The creation of a large guest house in an old mansion in the "wine village" of Dora, for families to stay overnight, is the major project that the Community Council is trying to implement at this time, with the aim of further upgrading it and attracting more visitors. As the president of the Doras Community Council, Christos Panagi, told "Entrepreneurial Limassol", the old mansion was bought by the community with a donation given by the Lazaris Family, which owns one of the largest family real estate businesses in the United Kingdom, due to the fact that the the late Chris Lazaris, came from the community.
Mr. Panagi added that the Local Authority is proceeding with restoration procedures on the mansion, has secured permits from the Department of Town Planning and is awaiting the issuance of a building permit, with the aim of announcing tenders for the project within 2 months. Its cost is estimated to be around 150 thousand euros, but as Mr. Panagi explained, due to the fact that Dora is located in a zone where a grant is provided for preserved buildings, almost 2/3 of the cost will be covered by the state.
In Dora, as the Head of the community council told us, there are at the same time two more hostels under conversion, which when they become operational are also expected to contribute to an increase in visitors. The community already has 2 traditional taverns and a coffee shop at its core, while last summer an old mansion functioned as a place for "brunch", with great success.
The "Anaviomata" festival that Dora organizes every May is very popular and provides an opportunity for more people from all over Cyprus to get to know the village, since according to Christos Panagis the attendance increases year by year, while the community organizes for this, even more so.
The remarkable thing that this particular village has to show is its construction in a fortress shape, while its main characteristic is the traditional stone of the area, with which 90% of its houses are built, most of which have undergone renovation. Agriculture and especially vines are the main occupation of the residents of Dora, who, in addition to the production of fine Dora wine and zivania, are also engaged in the manufacture of sutziouko, palouze and kkiofteri. However, Doratiko halloumi, anari and cheese are also famous, derivatives of the livestock farming activity in the community.
The Head of the community council finally pointed out that young couples started building houses in the community, since the prohibitive rents in Limassol push young people to the countryside and to Dora, which is only 30 minutes from Limassol.
