Eleni Holiday Village

We arrived in Cyprus not knowing what to expect but then we got to Eleni village, I was surprised how nice the entire complex was including the rooms.
The harbour, which is in Paphos is a must see and if you want a day trip and you like excellent scenery, you should go up the Trodos mountains and visit the monastery.
Either with a hired car but for more trill seekers, you should book a jeep safari with the tour reps and both are all day affairs.
Eleni Village was also excellent as my mother had to be admitted to hospital and the ambulance arrived within in five minutes (all arranged by the staff on duty) and took us to a private hospital.
Laura the entertainment organiser visited my mum every day after I came back home, after my weeks holiday.
I cannot fault the complex, other than to praise them for the care and attention that was offered to both myself and my Mother during our 1 weeks stay.
I will be going back to Eleni Village whenever I am in Cyprus, as it was good fun for the week.

Myself, Husband and five year old son recently returned from the Eleni Holiday village after a 7 night stay. We mainly went to Paphos for a friends wedding but enjoyed every part of the holiday.
We flew with First Choice for the first time ever and I must say I was very surprised at how good the experience was. The plane journey was good and all the staff on board were friendly. The food on the plane was also very good and my five year old even got kids pack with colouring stuff to keep him busy.
When we arrived at Paphos airport we were met by a first Choice Rep who directed us to our coach. The journey did not seem too long and there were loads of drop offs before us, we were the last one. But then you expect a lot of drop off's if being picked up by a coach when booking a package through a tour operator don’t you.
The Eleni Holiday village was very clean and our room was nice and big. We paid an extra £20 to upgrade our room which meant we had a balcony that over looked the pool and a spa bath in the bathroom. The spa bath was nothing too fancy but well worth the extra £20!
In our room we had everything we needed including all the things you would need whilst going Self Catering. No tea bags, coffee, milk or sugar is provided in the room (which I did not expect anyway) so if you are due to arrive in the early hours, pack some dry milk powder and tea bags as room service is not on offer at the hotel.
The maids came to clean our room and change our beds daily so everything is kept very clean! I was surprised at how thorough they are, as every day they even cleaned our balcony and patio door windows.
In the brochure it says there is no beach at the Eleni but if you walk down to the sea and to the right (about a 2 minute walk if that) there is a lovely little sandy bay! We were pleasantly surprised to find it there as everything we read said the nearest beach was Coral Bay. It was a lovely little place to sun bath in peace, swim or snorkel.
The swimming pool is very big with a shallow area for little ones and a deep end with water fall. There are not many sun loungers but the hotel was not full so it was not a problem.
We went self catering with the intention of eating out most nights. We ended up buying and cooking our own breakfast and lunch in our room and eating it on our balcony then having dinner in the restaurant every night. For the three of us to have a three course meal (as much as you can eat) with drinks cost 20 Cypriot pounds! Excellent value for money!
The food is buffet style and a different theme every night. The food was always lovely, very hot and the selection always catered for all different types of tastes. They even had a separate section for children which was chips, mash, sandwiches, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, burgers and healthy options too. My five year old always ended up eating the adult pasta dishes though.
All the staff at the hotel were very friendly and happy help. Entertainment was available throughout the day and evening and catered for all ages. They had aqua aerobics in the pool everyday followed by darts at the outside bar area. They also had water polo and volley ball which was held in the sports pool.
The games they did were separated into ones for adults only and then ones for children at separate times. In the evenings they always had bingo followed by a mini disco for the small children which was run by the First Choice Kids club Reps. This only lasted for about 20 minutes so did not disrupt couples without children too much.
After the mini disco they then had adult games such as quizzes, Karaoke etc. Some nights they even had Greek Dancers. It was very good and not too tacky.
There is a small arcade next to the bar area which did not have many machines and they did break down a few times but to be honest I was glad that they did as that was a good excuse not to keep forking out money for my five year to press buttons!
The indoor pool looked very nice but I never went in it or used the gym so can’t really comment. The hotel is not near the centre of Paphos but is near other hotels along with some bars and restaurants and shops within a five minutes walk.
We had every intention of hiring a car but in the end only got taxi's a few times as we liked staying around the hotel. We visited the harbour which was lovely with loads of little shops to buy bits and bobs. We Also went on a glass bottom boat which took us to see a ship wreak under the sea. That was nice as went round some of the island and got to see how lovely it looks. I felt very sick on the boat though!
Overall our holiday was very enjoyable and we went away feeling that we would def go back to Eleni Holiday Village. I must say that I have read some of the other reviews and get sick of people moaning about there being too many kids around. If you go to a hotel that has a kids club, don't go to it as this is a big indication that family's with children will be there!
Kids can be a pain, so go to a hotel that does not have a kids club or says it's only suitable for couples. Also don't especially go to a hotel in the school summer holiday's, that has a kids club, if you don’t like loads of kids.
We have a five year old but even so we would never choose to go on our yearly holiday in the summer holidays because most hotels that cater for children are rammed with people and kids.
So if you don't like loads of screaming kids then either go outside of school holidays or choose a different hotel. We went to Eleni in September and found it peaceful, friendly, and free from any undesirable characters and a fantastic holiday experience.
Would always recommend it! Outside of school holidays!

