Louis Imperial Beach, Paphos > Reviews (2)

A VERY ACCOMMODATING HOTEL

The Louis Imperial Beach Hotel is in the Paphos area of Cyprus. It is graded as four stars. As it's a member of the Louis group, and I have stayed in other hotels in this chain, I felt it should be of a good standard. Fortunately, it didn’t let me down. I booked my holiday as a package tour through Direct Holidays.

RECEPTION/CHECKING IN

My husband and I arrived at this hotel, by coach transfer from Paphos airport. We were the among several other guests, to be dropped off at our hotel, the last of about five other drop-offs, although all were at hotels close by, and so the drive only took about thirty minutes.

On entering the building, either by a few steps or a ramp, through its glass doors, we were greeted by friendly and polite staff manning the twenty four hour reception. Check in was quick and efficient. As our information pack was handed to us a waiter appeared with cold drinks, which we drank gratefully, as we completed a short registration form.

Looking at the spacious area I noticed marble floors and well-furnished seating area , and away from the reception desk itself, the Fontana Bar with its outside terrace and sea view.
I also noticed that three lifts were close by.

We were handed our key and directed to our room which was on the third floor. A porter appeared and placed our cases on a trolley and delivered them to our room.
During our two week stay we passed reception often. It was always manned. If we had any enquiry, such as which bus to get to a certain destination, the staff were always helpful and knowledgeable and quick to see to speak to guests. I think a sign of a good hotel is whether its reception staff provides an efficient and polite service. The speedy check in was definitely a good start to our holiday.

ROOMS

A Room With A View Please

Although our flight was a pleasant one, and the transfer to the hotel, was quick , it was still a relief, after a day’s travelling, to unlock the door to our room.
I hadn’t wished to pay fifteen Euros a day for a sea view room but, when booking, the agent said she would request a sea view room and we might be lucky. Remembering this, I went to the balcony, opened the patio doors and was disappointed. In hindsight I will say there wasn’t anything wrong with the scene- a typical view of a built up area of Paphos, but sea view it certainly wasn’t. I could see a hotel car park, streets, some greenery, a restaurant or two and distant mountains. Later on, I saw it was quite atmospheric when the sun had set and everywhere was lit up, but never the less I was disappointed and said to my husband, “Don’t unpack, I’m going to see if we can change our room!” He groaned; he doesn’t like fuss and thought fuss was about to happen.

We went to reception and asked if there were any rooms with nicer views available. I was told (politely) that I hadn’t booked a sea view room and they were fully booked, but if I returned in the morning the reservations manager would speak to us. We returned to our room, decided not to unpack everything, instead we went for a swim before dinner.

Next morning we saw the reservations manager who said he was very sorry we were disappointed with our room and as they were fully booked offered to arrange a sea view room in our choice of several hotels in the vicinity. He named some and they were known to us as good standard hotels.

We left him, wishing, in a way, we hadn’t said anything as, now we had a dilemma-did we move to the Ledra Beach where we knew the rooms had lovely sea views and we had had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday two years before or stay where we were but in an inland room? We decided to stay as first impressions had been very good.

We unpacked then informed the reservations manager of our decision. A short while later, on returning to our room, we saw a card had been posted under the door asking that we again see the manager about a room change.

We were given the key to a room on the first floor and of course went straight to the balcony.''' Wow! Beautiful! I had to have this room'''. The corner balcony looked out one way to a view of the coastline, part of the hotel, tennis courts and the sea. In the other direction was an abundance of greenery, and blue Mediterranean Sea.

My holiday was now going to be perfect; I was sure.

INLAND VIEW ROOMS

This hotel offers inland facing and sea view rooms, and larger family rooms. Some rooms are inter-connecting.

Rooms are on the first, second and third floors. The hotel has 239 rooms.
The room was of a good size for two people. I think with most hotel rooms they are adequate or even good for two people but if three are sharing , in the case of a child or teenager, then the rooms are often a little too small. As there were only two of us we found the room to be fine.

Two large twin beds were pushed together. One dipped slightly in the middle although the positioning of it meant it didn’t compromise comfort but was looking as if it had seen better days. Each bed had a bedside table next to it with storage although one had a drawer and the other had the radio within. A reading lamp was positioned above each bed.

The room was carpeted which isn’t to everyone’s liking, but I prefer it as cannot comfortably walk on hard floors. I also think it helps to provide some muffling of sound.

A large two drawer dressing table had a mirror hanging above it and two lamps.
A further chest consisted of four drawers.

Rooms contain a safe (payable).

For all inclusive guests the fridge (mini bar) was filled daily with two each of bottled water, tonic, soda, cola and sprite.

