A new €50 million Ayia Napa luxury resort is being proposed for the Limnara coastal area, with plans for a 324-room hotel, 33 luxury bungalows with private pools and 20 residential apartments.
Developer Aesara Investments Ltd has submitted an information form to Cyprus’ Department of Environment for the proposed Atlantica Wavemaster Hospitality complex, which would combine hotel accommodation, residential units and leisure facilities.
The development would be located south of Kryou Nerou Avenue, between the main built-up area of Ayia Napa and Cape Greco. The site is in the T6(E1) tourist zone, and the existing Mare Ayia Napa tourist complex already operates on the eastern part of the same plot.
Hotel, apartments and luxury bungalows
The main hotel would have 324 rooms, providing 648 beds. The building is planned to include a basement, ground floor and four upper floors.
Facilities would include a main restaurant, bars, cafés, a spa with an indoor swimming pool, a gym, shops, a multi-purpose hall, a children’s club and a cinema.
The wider development would also feature a residential apartment building operating under a condo-hotel model. It would have 20 one- and two-bedroom apartments, which would be offered for sale or long-term rent. Residents would be able to use the hotel’s facilities, including its pools, restaurants and gym.
A further 33 luxury bungalows, each designed for two guests, are planned for the southern part of the site. The three-level units would have private swimming pools and form part of the hotel complex.
Beach club and extensive swimming pools
Plans also include a beach club with a restaurant in the south-eastern part of the site.
The development would feature outdoor swimming pools covering more than 6,300 square metres in total, including private pools.
The proposal provides for 321 parking spaces, including 12 designated spaces for people with disabilities, across basement and ground-floor areas.
Landscaped green spaces would cover 14,196 square metres and feature local plant species, according to the submitted plans.
Resort planned to operate from March to November
The hotel is expected to operate seasonally, from March to November, and close during the winter months. Occupancy is projected to vary throughout the year, reaching its highest levels in summer.
The residential apartments, by contrast, would be intended for year-round occupation.
Construction is estimated to take 24 months from the start of works. Work would begin once the necessary planning and other permits have been secured from the relevant authorities.
Around 100 workers are expected to be employed daily during the busiest phase of construction.
Environmental restrictions near Cape Greco
The development is close to protected Natura 2000 areas, with the Cape Greco Special Protection Area bordering the site to the south and a Special Area of Conservation located around 50 metres away.
The Department of Environment has imposed restrictions on the proposal because of its proximity to protected habitats and wildlife.
Buildings would be limited to a maximum of five floors and a height of 18.5 metres. Permanent buildings would not be permitted close to the coastline, where a coastal protection and no-building zone would apply.
The plans also specify the use of special “spider-web” glass and low-intensity lighting to reduce disturbance to local birdlife.
Main buildings set back from the coastline
According to the project’s consultants, the proposed design has been developed to comply with the conditions set out in the Department of Environment’s assessments and the final report on the cumulative effects of existing, planned and potential developments in the Cape Greco Special Protection Area.
Within the designated area where buildings are prohibited, extending 40 metres from the boundary of the coastal protection zone, only swimming pools are planned. The consultants state that these would not affect the species for which the protected area was designated.
The main buildings – the hotel and apartment block – would instead be positioned in the central and northern parts of the plot, at a considerable distance from the coastline.
The project remains subject to the required permits before construction can begin.
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