Chasing the sun in Cyprus

It was a Thursday evening at the Secret Forest wellness and spa resort in the tiny village of Miliou, Cyprus. After a Greek taverna-themed dinner – replete with an ebullient rebetiko band – the guests made their way to the bar to hear Israeli pop sensation Ishay Ribo perform an intimate concert singing Carlebach-style Kabbalat Shabbat songs.

Most of the audience were either Israeli or Jewish, but not all. Standing at the back and filming the whole thing was a shell-shocked German couple, who, according to the resort’s owner Yoni Kahana, “barely knew what Judaism is”.

The couple stumbled across Secret Forest when searching online for a wellness retreat in Cyprus. They had no idea that what they were booking was actually a fully kosher, fully Jewish-but-open-to-all, getaway.

“Where else will a couple of German tourists in Cyprus get to experience Jewish Friday night prayers?” Kahana told the Jewish News. “It was very emotional for them.”

Attracting both religious and secular Jews – and the occasional non-Jew – Secret Forest is full of contradictions. An 18th century chapel stands next to a makeshift synagogue. The man who owns the property and much of the surrounding land is a Christian Cypriot called Chrysis Chrysanthou, the self-styled “rabbi of Miliou,” who hasn’t removed the kippah from his head since Kahana placed it there in a gesture of endearment some six months ago.

Chrysanthou’s extraordinary life story is one of many that Secret Forest guests hear on guided walks to the surrounding villages. And guided walks are one of many activities in the resort’s packed schedule. A four-day sojourn at the adult-only resort includes – within the cost price – three farm-to-table pescetarian meals a day made from food grown on the property, jeep tours, boat trips, daily yoga classes, forest walks, meditation classes, self-development workshops, community-building activities, evenings at the bar with unlimited alcoholic drinks, and use of the all pools including the sulfur pools. Spa treatments come at an extra cost.

“I almost need R&R from all this R&R,” Rachella Samimi Golan, a guest from Israel, quipped. “But that’s what’s great about this place – you want for nothing, materially-speaking. But also spiritually,” she added. When searching for a holiday, having kosher food was a non-negotiable for Samimi Golan but opting for one of the all-included kosher hotels wasn’t her style.

Dvora Sahar, on the other hand, has little affiliation to religious observance and had no idea the resort was kosher prior to booking. “At first I felt a little out of my comfort zone,” Sahar said. “But that feeling quickly went away. I came for a vacation and to be with my partner, who is into yoga, but I’ve ended up meeting people and making connections for life.”

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