The Best Villas in Paphos, Cyprus

Location is everything at Paradise Cove, with the best bits of the surrounding sky and sea incorporated into the design of each villa. The result? Clean lines and floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows, allowing you to soak up unobstructed coastline views from the king-sized bed. Breathtaking sunsets are pretty much guaranteed – even in winter, when you can cosy up next to the crackling fire.

Meltemi is best at sunrise, when the sun crests the Med like a giant grapefruit wedge, painting the whitewashed stone walls in a glowing pink. Abandon your blue-and-white striped bedroom and clamber over the rocks to Mersini Beach to watch the rays dance over the water. Pack your own coffee – there’s no bar, restaurant or any other soul to be seen.

While Coral Bay may not be on your doorstep, its mermaid-blue waves provide an impressive backdrop to each of these hillside villas. Opt for one with an infinity pool (they’ve been designed to look like waves lapping against a sandy shore) or, for true indulgence, book Villa Palati. It comes complete with a Balinese-style daybed, a sunken pool bar and a pair of roof terraces – not to mention the in-house sauna and outdoor jacuzzi.

Life is blissfully quiet at these hilltop villas, yet the wine bars and water sports of Coral Bay are only 10 minutes away. Tucked in the tiny, photogenic village of St Georges, they are good-looking in their own right with white stone walls, winding blue railings and hand-carved oak furniture. Plus, leaping into the large sunken pool is nothing short of heavenly after spending a day hiking through nearby Avakos Gorge (10 minutes by car).

The road to these terracotta-roofed villas winds through a thicket of banana trees, creating an air of total privacy, disturbed only by the occasional rabbit. The furthest villa from the beach is only 50 metres (165ft) away, so spectacular sea views are a given. Giant windows mean the marble-tiled bedrooms are filled with coral-coloured light at sunset – not that you’d be inside when there are sea-facing sun loungers and first-floor terraces offering equally dazzling vistas.

No expense has been spared in kitting out this pair of glorious Paphos villas, poised in the Peyian hilltops. Of the two, Panorama has the better pool – a paint splatter-shaped lagoon set among neatly manicured gardens and crowned with an Insta-worthy decking bridge. While Panorama nails the rustic vibes, Oceania is a vision in glass and steel, featuring a blue-lit rooftop bar and infinity pool slicing down towards the Pikni Forest.