Hilltop Gardens Hotel Apts.

Before going away to Cyprus I read the reviews of the Hill Top Gardens. And some of them quite bad.
When we pulled up in the coach witch had brought us from the airport my first impression was it was a nice hotel. our rooms were big, spacious & clean. They were cleaned nearly every day. The pool was a decent size and this was cleaned every other day, as well as the pool side. The bar was excellent served cold and warm fresh food cooked in front of you.
The staff were amazingly helpful & kind. And they are so child friendly & will go out of there way to help you. Robin, Geeta & Sid were especially helpful which made the holiday even better. It was definitely one of my best holidays. And you should definitely go if you’re thinking about it. May-June 2006.

Spent a week self catering in April and if you like rusty radiators, mucky room corners, cobwebs, a pool that resembles a flies graveyard complete with worms and floating leaves then this is the place for you.
Positives are that the staff are really friendly and helpful, especially Robin, and the cooking equipment supplied is adequate if you want to eat in the apartment.
The bar prices are reasonable considering it is Paphos which is expensive to eat and drink out in. 20-25 CYP for a meal for two with wine.
I don't know what other rooms were like but ours was quite dirty and was attended to by two overworked cleaners 5 times in the week.
We arrived on the Saturday and the pool wasn't cleaned until the Wednesday but still plenty of dead flies the following days so it appears the pool wasn't cleaned daily.
The plus side is that on the day we were leaving, the grass was being cut, flowers being planted and the place getting a bit more attractive looking.
I assume that this was to prepare for the busier period of summer.
Maybe we were just unlucky to have a dirty looking room and going there a bit out of season but I wouldn't go back.
The place is too far from the main areas of Paphos and if you have to walk you risk being hijacked by Timeshare touts who cannot take no for an answer and that can bring out the badness in you, which goes a long way to spoiling your holiday on a beautiful island.

1 reader found this review helpful

Perfect people, friendly staff, and for the ones that did not realise Hilltop does have air-con. Perfect food, nothing bad to comment.
People should start of for their holidays with more positive attitude so they will have a happy holiday, and when they book expect to get what they had paid. Have been going back 10 years and will still go back for another ten. Very friendly and helpful staff. Cleaners to good, place spotless, bar staff perfect. Cocktails a bit too strong.
No complains whatsoever. See you again soon. Review came late as I couldn't put up with all the unfair things I read above. Love you all!!!!!!!

We stayed at the hilltop last year and couldn’t wait to go back. We were given the same room as last year which was brilliant. The staff this year were even better than last year. Andrea was still there, making her special hot dogs!
Hasan & Robin were absolutely brilliant, we spent every night at the pool bar because of them! They are very friendly, funny & helpful.
Our room was cleaned 5 times a week by a brilliant maid, and the pool was excellent.
Overall, this is the best holiday we have ever had, and we cant wait to go back next year!

Another great holiday, same place, even gave us the same room. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. We had no children with us but we noticed how welcome they were. Pool area was cleaned every day, towels and linens changed frequently. Centrally located, not too far for fit people to walk to town but plenty cheap buses(one fare to all destinations). For a great meal with friendly staff visit TEA FOR TWO, the ice cream is fantastic.

We stayed for two weeks from 29th August 2005.
Our room was cleaned 5 times a week, but it was very superficial as there are only two over worked hotel cleaners (80 rooms according to the Daily Mail website). The apartment was dated and the toilet smelt a little and after touching anything in the bathroom you felt you really needed to wash your hands.
We were in an older block, the newer ones have fresher décor. The entertainment was a Karaoke on a Saturday night. At times there were insufficient loungers for hotel guests and people from outside did occasionally use the facilities. Air Con was a bit steep at C£4 a night, we managed without it, but had to have the windows open and as a result were woken every night by people returning to their rooms. It was what we expected, not “holiday from hell” material, just basic two star.
Best part was the sunsets every night on our sea facing balcony. If shopping we would recommend Smart supermarket near ERMEs (use for frozen or chilled items, including meat) in the harbour. A pack of 6 1.5 litre bottles was C£2.40 at the local kiosk and only C1.20 at Smart. Its worth doing a big shop on the first day and getting a taxi with your bulk shop for the stay. Careful though, make sure you ice box is working, I had to two tubs of ice cream when I found the freezer wasn’t keeping things frozen!
LOCATION It is located over 2 miles from the central harbour area (confirmed on a locally purchased map). In the hot weather (30s) it took us 40 minutes to walk. Just over 20 minutes to the local market and shopping area, an uphill walk in parts. Watch out for the “sweet” old grannies on the fruit and veg stalls though, two tried overcharging, one wanting over C£3 for a kilo of potatoes and tomatoes.
LOCAL RESTAURANTS There are a couple of cafes with good elevated views overlooking Paphos harbour and the sea in the market area. There is one restaurant on the main road towards Coral Bay, just a 5 minute walk (never got round to eating there though).
Ten minutes walk away opposite the Venus Beach hotel are eight restaurants, including a Chinese and Italian. Joannas had a nice selection of three course meals for c£5.50, fair quality food. Nikis Tavern reasonable food and prices. Found Starvros and Geoginas to be a little below par and the Devonshire’s food was poor and had far too much salt for our taste. A further ten minutes walk towards the harbour brings a bigger choice of restaurants including Fat Mamas which had terrific food, large portions as well.
TRANSPORT Local taxi C£4 to harbour, bus is 70 cents for any journeys.
NEARBY ATTRACTION The Land of The Kings (20 minute walk) would be better described as the “Tombs of The Rich”. The ruins of some old tombs for rich people may be your bag, but it wasn’t for us. Plenty of other attractions near the harbour, historic site, mosaics and fort. Found the Jeep safari was a let down after being on a good one 10 years ago.
Best day of the holiday (AND ANY OTHER) by far was GEORGES FUN BUS. Thought initially that C£32 was a lot, but we were wrong it was worth every cent, it was just like taking a happy pill. The BBQ was the best we’ve had on holiday, very good quality meat. The only problem was our face and sides aching through laughter. The only way to book at present is on his mobile 99 484 275, or through Thomas Cook reps, if that changes though, he’ll probably update his website.

