Sentido Kouzalis Beach Hotel

We have just returned from the Kouzalis beach hotel 2 weeks and it was fab! I had read the previous reviews and was really concerned I was going to have the worst holiday of my life. What a load of misereable moaners!! The hotel was lovely!! The location is on the outskirts of Penera, not Protaras but this was clearly defined in the holiday brochure. It wasnt possible to walk anywhere as it was quite far, but you could hire a bike or moped to get to Penera (which has a few shops and busy bars). We hired a car because it is so easy to drive out there - it is exactly the same as being at home, but the bus stop outside the hotel was also very useful. The hotel itself is very clean and the staff were very friendy. The restaurant and bar staff were particually attentive and the housekeepers did a brilliant job. My the end of the two weeks, bar staff knew my name and room number and what drink I like! The food, wasnt wonderful - but how many buffet style dinners are?? It is really hard to do a 4* buffet for 100's of people and to do something different over a two week period. Each night the evening meal menu was presented in the reception so you knew what was on offer each night. I have had a lot worse in other 4* hotels. Remember we are in a holiday hotel, not in a 4* hotel in a English city - things are different!! There was plenty of choice for all except vegetarians and by the end of the fortnight, I was actually a bit bored of salad and rice or pasta - but hey, the deserts were good! David from the animation team was excellent. Really made an effort with every guest at the hotel and was really easy to get along with. No smarmy 'i am' sort of guy, just a lovely down to earth bloke who really wants you to enjoy your holiday. Join in with the water areobics, volleyball, darts and water polo- it's fun! The evening entertainment wasnt bad at all, again - i have seen much, much worse! The fire show is really good as is the cheesy karaoke and dance shows. A fantastic tip for you - Bring a credit card sized card with you such as a clubcard, bingo card library card etc. You can use it in your room to activate the air conditioning unit and return to a lovely cool room at the end of the day. Also, there is no music around the pool area so bring your MP3 or radio with you if you need a bit of backround tunes. There are a lot of people on an all inclusive basis at the hotel and as we were half board , felt a little out numbered BUT we mangaged to get loads of free drinks! Just dont show both wrists at the bar (All inclusive guests wear coloured wrist bands). It is also possible to upgrade to Half Board or All inclusive on an ad hoc basis so if you know you are staying atthe hotel all day and all night on a specific day, you can pay the upgrade and drink and eat as much you like. No bad behaviour in the hotel, no kids, no young groups of rowdy boys and girls - what else do you need? Kouzalis is suitable for all age groups. There is always staff around to assist you and the general mangaers of the hotel Alf and Margaret are really lovely people who know how to treat a British guest. I have absolutley no reservations about going back to this hotel. I have stayed in hotels all around the world from 2*-5* (im also a travel agent and know what im talking about!) and this is a good one.

For those with no time to read this review, I'll give you the short version: Beautiful, clean, friendly, great food, spacious, real value for money for All Inc. A must go to hotel. For those of you who have a minute.... It's difficult to write this revew without rambling on and sounding OTT, but it is a brilliant place. To make it more concise: Overall: Accurately rated 4-5* Adults hotel. Perfect for couples, honeymooners and those wanting to get away from it all. Location: 10 minute taxi ride from Protaras. 5 minute taxi from Paralimini. The Hotel is situated in a very quiet residential area. Food: Excellent choice, fresh, well cooked and plenty of it. Wide choice for vegetarians too. Extended meal times mean queuing is virtually non existent. Restaurants are well staffed, and spotless. Accommodation: Clean, comfortable, and spacious for holiday hotels. Unusually the rooms are all carpeted and the landings - this makes it feel more like a real hotel rather than a touristy place if you know what I mean. Communal Areas: All bars and lounges are spacious, clean and very comfortable. Several areas to releax in so it never felt overcrowded. Pool/Sunbathing: Plenty of space again, no need to reserve with a towel!! Beach Towels supplied by the hotel. The pool is without doubt the cleanest and warmest (after the sun has been on it for a few hours) I've ever been in. Entertainment: There is free entertainment, and 3 or 4 activities to partake in everyday if you so wish; water polo, aqua aerobics etc. BUT make no mistake if you don't want to join in there is absolutely no pressure - this is not Butlins!!! Miscellaneous: Many older couples here too - so the overall mix was good. Very suitable for any one with a disablility as all floors are serviced with lifts and flat access. Downsides - if I'm honest... none really. No beach to speak of but a cove you can walk down to. Nothing in the village to do, but with everything the hotel provides this makes no difference anyway. Cyprus is being heavily developed so do expect to see houses being built and the odd cement mixer!