There was a full length mirror outside the bathroom and further lighting.

The television was freestanding and showed international news channels. Upgrades were available if required.

Towards the balcony's sliding doors was a round table with two chairs.

The windows were curtained and also had nets, although I preferred to pull these back,

On the balcony were two white matching plastic chairs and table. The balcony was pleasant, although compact in size. However, it was large enough for us to stand and look out, or even to sit at the table.

The room had a telephone and two electrical sockets.

Tea and coffee making facilities were interesting as the electric kettle was housed on a plastic matching tray which plugged into the electricity supply and had sections for tea/coffee, milk and cups. It kept things a little neater. Drink making supplies were replenished every day or so.

BATHROOM

The bathroom was continental in style with a suite which included a bidet. The floor was tiled. The basin was inset in a marble surround providing ample space for toiletries. On the wall there was a shaving point and a hairdryer. The hairdryer worked quite well but I prefer an item such as this to be in the bedroom rather than bathroom and so often used my own travel hairdryer.

The bath had an over bath shower which was easy to operate. I found the shower in the third floor room didn’t work as well as the one in the first floor room and so wonder if this was to do with the water pressure being better in a room not so high up.

There was a telephone in the bathroom which I didn’t use it! Seeing it did make me think of the song, ‘Oh dear what can the matter be…’ Could be handy!

Towels were placed on the chrome shelf at the end of the bath.

Hair and body wash were supplied as was cream hand wash. Shower caps were also supplied, although these are a thing I very rarely use.

Clean towels were supplied every day if they were placed on the floor or in the bathtub. If, in the interests of energy conservation, you wished to use them again then a small sign in the bathroom advised that you hang them up.

We requested extra pillows; these were quickly delivered.

Surprisingly there was a good supply of clothes hangers. I think this is unusual.

Air conditioning was individually controlled in each room (free in summer to all inclusive guests) and came from a point high on the wall. It cooled the bedroom well. Heating could also be turned on, though of course in Cyprus, this wouldn’t be often.

SEA VIEW ROOM

This room was very similar to the inland facing room except, of course, for its outlook. The balcony was angled with views over a large area of the locality, showing the sea, greenery, parts of the hotel and… more sea. We could see the outside area, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where wedding ceremonies were held.

Beds in this room were comfortable and looked superior to those in our first room.

The balcony was fully furnished, meaning we could enjoy a glass of sparkling wine or two out here, while admiring the panoramic views.

This room was slightly smaller, than the room we'd just left, owing to its angle. It probably wouldn’t have been suitable for three beds. In the large wardrobe there stood an extra four drawer chest. I would say this hotel was one of the better hotels I have stayed in in terms off storage.

One thing which I especially like about the rooms in this hotel was that the door was unlocked with a traditional key on a large brass key ring. I preferred this method to a card finding it more reliable and it also meant that the electricity stayed on in the room without the need to keep a card in a slot.

CLEANLINESS OF ROOM

Our room was cleaned every day, including Sundays. The carpet was vacuumed every day and bed linen changed every few days.

As already mentioned, fresh towels were supplied when required.

ALL INCLUSIVE

On checking in to the hotel we were surprised, and pleased, to be told we didn’t have to wear a wrist band, as is usually the case when staying at a hotel on an all-inclusive basis. Instead we were given a plastic card of credit card size, which showed we were staying as A/I guests. We were advised to show this card when using A/I facilities so that we weren’t charged, or to inform staff that we were all inclusive and then to supply our room number.

My husband was impressed that local bottled beer was available on the all-inclusive tariff and we thought this was unusual. He likes a change from the draught beer. The beer supplied was the local Cypriot brand of KEO… this seems to be popular with most guests. Usual spirits, soft drinks, tea, coffee chocolates, red, white rose and sparkling wine was available and this was served in the Fontana Bar (near to reception) The Rodonda Bar (pool bar) and to the outside entertainment area by waiting staff. It was appreciated by us that drinks were served in ‘proper’ glasses rather than the often found plastic variety. Plastic containers were used, during the day, around the pool, but were of the strong rigid type which was recyclable. In all bars and restaurant glass was used.

Almost all long drinks and cocktails were available on the A/I menu and a good selection was there to be had such as Tequila Sunrise, Pina Colada and, of course, sex on the beach. Well, it wouldn’t be a holiday without that joke being bandied about now would it?

The All Inclusive at this hotel was excellent with drinks being available from restaurants, pool bar, cocktail/coffee bar.

Three meals a day were served from the restaurant and snacks s and light bites provided all day in between meal times.

