The very beautiful Greek-Turkish island of Cyprus fell in love with our tourists for its mild climate, beautiful beaches, the original culture of the Cypriots, which is a mix of Greek and Turkish traditions. There are many wonderful hotels that delight European comfort and Cypriot hospitality, but I especially want to highlight the Elias Beach Hotel 4 *. Limassol, the city where it was built, is considered the second in terms of the number of indigenous people and almost the first in the number of tourists arriving here annually. Despite this, there is no airport in Limassol, and a large international seaport accepts ships from some Asian countries and the largest Greek islands. With other settlements in Cyprus, it is connected only by roads.
There is another interesting feature that is useful to know for those who choose a hotel for their vacation, which sounds in our opinion like Elias Beach. Limassol is a city where a lot of Russian-speaking citizens live. There are even numerous restaurants, cafes and shops where the service is conducted in Russian. This annoys some of our compatriots, but helps someone to feel at home in a distant land. In any case, even those who do not know either Greek or English will not succeed in getting lost in Limassol, as there will always be people on the streets who perfectly understand Russian speech. The same applies to the hotel staff, although the bulk of its guests are English. What other features and surprises await tourists at the Elias Beach Hotel? Limassol and the whole island of Cyprus what will be remembered and what will surprise? To answer these questions, we invite you to a virtual walk around the city and the hotel.
Location
Cyprus, as many are well aware, is divided by a green line into the Greek and Turkish parts. The first went to the southwest, the second to the northeast. It is on the Greek half in the beautiful and warmest bay of Akrotiri in Cyprus that the city of Limassol is located . Elias Beach 4 * was built not in the center, but on the outskirts, where there is less noise and fuss, but more beautiful nature and peace.
But everyone who wants to have a bright and eventful time in one of the resort’s nightclubs or just stare at the central areas of the city can easily get there by local minibuses or buses. The distance will be approximately 12 km, and the travel time is no more than 15 minutes. You can also go to the center by taxi, which is plentiful in Limassol. They are even called at the reception of the hotel for guests upon request, but not every tourist will like their prices. Those who do not want to go somewhere can entertain themselves with walks along the promenade, which passes just next to the Elias Beach Hotel 4 *. Limassol is proud of many of its attractions, and the promenade is one of them. It not only offers fantastic views of the sea, but also offers wonderful corners of nature, where you can relax. There are cafes, restaurants, shops on the promenade, so everyone will find something for the soul here.
How to get there
The island of Cyprus is mainly hit by plane. Where to fly: to Paphos or to Larnaca (there are flights from Russia to the airports of these cities), it does not make any difference for Elias Beach Hotel 4 * guests. Limassol is approximately the same distance from both, with an average of 65 km or 30 minutes by bus. The only difference is that planes from Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar and Nizhny Novgorod fly to Paphos, and from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Larnaca. There are also flights from Kiev. Regardless of which city the flight was made to, tourists in Cyprus are met by the tour operator of the company where the ticket was purchased, forwarded to the transfer point and delivered to the hotel.
general description
Only positive feedback from tourists about Elias Beach Hotel 4 *. Limassol welcomes them with the hot southern sun, and the hotel staff with warm Cretan hospitality. Check-in, if you managed to clean the room after the previous guests, is carried out here immediately upon arrival. Sometimes you have to wait a bit, but not more than 30 minutes. In any case, there are no strictly allotted check-in hours. The hotel area is not very large. All its buildings and structures are compactly located on 1.2 hectares among palm trees, evergreen shrubs, flowers and emerald green, neatly trimmed lawns. Tennis fans will surely enjoy the tennis courts lit in the evening, while squash lovers will enjoy the well-equipped squash courts.
It is noteworthy that Elias Beach is a hotel with free parking, provided that the car is rented from the administration. In addition to cars, you can rent bicycles here. But the highlight of the hotel is not the rental of vehicles, but the wonderful pools. There are two: indoor with a jacuzzi and a three-level outdoor with a spacious sun terrace around. I would like to note that umbrellas and sunbeds on this terrace are available at any time of the day, so do not “book” them with towels at dawn. The second highlight of the hotel is the chapel, designed for weddings. It bears the name of St. Elijah (Elias locally), as well as the spacious Sunset Pier, which allows you to arrange an unforgettable holiday (wedding or something else) right on the seashore. But for business events, Elias Beach (Limassol) is great. Its conference rooms, designed for a different number of participants, are equipped with high-quality modern equipment. Guests are served by multilingual staff, and during the breaks between conferences or meetings, a buffet is organized.
