Akamanthea Village

And all the reviews are right it is beautiful, weather scorchio and off the beaten track but with options if you want them.
Booked via Thomas Cook but is really an Olympic Holidays do, rep was very good and not at all pushy. We were amazed at the value for a 4 star and were wary despite the good reviews we'd seen that we were actually going to the same place. As mentioned some flights say Paphos in the brochure but you fly to Larnaca and get transferred in 1hr 45 in an air-conditioned Merc Limo so not a big tribulation in my book. Flight back was from Paphos via similar transfer.
Originally tried for AI but ended up with a booking for SC as AI makes you do nothing and not experience the area. The difference in price meant we could eat out anyway and we are still capable of walking for 15 mins, even in sunshine to sample nearby Polis and Latchi (aka Latsi)or 5 mins to the Chinese all you can eat 15 euro each buffet!!
On arrival upgraded to B&B for 7 euro pp per night so we could have brekky then get round the pool. Place was busy enough to be lively but never mobbed out and everyone was sociable. Only myself and wife as 16 year old son was away elsewhere but people with younger families (all well behaved)looked to be enjoyng it too. AI is handy if you have kids who just want to splash in the pool and to be fair local prices were fairly familiar to home. 600ml beer 3.30 euro (£3 at the time) wine in restaurant (not village ie house wine)11 to 14 euro. From the supermarket beer about 70 cents fro 600 ml on offer, wine around 3.50 a bottle. So home from home in that respect. As others mentiuon aircon is 6 euros a night but unless you are a Touareg you'll need it.
Not a ten only because the service was a bit slow (but no big deal give it was a relaxed holiday place) and the pool drainage grilles needed a clean of garden detritus every day which it didn't get and plastic beer glasses lolling in the garden on day one were still there on day 3. That said, this was far from catastrophic but should be mentioned for a balanced review so you know I am not co-owner or something!
The ultimate proof is would I go again? Yes and I believe there is a flight tomorrow so where's me cheque book...
Oh one last thing, the mentions in reviews of Luke the Don are correct he, and to be fair the staff in general, are most helpful and accommodating and I wish them all luck keeping the Akamanthea in this brilliant, seldom seen nowadays, unspoilt atmosphere for holidaying in.

2 readers found this review helpful

This was probably the best holiday we have ever had. My boyfriend and I booked it a few months before not really knowing what to expect. We booked it with Olympic Holidays and were thoroughly pleased with the way they dealt with everything. We had our own taxi to the apartments and when we got there it looked absolutely beautiful. The next morning we had breakfast which was extremely satisfactory with a really large selection of food. We lazed about the pool for the first day which was lovely and very picturesque.The staff were extremely helpful and genuinely couldnt do enough for you. Although the hotel isnt situated in the most upbeat area it doesnt take long to get to Paphos and other places in a car or on a motorbike, we didnt actually have these but we made very good frineds with some people that did and ended up exploring the whole island including ayia napa. Even if you dont have a car then its still a really nice area with some really nice beaches which are great for snorkelling. All in all, great holiday with great food, lovely staff, some friends for life and were already booking next years and possibly even later this year!!

Just booked up 2 weeks before we left. Allocation on arrival but in the Paphos area. Arrived @ about 8pm Cyprus time & it was still belting hot! Shown to our room which was lovely & for once our preferances had been granted eg. upper floor & sea view(fantastic watching the sunset from the balcony with glass of wine!!). We went straight to the supermarket for bits & pieces.This had ample choice & wasn't to expensive & was only 2mins walk.Pool was the warmest outdoor pool we've ever been in abroad, so peacefull & relaxing, with any amount of sun beds.
Staff were helpful & friendly.
Didn,t try any hotel food but talking to other people they said it wasn't the best for what you paid.
Caught local bus from Polis to Paphos it cost 5euros each one way & took about 45mins but it gets busy so go early to get a seat.
The water pressure in the shower was poor but hot enough.
If you are after a peaceful, relaxing chill out holiday I would certainly go here.

After reading the earlier reviews I was a bit dubious about the Akamanthea, but on arrival we were pleasantly surprised, our room was clean and adequate, we didnt have too much of a problem with the ants, if you kept food and crumbs at bay it wasnt a problem, the pool and bar area were perfect enough loungers, the only downside the bar staff were on the slow side, you could wait ages for a drink, not sure why they werent overly busy, all the staff were friendly, it was a lovely place to stay, food was excellent, would definitely go back, BUT to get out and about its best to hire a car it is a little out of it, you can catch a bus I am told into Paphos, but they dont run too often taxis were about 7 euros into Latchi which I thought was a bit expensive as it is within walking distance (not in the heat of the sun though).
Lovely place.

