I have just spent 3 weeks in this hotel on a two weeks half board + 1 week free b&b deal, and found it quite adequate for what I paid. Having a third floor room with balcony, overlooking the sea was a big plus point. This room was kept very clean but the A/C was noisy. I thought the area between the hotel and the beach was very well laid out, with terrace, large and small pools, beach bar and absolutely loads of tables, chairs and sun loungers. As other reviewers have noted, the beaches in this part of Cyprus cannot be described as "golden", but that didn't bother me because I wasn't there for a beach holiday but to explore Cyprus.
Breakfast was excellent, with a wide choice of food and plenty of it. By contrast, I became bored with the dinners after the first few days, because the meat always seemed to taste the same whatever it was, and the sauces were bland. I appreciate that I wasn't paying for fine dining, but I would have appreciated something that lingered on the palate more. The restaurant staff were very efficient and attentive, and the reception staff always helpful in arranging things such as car hire and coach trips.
The main thing against this hotel is its location. I would agree with reviewers who describe the area as run down and lacking in evening entertainment. The plus points were a bank with ATM and cheap convenience stores just across the road, and an excellent beach bar/restaurant nearby called the Mer Bleu. The big minus was that at this time of year buses into Larnaca run only once an hour. There are no timetables or route information on the bus stops, and the timetables provided by the bus company to local hotels were all wrong. The result: throughout my stay I kept meeting other tourists who like me had waited 40-60 minutes for a bus before eventually working out that they run just after the hour into Larnaca and on the half-hour back out. I realise this may not be a major consideration for everyone, but since I was using the hotel as a base to explore Cyprus local transport was an important factor for me.
Overall an enjoyable stay, except for the slight disappointment of the dinners.
- Louis Princess Beach Larnaca
- Hotel Louis Princess Beach