Accommodation
All rooms are concentrated in a stylish seven-story building, equipped with modern elevators. The view from the windows can be on the territory, the city or the sea, which is desirable to specify when ordering a tour, since after placement, the change of rooms is carried out in rare cases. It is noteworthy that the design of each room is exclusive, everything, including curtains, the color of upholstered furniture, bedspreads on beds, is made in a certain color scheme. It always creates a feeling of comfort and good mood. Some vacationers mention in the reviews that the maids, although they clean very well, but not always in the morning, because they do not have time. Sometimes they arrive after dinner, when the guests have already settled down for a day's rest. This is perhaps the only drawback of their work.
The room categories at Elias Beach are standard and superior. Their area is from 32 to 35 squares. Equipment - beds, wardrobe, table, chairs, easy chair, TV, central air conditioning (works almost silently), TV with paid and free channels, safe (paid for in the standards), hairdryer, multi-channel radio. Sets of summer furniture are installed on the balconies.
The categories of two-room rooms in the hotel are: junior suite, family suite (designed to accommodate up to 4 persons), superior suite. Their area is from 39 to 65 squares. The layout includes a bedroom, a living room and a hygiene room. The equipment of two-room rooms is the same as one-room, with the exception of the living room, furnished with comfortable upholstered furniture. The hygiene rooms in all rooms are equipped with a bath or shower (with a curtain), a toilet and a washbasin. Personal hygiene products are issued on the day of arrival and are regularly replenished. Towels that guests have thrown to the floor (such rules) are changed by the maids on the same day, and pillowcases and sheets are changed every other day.
Nutrition
In the hotel Elias Beach 4 * (Limassol), basically all our tourists take tours on the "All inclusive" system. There are several restaurants to cater for guests. The central one is called Flavors and service is available from morning until late evening. Like in many modern hotels, the Elias Beach breakfast buffet is a buffet, but for the convenience of guests, all tables are pre-arranged with cutlery and napkins, and there are always a lot of empty seats, so there are no conflicts and misunderstandings. The menu in the central restaurant is unusually wide, able to satisfy any taste. It offers yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, several types of fried eggs, sliced cheese and sausages, sliced and cooked vegetables, all kinds of salads, meat, seafood, fish, poultry, sweets, desserts.
The second very good hotel restaurant is called Amadeus. Here, all guests await impeccable service and a variety of Mediterranean dishes, and meals are carried out on an individual order, but are not included in the All Inclusive program.
But in the cafe located to the left of the reception and called Mokka, you can take unusually delicious coffee and other drinks, as well as light snacks, all day for free.
The hotel bars are located in the lobby, on the beach and by the pool. All of them, according to guests' reviews, are pretty decent, offer quality drinks, simple and exclusive cocktails, ice cream, nuts, chips.
Hotel for children
As for the service for young guests, Elias Beach Hotel has double reviews. Cyprus is a country where English is equated with the second state language. Perhaps, therefore, or because this hotel has more than half of tourists from England, absolutely all programs for children here are conducted in English. This is not really like our tourists. The rest of the children's service is not satisfactory. For kids, the hotel has a spacious pool with a depth of 60 cm and a non-slip bottom, a playground, a games room with a teacher. In the rooms you can order cots (no more than one), as well as use the services of a babysitter. There is no special menu for the smallest at the hotel, but you can always choose something among dairy and vegetable dishes.
Leisure for adults
It can be said without exaggeration that everything is provided for an excellent stay for guests in Elias Beach 4 *. Reviews of Russians who have been here, only animation exclusively in English is mentioned as a minor staff shortage. Tourists respond very well about the hotel's outdoor pool, which occupies a central place in its territory. The pool is divided into sections with different depths. The largest is 1 m 90 cm. In this section, children are not allowed to have fun even under adult supervision.