We recently spent a very pleasant week at the Kouzalis. We've been to Cyprus 3 times before this trip, but this was by far the best hotel we've stayed in. The hotel was pretty much full of couples - ranging from early twenties to retired. We are in our (very!) late twenties and this suited us down to the ground. What you're getting here is: 1. Very clean rooms and public areas. All rooms have air conditioning at no extra charge. Rooms and dining room are carpeted. Our "side sea view" did look out over a car park, but you could just about see the sea in two directions. There's no dividing walls between the balconies, so they're not very private. At first we were a little disappointed with the view, but the balcony caught the evening sun and we didn't go on holiday to sit on our balcony anyway. 2. Very "decent" and "normal" people - no children allowed and no loud/boisterous people. There were always nice people to chat to and absolutely no-one got on our nerves. A lot of people played cards in the afternoon/evenings. 3. Decent buffet food. I heard a few people moaning a little, but to be honest there was always a very good range available and it always completely satisfied us and we liked it. The breakfast is always the same - lots of cooked items like bacon, fried/scrambled eggs, sausages, beans etc, toast and plenty of fruit and cereals. Evening meals were themed, such as Italian, Greek etc but there was always alternatives if you're not into that kind of food. The lunches varied a fair bit too. We always had desert too. The food can't be that bad as we managed to put on a fair bit of weight whilst there! 4. A rocky beach. Don't expect too much here. It's a really nice view and very quiet, but you have to drive 5-10 mins to Fig Tree Bay if you're after a golden-sand/crystal clear water beach with no rocks. I would highly recommend a visit to this beach! 5. Location. The hotel is located a little bit out of the way. One restaurant, one shop in short walking distance. Our transfers cost £84 (for the two of us, both ways), but another couple hired a car for a little over £120 for the week. We also asked a taxi driver how much it would cost to go to the airport and he said £27 - although I guess they may up the price if you turn up at the airport and NEED one. Even so, our transfer back to the airport took ages after picking up people from other hotels (and a couple being in the shower!) We spent a lot of time at the hotel as it was so nice - we've never ever done that on holiday before! 5. All-inclusive option. We went all-inclusive (first time ever) and loved it. Most people at the hotel were all inclusive and you could just keep eating and drinking. I've read another recent review that said that there's nothing to eat between lunch and dinner, but this is incorrect. From 3pm there's a pool-side "snack menu" offering a few options such as toasted sandwiches, burgers, chips etc. We only used this once because the main meals always satisfied. You can upgrade to all-inclusive when you're there, but this is expensive at CYP23 per person per day. 6. Entertainment. The hotel employs some English entertainment reps which offer some pool activities and evening entertainment. It depends what you like really, but they're not intrusive and the evening entertainment is in the restaurant after dinner so you have to specifically want to go to this to see it. There's also a pool table, table tennis, darts board and obviously a very nice clean pool outside, and a tv in the bar (showing world cup football when we were there). There's a decent gym, indoor pool and massage available (at extra cost). 7. Efficient staff. The staff are all very efficient, at meal times they do whisk your plate away as soon as you've finished - some people I've read don't like this, but it wasn't a problem for me - after all you could go and get more food! Most of the staff are not that chatty, but very polite, smart and professional. They were always cleaning! So, if the above sounds like it will suit you, then I guarantee that you'll love it! We did! Read the reviews on this site (and especially mine!), realise what it's going to be and what it's not...