I have to say how impressed I was with the Akamanthea. If you go expecting a 4* you'll be disappointed, expect a 3* and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. When we arrived our studio apartment had not been made up from the previous occupants and nor was it going to be until the next day, as we arrived Sunday pm.
We were given a choice of up grading to a 1 bed apartment for the week or waiting until the next day when our studio was ready. We waited for the studio as it had sea views. The management gave us free air con for the week as an apology for our room not being available.
The staff at the Akamanthea were very helpful and the apartments were basic but clean. Again don’t expect 4* luxury!
The pool was nice, clean and never too busy. It also had great views of the sea and a nice bar!
The surrounding villages/towns are nice and not too touristy, although the local restaurants are geared up for the British tourists but do have some authentic dishes. The best restaurant we went to in Polis was the Old Town Restaurant. It doesn’t look much from the outside (opposite the main T-Junction into Polis), however there is a lovely garden at the back which feels like you are a million miles from the traffic. Food is great and service is excellent. A must if you are staying in Polis!
Latchi is the nearest fishing village. Great for water sports and I would definitely recommend hiring a speed boat for the day and going snorkelling!
Car hire is not a must but it does make life easier. It’s a 20/30 min walk to either Polis or Latchi and a car means you can nip to the local shops/bakery’s, rather than trek but if you are on a small budget not having a car is not the end of the world!
If you do have a car, also recommend driving to some of the smaller villages along the coast and having lunch there. There is a lot more to see of Polis/Latchi than the Akamanthea.
Over-all I would definitely recommend the Akamanthea. A nice little place to stay if you want things a little quieter than the usual ‘brits abroad’ package accommodation!

1 reader found this review helpful

Having read certain 'negative' reviews before we went, I was amazed by how good the village was - in fact if you want to go you'd better hurry as the talk there was about them converting it to timeshare next year.
Definitely for the quieter life but absolutely peaceful and high quality. Met lots of nice people around the pool.
Would agree with one small criticism - their dinner time menus are not extensive and food dried up quickly, but plenty of tasty snacks during the day served fresh, and the staff were so friendly. Would definitely go again.

After arriving at the airport our taxi was already waiting for us. We got to the hotel in no time!
The staff were very friendly and welcoming. The pool facilities were excellent. Although the on site shop was never open and it was peak season. The walk to the local shop was not far.
The apartment was 2 bedrooms and very clean and inviting. It was cleaned daily. The only downside was that there wasn’t a kettle or toaster. It was basic.
The reception staff at the hotel were very friendly and often rang taxis for us which were cheap to either town.
We enjoy quiet holidays so this was the perfect location for us. We will be definitely coming back.

Out of the way with at least a 10 minute walk to get anywhere but great views from all around the complex.
Good facilities within the complex but we could have done with a few more facilities within the kitchen i.e. a kettle would have been nice and a toaster wouldn't have gone amiss.
The facilities for my 2-year old would have been fantastic - if the play room had been cleaned but it wasn't.
Staff were really cheerful and friendly. Our rooms were cleaned most days and the main reception/restaurant always looked spotless.

I and my boyfriend had booked this holiday at last minute. The holiday started off from the worst possible start as we had a 5 hour delay, and then when we got to Paphos airport and we found out we staying in polis! We didn’t have a coach transfer we had taxi, and we had wait ages for one! When we finally got one they tied our suit cases to the roof and he drove like a racing driver. When we first got to the hotel I thought wow its lovely. When we were taken to the room it was just really basic. We dropped our suit cases off and went down to the bar! It was lovely and so was the pool. But it was so quiet there, and not much to do as you were so far from everything. You could catch a taxi for £3 Cypriot pounds to polis! you couldn’t really walk anywhere in the night as there was no street lights!! I would love to go back to Cyprus but not to Akamanthea!!

We booked a late holiday and having never been to Cyprus before we weren't sure what to expect. We booked two apartments as we are a family of two adults and two older children and the apartments were only for three people.
On arrival we were given a one bed roomed apartment with an extra camp bed, we were compensated with breakfast each day and were not charged for air conditioning which is £3 per night. The breakfast was OK ish and we were quite glad of it as the apartments are so poorly equipped for self catering.
The Akamanthea had good common facilities, such as the outdoor pool and also an indoor pool which was a great way to get out of the heat and have a cool dip, some staff were good but others lacked interest and the apartments themselves were of a low standard. The kitchen equipment was the bare minimum just two rings and a fridge.
We had to ask for cups, plates and glasses as we did not have any in the room, we also had to ask for extra towels most days as the cleaners did not seem to realise there were four people in the apartment even though that was obvious because of the extra bed! The lighting inside the apartment was horrible, fluorescent, and we were plagued by ants. The beds were uncomfortable and the apartment was not well cleaned just a quick flick and that was it.
It was a fair walk to either Latchi or Polis, taxi fare is £3 Cyprus pounds each way which wasn't too bad but could add up over the holiday so car hire is advised especially if you want to get out and about and see Cyprus which is lovely. We stayed one week which was long enough and overall we enjoyed our holiday we would go back to Cyprus but not to the Akamanthea.