Just come back from 2 weeks stay at the Eleni village and must say don't expect it to be 4 star if your about to go more like 3 star. I thought the food was ok but my wife and lad didn't like it much plus it's very repetitive.
There is nothing to eat after your evening meal except a stale sandwich and you only have a choice of 1 thing. The pool is excellent if not a bit crowded but if you like it a bit quieter try the parasols by the pool bar. The food by the pool bar isn't up to much either unless your 10 years old and like burgers or chicken nuggets. The staff are excellent and very friendly and make you very welcome. The rooms are spacious and very clean the cleaners working all day long to keep it that way. Day time entertainment is aimed more for the kids with bowls, water polo, water volleyball, pool and darts.
Night time entertainment on the other hand is pretty boring so i would suggest going out but be prepared to order a taxi as the hotel is in the middle of nowhere no bars nearby to speak of and only a couple of restaurants. Good for snorkeling in the bay at the back of the hotel and safe to take the kids if you keep your eyes on them. Overall we had a good holiday probably because we went to a wedding whilst we where there.
The harbour is a must to see with some excellent restaurants as well as coral bay. Won't be traveling with first choice again as felt let down by them in organising of the wedding we went to and in particular the description the brochure gives of the Eleni village hotel not accurate at all.

We arrived at Paphos airport at just after 1am. Being some distance the other side of Paphos, the Eleni was the final stop of no less than eleven drops-off that our coach transfer had to make. We finally arrived at the Eleni at around 3am. Exhausted.
Check-in took seconds, we were handed our key and directed to our room at the far end of the complex, no fuss and no tedious form-filling. The room was spacious and clean, but although there was a kettle, toaster, cooker and fridge, there was not so much as a tea-bag provided. After a long trip we were in desperate need of some refreshment, so I trudged back to reception where the night manager kindly offered me a couple of large glasses of water from a water cooler. Now, even in a cheap, tacky motel room you will usually find basic tea and coffee making ingredients, but this (apparent) 4 Star resort chose to overlook such basic comforts. However, all the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful despite shortcomings in other areas of the running of the hotel.
Unfortunately we missed breakfast that first morning, but when we finally did make it in time we were not disappointed. There was plenty of choice: fruit, cold buffet, cereal, full-English, tea, coffee, toast, all self-service and very good quality.
As for the Village itself, it's a bit like a "Butlins-by-the-Med", catering for families but not so much for couples. The bar areas all have video games, pool tables etc, and there is nowhere for adults to have a quiet drink away from the distractions of electronic noise and excitable kids.
We spent very little time at the Village, outside of sleeping and breakfast, but when we did decide to do a little sunbathing there we found many of the sun beds broken and/or torn, likewise the parasols. At one point we ventured next door to the beautiful St George Hotel and lazed around on their sun beds for a while, for a charge of CP3.75 but well worth it. In the more peaceful surroundings I fell asleep under a (working) parasol.
We agree with much of what has been said in recent reviews. The Eleni Village is nowhere near to being a 4 star resort. It's more like a 2 star motel with a pool, an impression that isn't helped by it's slightly remote location. As a base for our daily excursions it was adequate, pleasant and fine as a B&B, but for us that was as far as it went.