Food and drink was to there if required from morning through until midnight.''' After twelve a pay bar operated until one a.m'''.

I didn’t actually witness people at this hotel appearing to be overly excessive; I think sometimes if the food and drink is so readily available people relax more and eat when they want to rather than going too mad. I suppose most over indulge a little more than they would at home but then, they are on holiday after all. But this hotel had a good atmosphere with guests enjoying their holiday whilst being polite, well-mannered and well behaved; this isn’t always the way.

ENTERTAINMENT

The team had one day and evening off every week. On this evening an outside act was brought in.

DAYTIME

The members of the entertainment staff were a lovely team from: Tunisia, Hungary, Poland, England, and Holland. The team consisted of: Sandro (team leader), Christina (great aqua aerobics and entertaining quizmaster), Kashia who ran the very busy Kid’s Club, Dominik, Frank and last but not least, Sarah Jane.

Entertainment took place around the pool and in several areas of the hotel grounds and beach.

Activities consisted of water volleyball, water polo, pool games and aqua aerobics, fun pool games, table tennis, quizzes, shuffleboard, French boules, beach volleyball, killer darts, table tennis and daily quiz.

I liked the way the animation team worked as they made a good attempt to invite all guests to participate and were welcoming without being pushy. They accepted that not everyone wants to engage in activities and if one felt like chilling out they were easy to say no to.

EVENING

For most of the year evening entertainment takes please in an area near to the Rodonda Bar. There are plenty of tables and chairs; we always found one. There was a slight breeze here which made the evenings pleasant.

The hotels resident entertainment staff provided most of the evening entertainment. Kashia and Dominik’s Latin dancing was superb and Sarah Jane was a great dancer too. Versatile Christina danced and did much of the choreography. Sandro was entertaining always, as was Frank…and all animators were politeness itself.

We usually dined during the children’s disco. This was followed by the handing out of certificates and prizes, then bingo and a show, Often the show was performed by the team with great hilarity and sometimes an outside act was brought in, such as the George Michael tribute act which turned out (fortunately) not to be so much a tribute act (and bore little resemblance to George) but a singer/comedian who did a great take off of Vanilla Ice.

TERRACES/GROUNDS

I was impressed with the grounds and the many areas for sunbathing. In the morning the pool area was the first to have its sun loungers reserved but there seemed to be plenty around and they were supplied with comfortable mattresses. There were also lots of parasols and small plastic tables.

The lawn area alongside the open doors to the indoor pool provided a further sunbathing area which was pleasant, with trees providing shade.
A further grassed area with the shade of trees was available. This sloped gently down to the next area which faced the sea and the small beach. Because the grounds were extensive the hotel had plenty of areas to sunbathe and there was a good supply of sun loungers and parasols available.

SWIMMING POOLS

I liked the main outdoor pool with its easy access into the water, owing to the two sets of steps with handrails. As it was a relatively easy pool to enter I thought it a bonus for some with mobility problems.
This was the pool used for activities such as water aerobics, water polo and water volleyball. Another advantage was the angled shape meant pool games could be enjoyed without taking over the whole pool.

The children’s pool looked very welcoming for toddlers. Parents could place sunbeds near to this pool to watch their children splash about. There was room around the pool for buggies and pushchairs without making access difficult for others trying to move around this area.

The Indoor pool was refreshing as its water was cooler than in the outdoor pool so it provided a welcome place for a cooling dip.

The pool was for adult use only in the summer season. This rule was mainly adhered to.
The pool could be reached by three different entrances; one being the whole side of the building it was in, as the glass doors which ran the full length were open all day. This meant one could swim and look out at the outside area.
The pool itself was entered by steps with a rail, unless you wanted to jump straight in! At the end of the pool was a large Jacuzzi which again, like both pools, was easy to enter with its graduated steps and handrail.

RESTAURANT/FOOD

A dress code applies with gentlemen required to wear long trousers at dinner. The rules were relaxed for lunch. If the dress code isn’t to a guests liking then there is a section of the restaurant where guests can be more casual.
For lunch guests could also eat outside where there were parasols and fans. A dress code didn’t apply at this time.

On entering the restaurant you can find your own table staff will always find one for you. Dinner started at seven in the evening and lasted until nine thirty. A couple of times we ate late and there was still a good choice of food to be had.

Once seated, a waiter would appear to take drink orders. As an all-inclusive guest one could choose from bottled mineral water, soft drinks, and red, white or rose wine, or beer. The waiter/waitress would ask for your room number and that you sign a receipt. Drinks were usually brought out very quickly.
Alternatively, a drinks menu offered French champagnes and bottles of both international and local wines. Some of the local wines seemed to be a lot better value in the hotel than in local restaurants.

