split by a ravine, Minthis, in the wine-growing hills, and Secret Valley, at the bottom of a valley of colourful rocks. Golfers come for varied golf in a mild climate, ideally from February to May and in October and November.

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Paphos is the most complete golf region in Cyprus. All four eighteen-hole courses lie within half an hour of town: Eléa at Geroskipou, on the edge of Paphos, Minthis on the heights of Tsada, to the north-east, and the pairing of Aphrodite Hills and Secret Valley near the village of Kouklia, to the east, along the road to Limassol. The airport is twenty minutes from Kato Paphos, so you can play on the day you arrive.

Each course has its own character. Aphrodite Hills stretches over two plateaus above the sea, separated by a ravine. Eléa, designed by Nick Faldo, relies on its bunkers. Minthis winds between olive groves and orchards around a 12th-century monastery, and Secret Valley follows a riverbed between rock formations that change colour with the light. In winter, when the thermometer still tops 17°C in the afternoon, wild herbs scent the edges of the fairways.

Between rounds, the town offers one of the great archaeological sites of the Mediterranean: the Roman mosaics of Nea Paphos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four to seven nights let you play all four courses without rushing, replay one, and keep a day for the Akamas peninsula or the wine villages inland.

The courses

Fairway between olive trees, terraced vineyards and a white chapel, rocky mountains behind and wild flowers

Aphrodite Hills Golf

  • Architect: Cabell Robinson
  • Opened 2002
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Opened in 2002 and designed by Cabell Robinson, the Aphrodite Hills course, a par 71, measures 6,289 metres from the back tees. It unfolds across two plateaus separated by a ravine, with the Mediterranean as a backdrop, about a kilometre and a half from Aphrodite's Rock. Renovated in 2018, it carries the PGA National Cyprus label and in 2020 hosted the Cyprus Open and the Cyprus Showdown, two European Tour events. A spectacular course, demanding with the irons, that suits consistent players.

Signature hole. The 7th, a par 3, is played across a gorge of about 130 metres: the tee shot leaves no margin between tee and green.

Official website

Eléa Golf Club

  • Architect: Nick Faldo
  • Opened 2010
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

At Geroskipou, five minutes from the centre of Paphos and two kilometres from the sea, Eléa is Nick Faldo's course, opened in 2010, a par 71. The Englishman scattered it with sharply cut bunkers, so much so that the 4th, nicknamed "Orchard", is said to be one of the most heavily bunkered holes in Europe. Mediterranean vegetation, limestone outcrops and wild herbs line the fairways, and three holes without a bunker give you a breather. The island's highest-ranked course, best played when your swing is in good order.

Signature hole. The 17th, a par 4 named "Bobby Jones", has become the club's signature: a steeply sloping fairway and an almost isolated green.

Official website

Minthis Golf Club

  • Architect: Donald Steel; Mackenzie & Ebert
  • Opened 1994
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

The oldest course in the area, designed in 1994 by Donald Steel and later reworked by Mackenzie & Ebert, a par 72 of 5,902 metres. It spreads across the heights of Tsada, in a Natura 2000 reserve, and passes the monastery of Stavros tis Minthis, which gave the estate its name, between centuries-old olive trees, orchards and views of the Troodos range. Shorter than its neighbours and set on an inland plateau, it suits every level. The club holds GEO environmental certification.

Signature hole. The 15th, a par 3, is played to the only island green in Cyprus.

Official website

Secret Valley Golf Course

  • Architect: Iacovos Iacovou; Golf and Land Design with Tony Jacklin (2013)
  • Opened 1996
  • 18 holes

Opened in 1996, Secret Valley was completely redesigned in 2013 by Hans-Georg Erhardt and Snorri Vilhjalmsson of Golf and Land Design, with Tony Jacklin's signature. The out-and-back layout follows an old riverbed at the bottom of a valley near Kouklia, between trees and colourful rock formations, at 5,714 metres from the back tees. The tight fairways are unforgiving, a large lake livens up the back nine and the 18th, a par 5, offers a last chance of a birdie. A 300-metre driving range lets you warm up.

Official website

Where to stay

Aphrodite Hills Resort

A five-star hotel of 290 rooms and suites at the heart of the Aphrodite Hills estate at Kouklia, between olive groves and the sea. The course lies below the rooms, Secret Valley is a few minutes away, and the resort has nine pools and The Retreat Spa. Ask for one of the 38 swim-up rooms or 18 private-pool rooms: the post-round swim starts from your terrace. The practical choice for a group.