I have returned from my holiday at Eleni just last night and can’t see why there are a lot of negative comments.
Accommodation: We stayed for 2 weeks in a second floor apartment with one bedroom for my mum and my step dad and me and my brother on the 2 sofa beds. The bathroom was very spacious and extremely clean. The 1st bedroom was large with plenty of wardrobe space and a large double bed- and also an extra for the ladies a very large dressing table with mirror and handy little drawers for all of your cosmetics. The 2 beds in the lounge were very large and on fitted with a handy wall light for night reading, also a large wardrobe in this room too! The kitchen had several drawers and cupboards with a microwave and hobs with an ice cold fridge with freezer compartment it held all of ur culinary needs.
The Balcony is great with a table and two chairs and there is plenty of room to dry all of the swim suits and towels. The air con and TV remotes do need a deposit but when you check out you get it back in full. (Recommended) detach the fob room your keys and place it in the holder that way the air con will stay on whilst you are out and it also makes your room feel fresh and comfy when you return to your room. The maids did there job as required and always looked the part. They were also very polite as we seemed to have a few lazy days where we were all still asleep when it came time to tidy our rooms they simply said don’t worry you don’t need to get up I will come back later.
Food & bar: The food and bar I cannot fault. Restaurant: a wide selection of food and puddings with fresh fruit and all ingredients in the food also extremely fresh. the bar had a large selection of drinks including cocktails. but you have to pay for imported drinks such as Smirnoff ice. And after midnight you have to pay for your drinks before it closes completely at 1am.
Entertainment: Rio & Neli (that is how you spell it!) work very hard for that place. And the Kids club reps leave a lot to be desired. Me and my family became close friends with Rio and Neli during we found out that the reason why they cant do much 'flashy' entertainment is that first choice and the hotel wont give them enough of a budget for entertainment because it claims that it is only a small resort. (get off). Rio and Neli do their jobs fantastically despite all the set-backs, and keep the kids and adults entertained morning till night.
Down points: On one occasion there have been some drunken fights and it has been left to the bar staff and Rio to break it up. Definitely need to sort out its security.

