Lawsonia Hotel Apts

We were there with our two children, 6 and 3, and it worked really well for a regular family stay. The room was clean and the furniture was plain but in good shape. The kitchen had the basics. We didn’t take meals, so I can’t comment on the hotel food. Lidl was the cheapest shop we found nearby, about 1.5 km away, and the evening walk there was pleasant. Getting to the sea took 7-10 minutes on foot, which never bothered us.

For a budget trip, it’s an okay place and seems to match its star rating. The rooms are spacious, have a kitchenette with what you need to cook, and there’s no carpet on the floor. They were cleaned daily, and the bedding was decent and smelled lovely; it was changed roughly every three days. We used our own bath towels. The pool was pleasant and rarely crowded, and there’s a nice temple and viewing platform close by. Despite most guests being Russian, it felt peaceful and comfortable to me, perhaps because there wasn’t much of a power supply setup and I grew up in Russia. The main problem was a mouse in our ground-floor room. It got into all the olives in plastic bags, and we had to throw quite a few away. We didn’t contact the staff, since their limited English and mine probably wouldn’t have helped. The staff were only so-so in general. They insist breakfast must be eaten right by the pool, though that rule isn’t written anywhere. I was in the reception area having coffee while my child slept, and couldn’t get to the room or pool with a stroller. That put me off breakfast for the day. The amusement park was another real downside for us because my little one always wanted to use the machines on the way to the sea. The beach felt a bit far for me with a child, but on my own or with an older child, a 10-15 minute walk to the promenade would be perfectly fine.

We stayed from October 7th to 14th, 2018. Our ground-floor Studio Apartment, room 6, was over 20 square metres, with one main room and a balcony. By the entrance there was a mini kitchen with a two-burner electric stove, kettle, saucepan, frying pan, chopping board, dishes and cutlery, plus a sink and extractor hood. We cooked shrimp once and soup once. The mini fridge was free. A safe in the closet cost €3 a day, and air conditioning was €6 a day. There were no Russian TV channels. Reception lent out a hairdryer free on request. The room seemed to get cleaned, though that mostly meant the rubbish was taken out and towels were changed if left in the bath. The bed wasn’t made, which suited me because I don’t like having the sheet tucked under the mattress. The towels and sheets were white and new. The bathroom had a deep tub with a flexible shower hose, but there was what looked like an old leak and a rust mark opposite the shower. They supplied shower gel and toilet paper, nothing else. There was no bath mat, and the white floor got slippery stepping out of the shower, so I was glad I’d brought a washcloth, Fairy soap, soap and shampoo. We saw no animals or mosquitoes, apart from the cats around the grounds, and slept with the balcony door open. Breakfast was the same each day and not very good: boiled eggs, fried bacon, sausages of uncertain origin, tomato, cucumber, toast, cereal and cold milk, butter, jam, sliced cheese and sausage, sometimes feta, juice, and a machine with hot water and different coffees. We especially liked the hot chocolate and espresso. We skipped breakfast before our early flight. Kristina had to arrange a lunchbox the day before and collect it from reception that night. For dinner, we got a voucher at reception each day and went to SuperS, about 80 metres to the right. We picked from a special menu, then waited around 15 minutes. While we waited, they brought warm croutons with butter or olives with marinated celery, free of charge. The meals were large and tasty, with fries included; drinks cost extra. We checked the regular menu and worked out that the tour price was about the same, €10 per dish or €20 for two. We missed the first dinner because we only checked in the next morning, so reception issued us a lunch voucher instead. The hotel is on a main road near buses, cafes and shops. Our room faced the sea and was quiet. The grounds are small, with an adult pool and a children’s paddling pool, though we didn’t swim. Breakfast tables are set around the pool. We didn’t find anything dirty, scary or insect-infested, but perhaps we were just lucky. Reception Wi-Fi was free and strong, even near the door in our room. The nearest beach, Flamingo Beach, is the central beach in the area, about 800 metres away, with the most facilities. Sunrise Beach is 1 km away; we walked there in 9 minutes, and the return took a little longer because it was uphill and we stopped at shops. Fig Tree Bay Beach is exactly 2 km away. We walked to the promenade and followed it along the sea. It was crowded, so we preferred the closer beach. That one had a shower, foot wash and restroom with changing rooms, all quite convenient. We brought a beach tent and the three of us were comfortable; other families had tents too. Sunbeds and umbrellas cost extra. After 10:00 a.m., each was €2.50. One umbrella and two sunbeds came to €7.50 for the day. You got a voucher with your sunbed number and could come and go. It was 30°C in the daytime and about 22°C at night. The water felt cold to me in the morning at 19°C, and even after swimming it was around 26°C. There was almost no wind. We had hail and heavy rain on October 13th, but it was lovely again for the rest of the day. About 100 metres to the right of the hotel, across the road, is Nicks Bottle Shop & Exchange, a cheap liquor and drinks supermarket. We didn’t see prices like that anywhere else in Cyprus.

We were there June 22nd to 29th, 2018, two adults and children aged 9 and 13. The hotel is small, only three floors and at most 10 rooms per floor. The staff were polite, and quite a few spoke Russian. The pool is only 6 by 12, but it was always clean and never busy, with loungers usually available for anyone who didn’t feel like going to the sea. The sea is a 20-25 minute walk at an easy pace. Across from the hotel there’s a lovely church on a high hill, reached by a path with 170 steps. People often stopped for breath on the way up, but the view at the top was breathtaking. Breakfast got repetitive; by day three we didn’t want it anymore, though we’d already paid. They stop serving right at 10:00 a.m., with no extra minute if you oversleep, so there are plenty of restaurants to try instead. The bus stop is about 200 metres away. A ride to Ayanapa takes around 25 minutes and costs 1.5 euros. A couple of times when we came back after 9 PM, the fare was 2.5 euros per person, with children half price. It was decent overall, a solid 4 out of 5.