Reviews of Kouzalis Beach Hotel, Protaras

After reading negative reviews on this hotel, my husband and I nearly cancelled our holiday as we were dreading it.
WE ARE SO GLAD WE DIDN’T.

We stayed here from 22nd Oct – 29th Oct 2008.

Here are our honest views on this hotel and local area.

This hotel is a little out of the way but ideal for those who know this and want a quiet relaxing holiday in a lovely setting. Perfect place to chill out and unwind.

The hotel appears to have a large amount of customers who are Swiss or German as well as people from the UK.

The hotel reception area is very nice and airy, the reception staff are very polite, helpful and friendly.
Just beyond the reception area is the upstairs Espirades Cocktail Bar which has a nice seating area fronted by patio doors and floor to wall glass that leads onto a lovely balcony which looks out onto the pool and across to the beach. Across from the bar is a seating area with sofas and tables.

There is a small shop but due the hotel about to close for the winter season (3 days after our departure), it wasn’t as stocked as would be expected during the height of the summer season. There is, however, two little “supermarkets” on the road the hotel is off and they have a good selection of products, the larger of the two shops is the one closet to the neighbouring hotel Crystal Springs but it is literally up the road within walking distance.

The Neptune Poolside Bar is nicely situated and the bar staff are very friendly and have a great sense of humour, once they get to know you, you can really have a good laugh with them. I feel if you treat them with the correct jovial and polite attitude you can expect the same response back.
The grumpy barman possibly mentioned in previous reviews has left and has been replaced.

We didn’t need to use the indoor pool but went to see what it looked like, it would be nice for an early morning or late evening swim but sadly the opening time are approx 10.00am – 19.00pm, I feel this should be extended as this pool does not get any use at all it appears and seems a waste.
Had it opened longer, I would definitely have made use of it.

The outside pool was lovely and refreshing just a perfect cool temperature, the seats by the bar had the sun on all day so a novel way of topping up the tan on your back whilst sipping your favourite tipple.
We noticed that the Jacuzzi mentioned wasn’t working and the small round pool pictured in brochures we assumed must be the Jacuzzi didn’t have any air jets so must be just a small 50cm deep round pool to sit in and relax, there was an area by the entrance to the pool by the side of the pool bar that did have what looked like jets in the sides but it wasn’t working.
Plenty enough sun loungers and brolleys to go round even after people had taken time to “book” their space for the coming day. The sun loungers are slightly uncomfortable where they have a gap between the flat part and the adjustable backrest, this can be sorted by putting a folded up towel over it or by lying on a lilo for padding. Again this is no way near a complaint, just advice for future holiday makers.

Although there is the facility for beauty and massage treatments, I didn’t know of anyone using that facility, maybe because that was on the same floor level as the indoor pool and gym, maybe this should be relocated to the room space next to the reception desk that appears to be vacant.

Our room (no 342) which was on the reception entrance side of the hotel, had the most wonderful side sea view over the little bay and out across the beach, the room was nice because of the views we had from our balcony.
One thing we agreed with from the reviews we had read is the fact the bed was exceptionally hard to the extent of making your bones ache. We solved this by placing blankets on top of the mattress under the bed sheets for extra padding and didn’t make a fuss or let it ruin our holiday.
The tip about reward cards in the air conditioning slot worked a treat but it must be noted that if you leave the card in before room service, you will come back to find it lifted out slightly to turn the electric off, when we stayed local to the hotel, we tried to make sure we popped to our room after daily room service to pop the card in the slot again so the room was nice and cool to return to.
The TV did only show SKY news and this was a disappointment if you fancied watching something in the evening instead of joining the entertainment. We personally chose not to join in with the evening entertainment but that was because it really is not our cup of tea and it didn’t start until 10.00pm which for us was fairly late as we are normally early risers due to our careers but this is not a complaint against the hotel, just our own personal choice. We kind of expected this in advance after reading reviews so came prepared with our laptop and some dvd’s just in case, which proved handy.

We were all inclusive and were given a yellow wrist tag to wear all holiday so that their staff would know when serving us.
The food, which has been a great source of complaint on reviews sites, was to us perfectly fine, in fact the choice of dishes at lunchtime and during the evening could not be faulted, my husband is extremely fussy and even he managed to tuck in. As we are big meat lovers we were really impressed by the volume of meat dishes and each night there was a carved meat of some sort. The meat in the dishes was in big chunks too, which was good as there was more meat than sauce which is the opposite of some restaurants.

The salads were tasty and refreshing and there was always fresh bread available in warming ovens to slice yourself.

We always had fresh fruit available at mealtimes and the desserts were delicious with a freezer full of four different ice-creams to help yourself from, the banana one was especially nice.

