TAKING a deep breath through the snorkel, I began kicking my way between a narrow gap in the huge rocks wedged onto the seabed.
Faking confidence for my daughters’ sake, I tried to block out the thought of bumping into any Moray eels – the sinister fish that our skipper had mentioned lived here mere moments before we all plunged into the cool blue sea off the coast of Cyprus.
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The Athena Beach Hotel in Paphos, Cyprus was the best place to spend a big birthday for Sam and his family
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Annabelle, Masie and Molly celebrating Sam’s big 50 on a private boat trip
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Sam and Annabelle braved the depths
Impressively, the girls – Molly, 13 and Maisie, nine, – were coolness personified as they zipped Ariel-like through the craggy underwater canyons. Eels, fortunately, were absent.
Along with my wife Annabelle, we four were spending the day on a private motor yacht celebrating my 50th birthday with my favourite people in one of my favourite places doing one of my favourite things.
A half-century needs to be properly marked after all.
And mark it we did with a week at the stunning Athena Beach hotel near Paphos. This was our second visit to the outstanding Athena, a hotel that ticks every box you could possibly have for a perfect family holiday in the sunshine.
It is true seaside heaven and with it’s beautiful beachfront location is an oasis of luxurious relaxation.
We were staying in their super stylish Elite Class suites on a full board basis so all our eating and drinking needs were well covered.
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The hotel is set right on a beautiful beachCredit: Supplied
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Rooms are spacious and elegant
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Al fresco evening dining is a delight
Dining at the Athena is a real highlight with several options each evening from casual to smart including an adult only restaurant, the Italian themed Leda eaterie and the knockout Atrium buffet.
No familiar scrum for the last meatball here.
Think sumptuous seafood, stunning salads and sizzling steaks. While their dessert offerings were an abundance of treats that wouldn’t shame a Parisian patisserie. The generous choice of outstanding food from the Med, the Middle East and even the Far East is truly a-meze-ing.
But it was breakfast that we most enjoyed at the Athena where they celebrated this first meal of the day as if it were the last. My kind of joint.
Most days we’d warm up to the feast with an early morning swim in the Athena’s giant lagoon-style pool. The perfect way to work up an appetite. The cool waters home to a precious tranquility before the buzz of the day really kicked in.
Dried off from our dip, platters of fantastically fresh fruit were devoured, some less familiar than others – who knew there are so many types of Dragon fruit?
Then, careful to leave room for one or two more carby delights, the girls would fire into the Loukoumades – little fluffy sweet honey donuts, deep fried to golden and crispy perfection before being slavered in more heavenly Greek honey.
I may have tried one…or seven.
But the Cypriot breakfast for me is about saying kalimera to the savory offerings, and a plate of local grilled halloumi, tangy taramasalata, sweet sun-enriched tomatoes, and succulent olives will live long in the memory. Simple food, perfectly prepared, gratefully guzzled.
Most mornings the girls didn’t hang around to set about their day. Whether it was straight back to the pool, or off to whizz down the water slides, or hunting down the local cats for a cuddle the Athena feels family orientated and plenty safe enough to allow eager exploration within reason for the younger team.
GO: CYPRUS
Some days the girls took a break from the glorious heat and enjoyed doing crafts in the hotel’s air-conditioned kids club. Painting and playing and making holiday friendships that are so special at their age.
What was special at our age (did I mention I was squaring up to the big five-oh) was some time to unwind and fire into some serious relaxing.
Armed with books, and nothing else we settled into our daily routine of read, snooze, swim, beer, repeat. What a way to slay the day.
Of course, for the more ambitious the Athena does not skimp on activities and they all sounded like they’d be loads of fun…if I wasn’t so completely disinterested in moving. At all.
But tennis, table tennis, shuffleboard, aqua zumba, multiple swimming pools including an adult only with swim-up bar, indoor and outdoor bowls, a spa, saunas, steam rooms and massages are all available for the less lazy. I feel tired just writing this list of things to do!
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Molly and Maisie loved the pools at the Athena Beach
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The hotel has an adult only pool for parents quiet timeCredit: Supplied
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Sunbathing spots abound at the Athena Beach Hotel
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At Athena Beach you can even book a room with your own private poolCredit: AUGUST
We did, however, drag ourselves away from the luxurious grip of the Athena on a couple of occasions.
Firstly for the 40 minute walk into Paphos’ UNESCO World Heritage Centre to wander among the Roman ruins and magnificent mosaics unearthed relatively recently.
I’d strongly advise getting there before both the heat and crowds arrive allowing you to wander in the cooler peace of the day and also to satisfy yourself by covering the vast site in stages as there’s a lot to see.
Another stroll, this time around ‘old Paphos’ on the hill was an enjoyable early evening outing after the day’s fierce heat had beat its retreat and the golden hour hinted at livelier evening action to come.
Our stroll took us all the way down the hill to the impressive Kings Avenue mall and the infamous Jumbo store – a cross between B&M and TK MAXX all served up in a multi-storeyed one-way maze that made Ikea seem simple to navigate.
The girls loved it of course, as they should, with aisle after aisle of fluffy, squidgy, glittery nonsense to fawn over. I suspect that this was one of their highlights of our trip.
For me, the highlight was back in those cool crystal clear waters. Snorkeling with my favourite people, an experience heightened by the perilously poisonous puffer fish swimming alongside. This really is the good life for me – and a perfectly nifty way to bring up the fifty.
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The Tombs of the Kings in Paphos are world famous but no kings were actually buried thereCredit: Getty – Contributor