The dining here was a serve yourself from the buffet.

Soup was often suitable for vegetarians. The mushroom soup was especially delicious.

Food was well set out with a large circular food station with two sections, each containing food in labelled lidded containers, to keep it warm. These consisted of approximately two or three meat options, one or two fish, potato dishes, rice and choices of seasonal vegetables. I never once had more than two people in front of me and I feel this was due to the good positioning of the food. There was a Carvery section where a chef carved from one or two choices of roasted meat and there was a tureen of gravy; you could help yourself to this.
A further section contained pasta choices and vegetarian dishes.
Salad sections were impressive with cold meats, tuna, plus all types of salad, sauces and dips.
There was a selection of cheese and biscuits, a wonderful choice of fruits, ice creams and Cypriot style cakes, and sometimes more English type desserts such as fruit pies and custard. I occasionally ate dessert although not often but, when I did, I thought the cheesecake desserts were very good, although I often chose the healthier fruit salad.
It was usual to find at least one fish dish, often two.

A children’s section was available.

The food served in the restaurant was very good and I would say probably the best of the hotels I have stayed in in this region.

The excellent quality of food was definitely a very positive feature of this hotel.

Breakfast was tasty, and again, no queuing for eggs, which were prepared while you waited. Although the hotel was full it was refreshing to not see queues, even for pancakes.
Breakfast choices were continental or full English: bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, often mushrooms, potato choices such as hash browns, potato croquettes or fried potato pieces, scrambled eggs, toast, rolls, boiled eggs, fried eggs, and pancakes. Really, there was no excuse at all to be hungry at this hotel and everything was hot. Juices, tea and coffee were available from dispensers.

VEGETARIAN GUESTS

I don’t eat meat, although do eat fish. My husband does eat meat. I find it’s often difficult to find food options whilst on holiday but, as yet, this was the best in the way of vegetarian choices.'''I was particularly impressed that the vegetarian options actually tied in with the evening’s theme''' at dinner so, for instance on Italian night one of the choices was spinach and ricotta cheese cannelloni. Even my husband said this was very tasty. On Cyprus night there was a local lentil dish. There were usually enough options so that I wasn’t forced into having salad more than I wanted to.

For lunch there were always two pizza choices available, one being vegetarian.

PACKED LUNCHES

One day we decided to visit the beach at Coral Bay and thought we would ask (evening before) for a packed lunch. This service is free to all inclusive- guests. Our two lunches were available from reception after breakfast and consisted of two packs of sandwiches in each- ham and also chicken in one and cheese, and cheese and cucumber in another, a bottle of water, carton of juice, cake, an apple and an orange.

SERVICE/STAFF

On our second day here we were lying by the pool feeling a little too hot, when a waiter and a waitress could be seen walking around the pool area carrying trays of ice cold small towels. One could smell these towels had been newly laundered then placed in a freezer. I thought this a simple but nice touch to the service at The Louis Imperial Beach.

My husband and I considered the service at this hotel exceptional; it exceeded our expectations and was the most positive feature of an excellent hotel. It felt as if staff around the hotel took pride in this hotel and wanted guests to have a lovely stay.
As well as the high calibre of Cypriot staff many came from Eastern Europe and were friendly, polite and hardworking, showing a high standard of customer care.
This hotel reminded me in regards to service of The Ledra Beach, another Louis Hotel, which is fairly close by. Both were very impressive in quick, efficient, polite service. If anything needed doing such as a light bulb needed replacing, it was quickly seen to.

CLEANLINESS/MAINTENANCE

The pool areas were kept clean, bins regularly emptied, grounds maintenance could be seen to be an on-going task. Gardeners and handy men were regularly engaged in the upkeep of the grounds, cutting grass, tending flower beds etc.

Upkeep generally seemed very good.

Tablecloths and napkins in the restaurant were spotless. All indoor and outdoor areas seemed to be thoroughly cleaned every day.

FACILITIES

A well-equipped games room had, as well as video games, two pool tables, air hockey, and a table tennis table. I don’t think this was over used during the daytime but some children played in here of an evening.

Younger children chose to join in with''' Kids Club''' in the care of Kashia, or had fun in their shady playground, or enjoyed the beach or pool.

The gift shop sold a range of items from gifts to toiletries, confectionary, beachwear, newspapers, etc.

JUST A FEW MORE OF THE FACILITIES AVAILABLE

Gymnasium and sauna.

Hairdressing salon.

An indoor television room

Tennis courts

Luggage room

Late rooms are available (from noon until eight p.m. I was quoted 42 Euros.

