reviews of the intercontinental aphrodite hills, cyprus

 Reviews of the InterContinental Aphrodite Hills by Tots Too clients, below. Click here for a review of the spa.

Review by DF, guest in July 2011: "Thanks for organizing an excellent holiday for us. We thought the hotel was the best family holiday that we've had thus far.

The facilities were 1st class, not least the redeveloped kids club, which is easily the best facility that we've used to date. The fact that the spa and golf club are next door makes everything very convenient in terms of set-up, with the course also proving to be exceptional.

The rooms were great, the dining (including the family buffet) was excellent and we thought the service was very good, with no problems encountered. The pool facilities were also great for the kids, with a very good shaded pool and the general vibe amongst the guests was likewise reflective of nearly everyone enjoying themselves. 

The transfer time from the airport was also surprisingly very quick - under 15 mins. 

The kids loved it and made plenty of new friends, with A already having a new friend to play with from nearby Balham.

We will definitely return to this resort - most likely as a week-long destination in either Oct or March as opposed to a summer vacation. And we will be recommending both yourselves and the resort to our friends."

Review by JH, guest at Aphrodite Hills villas in July 2011: "We had a nice time, although I’ll be honest and say that the ammunition explosion which knocked out the country’s power and happened the night we arrived, (leaving us without any cooking, fridge, running water, air con or indoor kids entertainment in 37 degree heat) did ruin things a bit.   We had unpredictable power cuts throughout our stay and this did rather remove the relaxation element since we had to constantly have a back-up plan for food, water and kids entertainment – not exactly what you want on holiday with 3 small kids.  Obviously not the fault of the resort, although their back-up facilities seemed limited and there didn’t seem to be any sense of trying to compensate for all the inconveniences.

Wrt feedback on Aphrodite Hills itself, we thought it was a nice resort and our villa was well located and equipped.  The pool was quite small which was actually fine for us with small kids but I don’t think the smaller pool was any cheaper? and having seen some of the other villas, we might not have been so happy if we had older kids.  The new kids club and playground facilities were excellent and our kids really enjoyed going there each morning.  The spa was also nice (although expensive!).  The cleaning service seemed hit and miss – the villa was supposed to be cleaned every 5 days but was only done once during our stay.  We queried this with the management office and they confirmed, but it was still not done, which we thought was poor. It was also quite difficult to get information, whether about the explosion or about the standard resort matters.

We were v happy with Tots Too service and the advice/level of info you gave us before the holiday (thank you) and we have already recommended you on to friends.  It’s the info on the little things that really helped, for example, airport info and car hire names etc - and the fact that you had been to the resort and were able to give that info from personal experience gave us confidence in your advice.

Trust that’s helpful feedback"

Review by SM, guest in July 2011: "Just a quick email to let you know about our holiday.

It was great, lovely weather, kids club was fabulous, service was good.

We were put in a room by the open cinema at first and complained and they moved us, very happily, and to a better room, but with no view.  I kinda get the feeling they do this with most people, and see if they complain!

The restaurants are a bit hit and miss sometimes, the buffet one in an evening was not good!

The village square thing was great, felt like you were getting out of the hotel, but not too far.  Pity you couldn’t use your half board there though.

The shows were really good too, much better than the ones at the Meridien, really in tune and the dancing was really good.  Kids loved them.

So overall, very good and would definitely go back.

Met some people who were at the Abama in May!"

Review by DC, guest in October 2010: "Had lovely time, when we got there (very late!) they said they had up-graded us to a club suite, we initially thought this was great, it had a Jacuzzi and large bathroom and a view overlooking the golf course, but we soon realised that whilst that was all very lovely, actually there was nowhere for the kids clothes (as they were in the lounge on sofa beds) and only 1 bathroom between 5 of us.

We have always gone for a suite on holiday and shared with the kids (as this is usually cheaper than 2 rooms) but for the first time we had booked 2 interconnecting rooms. So despite the loveliness of it, I went to ask to be downgraded again to 2 rooms – they looked at me as if I was mad, the club rooms have access to:

• Check-in/check-out service
• Delicious breakfast buffet
• All-day coffee and fresh juices
• Afternoon tea and pastries
• Internet access
• Private lounge
• Evening cocktails and canapés

Which actually they didn’t tell us about but anyway!

