by “This whole project started as an experiment,” says Pawel Sidorski, who changed his life in the European hotel industry to realize his vision of sustainable luxury, opening Yurts in Cyprus, near Paphos in the west of Cyprus, in 2013. “I wanted to pioneer an off-the-grid lifestyle and create a place for people to connect with nature without sacrificing comfort,” he says.
That’s exactly what Pawel’s three handmade Mongolian yurts and log cabins offer, set in 2.5 acres on a hill above the Stavros tis Psokas valley. We stayed in the large Qadan (which means “cliff” in Mongolian), which sits on the edge of the property – hammock, table and chairs ready for sunbathing or stargazing. Inside, there is a super comfortable wrought iron double bed, rugs, stove, coffee maker, Bluetooth speaker and WiFi – you name a 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 meters apart for privacy, they all have outdoor showers and compostable insulation that uses a mixture of sawdust and bokashi waste disposal. There is also one normal box for those who want to be closer to nature,” says Pawel, “but don’t want to risk their comfort in the name of conserving water and keeping the aquifer clean!”
Reached by a long gravel track, the Pawel eco-retreat is the last inhabited property before entering the Troodos forest mountains 2km east. It feels blissfully remote, but the tiny village of Simou is nearby and it’s only a 20-minute drive to the small port of Polis Chrysochou and the fishing village of Latchi. You can take a boat trip from here, enjoy some glass bottom and drop in the famous Blue Lagoon, or swim on the beach before blowing fish at Y&P Fish Tavern, part of the Latchi Hotel.
Pawel himself lives in the welcoming Straw House, where there are four cats and Shuki, a 10-year-old pointer cross rescue dog. “That’s where his name comes from úkravāsaraḥ, which means 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 walks or bike tours, but many prefer Shuki as a guide. “He’s famous for his guests,” says Pawel, who holds yoga and pilates sessions in the pavilion below the house and offers advice 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 cliffs and sandy beaches of the Sea Caves’ natural caves, at stop at Agios Georgios, a small natural bay in the Akamas Peninsula. National Park, where there are gorges, hiking trails and spectacular bays, including the Blue Lagoon.
Back at the Thatched House, breakfast in Pawel’s kitchen includes halloumi, scrambled eggs, olives and endless coffee. He will also cook a vegetarian or vegan supper for guests (€17pp or €10pp for children under 12). Mains might include courgette baked with rosemary and garlic, served with cinnamon rice, warm bread, salad and marinated chilli, or ajapsandali, a Georgian aubergine stew with bulgur wheat and local sheep yoghurt.
Guests help themselves to local wine or beer, well chilled thanks to the electricity generated by solar panels and wind turbines. A backup diesel generator generates only 2-4% of energy use and, in 2021, Pawel installed a solar-powered well pump. “We are completely independent with water for our family, our guests and our extensive irrigation system,” he says proudly.
One day I went into Pawel on a mountain bike early in the morning (there are four for rent), doing part of a 15km loop that passes through the abandoned Turkish villages of Istinjo, Melandra, Zacharia and Sarama, a legacy of the Turkish invasion of the -island. The partition of Cyprus in 1974 and the demoralization of the residents are brought to life starkly. There is no side to the landscape, and the beauty is inspiring. We pass the Skarfos Bridge, built of stone, on the river Evretou. It is an ancient Venetian bridge, poppies grow on its banks, and you can see the Skarfos water mill in the distance. The Evretou reservoir, with its two abandoned villages, is a good place for fishing and hunting. You can see it on the road as you drive up to Pawel’s yurts.
“I saw a mouflon on these trails,” Pawel tells me, referring to an endangered wild sheep famous for its crescent horns and endemic only to the Troodos mountains. Sadly, we don’t see any when we visit Omodos, a village in the North West of the Troodos with a beautiful main square with pubs and cafes. Although it is a good starting point for walks, intrepid children may prefer to visit the mouflon enclosure in the Troodos forestry station near Stavros, where 30 of the shy, endangered wonders can be seen in next to him.
For adults, various marvels are available in the form of Byzantine churches throughout the Troodos region. For me, the highlight was Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis, or the Church of Saint Nicholas the Roof, an 11th century Byzantine monastery. This Unesco World Heritage site is 5km from the unmissable narrow village of Kakopetria on the Karkotis river at the Troodos foothills.
This church is distinctive, not only because of its pitched wooden roof and cross-in-square vault structure, but because of its magnificent frescoes, from the 11th to the 17th century, which cover every wall. Of particular note is a rare depiction of a breastfeeding Madonna, which has been magnetized on my fridge since we visited. In my head, in the meantime, I promise to return to the hope and warm welcome that Pawel gave me, a man who continues to build – and share – his dream of sustainable tourism. “It’s really satisfying,” he tells me. “I appreciate every visitor.”
Yurts in Cyprus, Paphos: yurtsincyprus.com. Yurts and cabins from €90 to €130 B&B (based on two adults sharing, children under 12 stay free). For horse riding at George’s farm, see georgesranchcyprus.com. For glass bottom boat cruises from Latchi, see latchiboatcruises.com
