Louis Phaethon Beach

Overview The hotel is located in Paphos and 20 mins drive from the airport. The location of this hotel on the seafront is idea but not much of a beach available for those who really prefer a beach hotel. Its located at the end of the line of hotels at the sea front. The staff and services provided by this hotel are excellent with such great attention to detail and customer service is what makes this a unique hotel as stated by several previous reviews. Check in As we took a package holiday with Tui, transfers were included to and from the airport where there were plenty of Tui staff and busses it was a straightforward transfer. We were the only ones on the flight at this hotel. Check in at the hotel was very smooth and straight forward. We checked in at around 7PM and first impression of our room was it was tiny for a family of 4. There were obvious signs that the room was dated especially the walls, bathroom doors but we were well aware of the planned refurbishment to commence in two weeks’ time. Our Room We had a booked a family room and so we had seen photos on TA but did not expect the room to be so crammed. The room had a double bed and 2 single beds for the kids (same rooms where the single beds turned into sofa for those not coming as family of four). There was huge luggage storage so it helped to put unpack everything and put the empty suitcases all tucked away which helped a lot in terms of space. There was a dressing table, stool and a large table which sadly was disproportionate to the size of the room as in that it took so much space. The was a patio door leading to the balcony and the balcony gave us sea view as well as had 2 chairs and a table – the balcony was a great addition to the room. There was a bedside table with bedside light. A mini fridge was available that we just turned off as did not need with all-inclusive anyway. The lighting was satisfactory. The room has a key operating safe which was available on paying extra charged (yes in this day and age!). The bathroom had a tub and shower was very powerful too. Adequate towels for use were provided as well as room slippers were supplied. A hairdryer is provided for use in the room. The bathroom could do with a little upgrade and we hoped it was part of the refurbishment plans. One bottle of drinking water is provided which you need to get refilled at the bar in the lobby which is quite a trek. There is a patio door to the balcony and like with many hotels the Heating turns off the moment the patio doors are opened. The room was cleaned daily but the timings were not consistent. Rooms were cleaned well but the floors being wooden meant they were not mopped regularly and we had to use wet wipes and clean the floors after the cleaners – 2 kids under 10 – cleanliness was priority for us! Meals: The range of choices at all meal times is indeed what makes this hotel very special. For breakfast there were 3 types of cereals , yogurts, sliced bread, bread rolls, croissants, cake, danishes, bakery goodies and doughnuts. There are choices of eggs as well as several hot options to make your own full English. Porridge was available daily as well as drinks from many machines dotted around the restaurant. Lunch contains a variety of both vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians and there was always soup if the day as well as vegetables both cooked and a huge salad bar. Dinner was themed every night and the themes were published a week in advance outside the restaurant. Desserts were ample and help available for allergies. The catering manager took special time out to walk us through options for nut allergy as well as making himself available every meal time to help us on foods that contained nuts especially the dessert area. Ice cream was available daily during lunch and dinner and the 3 flavours were consistent. Afternoon Tea One huge bonus the hotel offers to half and full board guests is afternoon tea. This was served in the same restaurant but between a fixed time and waffles, pancakes as well as cakes were available with tea/coffee. For all inclusive guests there was all day food which contained fries, fish fingers, nuggets so anytime you missed a meal for being away from the hotel could pop into the restaurant between meal times and get some hot food. This area was closed off 30 mins before each meal to allow the catering team to prep for meal times. In the reception area there is a coffee shop that serves all sorts of drinks hot and cold and is part of the all inclusive deal. This was a great place to chill out during the day and refresh ourselves. We were also able to get games such as Monopoly, UNO and Scrabble from the reception to play whilst we had our coffee’s and hot chocolate. The Swimming Pool/Beach. There are 2 swimming pools as well as water slides. As we had gone during the winter seasons the waterslides were closed and no one really dared to swim as the water was very cold. The hotel is right at the sea front but hardly any beach area and as it was a bit rainy the little bit of beach was also washed off and during the summer I am sure there is a small area available as mentioned in the reviews. There is an indoor heated pool, rather small but a pool nevertheless and a jacuzzi and sauna room both separate for gents and ladies which is a real treat! The hotel does have several lifts hence easy access for the disabled people to access every floor. The steps partially have handle bars but only in certain areas. We walked from the town back to the hotel and it took us a good 1.5 hour with 2 kids under 11 but a lovely walk near the sea front. There are bus stops right outside the hotel and you can buy one way bus pass or a day travel paying cash to the driver so buses are plentiful and have good connections as well. The kids club The hotel had a kids club which runs from 10am to 3pm with a range of activities. There is normally one staff and if there are not enough kids then the club is cancelled for the morning or the afternoon. Activities include making craft work, cards, painting, puzzles, quiz, chocolate tasting etc. Gym The Gym is located in the basement right next to the indoor pool and the jacuzzi. The gym equipment is not a lot and luckily we went off peak so not many using the gym otherwise during summer I can see a struggle as just 2 treadmills and few weights – could be updated and made nicer which I hope will be done as part of the refurbishment. Location The location of this hotel is good but at the farthest end of the line of hotels near the sea front hence a little distant from town if you were hoping to walk daily. Location of the hotel is just 30 mins from the airport and 10 mins bus ride from the harbour/town centre. The town centre has a great market as well as a mall and a great buzz in the cobbled old town where coffee shops and mini souvenir shops are plenty to be found. Play area There is a lovely play area near the outdoor swimming pool with swings and slides for younger kids. There are also a pool table and games table for older kids near the indoor swimming pool. Overall this hotel is excellent for its focus on guests, the food is more than outstanding. There are clear signs that of wear and tear in rooms and the bathroom needs a re-grout/sealant at the edges which I am hoping is all included in the refurb. However I must mention that the management of this hotel can never do enough for you. Their attention to detail an the way the look after their guests makes one feel very much at home. Overall a great family hotel.

