Off-grid Cyprus: luxury yurt retreat shows off another side to the island

25.03.2024 - 12:55 / theguardian.com

‘This whole project started as an experiment,” says Pawel Sidorski, who swapped his life in the European hotel industry to pursue his vision of sustainable luxury, opening Yurts in Cyprus, near Paphos in west Cyprus, in 2013. “I wanted to pioneer an off-grid lifestyle and create a place for people to connect with nature without sacrificing comfort,” he says.

Pawel’s three handmade Mongolian yurts and log cabin, tucked away in 2.5 acres on a hill overlooking the Stavros tis Psokas valley, offer just that. We stayed in the spacious Qadan (meaning “cliff” in Mongolian), which sits on the edge of the property – hammock, table and chairs ready for sundowners or stargazing. Inside, there’s a super-comfy wrought iron double bed, rugs, stove, coffee-making kit, Bluetooth speaker and wifi – you name your creature comfort and the attentive Pawel has thought of it.

The other two yurts, as well as Koliba, the newly built cabin, are family-friendly. Set several metres apart to afford privacy, all have outside showers and compostable loos that use a combination of sawdust and bokashi to dispose of waste. There is also one conventional loo for “those who want to try being closer to nature,” says Pawel, “but don’t want to compromise their comfort in the name of water conservation and keeping the aquifer clean!”

Reached by a long gravel track, Pawel’s eco-retreat is the last inhabited property before entering the forested Troodos mountains 2km to the east. It feels blissfully remote, but the tiny village of Simou is nearby and it is only a 20-minute drive to the small port of Polis Chrysochou and Latchi fishing village. You can take a boat trip from here, some glass-bottomed and offering dips in the celebrated Blue Lagoon, or go for a swim on the beach before a blowout fish meze at Y&P Fish Tavern, part of the Latchi Hotel.

Pawel himself lives in the welcoming Straw House, home also to four cats and Shuki, a 10-year-old pointer cross rescue dog. “His name comes from śukravāsaraḥ, meaning Friday in Sanskrit,” says Pawel, “the day our paths crossed at the local dog shelter.” Pawel will provide guests with a GPS for self-guided hikes or bike rides, but many prefer Shuki as a guide. “He’s well known for accompanying guests,” says Pawel, who hosts yoga and pilates sessions in the pavilion beneath the house and advises on local rock-climbing, water sports and horse riding. For the latter, George’s Ranch offers riding for all levels, but experienced riders can take a 90-minute sunset hack across the clifftops and sandy beaches of the Sea Caves natural caverns, stopping at Agios Georgios, a small, natural harbour in the Akamas Peninsula National Park, home to gorges, hiking trails and stunning bays, including the Blue Lagoon.