At Minthis resort in Cyprus, old and new come together under the Mediterranean sun

Minthis by Woods Bagot is a contemporary Cyprus resort destination that nods to tradition

Minthis hero aerial
(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

Situated in Paphos, Minthis is the newest boutique resort on the island of Cyprus. Designed by architecture studio Woods Bagot and created in collaboration with local developers Pafilia, the complex draws on the island of Aphrodite’s traditional vernacular and notions of a slow, village life to build its identity through a contemporary, yet sensitive architectural expression. 

Minthis resort

(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

Minthis: a holistic design and hospitality vision

The London-based studio was behind the master planning, architecture, interior design and branding services of the report, which is nestled on a hillside of Tsada village. The setting includes the refresh of an existing golf course as well as an existing, 16th-century monastery built in the Byzantine tradition. 

Minthis resort villa

(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

New elements comprise 44 residential villas, a clubhouse, and a wellness spa with a pool, as well as an entirely new, community-focused ‘village’ section featuring restaurants, bars and retail stores for guests and visitors. 

Minthis resort green courtyard

(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

The architecture vocabulary hints to local techniques and materials, including pitched rooves, cypress timber, terracotta and integrating locally sourced limestone. Low, rectangular volumes and clusters of interconnected spaces, alternating indoor and outdoor areas, nod to the typical Cypriot village setups, allowing the development to feel at home in its Mediterranean locale. 

Minthis resort swimming pool

(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

Meanwhile, the spa offers atmospheric interiors and treatments that include aromatherapy using local herbs and plants. Themes range from citrus to pomegranate and fig, their ‘intoxicating scents considered in medieval iconography to represent rebirth’.

Minthis resort church

(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

Woods Bagot chief executive officer and project leader Nik Karalis described the redevelopment as being informed by the concept of the ‘modern relic’ – bringing together old and new, past and present, tradition and modernity in a thoroughly contemporary island retreat destination. 

Minthis terrace

(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

Minthis resort spa

(Image credit: Trevor Mein)

minthisresort.com 

woodsbagot.com 

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).