Our one comment is the fact that it would be nice to have a little guidance from the hotel on mealtime protocol as for breakfast and lunch you can be free to find your own tables and help yourself to the buffets but in the evening you are seated by waiting staff who take a drink order, but this does not allow for sprits only wines, bear and soft drinks. This appeared quite daunting as we arrived and our first mealtime was dinner. Once the waiters had taken our drink order, they left us and we didn’t know if we had to wait for them to return with them or if we could go straight to get our food, we watched other diners but during our stay we noticed other newcomers suffer the same dilemma.
The waiting staff however, after our first concerns, were actually very friendly and very quickly got to recognise us and gave us friendly greetings to enquire how we were each day.
They do clear your plates away very swiftly but after analysing this we feel this is just a polite customary thing not as has been previously mentioned, a way to clear out customers faster, we felt that maybe the waiting staff are trained to do this so customers do not have dirty crockery in front of them whilst sat at the table. This appeared to be the case as this happened on the occasions we ate out elsewhere in other restaurants too.

The breakfast food was only lukewarm at times but we felt this was due to the dining room opening so early for people starting their days early for trips and return journey’s home, there was though, a varied selection everyday and plenty to chose from. It is safe to say we believe there was something for everyone.

There had been mention of flies before so I thought to comment on this pest, they do exists but they are not the buzzing blue bottles we envisaged from reading previous reviews, they are more like fruit flies.

Cats do hang around the restaurant and pool area, not in the hundreds as previously mentioned in reviews.
We probably saw up to 10 different ones, they sometimes sneak into the restaurant but get shooed out except at breakfast time as it seems the large glass doors leading straight out to the pool area remain open at breakfast to allow diners to chose to have their breakfast or cup of tea/coffee out overlooking the pool in the sun.

All Inclusive Snack selection could be explained better to visitors and it is not widely advertised, we did one day find out that there was a menu of snacks to chose from if you found yourself hungry outside of mealtimes, one day we had missed lunch due to a trip out and ordered a toasted sandwich but we noticed there was also jacket potatoes with fillings that would’ve made a nice meal. To order these snacks we sat by the pool next to the restaurant and the waiter provided us with the menu.

Lovely to have no children jumping about in the pool and running up and down the hotel corridors screeching and shouting, we did very occasionally hear the children from the neighbouring hotel and a baby crying from the apartments next door but that was no problem, and once some local children put their heads through some bushes to see what was going on but that truly is nothing to make negative comments about at all.

Buses stop on the road just by the hotel and are an experience not to be missed, the cost was 1.50 Euros wherever you wanted to go each way and to go towards Protaras and beyond you need to Agia Napa bus on the hotel side of the road, it drops you back just a small way up the road before the hotel.
When coming back to the hotel, you need the stops and buses heading towards Paralimni.
Normally when we hopped onto a bus they had seats free but one day it must have been local market day and the bus was heaving with people, we had to stand and we kept allowing more and more people in until we were squashed like sardines.
Hair-raising experience but kind of amusing too.
Don’t get fooled like us and hop off at the first stretch of shops thinking it is Protaras, carry on until you reach the area with water fountains and Macdonalds, this is the main area of Protaras.

If you want to see the beautiful Fig Tree Bay, look for Capo Bay Hotel in Protaras and follow the sign down to the beach, lovely.

Our travel rep gave us a brochure with local tours, we personally felt disappointed with the trip to Larnaca Market as we had expected a street market and found ourselves at market stalls selling cheap tat really no different to ones found at home. This was followed by a trip to the camel park, this was ok but we ourselves did not feel it was worth the 33 Euros each that we had paid.
We also spent 81 Euros each to visit Famagusta Select tour run by Aeolos which also visited Salamis and stopped off in a local fish taverna by a harbour, whilst this was a very insightful and interesting trip with a good guide we realised that we could have gone to a tour operator shop and booked it for 30 euros each with the only difference being it was with Eman Tours and didn’t include lunch.
We realised we had just been “conned” by 51 Euros each for a meal that consisted of a few dips with salad and bread for starter, a chicken breast, portion of rice and a few chips, a plate of fresh fruit and small portion of local sweet desert and a glass of wine or lemon squash.
However, the trip with Eman tours to the Troodos Mountains is well worth joining, we paid 33 euros each and for the quality of the trip and knowledge of our tour guide Elani and the distance travelled during the day, we would happily have paid the 81 euros for this full day trip.
If you chose to holiday in Cyprus and only want to make one trip, I thoroughly recommend this one.


