Anassa

Character and identity

Anassa sits on the scoop of Chrysou Bay on Cyprus's north-west coast, a substantial 166-room Mediterranean pile of terracotta roofs, whitewashed walls and periwinkle shutters that cascade down lawns and pools to the beach. The mood is grand and self-assured rather than minimalist, with marble underfoot and traditional Greek Cypriot architecture framing 180-degree views from Akamas national park to Latchi marina. Restaurants span Asian-leaning Basiliko, garden dining at Helios, beach barbecues and chapel-courtyard folk suppers. The thalassotherapy-rooted spa layers Ila, QMS and the Anastasia Achilleos facial onto Mediterranean salt-water treatments. Service runs warm and unflappable across the board.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The defining quality here is completeness: a properly grand resort that works equally well for free-wheeling children and grown-ups wanting marble, sea air and a thalasso circuit. Book a West Wing room high up for late-afternoon balconies and sunset, target September if you want adult calm, and go in expecting the spa, setting and service to outshine the kitchen.