As a regular visitor , as are the majority or guests , I expect most people want to know about what has changed . What has not changed is the fabulous staff. The new bedroom wardrobes are brilliant , now open and closed wardrobes , lots of drawers as well . Gone is the old massive suitcase cupboard with its TV on the top. The single sofa beds are now much higher so suitcase can be stored below , very clever use of space. Wi Fi is now free everywhere. I did a speed test in my room and it is comparable to the speed from a copper cable , fine for web browsing , e-mails and I managed to watch you tube music videos with no problem whatsoever. Another major improvement. The reception/café/bar area much the same but with new furniture , glad as I love it as it is ! The restaurant is a bit mixed , it looks nice but there are issues which I am assured will all be resolved. It is now huge , extended into what was the rear terrace. Gone are a lot of the boring British dishes , shepherds pies etc and much more pizza and pasta now. Completely new menus, although the theme nights , Mexican, Cyprus night etch remain. The carvery [ incredible quality ]remains but the traditional veg to go with it are not , but , I found excellent Aubergine and the lovely spinach made an excellent substitute so a welcome change and a chance to try something new. There is a less choice of dishes but quality is still fantastic and I can say with hand on heart I never had any issue finding a nice meal. Breakfast choices remain the same and are incredible as always . Yoghurt and Honey , freshly fried eggs on toast, Yoghurt with fresh and dried fruit were my favourites. Sausages , beans , scrambled eggs etc are still there for those who want to stick to a British breakfast. The new layout drew some criticism from quite a few guests , the main evening dishes are in a corner with only a single access [ unlike the double sided we used to have ] this meant people had to queue to see what was available and of course to get it. I have to say this was not an issue for me as I went during more quiet times The management say they are looking at ways to tweak this and I am sure they will deal with, what is after all , a quite minor annoyance to some. Tablecloths have been removed and this caused a little issue as cutlery is put right down onto the tables , a bit unhygienic as previous reviewer said . Again I understand management will sort this out , perhaps by putting cutlery into a serviette inside a cylinder rack as so many restaurants in the UK already do . So to sum it up , a few issues for management to sort out , and with such a brilliant management team I am convinced it will all be ok . My thanks to MR P and his fantastic management team . The incredibly hard working restaurant staff , Stavros , Maria , Elena, Eleni Georgia etc and as usual the ever smiling Olympia in the café bar , together with Romana and the young man who never get flustered no matter how busy .Finally to Katerina our cleaner who always welcome us and works so hard to keep our room spotless. I look forward to returning. My thoughts are with all the lovely people there during these horrible times.

Our annual March visit to the Louis Phaethon Beach hotel was unfortunately cut short to a week due to the island being closed down due to the Corona virus outbreak. But as usual we having nothing but praise for the fantastic staff who always look after us so well and especially at this trying time. The hotel had only just reopened after a complete upgrade of the main restaurant and all guest rooms and again the staff and upgrades are excellent. This was around our 12th visit to the hotel and we fully recommend it to everyone once the Cyprus reopens to holiday makers, the facilities, choice of excellent food and drink are excellent. The hotel is kept exceptionally clean and well maintained throughout, the pool areas including waterpark(open from 1st May) are spotless. The hotel now provides free pool towels and sunbed pads plus they have also introduced free Wi-fi throughout the hotel and grounds. We feel that we must again stress that all the staff right from managers down waiters, room maids and pool staff cannot do enough for you and we call them the Phaethon family and we wish them all the best please take care and keep safe during these trying times - See you all soon best wishes Alan & Mary Dean (We recommend this hotel to families, couples, singles, in fact everyone)