Summary
We have no complaints whatsoever and would like to point out that the things mentioned in this review are only to bring previous review comments into perspective.

If you have already booked and like us were thinking of cancelling, go with an open mind, do what I did and try to contact the hotel or your tour operator to see if you can try request a room near to room 342 if you want a lovely view, obviously at the time I didn’t know room numbers but pre-requested a nice side sea view room and although was told there was no guarantee this would be accepted, I think it helped as we could not have asked for a better view if we tried.


Staff very friendly and helpful, always greet you with a smile and say hello, this includes non customer facing staff who clean the hotel to bar and waiting staff.
Lovely setting.
Brilliant choice of food at mealtimes.
Wonderful Pool area.

We would definitely consider returning to this very hotel and give it 9/10.

Were to start well when we read the reviews we thought that it could not be that bad !!!!! what a waste of money this hotel was ,,,,,,, the food was nasty ,,,, the same thing every night ,breakfast was the same every day you could not cut the veg (what you did get)FOOD WAS COLD OH YES CHIPS WITH EVERY THING , TOAST IF YOU HAD ALL DAY TO WAIT NO PROBLEM ,,,,,,, BEDS WELL VERY HARD ALONG WITH THE TOWELS
The place had no atmosphere the entertainment was ok i you were about 80 years old and this was held in the restaurant the did not even put the football on the tv we had to suffer knight rider.
the whole area outside the hotel is full of retired brits on a massive estate
after two days we were getting stir crazy so we hired a car and went up into the mountains and guess what we found some Cypriot people not brits.
This hotel is fine if you like Butlins in the sun but if you want some culture and comfort forget it.
OH AND I FORGOT TO MENTION THE CATS WHICH ARE A PAIN IN THE NECK AS SOME IDIOTS KEEP FEEDING THEM SO THEY DONT GO AWAY AND THEY MAKE A MESS WHERE YOU SUNBATHE.

I had booked this holiday and was worried by the poor reviews, however this is a fantastic hotel dont be put off.

I can’t believe this hotel gets bad reviews about the food, it was lovely, plenty of choice for breakfast, Lunch and dinner. The food was cooked well, hot amd we enjoyed every meal. My partner is a really picky eater and he was more than happy with the food.

The hotel, rooms and outside areas are clean and comfortable.

The all the staff are friendly and helpful.

It is not in Protaras and a hire car is probably best unless you are happy to spend most of your holiday in the hotel. However there are shops, restaurants and bars all within walking distance.

The beach is ok however there are some nice beaches within walking distance, if you have a car fig tree bay is only 5 minutes up the road and is well worth visiting, Nissi beach is also another good beach about 20 mins drive.

Don’t worry if you have booked this hotel and are reading all the bad reviews like I did as it is a really nice hotel and I would recommend to anyone, will definitely book again.

My husband and I stayed at the Kouzalis Beach Hotel for 2 weeks in September. We were not very impressed with it overall. The reception area was very nice and the staff on the whole very friendly. The room we had was on the 4th floor with a lovely view of the sea and over Protaras. The beach which does not belong to the hotel was great and the sea was warmer than the swimming pool. The bad points were the following; The bathroom tiles were dirty and the towels were thin , some with holes in them. The food was Ok. The main problem was eating in the dinning room for all meals and then having to sit in there at night for the entertainment where guests had sat with sun cream and oil on and being expected to sit there at night in good clothes. there was a small balcony upstairs with tables and chairs but not enough for the amount of guests in the hotel. We go on holiday to sit outside at night not being stuck in a room inside. The hotel was too far out with nowhere to walk at night. Would we return again to this hotel NO as it was not a 4star more like a 3star.

This was our second year at Kouzalis, chosen because there are no kids, I've got nothing against kids but ours are grown up and we like to chill now. And this hotel is just the place to chill. Hotel is very clean, most staff are very friendly and helpfull, there is a good selection of foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I've never done 5 star so can't compare but have done 4 star in London and although the Kouzalis food isn't quite up to that standard, both my wife and I and our friends enjoyed each mealtime. If I've got any gripes it was the dress code standard at mealtimes, in 2007 the staff would refuse entry to men in shorts and so they should however this year on several occasions nothing was said to the ignorant chaps who wouldn't abide by the rules. That said we are booking again for 2009.

Just returned from Kouzalis Hotel and I would not recommend this place to anyone.



4* the brochures rate this hotel.. its far from it more like 3* ...



Hotel itself is very clean and tidy and the rooms are kept to an exceptional level by the maids. The surrounding grounds are peaceful to sunbathe in and very quiet which is pleasant with no kids running about.



The food & entertainment in this hotel is absolutely " horrific " .. I warn you now if your reading this before you plan to book here..DONT...!!



