Hotel Indigo Larnaca – old townhouses and a rooftop pool by the sea

A few streets back from the palms of the Finikoudes promenade, on Adonidos Street in the centre of Larnaca, several old townhouses have been joined into a single four-storey building and turned into Hotel Indigo Larnaca. The original stone arches and vaulted ceilings were kept, the lobby is entered through one of those arches, and on the roof a pool looks out over the Mediterranean. The hotel is selected in the MICHELIN Guide, and of all the island's MICHELIN Guide hotels it is the nearest to Protaras and Fig Tree Bay, which makes it the natural first night for anyone arriving from the east coast. It is adults-only, has 40 rooms and sits within walking distance of the Church of Saint Lazarus, the medieval fort and the beach.

01The house

IHG presents the hotel as a blend of old and new, much like Larnaca itself. From the street, a low whitewashed frontage with blue shutters and doors keeps the scale of the old quarter, while the modern block behind it rises in panels of warm ochre. Inside, the MICHELIN inspectors note the stone arches and vaulted ceilings that survived the conversion; the rest of the interiors are contemporary.

The hotel runs without single-use plastic and is smoke-free throughout. Guests must be 18 or over, and pets are not accepted.

02Rooms and suites

The 40 rooms come with either a queen bed or two singles, and the MICHELIN Guide singles out three details: rain showers, balconies and vintage rotary telephones. IHG lists an espresso machine, tea and coffee, a complimentary minibar, a work desk, bathrobes and slippers, and two of the rooms are adapted for wheelchair users. This is not a hotel of grand suites; it is a well-made city base, and the time to spend is on the roof and in the streets around it.

Insider tip

Adults only; rooftop pool 9am–6pm; airport under 7 km.

03Where to eat

Avli is the hotel's bar and restaurant, set in the inner courtyard and serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner from a menu of locally influenced dishes. Brunch in the courtyard after a morning walk around Larnaca is the hotel's own suggestion, and a good one. Room service is available for in-room dining.

04The bar

Oinotelia Wine Bar on the ground floor opens from 6pm to midnight, pouring local and international wines and cocktails, with platters to share; the MICHELIN Guide notes that the wines can be taken out into the courtyard. In the daytime, the Kampana Pool Bar on the roof serves cocktails and snacks with the city and the sea laid out below.

05Pool and fitness

There is no spa. The Kampana Roof Top Pool, on the fifth-floor roof, is the hotel's place to unwind, with sunbeds, umbrellas, towel and waiter service and a lifeguard on duty from 9am to 6pm. A fitness centre with free weights, a treadmill and a stationary bicycle is open from 7am to 10pm.

06The neighbourhood

The Church of Saint Lazarus is about 500 metres away. According to Visit Cyprus, it was built by the Byzantine emperor Leo VI in the 9th century over the saint's tomb, restored in the 17th century, and keeps a gold-covered iconostasis that is a superb piece of baroque woodcarving; the tomb lies beneath the sanctuary, and the Byzantine Museum stands next door. Entry is free.

Finikoudes, the palm-lined promenade of roughly 600 metres, runs from the marina and fishing harbour at one end to the medieval fort at the other. From the marina, glass-bottom boats go out daily over the wreck of the Zenobia, a Swedish ferry that sank in 1980 and is now one of the world's celebrated wreck dives. Around 6 kilometres south-west, the Larnaca Salt Lake fills with water in winter and draws thousands of flamingos between November and March, with the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque on its shore.

Two more excursions are close by. The Kamares aqueduct, on the road towards Limassol, was built in 1746 to carry water to the town and used until 1939; more than 20 of its arches still stand and are lit at night. The Hala Sultan Tekke is believed to date to around 648 AD and was renovated in 1816 and again in 2002, according to the hotel's neighbourhood guide.

07Making the most of a stay

Arrive in the afternoon, swim on the roof before the pool closes at six, then walk down to Finikoudes for the evening and finish with a glass at Oinotelia. In winter, walk the 4-kilometre nature trail along the Salt Lake, which Visit Cyprus describes as leading all the way to the aqueduct. Larnaca International Airport is under 7 kilometres away, which makes this an easy first or last night on the island.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.