EVERY parent knows the most magical word in travel is “free”;.
So when I heard that offers hundreds of family-friendly activities that don’t cost a single euro, I felt like I had found the best travel hack since pinching pastries from the brekkie buffet to eat for lunch.
The Heartland of Legends project opens the door to the island’s mountainous interior, funding cultural experiences in towns and villages to draw visitors into the Cypriot countryside.
There are halloumi workshops, basket-weaving classes, pottery lessons and much more — all free, courtesy of the Cyprus Ministry of Tourism.
To test out this unbeatable offer, my wife Morgan and our two-year-old, Lena, signed up for one of the 13 pottery classes dotted around the island
Ours took place in the village of Foini. Perched high in the pine-covered Troodos Mountains, it is famed for its red clay soil, a Tolkien-esque Venetian bridge, and Hantara waterfall.
At his workshop, Pantelis Ikonomou greeted us with a broad grin and a much-needed (also free!) Greek coffee. Its entrance was framed by grapevines, and the walls were lined with terracotta from past students, who clearly had more talent than us.
Pantelis, a local high school English teacher born and raised in Foini, had lived for years in City but the call of the mountains was hard to ignore.
Returning home, he began making ceramics part-time, embracing the slower pace of island life.
He explained the village’s pottery tradition, where craftsmen once moulded giant pithari storage jars for olive oil, grain and by hand, firing them in outdoor kilns.
Then he set us to work on a simpler project — candle lanterns. Lena, our resident playdough expert, got stuck right in, giving our lanterns a modern-art vibe.
And Pantelis was as much an entertainer as a tutor with a square of loukoumi (Cypriot delight) keeping Lena busy just long enough for us to finish.
We left our pieces with Pantelis for firing, and set off on winding mountain roads to our base for the next few days, Casale Panayiotis — a unique retreat in the village of Kalopanayiotis.
The story behind it is almost as remarkable as the location itself. After years abroad, founder John Papadouris returned to his hometown in the verdant Marathasa valley with a vision to revive it.
He restored the village’s old houses, adding a touch of without losing their Cypriot character.
The resort’s revamp has brought new life to Kalopanayiotis, with locals fixing up their homes and launching cafes and shops.
Now, it consists of 41 rooms across seven heritage houses, mixing stone walls and warm, traditional decor with all the comforts of a boutique stay.
Our suite had a small outdoor terrace and sweeping views over the village and mountains beyond. There was also a stunning spa, and plans for a new outdoor pool.
We spent our days wandering steep cobbled streets, meeting locals over coffee and finding hidden spots, like the unassuming kebab joint, Andreas Souvlakia, which quickly became our favourite spot for the duration of our stay.
The resort’s revamp has brought new life to Kalopanayiotis, with locals fixing up their and launching cafes and shops.
We spent hours at the three- terraced playground, which clings to the almost vertical village’s upper reaches, enjoying Europe’s best sunset view from a swing-set.
Tin-roofed houses
For a deeper taste of village life, the hotel offers activities such as hiking through the Marathasa valley, wine tasting, and halloumi-making classes.
Early one morning, we followed a stream down the valley to The Villager Café in the hamlet of Oikos, where Evelyn — a recent returnee from — served a breakfast that could have been straight from a Cypriot grandmother’s kitchen.
Fresh eggs, olives, homemade jams, lountza sausage — each bite was a slice of the island.
Like Pantelis, Evelyn had felt the pull of home and a peaceful mountain life, but she hadn’t quite left Spain behind as the café’s playlist kept things lively with pumping Latin beats. And when the afternoon heat hit, Evelyn insisted — true to local hospitality — on driving us back up the valley to our suite.
The Heartland of Legends website also tracks festivals and events that slip under tourists’ radars.
Our trip coincided with the annual Cherry Festival in nearby Pedoulas.
With its tin-roofed houses, the village is reminiscent of South America, and the striking white Church of the Holy Cross, buzzed with energy.
Cyprus had revealed to us its mountain village life where you stay longer than you planned and never leave empty-handed.
From our spot at the Two Flowers restaurant, we enjoyed a meze of grilled halloumi, olives, and stuffed vine leaves while enjoying the view and live music.
We hung around long into the evening, sampling everything from roasted nuts to soutzoukos (a grape molasses candle-shaped sweet) while Lena — chops stained with cherry juice — clutched a fistful of fruit that she had no intention of sharing.
Cyprus had revealed to us its mountain village life where you stay longer than you planned and never leave empty-handed.
And the mountains, we had learned, have a way of calling people back.
We’ll have to return soon enough — if only to pick up our wonky little lanterns.
