Elysium Hotel

Elysium is a five-star hotel on the beach in Paphos, on the south-west coast of Cyprus, right next to the ancient Tombs of the Kings. It has 287 rooms and suites, five restaurants, three pools, landscaped gardens and a sheltered sandy cove reached along a lavender-scented path.

The Opium Health Spa is on site, and a dedicated wedding specialist arranges the municipality appointments, the minister and the planning, with an in-house florist and head pastry chef on hand. A coastal boardwalk runs from near the hotel past the Tombs of the Kings, then the Paphos Mosaics and the lighthouse to the harbour, so guests can walk to the sights. You can marry and celebrate without leaving the grounds.

The ceremony settings are the real draw. Orpheus Amphitheatre sits among mature olive trees with a sea view and holds 90. Life Giving Source Chapel is Byzantine-style, suits Catholic and Anglican weddings, and takes 30 inside or 150 outside. Sunset Pier, a wooden deck over the water, takes 20.

For the reception, Library Terrace holds 350 for sunset drinks, Basilica Ballroom takes 15 to 384, Mediterraneo Restaurant 120 and Ristorante Bacco 40 inside or 100 in its sunken courtyard. Outdoor music stops at 23:00 and Library Terrace at 20:30, while Basilica Ballroom and Messina Hall run until 01:00. The bar team can build anything from a gin station to a champagne reception.

Guests can stay in the hotel at a special wedding rate, from deluxe rooms with balconies to family duplex suites, studio suites and garden villa suites with private pools. Ask the team about holding a block.

The spa, three pools and the cove keep the days easy, and the hotel runs offers for golfers. Paphos is on the doorstep: the harbour is about ten minutes' drive, and a bus station five minutes from the hotel links guests to the rest of the area. Paphos airport is about 25 minutes away and Larnaca about 90 minutes, which makes arrivals simple for guests flying in from the UK.