Azia Resort and Spa

We stayed at the Azia Hotel in Cyprus for 14 days as a family of three with an 11‑year‑old child. First impressions were genuinely good: reception was quick, staff were friendly, and the welcome snacks and fruit in the room made us think we’d picked a winner. Sadly, the stay turned out to be more of a mixed bag — the kind where you reach in hoping for a treat and end up pulling out a soggy sandwich.

We had a hot tub room which was spacious and clean, but several issues quickly became obvious. There is very little lighting, especially on the balcony, which means the hot tub becomes unusable once it gets dark. During the day it is far too hot to enjoy, so it ends up being a feature you admire rather than use — a bit like having a treadmill at home that becomes a clothes hanger. The shower is a handheld unit attached to the wall, not what you expect from a five‑star hotel. Cleaning was inconsistent, with some days the room not being serviced until 16:00 and other days towels not being replaced at all. Turndown service varied from a full turndown to simply leaving chocolates on the bedside table, almost like the staff were playing their own version of “guess the service level.” The mini‑bar charges for everything except water and juice, which feels unreasonable for a hotel of this standard.

The pool area is one of the hotel’s best features. The main pool is shallow throughout, making it ideal for children. The pool bar staff work extremely hard but can become overwhelmed during busy periods. The indoor pool is cooler and pleasant, and there is also an adults‑only pool. The grounds are immaculate and clearly well looked after. Sunbeds are always available, which is a rare luxury these days — you won’t be up at dawn playing “sunbed bingo” or sprinting across the poolside like you’re in an Olympic qualifier. You can wander down at a normal time, pick a spot, and relax without feeling like you’re competing with half the hotel. It’s one of the few areas where the hotel genuinely feels calm and organised.

If you are looking for a beach holiday, this is not the right hotel. Both beaches beside the property are extremely difficult and potentially dangerous to access due to slippery rocks and strong tides. The small gravel area on the cliff is rarely used as it is far from the main facilities and not appealing. It feels more like a viewing platform for people who want to stare at the sea and reconsider their life choices.

Food and drink quality is generally good. The all‑inclusive drinks include branded options and well‑made cocktails. Buffet food is of high quality, although the selection is limited. The à la carte meals are excellent. However, the hotel does not use wristbands, meaning half‑board guests often receive all‑inclusive drinks because staff are too busy to check room numbers. This is frustrating for those who have paid extra. Although the hotel advertises multiple à la carte restaurants, only one operates at a time. The online booking system does not work, forcing guests to queue at guest relations. When the hotel is busy, there are not enough staff to meet demand, and many guests are unable to secure reservations. On one occasion, I found a piece of plastic in a cheesecake, which is unacceptable. The general manager provided compensation, but I am still waiting for an update on what action was taken to prevent this happening again.

There are plenty of daytime activities, including archery, shuffleboard and water polo. The teens club looked well equipped with a pool table, table football and video games. The entertainment staff work extremely hard and are a credit to the hotel. Premium rooms include access to the premier lounge, but this space is disappointing: smoky, with minimal facilities such as newspapers and a small library of books left by previous guests. The issue is that most guests cannot access this room, so the book selection never changes. It becomes a sort of “exclusive book swap” that hardly anyone can actually use — like a private reading club where the only qualification is being in the right room category. The books sit there untouched, waiting for someone who actually has access to wander in and give them a new home.

Beach towels are inconsistent in quality; one day we received a towel with holes, and the next day one the size of a handkerchief. Despite informing staff, they were simply returned to the wash pile. Evening entertainment is typical hotel fare such as fire acts, Greek dancing and magic shows. It is pleasant enough, but not compelling enough to keep many families, especially those on half board, from going out. It’s the sort of entertainment where you clap politely, smile, and then quietly plan tomorrow’s dinner somewhere else.

We paid extra for this holiday based on the reviews, but the hotel accepts additional guests when flights are cancelled, which leads to overcrowding. When this happens, there are not enough staff and standards drop. Everyone we spoke to had experienced issues such as late room cleaning, missing towels, noise at night from the nearby surf shack and wedding venue (rooms on the adults’ side are particularly affected), or frustrations with the hotel layout. There are numerous adults‑only areas, including the entire north side of the hotel, sections of the buffet, and the cava bar, which does not allow children after 21:00 even when empty. The hotel is not large enough to support this setup effectively, and restricting families from nicer areas feels unfair, especially for those with well‑behaved children. A simple sign in the buffet does not prevent noise from children, and the adults‑only approach feels more like a suggestion than a system.

The hotel has recurring issues that do not seem to be addressed. When large numbers of guests arrive due to cancelled flights, the hotel feels overcrowded and areas such as the pool become untidy and tired. Without the efforts of staff members like Alice, Saine, the bar and restaurant teams, and those who clean the pool area early each morning, the hotel would struggle significantly. This is not currently a five‑star hotel, but it could be if it committed to a clear identity and addressed its operational problems. At the moment, it feels like a hotel trying to be everything at once — adults‑only, family‑friendly, peaceful, lively — and ending up stuck somewhere in the middle, unsure what it actually wants to be.

I had to stay here for 1 night and 1 day at the end of August due to a flight cancellation. The hotel and grounds are beautiful and the few staff were polite and helpful. The food & drinks were so poor & the charges for the rooms mini bar so high, we went to a little shop mext door to top up. The Adults only pool was impractical and barely usable, the Adults only section of the restaurant was a complete waste of time as you were just a few feet from lots of very loud childten. We were in a room with a Jacuzzi with broken controls so rarely operated as it should. I love Cyprus but I was very happy to leave this hotel.