Berengaria, was once a gem, not only in Cyprus but also globally. It is the hotel that once hosted kings and princes. This place was used for rest and fun by every person of "royalty." Berengaria is the hotel "cursed" by the Gods before it was even built. Berengaria is the haunted hotel that dominates the Paphos forest.
Construction began in 1927 on a hilltop dominating the forest from the south, the west and the north. The village of Prodromos stretched at its “feet”. It was given the name "The House of the Gods." The name made it haunted. The Gods "were offended" and wanted to punish the "blasphemous". A prolonged, harsh winter followed. The ships were tied up at the port, unable to carry materials for the completion of the hotel. The owners of the hotel, demolished it since the building was greatly damaged due to rains.
They changed its name and rebuilt it. They gave it a Royal name. Berengaria. The Queen and Wife of Richard the Lionheart. It was covered with stone and carved Renaissance balconies. They brought the best marble and built stairs and rooms. The rooms were huge with fireplaces, theaters, gambling areas. The courtyards had pools, "dressed" with the most expensive and shiny marble. They built a house for the human gods and wanted it to be the best.
When it was finished, the Cypriot landscape looked like a palace taken from the pages of history. It was brilliant. Once it opened its doors, it did not stop welcoming people from around the world who used to come to the opulence and the fun offered by the hotel.
The huge auditorium was never empty. One performance took place after another, day and night. The underground dressing rooms of the actors, echoed from the cheerful laughter of the women.
One evening, after a prolonged snowstorm, the bell of Berengaria rang. The concierge, opened the door and saw a swarthy man standing behind it. Two meters tall and a metre wide. His hands were like anvils. He let him into the waiting room. He waited at the door to see if he was accompanied by someone. He looked into the icy darkness but did not see anyone.
- My bags will come tomorrow, said the dark skinned giant and continued by giving him a big bunch of British Pounds. Reserve all the rooms of the west wing on my name.
It was winter, the rooms were empty, so he gave them to him. From that moment everything began. One day, some young, girl of an aristocratic family was found drowned in the pool. Another day, a young man jumped from the fourth floor and died. A couple that just arrived to the hotel, found a horrible death, we never found out the cause of death.
This kind of episodes continued to take place for quite a while. Dead silence dominated in the west wing of the hotel. No one ever appeared from those rooms, not even for food. Only the dark skinned man would appear every now and then, always wearing the same black clothes, giving a whole lot of money for the rent.
Winter passed, summer passed and autumn passed. At the beginning of the next winter, after a very cold day, two golden carriages dragged by twelve black horses arrived in the courtyard, just before the sun was lost among the mountains of Troodos. They stopped in front of the entrance of Berengaria, but no one came out of them.
On the west wing of the hotel, we heard a terrifying scream. A female scream of anguish and pain together. Horses neighed loudly and sprang agitating the wagons.
Residents of the hotel, got terrified and left their rooms, leaving behind whatever they had brought with them. In minutes, absolute silence prevailed throughout the hotel. Then, the swarthy man came out, calmed down the horses and began to transfer the contents of the first carriage. Chests full of gold jewelry and coins. Diamonds and rubies, shone in the light of the full moon, which had just emerged from the top of Mount Olympus.
He carried the treasure to the back side of the hotel through the pine forest. In a place only he knew and buried it deeply. Then, he carried the load of the second carriage, into the lobby of Berengaria. Dozens of decayed corpses of both men and women. With the power that his master gave him, the devil, he resurrected them and placed them to be sleepless guards to watch his treasure.
After completing his work, he entered the carriage and commanded the horses fly and disappear into the darkness.
Ever since, Berengaria is haunted.
I do not know if any of the above is true, it certainly could have been true if we lived 1000 years ago. Of course there is always the popular saying that says "where there's smoke ...". The truth is that Berengaria is a favorite place of young couples, which is why it is visited shortly after the sun is lost among the mountains of Troodos. The reason why is another matter.