Vasilias Nikoklis Inn

On the bank of the Diarizos, just outside Nikoklia, this old inn where travellers once stopped with their animals was raised from its ruins from 1980 by the Konstantinou family, who still run it. Eight beamed rooms, a vine-shaded terrace and the house tavern. Aphrodite Hills and Secret Valley are about ten minutes away. It is a popular wedding venue, so check summer weekends before booking.

Annabelle

On Poseidonos Avenue in Kato Paphos, the Annabelle is a five-star hotel run by the Michaelides family since 1985, set in gardens through which the pool winds. Ask for a sea-facing room looking towards the harbour and the medieval fort, an easy walk along the promenade at sunset. Eléa is a few minutes away, Minthis about a quarter of an hour: the base for mixing golf with Paphos life.

Stone terrace with an infinity pool, cypresses and bougainvillea facing the hills and the sea at dusk

Where to dine

7 St. Georges Tavern

In Geroskipou, five minutes from Eléa, George Demetriades opened this tavern in the 1990s, and his sons run it today. There is no menu: the meze arrives dish after dish, vegetables from the family farm, foraged wild greens, kleftiko, stifado, until you say stop. Allow two to three hours. Closed on Mondays, booking essential, and the neighbourhood cats join the party.

Pithari Tavern

On the Aphrodite Hills village square, a Cypriot tavern whose stone terrace overlooks the 9th hole and the Mediterranean. Choose between the à la carte menu and a meze of more than twenty-five dishes, served from 6pm to 9.30pm. The tavern opens in rotation with the resort's other restaurants, so check which evenings it is open before booking. The natural dinner after a round on the course next door.

Amaracus

Minthis's evening restaurant takes its name from the wild oregano that grows on the estate. The menu follows the seasons and draws on the property's organic gardens, orchards, beehives and olive groves. It opens onto the Plateia, the resort's small square: have an aperitif at the cocktail bar next door and order before 10pm, when the kitchen closes. The natural follow-on to a round at Minthis.

Beyond golf

The mosaics of Nea Paphos

The site of Nea Paphos, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, preserves Roman villas with polychrome mosaic floors among the best preserved in the Mediterranean, including that of the 3rd-century House of Dionysos. The same complex includes the theatre, the odeon and, a little to the north, the Tombs of the Kings. Go at opening time, before the heat.

Kouklia and Aphrodite's Rock

Near Aphrodite Hills, the village of Kouklia stands on ancient Palaepaphos, the third component of the UNESCO site, and the nearby coast is home to Petra tou Romiou, the rock where mythology has Aphrodite born from the foam. The sea there is often rough: better to admire it from the beach in the late afternoon, after a round at Secret Valley.

The Akamas peninsula

North-west of Paphos, between Peyia and Polis, the Akamas peninsula is partly protected under Natura 2000. You can hike the Avakas Gorge, visit the Baths of Aphrodite and, at Lara, the sea turtle hatchery. A full rest day, far from the fairways.

Ancient mosaic with geometric patterns and figures under a shelter, low stone walls and the sea in the background

When to go

Paphos has the mildest winters in Cyprus: about 17°C in the afternoon in January and February, 19 to 22°C in March and April, 25°C in May. Spring, from February to May, and autumn, in October and November, are the best seasons for golf. Winter golf is possible too, with some rain. From June to September highs top 28°C and approach 31°C in August: play at first light.

Getting there

Paphos International Airport (PFO), south-east of town, is about twenty minutes from Kato Paphos. Eléa is on the edge of town, Minthis about a quarter of an hour away, Aphrodite Hills and Secret Valley around twenty minutes east of the airport. Larnaca airport, reached by motorway, is about an hour and a half away. A hire car makes getting between courses easier.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Paphos?

Eléa, designed by Nick Faldo and opened in 2010, is ranked the best in Cyprus by Top 100 Golf Courses, ahead of Aphrodite Hills, a Cabell Robinson layout that hosted two European Tour events in 2020.

How many golf courses are there near Paphos?

Four eighteen-hole courses, all less than half an hour from town: Eléa, Minthis, Aphrodite Hills and Secret Valley.

When is the best time to play golf in Paphos?

From February to May and in October and November. Winter stays mild, around 17°C in the afternoon; summer is hot and best played early in the morning.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Paphos?

Four to seven nights: enough to play all four courses, replay one and keep a day for Nea Paphos or the Akamas peninsula.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Paphos?

Paphos airport (PFO), about twenty minutes from Kato Paphos and the courses. Larnaca, about an hour and a half by road, is an alternative depending on flights.

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Your golf trip: Paphos

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Sloping fairway lined with umbrella pines and olive trees, a flag on the green, blue sea and limestone cliffs at sunset
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