In all my years of holidaying this has got to be the worst for food .. we have stayed All-Inclusive before at other hotels and have enjoyed the food even though it can get quite boring, but this place was awful.



Hardly any selection and that goes for every meal time.. and its the same thing over and over night after night.



This place wasnt cheap to book .. not to mention what my wife and I spent outside of the hotel in order to have food you could eat and enjoy decent entertainment which this place definately didnt have.



Apart from the glorious weather for the 2 weeks this hotel was a major disappointment.. never to return.



If your thinking of booking here ..DONT... total waste of money.

Best Point NO KIDS just returned from 7 days at this hotel. The hotel is very clean and well maintained. We found the staff to be very polite and helpful especially the girls on reception. The food was excellent, there was a different theme every night and the choice was really good,soups and salads at least 4 meat choices, a fish dish selection of veg and not just chips, the sweets were brilliant. Breakfast was also very good, with all the usual, cereals eggs fried, boiled, scrambled and the staff would make you an omelette fresh if you wanted. The rooms were clean with plenty of wardrobe space shower was very good. There were plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas and clean pool towels. There were a couple of downsides, there were no tea & coffee making facilities in the rooms which I think as a 4* should be a must. The entertainment was absolutely diabolical although it must be said that the entertainment staff did their best under the circumstances, but worst of all WHY do brochures not tell it like it is??? the hotel is listed as being in Protaras, however when you read the description it's a 20min walk into the resort, BUT it is actually nearer to Paralimini (thats what it says on all the stickers on the glass doors) and a good 45-50min walkto Protaras. BUT PLEASE don't try to walk it you will be much safer jammed on the bus with no air con as the roads are very poorly lit, the pavements can suddenly disappear and it is very quiet. Incidentally the buses are frequent and only cost 1.50 to wherever you want to go and stops right at the end of the drive. I would consider visiting again .

hi. me and my partner took this holiday for two weeks hopeing that what we read in the reviews could have been a little dramatizd, 2 our suprise it was correct,food was prity much the same fo 14 days & nights, by the 9th night we we gonig out for meals because we wre so fed up with it, th breakfast was the worst, cold fried eggs & cold bacon with these potatoes thingies, had to que up for toast, had to pay extra if you wanted a kettle in your room for tea & coffee 6 Euros per day. Had to pay for ice & lollies around the swimimg pool & water which in an all inclusive hotel should be free, what a take on, also my wife likes martini,but was told she had to pay as it was not a local drink but neither is Carlsburg but that is free? Hotel rooms were average, towles were old & Stiff. TV had only sky news. Nice coved beach outside but rocky, pool bar waiter Victor meldew. and his mate were unpleasant should be looked into,entertainment well what a joke we went out to downtown protaras or ayia napa for this, hotel staff were good,i gess something must,i think a lot of us are fooled by all this all inclusive baloney we had to spend quite a bit of money concidering this was supposed to be a 4 star.iff this hotel wasnt adults only they would proberly close down.

we have just returned from kouzalis beach hotel. The hotel it's self was very clean we had a sea view room. The food is repeated daily and lacks presentation, the staff tend to be very laid back the food often didn't have any labels explaining what it is. Also agree with the previous review the bar tender in yellow tshirt wasn't very interested in serving you at the pool bar unless you were a local. You need to but shoes across the road at the local supermarket to be able to acess the cove or climb the rocks to get into the sea which is lovely and warm once you get in. There are buses outside the hotel to take you into the main town fig tree bay is definately worth a visit, be warned the bus drivers weren't very friendly and drove far too fast rarely watching the road on our return journey one driver decided to go off road and take us through a dirt track .

Take a boots card or simular and this will allow the air conditioning to work whilst you are out and you return to a cool room. Entertainment wasn't up to much unless you enjoy bingo and we feel it should have started at 9 instead of 10, If you want a relaxing holiday this is the perfect place

Not really what we expected - food similar every night and the drink varied in price at times - grumpy waiter in yellow t-shirt at Garden Bar charges over 4 euros for a small warm beer in a plastic cup!!! Next time we ordered it was 3 euros?!?! Not clean around grass area (full of fag stumps) and most disappointing of all - it's miles from anywhere. Love Cyprus - great nights out in ayia Napa and Protaris - won't go back to Kouzalis beach though.

Myself and my partner stayed there in July 08 and it was perfect, yes its a little out of Proatar but it onlly cost 1.50 on the bus and 10 Euros in a taxi each way. The hotel was perfect, clean and the staff were very helpfull all the staff spoke perfect good English, the food catered for everyone the choices were very good. There were plenty of sunbeds no matter what time of day you got down, didnt have to get up early to get a sunbed. The beach was very nice, the sea did have some large bolders when you first get in and they can cause a bump or a scrape, but we bought some croc shoes and it wasnt a problem.