Towels for use around pool and beach available (deposit required)

Near to reception there was an internet corner with WIFI.

Courtesty Room-This is a good idea, I thought. A room can be booked for a half hour slot free of charge. You can freshen up before leaving for the airport. We didn’t need to use this facility as check out was twelve noon and, as we were leaving for the airport at around three in the afternoon, asked if we could keep our room until two o’clock. Once the rooms had been allocated we were told we could do this as the room wasn’t needed until after three p.m. This made the last day much more enjoyable as we had breakfast and enjoyed a swim before showering in our room before leaving the hotel.

Meeting room

Childrens playground

BEACH

On the coastal side of the hotel is the beach. Although not the best beach in Cyprus the sea is accessible. I would advise pool or beach shoes to walk into the sea and then, once in, it is quite easy to walk out a little and see where to walk or swim owing to the clear waters. Actually it is a quite safe and pleasant spot by the hotel as there seems to be a natural inlet making a pool type feature. In places the rocks clear and the waves crash in and stronger swimmers enjoy bathing here. The sea is warm.

Water sports are available.

All along this area one can walk past the different hotels and their grounds and the beach areas vary, although most are a mixture of sand, pebbles, and rocks, although these can be avoided. In all honesty the best beaches in Cyprus aren’t really in the west, although Coral Bay is an exception as it is very sandy and calm.

LOCATION

The Louis Imperial Beach Hotel is in a good location only about 11 km from Paphos International Airport and situated on Poseidonia Avenue. Many hotels line this long road and on the inland side of the hotel there are several shops, bars, restaurants and pharmacies nearby. I have stayed in Paphos several times and like this location above others I have stayed in.

There's an abundance of things to do in Paphos with its wide choice of water sports and boat trips available, a superb choice of restaurants, bars, shops, markets, beaches, Go-Kart track, small funfair, horse riding and golf.

History is on hand with The Tombs of The Kings, Paphos Harbour and fort,

I would say it is about a twenty minute walk to Paphos Harbour from the hotel if walking along the well paved (and lit in the evening) walkway. I admit to not walking all this way (during this particular holiday) as it was just too hot, even in the evening. We went to the harbour several times but chose to travel by bus or taxi. If it isn’t too hot though this is a pleasant walk and many choose to do it.

But there isn’t any need to go to Paphos Harbour for a meal (apart from it being pleasant) as there’s a good choice of places to dine close to the hotel and one can choose from Cypriot/Greek fayre, French, Chinese, Indian, Italian, African, Mexican and Japanese, probably more.

Buses stop close to the hotel and usually come along every ten to fifteen minutes. From the hotel it’s a short bus ride to the harbour and buses run late, even on Sunday evening. Busses also run to the Aphrodite Water Park which is nearby.

Buses are air conditioned; most drivers are friendly and speak excellent English. They will tell you where you need to get off the bus if asked.

Taxis will often stop as you walk along or wait at a bus stop and offer deals on fares. Sometimes a people carrier or mini bus type of licensed taxi will offer to take everyone to the harbour for a price that works out as cheap, or sometimes slightly cheaper, if there are enough people to share.

WHO STAYS AT THIS HOTEL?

We found there was several groups of families and friends who were in a wedding party (Cyprus is a popular place for weddings) and other guests seemed to be made up of smaller family groups and couples, but no rowdy groups or singles. Guests behaved well and there was a polite friendly atmosphere. We made several friends who we expect to keep in touch with.
British guests were in the majority but there was a good enough mix of nationalities to make things interesting. As the animators used to ask in the evening where guests were from and I remember these places being called out: Poland, Moldova, Germany, Russia, and Holland, Poland and, of course, Cypriot guests.

DISABLED GUESTS

Public areas had ramps which helped with wheelchair and pushchair access. The ground seemed pretty even and the hotel grounds had paved areas leading to the beach, and the road to the front of the hotel. I think many areas around Pahos are probably more suitable for those with mobility difficulties than, perhaps Protaras, for instance, as the ground is often flatter.

The hotel had three lifts and so access was generally good.

Pools are well designed from an easy entry aspect.

I did notice there were at least two wheelchair users staying here and a couple of guests used walking sticks and one was on crutches. Guest bedrooms are situated on floors one, two and three but I wouldn’t expect this poses a problem as there are three lifts.
I also noticed waiters making room for wheelchair users at mealtimes.

OVERALL

I loved this hotel and had a great holiday. I felt it had all I needed for an enjoyable and memorable holiday. I didn’t hear anyone speak badly of it and, in fact, many guests said they preferred it to more expensive hotels they had stayed at in Cyprus.
I would love to go back here for another holiday.