Idyllic Location: Historical, rural Cyprus

The village of Kato Drys is situated at an altitude south - easterly of Troodos Mountain, 10' from the beach (and 50 km from Nicosia, 35 km from Larnaca, 55 km from Limassol, 70 km from Ayia Napa). View in Google Maps

The Vicinity: Things to do

The village has two small but interesting museums: one, in an attractively restored old house, is dedicated to village life; and the second to bee-keeping. There is also a nearby winery, in the valley below the village, where local vintages can be sampled.

There are several notable archaeological sites in the area well worth visiting: at Khirokitia (dating to 6800 BC), the Neolithic village of Tenda and the Bronze Age town of Ayios Demetrios. Only slightly further, on the way to Limassol, is classical Greek Amathus.

The coast is 15 minutes’ drive away along a good road, with good bathing at Ayios Theodoros, Maroni and Governor’s Beach – all of which have excellent fish tavernas. Limassol and its beaches, marina and night life are only a further 15 minutes drive; and heading the other way, Larnaca 35 minutes.

There are excellent walks from the village, including:

• To Pano Lefkara, over the ridge, passing the chapel of Sotira (1.5 hours each way)
• To the small, country church of St. John the Baptist, north through vineyards above the village, which is also a nice spot for a picnic (1 hour each way)
• To the abandoned village of Ayios Demetrios, hidden in the floor of the Ayios Minas valley (2.0 hours) and onwards, down the valley, to the village of Chirokitia, famous for its Neolithic settlement (3 hours one way)
• To Vavla, perched on a ridge on the other side of the Ayios Minas valley, passing en route the medieval nunnery of Ayios Minas, with its peaceful cloisters (2.5 hours each way).

There is also excellent walking within 15-20 minutes drive, including around Lefkara dam, the Eagle’s Beak (on the forestry road to Lythrodontas), the Kastro (a challenging climb up a steep conical hill) and around Vavatsinia village, in the mountains of Makhera. The European long distance walking route E4, passes through the area – on its way to the Pyrenees!

The area is increasingly popular with cyclists, attracted by the challenging terrain and scenery.

Centuries-old history: A former sweets factory.

There has been a house on site for over 300 years. In the last century it was a traditional sweets factory named “The Beautiful Kato Drys”. The sweets (Cyprus delights) were of exceptional quality and won an award at the 1929 London Empire Exhibition. Owing to its history and exemplary traditional construction it came under the protection of the Cyprus Antiquities Department as a listed building. It has now been renovated as a holiday home since 2013.

The restoration: A painstaking revival.

Since 2010, the house has been painstakingly restored with the assistance of local craftsmen, overseen by the Antiquities Department, bringing it back to its former glory.