I came back from my stay at Hilltop Gardens about a month ago. I really enjoyed my stay there and the people are really friendly. I am only 15 and thought I might enjoy a more lively atmosphere but Paphos is great. Hilltop Gardens is situated in a very quiet place but it is only about 10 mins walk to the main restaurants and bars. However there is also Bar Street... What an experience! It is quite a drive away form Hilltop but its worth it!
Although the apartments are quite out of the way of everything you can still get there easily. During my stay I made some great friends and loved it. I loved it so much I'm going back next year! Sid and Hassan, who work at Hilltop Gardens are ace. They’re really kind. Overall I REALLY REALLY REALLY enjoyed my stay and I'm glad we chose to go there. I thoroughly advise people to go there.

We have just returned from a holiday at Hilltop Gardens. After reading some reviews before we went I was dreading it but I can confirm that we had a very pleasant stay there.
The apartments are clean, they had air conditioning (which was extra but worth it) and the pool was lovely. Although the apartments are basic they were cleaned every second day and the pool was cleaned every day. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The only down side is that it is a bit further out of town than we first thought. The buses and taxis are good and relatively inexpensive.
All in all for what we paid it was a good cheap holiday.

My Partner, Brother, his wife and myself have all just returned from a fantastic week in Paphos, celebrating New Year. We stayed in The Hilltop Gardens and for the price, the apartments were brilliant. Very spacious (Brother and his wife had the Penthouse)!! Gorgeous sea views and sunsets from our balcony. Apartments were cleaned most days and bedding and towels changed regularly. Staff were friendly and very helpful. On New Years Eve we returned to the apartments to get ready for the big night out and found a bottle of wine and some delicious home made sweets, with a note wishing us happy new year from the Hotel - what a lovely gesture. We were also given drinks on the house on our last night at the bar.
We had a car as part of our holiday package and you did need this as The Hilltop Gardens is quite a bit out of the centre, although we got taxis into the centre most evenings and they were around £4.00.
We managed to see quite a bit of the island and enjoyed days out into the Troodos mountains (stunning) and Nicosia - the divided city - quite haunting and thought provoking. The mosaics and archaeological site in Paphos are outstanding and only £1.50 to explore for a good couple of hours.
Plenty of lovely restaurants and bars (brilliant New Years Eve - The Jaggy Thistle in Bar Street even had a Piper, piping the New Year in - being Scottish this made our night, along with the plenty of other bars we visited)!!
Had an absolutely fabulous Chinese meal at The Imperial - packed with locals and very reasonable (recommended).
We thoroughly enjoyed our week in Paphos and all want to go back again to explore more of this beautiful and friendly Island.

My cousin and I stayed in the Hilltop Gardens in Oct/Nov 2004, and for the price we paid, it wasn’t a bad spot at all. A bit out of the way, yes, but the bus service is regular (70p all over the Paphos province) and if you want to shed a few pounds the harbour is a good 25 minute walk away. Car hire is abundant, so if you can afford it, take a few extra quid and check out some of the prices. There is a bar and shop on site (however there is a shop on the main road directly facing the pool area, 5 minutes from Hilltop, I recommend that instead). Our apartment was cleaned regularly, with bed linen and toilet rolls replaced, so no complaint there. All I wanted was somewhere to put my head down and get washed, and that’s exactly what I got.
My main gripe was with the lack of entertainment in Paphos itself. Most bars in the infamous 'Bar Street' (situated behind McDonalds) had 10-15 people in them tops; most were locals, ex-pats or tour-reps. The only place that stayed open anyway late was Boogies Karaoke Bar, and we spent quite a bit of time in there. The Hollywood Bar, with Lawrie the Aussie barman is also quite good. Drink prices are more or less on a par with home, with head lockers trying to get you in by offering you the usual '4 free shots', etc. There are no shortage of eating places and corner shops, which are quite handy if you run out of cigarettes at midnight.
All in all a decent spot for a holiday. Beware that even in November the weather is still very hot.