Summary: 4 star food, 3 star hotel, 1 star guests.
No way is this a 4Star hotel.
The pool area is the main attraction. The pool itself is great, but there is no room around the pool. The sun loungers are squashed side by side in two long strips down either side, with an umbrella every two loungers. So you end up lying cozily next to complete strangers. If someone puts up an umbrella, the next 5 people are in the shade - like it or not.
You need to be down early to reserve a lounger, as there are not enough to go round. Pool was packed with teenage kids shouting, swearing & throwing each other in with complete disregard for other swimmers & younger children. Where were their parents? By the bar? The pool was out of action on three separate occasions due to excrement in the pool! If you don't have plenty of tattoos you'll look out of place. There was a bad smell from the overflow drains around the pool edge near Block 29?
Facilities probably tick all the boxes to get an extra star, but in practice were pointless. The Gym is locked. The ancient arcade games spend most time broken. Air hockey table broken. One pool table was broke all two weeks. During the holiday, the other had the Perspex side panel broken at the bottom so the kids could get the balls out & didn't have to pay. TV in the room pointless - all channels in Cypriot apart from BBC World news now & then. There were two sets of entertainment staff. There were the First Choice girls, and a local guy & girl. The local guy & girl were very enthusiastic, which couldn't be said for the first choice girls. They seemed to do the kids mini-disco on alternate nights. The only difference being the local pair actually seemed like they wanted to be there.
The Food was excellent. Plenty of choices. Great Salads for Starters. Good cuts of meats, potatoes & veg in varying styles. However, still got people complaining there wasn't any choice as they went to the Kids table & got themselves chicken nuggets & fries (these people just wanted McDonalds). Meals were spoiled by gangs of kids coming down unaccompanied by adults to get tables on their own & sit swearing at each other. I had to keep diverting my 6 & 8 year olds attention. There were some kids there for the two weeks who's parents I never saw. In fact I began to speculate that their parents were at a different hotel. They obviously didn't care what their kids were up to so long as it didn't interfere with their holiday.
Our apartment was in Block 30 on the ground floor with a balcony area to the rear. I had two pairs of swimming shorts selectively stolen off the chairs on the balcony where they were drying along with wife & kids swimwear which was untouched. Spent the next week watching out for them being worn round the pool, but they never surfaced. We bought our children a blow up boat, which was stolen from the front door.
There are a number of cats on the site. The cat's toilet appeared to be in the bushes at the back of Block 26, as it smelled strongly of cat excrement for the two weeks.
There's nothing nearby except a few other Hotels (which actually do look 4star), so car hire is recommended. Do it on line through another agent & it's half the price of the one First Choice are trying to push. While the car was parked overnight on the hotel forecourt, someone scratched the bonnet, stuck chewing gum to it, and placed the upturned bottom of a broken bottle under the front wheel (luckily I noticed before reversing off). Paphos Bird & Wildlife park, Paphos harbour & archeological site, worth a visit. Paphos Water Park is excellent - First Choice were pushing a trip to Limassol water park (probably get some kickback), but the trip to there must be at least 1.5 hours on a coach, so you'd loose 3hours of your day.
I'm not saying everyone at the Hotel was bad, there were some other good people. I never saw anyone drunk either, but there were far too many undesirables to spoil it.
To be honest, I've done All Inclusive twice now, and had bad experiences for the same reasons on both occasions. I would never ever go back to a hotel that does All Inclusive. It seems to attract a certain mindset.
I'm quite sure someone will write a glowing report to counter our experiences. At the end of the day, this was a 3 star hotel trying its best, but marred by poorly supervised kids.

We have just returned from Eleni after a two week stay. Had a brilliant time. I would definitely return to Cyprus, a beautiful country and very clean.
The hotel was very nice and the staff very friendly. Rooms were very big and the five of us (my husband and three children) could have stayed in one room instead of the two one bedroom rooms.
We did the mini cruise to Egypt and thoroughly enjoyed this experience especially the pyramids! The weather was beautiful! Air conditioning is a must and cost ten Cypriot pounds for each room and refunded at the end of our holiday.
We used this to pay for one room for late check out. £25 cp. The mini market on site was excellent and was just outside our door. The complex itself is huge and the swimming pool was fabulous.
We also hired a car for three days and ventured up the Troodos mountains and visited the monastery. This was the best holiday and definitely will return again!

Great if you have children. The kids club was very good. The accommodation suited us well but perhaps not 4 star quality.
The hotel is a few miles from Paphos and the harbour but buses were regular and cheap.
Hotel food was lovely. We were self catering so only ate there a few times but was very good on each occasion with plenty of choice.

