A romantic winter break... with your dog

Enjoying the fireplace in our room at Linos Inn, Kakopetria

A week or so back we went for a weekend away at the dog-friendly Linos Inn at Kakopetria. Sage came too, of course.

Linos Inn allows dogs in 4 or 5 of their rooms, while the rest of the rooms are kept dog free. Dog-friendly rooms are slightly separate from the central part of the hotel (with reception, dining room etc), so that non-dog-loving guests are not disturbed. In addition, these rooms are decorated with furry friends in mind - there are no rugs/carpets on the floors, furnishings are kept to a minimum, rooms have access to small external courtyards or balconies.

Linos Inn

Rooms at the Linos Inn are a bit fancier than the typical agro-tourism style places I am used to, but there wasn't actually a big difference in price (around 100€ per night for double room). Anyway, it's nice to treat yourself, and your dog, to a bit of 'luxury accommodation' every now and then.

While I was looking for a hotel or apartment, I had the following criteria in mind:  winter break in a mountain village; cosy and romantic; dogs allowed too.
Linos Inn is located just above the village square in Kakopetria, up in the Troodos mountains. You can choose from a variety of rooms, with or without fire places, with single/double jacuzzi, with/without mountain views etc. It is dog-friendly.

So, ticked all the boxes really.

Dog-friendly bedroom at Linos Inn

Bathroom at Linos Inn

Small courtyard outside room 

Bedroom/sitting room at Linos Inn

A full breakfast of cereal, bacon and eggs, bread and cheese etc. is included in the price. On Friday and Saturday evenings there is live music in the hotel restaurant, and we were advised to book a table as it's a popular restaurant, not just with people staying at the hotel. The food was good, especially the lovely homemade ravioli!

I really enjoyed wandering around the village of Kakopetria too. Many of the houses along the smaller, back roads of the village preserve the traditional Cypriot architectural style, with mud-brick walls and wooden balconies almost touching across the narrow streets. In the evenings, the smell of wood fires really added to the wintery atmosphere.

The village of Kakopetria

Christmas lights at the square in Kakopetria

Just down the road from the Linos Inn, we found some steps down to the river by the Mill Hotel. Pets are not allowed at this hotel. I imagine it would be crowded there by the river during the summer, but when we were there, in mid December, there was nobody around. This was a great place to take Sage for a quick run around, away from traffic. There are also lots of great trails nearby for hiking with your dog, and you can even ski there (at Chionistra) for a few months in winter.

The river by the Mill Hotel

By the Mill Hotel

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