My boyfriend and I have just returned from a week's holiday at the Kouzalis Beach hotel. When we were looking to book our holiday we wanted somewhere that we could relax and enjoy the sunshine and we also wanted an all inclusive deal - the Kouzalis fulfilled our requirements! The hotel itself is very clean and the decor is pleasant. The pool area was fantastic with plenty of sun loungers and parasols. Ok so there isn't a big beach by the hotel but the little cove has very clear waters and provides a great setting for snorkelling. We are normally people who like to spend time on the beach rather than by the pool but we found that we had the best of both worlds - we could sit on sun loungers on the grass by the pool and then just wander the short distance to the sea to do some snorkelling and swimming. The pool never got that busy either so it was nice to take a dip in there too! Our room was spacious and again very clean. We had a 'side sea view' room - but the view didn't really live up to what we'd expected (from our balcony you could see the sea but the main view was over the neighbouring apartment blocks and their garages). It didn't really affect us as we didn't spend much time in our room but I'm not sure it was worth paying extra for! We can't complain about the food either - it's not exactly gourmet but there was always a big choice and every meal we had was more than satisfactory - in fact we both ended up eating far too much so be warned that you'll probably put on weight during your stay if you go to the Kouzalis! Additionally there was a wide range of drinks available with the AI package including beer, wine, spirits and an impressive cocktail list! The hotel is a fair distance from Protaras but we had hired car so could drive to different places in the evenings if we wanted. Although I have to say that if we hadn't had the car (and thus felt that we should be using it!) we would have happily remained in the hotel for the whole week! The Kouzalis is located in an area where a number of villas are currently being built but this had absolutely no impact on our holiday. If you are reasonable in your expectations then you will not be disappointed by the Kouzalis. We had a great time!

We stayed at the kouzalis beach hotel early June, have to say the holiday was relaxing and the weather was fantastic. The Hotel, well its clean, its friendly, the pool area is nice plenty of loungers and quick service at the pool bar. The Restaurant is where the problems start!!! the food is not the standard you would expect from a 4 star hotel or even a 3 star. The lunch menu and evening menu were identical and the food was very school dinnerish! we ate out 5 of the 7 nights (not what you expect for all inclusive) there are no snacks available outside of the restaurant opening times. The waitresses in the restaurant are seriously agressive in cleaning the tables they will remove your plate whilst you are still chewing your last fork full and wont care if your companion is still eating (very rude). The bar is open until 1am daily serving very weak alcoholic drinks but if that was not bad enough all inclusive guests can only have free drinks until 12am so order 3 drinks at 11.50 to see you through till 1am, also any cider drinkers out there will have to pay for cider as its excluded from the AI deal. The beach is poor, very rocky. there is nothing nearby to hotel except 1 restuarant called the Anasis which is very friendly and the food is good! the nearest town cost £4 in a taxi and offers an array of restaurants and pubs. The adults only feature to this hotel is fantastic and made for a relaxing break. met some great people especially Gav and his wee lassie Cheryl. had a good holiday overall the food will not ruin your holiday but be prepared to eat out!

I have just spent a week at this hotel and must admit after reading the reviews I was rather apprehencive as what to I was letting myself (and my elderly mother) in for. I can hand on heart say that the whole holiday was fantastic. The hotel was spotless,staff could not do enough fo you,weather glorious,food good etc,etc. Yes Its a short taxi ride away from next Village but it suited us both and we would definately go again.

Reviews concerned us but an ideal relaxing break was had. The setting of pool and 80 tards of well tended green grass and not another lounger within 10 yards for me is bliss. I have paid a lot of money to be cramped by a pool with loungers pushed together. The pool bar and view to the sea with an elevated sun terrace in shade should suit all comers.(lovely walk to the left on the beach trail). After taking the bus and looking at the cramped and muddy lawns other holidays endured I have no reservations in returning this July (first time in 20 years ever returned to same location). Tennis was available with other bars in walking distance. The hotel offers exactly what it says!