They didn’t have 2 rooms so I asked to see the manager who also looked at me as if I was mad, but when I explained that kids don’t appreciate lovely views, they can’t go in the Jacuzzi, they don’t want to sit on the private balcony, they are too old (my son is 11) to sleep on camp beds all week and they can’t live out of a suitcase he saw my point and changed us (a day later) to 2 rooms, no view, miles from reception but with 2 lovely bathrooms, 2 massive wardrobes, beds for everyone except the 7 year old who was happy on a camp bed and we were blissfully happy for the rest of the week!!

All the staff were lovely, and the food was great, we would definitely go again, and we’d definitely go away in October too, really like going at that time of year. We’d definitely use Tots Too again, it was all very easy."

Review by SW, guest in August 2010  "We had a brilliant time, much aided by the certainty in the weather!  It sounds like there has been quite a lot of rain while we were away!

The resort fitted our requirements perfectly.  We could walk to the village and having a communal pool was actually much better for the children as they met other kids and had a ball.  It sounds like some of the villages have villas with their own pool as well as a communal pool which sounded like having your cake and eating it, but probably better with older kids who are more confident in the water.

We hadn’t planned to hire a car, but the resort shop was limited and over-priced (understandably), but after spending 60 euros for our return journey to the grocery store in the local town (approx 10 mins away at most) we realised a car was necessary.  The resort has a rental rep there, but their rates were quite high, and after paying 1 euro for 20mins on the internet we booked a car for collection with the same chap for substantially less.  They were also going to charge 5.50 euros per day per car seat (not obligatory by law, but with 2 of our 3 under 5years of age we felt we should have them) So we ventured to mothercare and another baby company and bought our own boosters!

Janine and the chap she works with at the property rental desk were very helpful, although it seemed they were selective about what they wanted to fix.  The villa had a lovely upstairs balcony with table and chairs, but the parasol was broken so too hot to sit there in the daytime, despite the nice breeze  - it was never repaired.  They swiftly checked our concerns with the downstairs toilet, and when the seat came off it was replaced on the same day, as was the hot water heater when we realised suddenly the lack of hot water.  They have a tough job pleasing everyone, and we felt badly having to complain!  The babysitters were great, but on the first night booked nobody showed up.  They kindly gave us more kids club vouchers for the mix-up, and the 2 other sessions were brilliant!  Kids club had mixed reviews from the kids, we used it less than we anticipated. 

On the whole it was a great break from our routine, we enjoyed the resort and would definitely go back if we fancied a spot that ticks all the boxes like it does!  Interestly we met another couple who had done the other resort you mentioned in Portugal, Pine Cliff? They liked the accessibility of the villas in our village to the facilities, and felt the surrounding area also had more to offer.  I think they will return to the resort in Cyprus as well!  I must say, I was shocked at first by how English it all is, in terms of the service and products, groceries, etc… very much a homeaway from home!  I think the only part of our holiday we really felt a culture shock was when we were stuck overnight in North Cyprus when our car broke down! (another story!!)

Helen, you were fab with sorting us out, thank you so much!  I will definitely recommend you if given the opportunity!"

Review by NW, guest in August 2010 "Holiday was lovely, I liked the hotel & Cyprus a lot. I thought your advice about not going full board or half board was spot on.  We had a great time and I will definitely go back and have recommended it to various friends & colleagues  - Many thanks for all your help.

The hotel was pretty full the first 7 -8 days and there were some minor service issues but nothing that could not be sorted. Also the return transfer was cocked up but again I sorted it out. Many thanks and speak soon."

Review by CK, guest in April 2010  "Thank you very much, we did have a wonderful time on our holiday. The Aphrodite Hills resort has great facilities for everyone, the spa was beautiful, golf course and practice areas were brilliant and the hotel was great. The kids club kept both the little ones happy.

We will highly recommend Tots Too to our friends."

Review by Amanda, guest in March 2010  "Have been meaning to call you since we got home from Cyprus. I would like to say that we had a wonderful week, the weather was perfect but more to the point, the hotel and resort were absolutely superb!

As I mentioned to Emma when I booked our holiday for October, we spent last New Year at the Sofitel in Agadir and I found myself constantly comparing. Aphrodite Hills was beautifully and tastefully furnished and produced an instantly calm environment. I was extremely impressed by every member of staff I met, they were so helpful and polite and nothing was too much trouble, everyone seemed to be genuinely keen to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable.

The hotel was quiet as they said it was not their peak season, for me that added to the charm, no rushing down to the pool to claim sunbeds at 6am! The views over the golf course and sea were spectacular and the room was spacious and very comfortable. As we were were both unable to take part in much of the sports we tended to take advantage of the spa, which although very expensive, was excellent.

