About The Polis Area
Polis is situated 21 miles North of Paphos right at the entrance to the Akamas peninsula. This market town has remained largely untouched by redevelopment so you are still able to enjoy that old Cypriot sleepiness and excellent hospitality. The area offers a wide range of attractions to suite most peoples needs, for those of you of the energetic nature then why not try a walk along the paths of the Akamas peninsula to Cape Arnaouti or even a touch of mountain biking.
For those of you who enjoy the finer, quieter pace then why not hire car and sample the delights of the local wineries in and around Kathikas or seek out the many deserted beaches between Polis Chrysochou and Kato Pyrgos.
This area is steeped in history with the earliest settlement dating back to the 7th century BC, it's location was just a little east of the modern town and was known as Marion, this was founded by the Ionian Greeks and later became one of the islands twelve ancient city kingdoms. There is evidence that the rich copper deposits that were found to the east of the town have been mined as far back as 100BC.
This area became known as 'Limni' which means 'lake' because the way the copper was extracted, it left depressions in the ground that filled with rainwater during the winter months. Later in Byzantine times it was given the new name of Polis Chrysochou 'the city of golden land', some people believe that it was a reference to the area's abundant supply of copper, whilst others believed that the town earned its name due to the fact the land surrounding it was incredibly fertile.
To the west of Polis a few miles down the road lies the little fishing harbour of Latchi, where you can sample some of the island's excellent fish at the harbour restaurants. Beyond the harbour in is a superb beach and if you continue west you can discover the delights of the Akamas penninsula including where Aphrodite took her baths and Fontana Amorosa (Aphrodite's fountain of love) a perennial bubbling spring.