We spent alot of money on this holiday and i'm afraid to say we were extremely disapointed. The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful. However, the food is terrible!!! When you pay the money we did, you do not expect to be served fish fingers (honest!). When we arrived at night time, we were told we could not get any food (despite the brochure that said snacks were served until 10pm). In the end we were given stale cheese sandwiches!! Also, the entertainment was dire! and i have a suspicion that the alcoholic drinks were watered down.... Despite paying for all inclusive, we spent alot of time (and money!) in nearby protaras, which is lovely!

My husband & I stayed here in June 2005, we had a great time No children ( even though we have two of our own aged 20 & 22 ) Staff very friendly & helpful, no queing for food/drinks. We enjoyed it so much we are returning this May with fifteen family and friends to celebrate my husbands 50th birthday. I will let you know how we all got on.

We stayed at the Kouzalis Beach for 1 week upto the 16th Oct. If you can grit your teeth for one week, it is a nice hotel to stay in. Just make allowances for the staff and make sure you get a big enough discount on the brochure price, which should help you relax. I'll try to explain.... This hotel is clean and fairly new, on a good quiet location near a small bay, suitable for swimming and snorkelling. The pool is first class and big enough for keen swimmers like me. The food is well cooked, but can lack some variety. We were however satisfied all week, with the exception of some dodgy deserts, which we avoided - the green day-glo jelly ...... more like kryptonite !! The biggest problem with this hotel is the staff - they are unhelpful, unsmiling and look like they would rather be somewhere else. Notable exceptions to this were Kevin and Eleni, who work in the bar and were always making lots of effort with the guests. The cleaning maids were also all very smiley and courteous. The Kouzalis' owner 'Future Hotels Ltd' need to invest in some customer-service training, otherwise the future looks bleek! Our own experience spoilt our enjoyment of this hotel, but not of our holiday, which was a relaxing break, by the pool for my wife and scuba diving for me. We first arrived at 4.00am to a smelly smokers' room and (as non-smokers) requested a change. We were told the hotel was full and the unhelpful night porter could not even locate an air freshener. The next day we were offered a room change by the equally unhelpful Eva (reservations). Her first reponse was "I don't know when we have any free rooms"............ she is in charge of reservations !! Now for the twist............our new room on the ground floor was above the service road and we were awoken each morning between 5.30 and 6.30am to the sound of the carbage truck doing his pick up, which involved him revving his engine for upto 15 minutes (keeping his battery charged?). We therefore (again) asked for a room change and were 'offered' a room on the 3rd floor........... directly above the garbage truck parking spot (room 319) !! We declined and chose earplugs instead ! So if you want to enjoy this holiday, avoid any room on the same side as the service road - i.e. the same side as the 2 ugly apartment blocks next door. This accounts for a large percentage of the rooms! Other points of lesser importance - the restaurant has an ugly green carpet - loose the carpet and try tiles. Decaf coffee is available if you ask. They keep it secret because "it's Nescafe and if everybody knew about it, it would cost a fortune". One unhelpful and rude barman told my wife it was not available - when she said she had been drinking it all holiday, he told her she owed them money for it (on our All-inclusive).......... having been given it by other staff !! On a different note, my holiday experience was enhanced by EasyDivers in Protaras. This PADI dive centre is run by English husband and wife team Joey and Dora, who need no introduction to customer service. Every aspect of dealing with them was a pleasure. From the pre-holiday planning via email, to the daily hotel pick-ups and actual dives. Graham - one of the dive instructors, also played his part, with his affable Irish laid back manner. The highlight was diving the Zenobia wreck, off Larnaca, which is a must for all divers visiting Cyprus. But then, having left my wetsuit on the boat and returning to the hotel without it EZDivers even collected it for me and returned it to the hotel - excellent service beyond the call of duty - thank you. P.S. watch out for Larnaca airport, who has sacked most of the baggage handlers. 2 hours for your bags to arrive on the carrousel is no joke ! The same delay coming home, because they had no loaders !