The cost of food in the restaurants for a 5* hotel I thought, was not too scary and the quality superb. We didn't sample the buffet as we prefer to order off the menu but there was plenty of choice of different types of food and we didn't get bored with the choice. We had one night when we were informed of a problem with the drains and that we couldn't use the bathroom so they offered us an identical room for the following 24 hours until it was fixed. This was all organised very smoothly and didn't inconvenience us too much. In particular, they dealt with it very courteously, were very apologetic and delivered a bottle of wine to apologise.

All in all I would definitely recommend the hotel and of course Tots Too/Essential Escapes. Thank you for making the booking process so quick and easy and for all the information you were able to provide in advance. I am very much looking forward to trying the Abama in October!"

Review by JD, guest in August 2009  "We spent the last week of August at the Aphrodite Hills resort and it far surpassed our expectations!

Having requested a pool view room, we were actually more than pleased with our garden view room (and preferred it, as we were only a very short walk from the pool but had a small secure grass area outside our terrace where the children were able to play).  The suite was perfect – huge bathroom and large double bed, plus sofa bed for the boys (divided by a revolving TV!) giving the feel of 2 separate areas, whilst still all being together.

The magnificent bathroom had a walk-in shower with ceiling rose – easily big enough to get in with the children on hair washing nights!  There were tea and coffee making facilities in the room, and importantly UK power sockets so no need to bring your adaptors. There also appeared to be a play-station console tucked away in the TV cupboard (but I didn’t point this out to the children!). 

We barely left the resort as being in the low 30’s the pool was very inviting.  There is an upper infinity pool and a lower pool which is shallow enough for “not-so-confident” swimmers to be able to put their feet down (our 6 year old was able to have the freedom to play whilst we watched from the sun loungers!). 

We did use the free shuttle service to take us to the beach on 2 of our afternoons.  The 15 minute drive in the air-conditioned mini-bus was a nice respite from the sun and we were driven past the famous Aphrodite’s Rock.  The beach club great – we were handed fresh towels and a bottle of cold water on arrival.  The sandy beach was great for swimming, pebble collecting and watching the kite-surfers further along the coast.  There was a small local café next door which was great for kids ice-creams.

The buffet style evening meal in the main dining hall at the Resort was excellent – something for everyone and a children’s option.  Sitting on the veranda in the cool evening breeze watching the sun go down was wonderful.  One evening we even managed a romantic meal alone as the boys wanted to go to the film night at the kids club – they thought it was great, slouching on beanbags eating popcorn and didn’t want to leave when we called by to collect them.    

The market square offered a pizzeria, asian fusion food as well as a pub and a smart adults eatery.  Being B&B guests, we did however discover that room service was a cheaper option than eating out so ordered in a couple of nights.  A table was wheeled to our veranda bedecked with huge club sandwiches, falafel wraps and salad and children’s healthy (skin-on!) chips and local fish.  Perfect for an early dinner enabling us to have a later drink and watch the evening show at the Olive Terrace.

We didn’t use the kids club (apart from the movie night) as the boys wanted to be in the pool all day, however they were able to join in the midday games at the pool and 2pm water polo run by the entertainment team.  The kids club did look good though – there were 3 separate clubs for 3-7, 8-12 and teenagers, all offering different activities throughout the week.  The children could either be booked in for different activities, or come and go as they pleased with the parents permission.  There was a signing in book and the clubs for the younger children were gated. 

The tennis courts could be booked throughout the day, although we chose to play floodlit at 9pm when it really cooled down.  The boys were able to borrow tennis rackets at the hotel and enjoyed it so much we booked 3 nights in a row. 

We had a luxurious week and didn’t even manage to get to the spa, which means we shall probably have to go back soon!"

from CY, guest in September 2009 "Thank you very much for sorting out our holiday to Aphrodite Hills. Everything was perfect.  The service at the hotel was excellent.  Everything there as excellent.  We would definitely go back."

A note about reviews. We always ask our clients for their feedback after their stay, to help us advise you better. These reviews are genuine and unvarnished. Please remember that people have different preferences, which is why one guest may rave about a place and another be disappointed. If there is a negative point in these reviews that causes concern, we urge you to raise it with our knowledgeable team who can provide the full context. We pass any concerns raised by our clients onto the hotels, so the issue may since have been resolved.

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