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Cover Stars: Beverley Travel's Kelly Cheeseman revels in Cypriot hospitality

Cover StarsSep 12, 202514:40 GMTby Juliet Dennis

The director and co-owner of Beverley Travel recalls how she fell in love with Cyprus 21 years ago.

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Q. Why did you apply to be a Cover Star?
A. Our Jet2holidays rep suggested it. I submitted my entry video straight after watching my daughter in a local theatre show. I was still in my seat and turned the phone on myself and started recording my entry. I said if my daughter could stand on stage, then I could do the video. She inspired me.

Q. What was the flight like?
A. We all flew out of Manchester airport on an early‑morning flight. The Jet2 staff were brilliant. I’ve never flown with Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays brand before. It was a great experience. We were given a voucher to use for duty-free on board and I bought some beautiful lip gloss for the week ahead.

Q. How would you describe the accommodation?
A. The Constantinou Bros Asimina Suites Hotel in Paphos was amazing. We were lucky as all the rooms were suites! My room was gorgeous and so was the view of the beach and pool area. It was very spacious, with separate dining and kitchen areas, a well-stocked minibar and an en suite bathroom. It was a lovely hotel, with restaurants, a spa, comfortable lounge and beach just across the way. It was a short stroll to the promenade into town.

Q. What experiences did you have on the trip?
A. We had sunset cocktails on the rooftop terrace of sister property Athena Beach Hotel and breakfast on the beach at a restaurant which was part of our hotel. We enjoyed a MasterChef-style session at the Asimina Suites; the chefs prepared a fish dish and lamb kleftiko, one of my favourites. It was interesting to see how they made them, plus we got to eat the food they cooked! We also had a gin-tasting session with Asimina Suites’ head sommelier which was fun, even for a beer girl like me.

Q. What were some other memorable moments?
A. A meal in one of my favourite restaurants in Paphos; I sat with Asimina Suites general manager Aristos Diomedous and experienced Cypriot hospitality at its best. I also loved the sunset cruise, out of the harbour on a private yacht – everyone got on so well.

Q. How did this trip differ from your previous visits?
A. I’ve been to Cyprus many times but never stayed at the Asimina Suites. It was good to spend more time in the Old Town. I’ve always travelled with young children so it was nice to do more ‘adult’ things. We listened to a singer at a private performance behind the city walls and we were all singing along and dancing.

Q. What else did you do?
A. We went to a traditional Greek village and ate like kings and queens! On the last day I had my own cabana on the hotel’s private beach as I was leaving early and couldn’t join the vineyard trip. They gave me a mobile phone to order food to the beach and I had a relaxing few hours and a gorgeous traditional lunch before flying home – just what I needed after the fun week we’d had.

Q. Have you sold many Jet2holidays breaks to Paphos as a result of the trip?
A. We regularly sell the Constantinou Bros hotels and Jet2holidays and we’ve had many bookings this year. I’ve always championed Cyprus because I love it so much.

Q. What was the photoshoot like?
A. It was at the side of the harbour with the castle in the background and passers-by thought we were filming a UK TV show and thought I was someone famous! The location was so special for me because I went to the open-air opera at the castle with my husband 21 years ago on my first trip to Paphos, which was when I fell in love with the island.

Q. What was it like attending Travel Weekly’s Globe Travel Awards?
A. It was amazing and so lovely to catch up with everyone because we had such a great time away. Jet2holidays not only hosted our table but also put us up in a great hotel near the venue for the night.

Kelly Cheeseman’s career

I ran pubs for many years before coming into travel through my love of sport; my dad runs coach trips for rugby league teams locally, in Europe and worldwide. We sell his trips through our agency and as our business grows, so does his. I started as a homeworker in 2017 under The Sassy Explorer brand, then moved to Advantage Travel Partnership in 2019.

When Covid hit, I had 1,800 people booked for a huge rugby league fixture in April 2020, and I spent those first few weeks cancelling bookings. After Covid, I set up in business with Karl Douglas, who had also worked as a homeworker. He approached me about a permanent shop and running a business together. He had a team of staff and I had an online business; it was the perfect mix. We opened the Beverley shop five years ago. We now have three stores, and a further branch which runs on a franchise model.