PAST GLORIES

A TWIN-CENTRE TRIP TO CYPRUS GIVES PAUL HENDERSON A HISTORY LESSON

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WE'RE walking in the sunshine in the footsteps of kings and queens, pashas and sultans in the ancient city of Amathus.

One of the kings had a bloodline to Cleopatra and would have bathed in the stone baths heated by furnaces, choosing a medium or very hot tub, or even a steam room before plunging into cold mountain water.

After bathing, his Royal Highness would have been massaged with expensive aromatic oils and perfumes imported from the East.

All of this pampering happened 3,000 years ago on the coastal cliffs of the southern coast of Cyprus, where unwashed sailors, farmers and merchants were not accepted into the inner city until they bathed to become socially acceptable.

Archaeologists have spent decades digging to expose the ruins of royal palaces and temples for worshipping the gods of love and fertility, war and hunting, structures built on hills with views of the Mediterranean Sea to spot Arab invaders.

In the main square under a cloudless, blue sky, our guide Rose Marie vividly transports us into the past to imagine maritime traders arriving from the now sunken but still visible port. They were there to buy and sell, chat and argue under a covered shopping arcade that doubled up as a newsroom where stories were exchanged from Lebanon, Syria and mainland Greece.

After travelling back in time, we take a 10-minute drive to Limassol to check in at Louis Hotels' Royal Apollonia. The property blends old-world charm with up-to-date amenities, including a swim-up bar in one of the three pools, three restaurants, and beach loungers attended by waiters.

The hotel has replicated the rejuvenation treatments of the kings and queens in its own temple of wellbeing. Soothing scents give a sense of calm and a couples' massage relieves our tired muscles in the tranquillity of the spa.