Paphos Gardens Holiday Resort

Once we got past the initial room issues, they moved us to a room that was as it should be. The staff are lovely and always friendly and helpful. Cleaning was very good, and during the winter they changed the towels every day. A very good stay all in all.

The bus service is excellent, which helps since the hotel sits a little away from the harbour. It has its own charm, though it could probably use updating, and renovation work is going on, with some noise, usually in the morning. The pool area is now kept clean and tidy each day, and they’re replacing the parasols. The rooms are basic, and cleaning seemed a bit irregular. There was plenty of food, with one of the best selections I’ve come across in Paphos. I only had fresh prawns once during our 5 weeks, though, and would have liked them more often. The restaurant and bar staff are lovely, and there’s no shortage of drinks. Andre, the sol animation member, was brilliant at getting guests involved in activities. He’s so friendly, and it’s amazing how he remembers everyone’s names. The hotel management arranged live singers too, which were okay, but they mostly sang the same songs. More variety, or maybe some Greek dancers on Greek night, would have been nice. The reception team were brilliant. Vinita deserves a special mention for always greeting people with a smile and a wave, and for helping guests use their phones to email boarding passes so she could print them after our flights were cancelled twice. Leonidas and Susil reassured people they wouldn’t be removed from the hotel. Susil was also really helpful with suitcases, taking them to rooms and apartments, helping weigh them before departure, and arranging transport, always with a lovely smile.

The staff were nice, breakfast was okay, and the location was decent. But the apartment itself made for a terrible stay. Our two bedroom place was in a building 200 m from the hotel, and the entrance, stairs and hallway smelled and looked awful. Someone smoked there and made noise all the time. We barely slept because the insulation was poor. Dogs barked from 9pm until morning, and some very loud appliance nearby kept switching on at random. The bathroom doors wouldn’t close, the toilet was constantly clogged, and the balcony view was terrible.

The one thing that seems to happen reliably here is cleaners going through your things while you’re out. They mop and take away the rubbish, or what they decide is rubbish, every day unless you’re there to stop them. Any issue gets the same response: wait for someone or something, nothing can be done right now. Getting it sorted can take minutes, or several days. Besides regular hotel rooms, they have larger apartments with kitchens and most of the appliances. Some room designs are questionable, especially the socket setup, which almost always means needing an extension cord. Some furniture may also be partly broken by the time you get there. And you’d better hope they clean the whole apartment after the previous guests, without charging you for it. A lot of these places are used by students, and some leave rooms in a biohazard state. Sometimes the staff can meet your requests, and sometimes they show no regard for your convenience. Their word isn’t reliable either, since they often change their minds. P.S. There’s a laundry next to the hotel, but bring your own detergent and cash.