Hotel Berengaria: resurrecting the Pride of Prodromos| Cyprus postal service

This 92-year-old hotel has not taken reservations for the past 40 years. But now it's all set for the return of Berengaria. No, it's not Richard the Lionheart's wife, she would have been about 860 years old. We're talking about the hotel named in her honor. The legendary Berengaria, known as the Pride of Prodomos, opened 92 years ago and has hosted kings, world leaders and other guests seeking a luxurious mountain retreat among towering pines. That was a long time ago, but now Maria Akkelidou, the chief architect in charge of the restoration of the nearly century-old hotel, promises that by 2026 you will be able to relax in a Jacuzzi in the highest village in the mountains of Cyprus, with views of the plains below and the sea on the horizon.

By comparison, Prodomos is 1,380 meters above sea level, while Britain's highest peak, Ben Nevis, is at 1,345 meters. But the beautiful Berengaria Hotel in the immaculate village of Prodomos on Troodos hasn't taken bookings for more than 40 years. All that is about to change. Chief architect Maria Akkelidou, at a press conference this week, described her vision of visitors looking out from balconies at Morphou Bay on one side and the Limassol coast on the other.

The most expensive hotel in Cyprus. This building, reminiscent of the spread wings of an eagle, was designed by British architect Walter Henry Clark for the local Kokkalos family. It was completed in 1932 and soon hosted Farouk, King of Egypt, and the president of Israel, Ezer Weizmann. "This is not just another project that will improve the tourism sector, but it is the recreation of a historic hotel, a diamond of architecture in Cyprus," chief consultant Thanos Michaelides told a press conference. The hotel was renovated in 1961, with an asymmetrical swimming pool and the first knights club on the island. But as the tourist industry boomed, spurred by package tours and air-conditioning that made otherwise sweltering coastal areas more attractive, the Berengaria's fortunes went downhill. It closed in 1984, and the ensuing decades were accompanied by deterioration, traces of which are still clearly visible on the eagle-shaped building.

Although urgent work has been carried out to restore the structure to preserve the integrity of the building. But how much does it cost to revitalize a royal asylum? A vision, a passionate attitude and around 35 million euros.

An impressive and calming retreat: luxury in nature.

There will be a new luxury spa complex including a large heated pool, fitness center, yoga room, massage, sauna, Jacuzzi and extensive areas for relaxation and outdoor activities. The hotel will have a total of 44 rooms on the first and second floors. These include 28 rooms, as well as four suites and 12 condo apartments, which will be built in towers on the two edges of the building. There will also be detached villas, maisonettes and studios along the wooded ascending road leading to the hotel entrance. The 26 new residential complexes will be sparsely spaced, following the natural topography of the area, with absolute respect for the environment, Akkelidou said. This will ensure that most of the trees are preserved.

Local community representatives also attended Berengaria's press conference, where invited guests were able to look into the future and expressed their full support for the project. They said that all mountain villages will benefit from its success, even though the focus is on Prodomos, as each village has its own warm atmosphere and offers its own unique opportunities. They also said that a circular bus route to be launched in 2024 will connect many of the mountain villages, offering visitors easy access to a variety of activities. A community representative noted that Prodomos used to have three supermarkets but now has none, and of the four restaurants/cafes, only two remain. But as indicated by the rising prices of luxury country houses in nearby Moniatis, the renewed interest in mountain retreats promises a revitalization for local communities.

Berengaria's current custodians have a lot of work to do, but their passion for the project inspires success when others have failed. Thanos Hotels & Resorts Group, which manages the Anassa, Annabelle and Almyra hotels and the Antasia Beach Club in Paphos, has taken on the role of design consultant for the Berengaria Luxury boutique hotel and its facilities.