I would go back to the Kouzalis and i would recommend it to anyone who wants a great hotel with no kids just perfect.



My partner had a health problem and we needed the Doctor the reception staff called the doctor ten minutes he was here, we went to the hospital and they were great, they all spoke perfect english. They sorted Gary out sent him home with medication then they came back to see him twice before we flew just to check he was ok

After staying here last year on a B&B basis, we looked forward to staying on an All Inclusive deal. A BIG disappointment. The only thing that stayed the same as last year was the maid service and the weather.

The staff were not as friendly or helpful (apart from 2 or 3) and the standard seems to have dropped.

The bar drinks were mixed wrong and a lot of the time, they tasted disgusting, as if the pipes had just been flushed. The table service was not there as previous year, and most of the time was spent queuing at the bars, while staff were having a smoke break.

In the restuarant, the tables were not cleared as regularly either. The dress code standard has dropped as well.

At the weekend, the locals seem to 'infiltrate' the grounds and take over the games area, although some were asked to move after a few complaints from others.

The daily entertainment has improved a great deal around the gardens, but the evening entertainment was a bit naff, apart from the Friday night (Rick). Karaoke on Saturday night is NOT what is expected from a good hotel.

As previously stated in past reviews, the bus service is at the end of the drive, but even THAT seemed to be bad, especially at night, coming back from Protaras, so you usually have to get a taxi, which is ok if there is a group of you to spread the cost.

i would say this is an fairly good hotel,its only two drawbacks are the rocks on the beach which can cut you to shreads and that you are a little bit away from the town although there is a bus stop outside that takes you to protaris or further afield ayia napa just for 1 euro 35. the food was quite good although some nights they had same meat as previous night,the staff very friendly and accomodation was average but had essientially air condition. i only ventured into outdoor pool once as found the water rather warm like a bath,i prefered after some sun bathing to go to there indoor pool, this was an experience not for the faint hearted was absolute freezing in the water felt like an ice bath but in a bazaar way was good to get in away from the heat outside and certainly cooled you down.

they have entertainment every night bingo first followed by a show which was ok most nights, although i would not go back again it was a nice relaxing week,two weeks would of been to much.also they do a trip to nicosia this is not recommended as you reach there at 10am when it is extremely hot and not fun shopping for your gifts

if you want a quiet, no fuss holiday this is the place to be, settings are stunning sea all round, pool is wonderful warm and peaceful, loads of sunloungers and parasols and tables. service is faultless, and cleanliness is amazing, clean rooms everyday.

the food is great, not too spicy or fussy and hot bread yummy every meal. no queues at any bars and a decent cup of tea or coffee. we had the superior room, lovely views, and all you could need in the room, including fresh water, tea an coffee, and a filled fridge ( which costs). ala carte not worth mentioning and you do get charged even if all inclu. resort is a bus ride from protaras, loads of shopping, taxis expensive, and only average price to eat out, but no bartering and no touts.

loads of trips, and sights to see, but best for a romantic, quiet lay back and chill holiday.

only fault the entertainment is pretty dior, so don't forget a pack of cards. not many insects the odd mossi, and no noise, two bars in wlking distance and two supermarkets, everything else a bus ride away. toilets all paper in bin, not to be flushed makes public toilets smelly.

we had a lovely rest and a great tan so happy would recommend.

WE HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM THIS HOTEL AFTER A 14DAY ALL INCLUSIVE HOLIDAY, THE STAFF AND THE FOOD WERE EXCELLENT, THE ROOMS CLEAN AND FRESH LINEN EVERY DAY NO PROBLEM WITH CLEANLINESS, BUT WE WERE ON THE 1ST FLOOR OVER THE SERVICE ENTRANCE THE NOISE WAS A BIG PROBLEM AS THE DUSTMEN CAME AT 5 A.M EVERYDAY , ALSO THERE ARE LOTS OF BUILDING WORKS GOING ON WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED TO BE MOVED BUT WE THOUGHT WE WOULD GET USED TO IT BUT WE DID'NT, SO OUR FAULT THAT DID NOT ASKED TO BE GIVEN A DIFFERENT LOCATION WITHIN THE HOTEL, NEVER MIND. WE WILL NOT RETUNED TO THE HOTEL ONLY BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION, NOWHERE REALLY TO WALK TO, YOU THE BUS OR A TAXI EVERYTIME YOU WANT TO GO ANYWHERE.