Aphrodite Hills Hotel by Atlantica

Great massage at the spa with Dil

Having stayed at many 5-star resorts over the years, I unfortunately would not personally rate Aphrodite Hills as a true 5-star experience. While we had an enjoyable holiday overall and there were certainly some highlights, there were also several areas that fell short of our expectations.

The positives

The hotel itself is clean, well maintained and set within beautiful surroundings. The reception team, spa staff, bar staff and TUI team were all excellent throughout our stay.

A special mention must go to Melina, Pepa and Jakob in the Piano Bar. Their friendly service, engaging conversations and genuine hospitality made our holiday that little bit more special. They worked incredibly hard, always with a smile on their faces, and are a real credit to the hotel. The bar staff generally were fantastic and deserve recognition for their efforts. I was surprised to see some large groups making constant demands and ordering numerous drinks without leaving any tips, despite the exceptional service they received.

The à la carte restaurants were all very good. The standout for us was Fig & Olive, although we also enjoyed The Stone Grill and the live Teppanyaki experience. I would highly recommend trying these restaurants for a welcome change from the main buffet options.

The buffet restaurant was adequate, although not particularly memorable. That said, my son was delighted with the sweet and doughnut station.

One of the highlights of our holiday was the Ocean Vision half-day boat tour. The atmosphere was fantastic, drinks were included, the BBQ food was excellent and the entertainment was great fun throughout. If you're looking for a lively excursion, I would highly recommend it.

The spa was another highlight. It offered a peaceful and relaxing environment, and the treatments we received were excellent. We booked a family spa day to enjoy the infinity pool and facilities. While we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, it was disappointing that there was nowhere within the spa itself to purchase or consume food. Having to leave the spa, get changed and visit another part of the resort for lunch interrupted what should have been a fully relaxing day. Given the size of the facility, a small dining area or café would be a valuable addition.

Excursions

In contrast, we found the Blue Lagoon tour somewhat overrated. The included gorge walk, particularly in very high temperatures, felt unnecessary and offered limited reward considering the effort required.

Areas for improvement

The biggest consideration for guests is the location. The hotel is relatively isolated and is approximately 20 minutes from Paphos by car. This wasn't an issue for us once we hired a car through TUI, which was very well organised, but it is worth researching beforehand if you enjoy exploring beyond the resort.

A significant frustration was the sunbed situation around the main pool. Unless guests are prepared to reserve beds at approximately 5:45-6:00am, securing a sunbed later in the morning is virtually impossible. As a family, we do not expect to wake up before sunrise while on holiday simply to find somewhere to sit, and this unfortunately had a considerable impact on our enjoyment of the resort. The activity pool was generally quieter outside organised activities, but this did not fully address the issue.

Noise was also occasionally problematic. Families and children passing through the accommodation blocks early in the morning regularly disturbed our sleep from around 7:00am onwards. A gentle reminder from the hotel encouraging guests to be considerate of others could help improve the experience for everyone.

The adults-only pool area was lovely and provided a welcome escape when my husband and I had some time alone. However, on several occasions younger teenagers were using the area, splashing and creating disruption. We experienced a similar issue in the adults-only dining area, where younger guests were also present. If an area is designated as adults-only, guests should be able to expect a consistently peaceful environment, and these policies should be applied more consistently to preserve the experience intended for adult guests.

There were also a large number of ants and cats throughout the resort. While I appreciate this can be difficult to manage in a warm climate, it meant bags and shoes could not be left on the ground without quickly attracting ants.

The evening entertainment was fairly average overall, although the TUI entertainment team worked extremely hard and should be commended for their enthusiasm and effort.

Accommodation

We booked a family room with sliding doors. While the room was clean, modern and serviced daily to a high standard, it felt surprisingly compact for a family of four. Once suitcases were unpacked, floor space became extremely limited and moving around the room was difficult at times.

Sports Facilities

We decided to play tennis as a family, but were disappointed by the sports facilities. Upon arriving at the sports hub, there was no one available to assist us. The rackets provided were only short-handled versions and the tennis balls were in very poor condition. While we still managed to have some fun, the equipment clearly requires replacement and better maintenance.

Entertainment

The Piano Bar was an enjoyable venue, but the same singer and guitarist appeared on most evenings. Although she had a lovely voice, a greater variety of performers would improve the experience for guests staying for one or two weeks.

We also attended the terrace party, which was excellent until the silent disco began. The headphones only offered two channels, one of which was primarily children's music. If guests did not enjoy the music on the second channel, participation became difficult and, unfortunately, we ended up leaving early. Offering additional music channels would make the event more inclusive and enjoyable for a wider range of guests.

Overall

Aphrodite Hills has many positive qualities, including excellent staff, good restaurants, lovely spa facilities and a well-maintained resort. However, issues such as the sunbed shortage, inconsistent adults-only policy, compact family rooms, dated sports equipment and a lack of some of the finer details expected from a luxury resort mean that, in our opinion, it falls short of a true 5-star experience.

We still enjoyed our holiday and met some wonderful staff members who genuinely enhanced our stay, but there are several areas where improvements could significantly elevate the overall guest experience.