Just returned from Eleni. This is our 2nd trip to Cyprus, so everything about this holiday was going to be a comparison. I must say overall I was pleasantly surprised. Upon reading some of the reviews prior to departing I was dreading it. The accommodation is good. However is only 3 star. Be warned you will need the air conditioners on constantly though if you go in July. There electricity to the apartment is switched on and off by depositing your room key, key fob into a slot near the front door. Hence you have to detach your key from your key fob if you want to keep the air conditioning running whilst you are out of the apartment (recommended) otherwise its like walking into an oven.
Maid service was efficient and seemed to come everyday, whether needed or not.
Food was nice, and the catering staff did try hard. However they didn't always get it quite right, as I don't think that even the Greek eat Cauliflower for breakfast? However my wife was in her element with choices of fruit and salad being plentiful, and fresh (really fresh, not the stuff you get at Asda and Tescos, at home)
There is an entertainments programme during both the day and night, run by Rio and Nellie, two rather hyperactive 20 some things. The daytime tends to be geared toward the male population, with Darts, Killer Pool, Table Tennis, Water Polo, Volleyball, Boules being on the agenda. The night time entertainment was very 'Butlins' with Bingo every night (tickets have to be purchased) followed by an act of some description. However after a few free cocktails it all seemed great.
Did notice that if you ordered drinks as an all inclusive guest they did seem to be lacking in comparison to those that were paid for (to be expected I suppose). Also bar staff didn't seem to keep on top off, or care if the gas had ran out and the drinks were flat.
Indoor pool, Gym and Sauna, should really be taken out of the description, as they were not used, and for good reason. Indoor pool smelled, Sauna was tiny and Gym room was locked (why I don't know) as it consisted of a couple of ancient machines. However outdoor pools more than made up for it.
Location is the main let down. It is a good distance from anywhere. You would have to be a pretty keen walker to attempt to walk to Paphos or Coral Bay, which are more or less equidistant. Car Hire is strongly recommended. However do not be fooled into Hiring from Reps (SIXT car Hire) as the car we got cost us twice the price it should have, (having compared prices after the event) and the car had seen better days. We were told by the rep that their cars were only one or two years old. This one was a 2002 model that had covered over 120,000 kms and looked like it had just completed the Dakar rally, however it did get us from A to B.
The resort itself is geared more towards families, and every other building seems to be a restaurant. The harbour is best place for shopping. Debenham’s proving to be a hit. Coral Bay is the nearest sandy beach, but does get crowded.
Overall I wouldn't say the Eleni is the best accommodation in Paphos, but it certainly isn't the worst either.

Eleni Holiday village is a little out of the way, and pretty secluded. It is tucked half way between Coral Bay (beautiful beach!) and Paphos (lovely harbour!). There are a few shops and bars within walking distance, but nothing to shout about. There is a great restaurant (Pentaras) just down the road that do a mean Meze, and definitely worth sampling (only CY £9.95p/p).
A total of 9 traveled in our party, and we booked 4 rooms, upon arrival 1 of the rooms was not ready, and we were told wouldn’t be ready for several hours. However, the receptionist was extremely nice and apologised, so no problems there and as we landed early afternoon this was not a problem as we headed straight for the pool!
The rooms at Eleni are superb, clean, well equipped and huge! I have stayed at many hotels, and these rooms are by far the biggest. The maid service was ok, not the best, but adequate and as for the ants that many people talk about, we see only 1 in our room! The only downside to our room was, it was right next to the bar/”entertainment” room, and with a little one (aged 4) it was not ideal as the music went on till midnight, and was extremely loud.
We stayed half board, and the food served in the restaurant was great and certainly a highlight of the holiday. A wide variety that changed daily. The restaurant staff (especially Yannis) are great. Friendly, love the children, talkative and very quick to clean tables ready for your next course! Also, for lunch, the days we were at the hotel we ate at the poolside bar, and the food is just great, cheap and big, big portions. I definitely recommend the swordfish.
The entertainment at Eleni left a lot to be desired, quiz night, bingo, karaoke. The highlight was the last night which was Cypriot night, and was fantastic. But on a whole, the entertainment needs to be improved.
We hired a car for 4 days, and I would certainly advise this, the car cost us CY £15.00 per day and enabled us to get around most of the island. Buses and taxis are frequent and cheap (Paphos Taxi: CY £5.00 / Bus: CY £0.80), but in 40 degree heat, walking to the bus stop would become too much of a chore!
In summary, I would definitely recommend Eleni Holiday Village and Cyprus. Our stay was most enjoyable, the kids and grown ups loved every second of our weeks stay. It was all over too quickly if you ask me! We will most definitely return here in the near future but maybe not in July as the heat became unbearable at times!
By the way, avoid the Adonis water falls, they are disappointing, and probably the scariest journey of your life trying to get there!
9 out of 10 for Eleni!