Aloe Hotel

We have just returned from two weeks in Paphos in Cyprus. We stayed at the Aloe Hotel just a short walk from the harbour. Although the hotel was full, it was the beginning of the season and there were only a few children in the hotel. The hotel evening entertainment was a bit limited so we went out every evening.
The hotel itself was the usual 4 stars, with a beautiful clean, well-maintained freeform swimming pool and a traditional style pool alongside, for the more serious swimmer. The hotel also did free diving demonstrations and training dives for beginners in this pool and many people took advantage of this facility.
The gardens were well maintained and full of lovely blooming flowers during our stay. There is a snack bar at the poolside and sun beds were never a problem, there were always plenty to be had, although this was not the height of the season, so it may well be different then. The sun beds also have the very much-appreciated mattresses on them. I would like to say that I personally found them rather difficult to get on and off of as they have armrests, which seem to be in the way and other older guests also seemed to be having a little difficulty as well. I think it is about time someone designed a sun bed that was a bit higher off the ground so that people with back problems, like me, could use them with ease!
Inside the hotel you are greeted with a very spacious reception area with the usual seating of settees and tables where you can relax. There is a small shop for newspapers etc. There is a lovely heated indoor pool in the basement of the hotel, which you could easily miss if you do not ask about it. There is also a Gym, Jacuzzi and sauna as well as a hairdressing salon. You can also book a massage as well if you want to.
There is 24-hour reception. The staff are welcoming, helpful and nothing is too much bother. You can hire a room safety deposit box, which costs 17.50 Cyprus pounds (about £21). There is also 24 hours room service and a mini bar (watch out, you will be charged if you leave anything in the fridge that you have brought yourself) they will allow you to leave a bottle of water in the fridge – for medical purposes i.e. for taking with tablets. We had heard about this before we went so checked with the hotel before we arrived. Some of the guests were complaining that they were charged about £1.50 per night, which over the 2 weeks works out quite expensive! There is also a computer in the reception area with Internet access at 50c for 10 minutes (about £3.60 per hour). There is a TV, direct line phone and hairdryer in every room.
The hotel was clean, well maintained with a good daily maid service. The food was plentiful at breakfast with everything that you could possibly want plus there was a full cooked English breakfast every morning. We were only Bed and Breakfast so I cannot comment on the other meals, but guests that I spoke to said that they were very satisfied with the meals and the only complaint was that there were only a couple of choices of dishes, the food was a bit repetitive and sometimes was a little on the cold side, although the food was kept on hotplates. The waiting staff were always polite and efficient, although they tend to be a bit over enthusiastic when clearing the tables.
We were treated to several weddings in the hotel during our stay and apparently this is one of the favoured hotels for weddings in the area, they did not disrupt our stay in the least. In fact, they are quite interesting events!
It took about 15-20 minutes to walk down to the harbour and you can either walk along the beach or along the main street, either way it is a pleasant stroll. When you reach the harbour, stop and have a drink at Seagulls Restaurant where there is always a welcome and admire the view.
Paphos is much busier than I remembered from our last visit 4 years ago with a great deal of development going on. There are a great number of Estate Agents and Developers offices.
Walking down to the harbour you will be pestered with Ticket scratch card touts! THESE ARE REALLY SOMETHING TO AVOID! DO NOT BE TAKEN IN BY THEM. They are very convincing – but believe me you will always “Win a holiday” but this is only to get you to their offices, where you will be brainwashed for 3 hours+ in an effort to try and get you to part with the best part of £6500 for a holiday share scheme! We had read about this and knew about these people and we still got caught! We are still trying to work out how they managed to get us? So you have been warned.!!!
The harbour is a really nice place to sit and watch the world go by. There are the Mosaics to visit, really cheap to get in about 50cents (60p). A walk out around the headland at the end of the harbour is very pleasant (but not in the heat of the day- there is no shade at all) and it’s a long way to the little snack bar along the beach. We actually walked to the Tomb of the Kings this way and as the bus trip is only 50cents (60p) from the harbour if it’s hot, I would not attempt it again. Tomb of the Kings is a must for photo’s so don’t forget the camera!
There are many wonderful trips to do in Cyprus from the Troodos Mountains to Nicosia and Lefkara. There are jeep Safari’s and round the Island trips. Most of which we have done and are well worth the money, but shop around for the trips as they do differ a lot in cost. Do not book from the Travel Reps, as they are usually more expensive this way. There are lots of Cars for hire, though some of these are more expensive than others, so again shop around.
Coral Bay is a bus ride away from Paphos (50c) and is about the best sandy beach in this area although it is small, so don’t expect too much. There is a small car park a snack bar and a toilet. There are sun beds and parasols to hire.
Eating out – we found the best place to eat in the evening was Viva Cyprus along the main road just opposite Alexander the Great Hotel. You can get a three course evening meal for 5.95cp (about £7.20) and this includes Sirloin steak if you want it. You even get a complimentary drink with your bill. Always busy, but Chris on the door will always reserve a table for the evening if you ring or when you are passing by in the afternoon.
The other good places to eat in the day are Rose PUB, (just off Bar Street) www.therosepub.com (take a look). Nippies Tea Rooms (Opposite Almyra Hotel on the main road there is the “Tourist information booth” the road that runs along behind this – Nippies is the first right turn.
For a drink in the evenings there is Evis’s Bar and Billy’s Bar, down the second turning on the right just along the road from the Hotel. And there is Romantica Restaurant next to the hotel for that special meal or if you just want to watch big screen TV sport and have a beer in their terrace bar.
So pack the sunscreen, hat and sunglasses and head for the delightful Island of Cyprus.