For decades, the Berengaria Hotel in Prodromos was better known as a ruin than a destination, with crumbling walls, graffiti, and an empty pool. Now the listed, early 20th-century mountain hotel is at the center of a €35 million restoration that aims to bring the building, and the wider area, back into active use.
Instead of tearing the structure down, the project team chose the harder route: preserve what’s there. Architects involved in the work describe Berengaria as a major heritage building in Cyprus, originally built with a combination of load-bearing masonry and reinforced concrete. Its “fortress-like” character comes from a compact stone-built shell, small elongated openings, a central tower, and carved stonework at the main entry.
That stone shell is also where much of the hard construction work sits. Years of neglect left the building with erosion, deterioration, and partial collapses. The restoration scope includes repairing masonry walls that cracked or failed, rebuilding collapsed areas, and re-founding sections of exterior masonry. On the concrete side, corroded and carbonated elements such as lintels, connecting beams, and slabs have required replacement with structurally sound components.
As many mason contractors know, restoration isn’t just about matching stone and mortar. It’s also about making old fabric work with new demands. The team is threading in modern heating, cooling, ventilation, and electrical systems while keeping the historic envelope largely intact. Repair materials and methods must also align with conservation approvals, and even features like the hotel’s fireplaces are being brought back to service to meet fire safety requirements.
Work began in early 2026, and the target for completion is 2029. Plans call for a five-star boutique hotel with about 30 rooms and suites, along with restaurants, bars, a spa, pools, and additional residences in the surrounding development.
Read the full, original article from Philenews here.