Louis Althea Beach

Just arrived back from a very enjoyable and memorable 7 night stay at the Louis Althea Beach Hotel. What makes this place so wonderful is the staff who are so friendly and attentive whilst the entertainment team are absolutely fantastic.

We arrived very late on Saturday evening (just in time for a couple of drinks at the main bar!) and following a brief and informative check in, the Entertainment Manager (Ryan) introduced himself and really took the time to get to know us during our stay, especially my two boys who are 14 and 11.

Ryan and his team are a credit to the hotel and a special shout out also to Lola and Annali who always checked in on us throughout our stay and put on fantastic activities during the day such as aqua zumba, darts, football and daily music quizzes (which we won 5 times and were presented with certificates on stage during the evening entertainment!).

We stayed in two 1 bedroom suites which had everything we needed and it was great that the hotel had responded to my advanced request to place the rooms as close together as possible (rooms 411 and 408). The rooms were spacious and the sofa beds in the main living space were very comfortable for my 2 boys.

There is air con in the main room and bedroom (2 twin beds) and it was a very socialable space so my family were able to congregate together for drinks and meet ups prior to the evening meal times. The rooms were located in a beautiful landscaped area and were cleaned to a high standard every day with towels being changed too.

As we arrived late (11pm) there were sandwiches, salads and wine in our fridges which was a nice touch by the hotel. The standard of food throughout the week was excellent and there was always something available to suit our requirements. The takeaway boxes were brilliant too as this meant we could eat away from the main area if needed.

The food at the poolside bar (available from 3pm onwards) was fantastic too, with nuggets, chips, waffles, pizzas, popcorn available so we always used this to fill the gap between lunch and the evening meal and there’s a huge selection of drinks available (of which we drank many due to being on the AI package!).

The staff at the pool bar were also so friendly, made the best cocktails and were always smiling and happy to have a laugh and a joke with visitors. I should also add that all staff across the site (including reception, cleaners, lifeguards, waiters) were all very personable, polite and the hotel clearly prides itself on excellent customer service.

The setting of the hotel is beautiful with the beach a stones throw away and there is a very handy supermarket adjacent to the hotel, which was well stocked with everything you’ll need.

The entertainment was always varied - it’s the same crew but each night was different with some nights being karaoke, 70s music, legends show, bingo. Even when Ryan was unfortunately ill, the team rallied round and were able to put on shows that still kept guests entertained and happy.

We booked a boat trip during our stay, from Paralimni harbour which was 150 euros for 6 people and is only 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Would highly recommend as it takes in really beautiful settings such as the blue lagoon and various coves and cavers during a 3 hour trip. My kids also loved diving in the sea and being able to see various fish close up and even a giant turtle during the trip.

There are also bars, restaurants a 5 minute walk away in the town of Pernera with the Windmill Pub being a nice setting with an array of singers most nights and live sports too.

Without hesitation, I would recommend this hotel. We encountered countless people during our stay who were returning guests and I can see why as the Louis Althea Beach Hotel has so much to offer.

Thank you to the hotel for making my family and I so welcome during our stay and for the wonderful service and hospitality you provided.

We will be back…

The beaches are stunning and the staff at the hotel are great, but overall, I feel the hotel could be much better. We chose to stay here after reading lots of positive reviews and not really coming across many bad ones, so we were expecting a little more.

The food was okay, but that’s about it. There are different themed nights, but the food felt very repetitive and, for the most part, it was the same selection with a few changes. The buffet area is also quite small, which means it can get extremely busy. We had one day where it poured with rain, meaning the outside seating wasn’t available, and the dining area was absolute chaos. Thankfully, the weather improved and normal service resumed for dinner.

Personally, I don’t feel the All Inclusive option is worth the money. There simply isn’t a huge amount included. There is a snack bar by the pool which operates at certain times, but the food was just about edible. There didn’t seem to be any snacks like crisps or nuts. Dinner finishes at 9pm, and after that, the bar is pretty much all that’s open until midnight. There were no snacks offered in the evening, and the drink selection was fairly limited, with some drinks only available from the pool bar, which had already closed by that time.

The entertainment was pretty much what you would expect — a bit of bingo and some singing. We went out a few evenings, so we didn’t see everything that was on offer.

One thing that did bother me was the smoking situation. There were clearly marked areas with ‘No Smoking’ signs, yet people were still smoking in them. What I found particularly strange was that not one member of staff challenged this. I’m on holiday with my children and shouldn’t have to confront other guests myself because they aren’t following the hotel rules.

Our room was spacious but quite dated, and the bathroom could definitely do with some updating. That said, we didn’t spend a huge amount of time in the room, so it wasn’t a major issue for us. On the positive side, the room could be cleaned daily and towels were changed daily, which was appreciated.

Also, just a note on the pools, one of the pools was 1.5m deep and the other was 1.4m. If you’re looking for something shallower, the only other option was a small round pool, not great really.

Overall, it was an okay stay. The location and beaches are beautiful, and the staff themselves were lovely, but there were enough things that could have been better.

Also, the Wi-Fi only seemed to work in reception and close by. It didn’t work at all in our room.

We will definitely return to Cyprus in the future, but unfortunately, we wouldn’t choose to stay at this hotel again.