Sports lovers at Elias Beach will find a fitness room with the latest fitness equipment, a billiard room, and numerous sports grounds. A wonderful spa where saunas, a bathhouse, massage rooms helps to relax and improve health, and a beauty salon with a hairdresser and beauty salon will help to bring beauty. In the evenings, the hotel hosts exclusive shows and discos. It is difficult to imagine modern life (even on vacation) without the Internet. At Elias Beach, to the delight of all guests, excellent Wi-Fi is available throughout, including rooms.
Leisure outside
Since far from the city center is Elias Beach, its guests need to get to all interesting places and attractions by road. You can use regular buses, minibuses, taxis, but the best option is sightseeing tours. Limassol is located approximately at the same distance between the ancient cities - the small states of Kourion and Amathus - one in the east of Limassol, the other in the west. Now these are city-museums, which are interesting and informative to visit.
Lovers of outdoor activities in Limassol are waiting for night clubs, taverns, bars with live music, shops where all goods are of high quality but expensive. One of the main attractions for adults and kids is considered a huge water park with an area of 10 hectares with 30 attractions and 7 buffets.
Those hotel guests who are new to Cyprus for the first time can diversify their holiday by visiting many historical monuments of the island, such as ancient Paphos, Hirokitiyu near Larnaca, the medieval Kolossi castle and many others. A boat trip with a swim in the sea and a disco is also popular. But you need to consider that the yacht starts from the city of Ayia Napa, so it will take you more than 2 hours to get to it.
Nevertheless, Elias Beach is more preferable for those who come here for the sake of the sea and a calm, measured rest. Near the hotel there is a promenade where you can easily find a good restaurant, a relatively inexpensive bar, there is even a park and a zoo with unique and funny inhabitants. It is especially pleasant to walk on the promenade in the evenings when the heat subsides and you can admire the sunset with rapture. However, even the most lazy hotel guests are unlikely to deny themselves the pleasure of attending the Limassol festivals if they come to rest during their conduct. In February, a large-scale carnival dedicated to the end of winter is held here, in May - a flower festival, in June - an exotic pagan festival of Shakespeare's Floods and Nights, in July - a beer festival, in August - an Aphrodite festival, and finally, in September - a wine festival, when everyone is invited to try for free the best wines of Cyprus. Riding enthusiasts will also be interested in relaxing at the hotel, as there is an equestrian club just 7 km away. As you can see, there is no time to miss the guests of Elias Beach.
Sea
A beach holiday is what most Russians travel to the Mediterranean for and the most important entertainment for all Elias Beach 4 * vacationers. Cyprus, Limassol especially, because it is located in the most beautiful bay of the island, famous for its clean and well-groomed beaches. The hotel is located on the seashore, as the path there takes only a minute and a half. The sea here may not be completely transparent, but this is only at full calm. If there is even a small breeze, then the water becomes more transparent than tears. What is especially important for parents with children, the depth does not begin immediately. The same circumstance contributes to a sufficient warming up of water already in June, although in most of the water area it can be cool to swim until mid-summer. Another feature of the beach is its gray sand. This does not mean that it is dirty, just volcanic sands in Cyprus, therefore they have such a color and additionally healing properties. And the peculiarity of the sea in the hotel area is that there is very little living creature, so diving is not interesting. But it’s convenient and cozy to sunbathe on the beach, as sun loungers and parasols are free, always in sufficient quantities, and there is a bar restaurant nearby where you can take any number of drinks and snacks.
Reviews
The Elias Beach Hotel is four-star, but many vacationers believe that it needs to be added to the stars, so everything is great here. Noted advantages:
- good location for a relaxing holiday;
- the closest possible proximity to the sea;
- wonderful beach;
- cleanliness on site, in rooms, in restaurants;
- functional plumbing and electrical in rooms;
- exclusively professional service during meals, as well as in all bars and cafes;
- very varied and tasty food;
- beautiful territory;
- good outdoor pool;
- Russian speaking staff.
But the hotel has some disadvantages noted by individual tourists:
- poor soundproofing in the rooms;
- noise from a passing road;
- animation for children and adults in English only;
- not quite a good location for outdoor enthusiasts.