Thanos hotels have been dragging on my hotel list as long as pictures of Annabelle and Almyra have been published on Conde Nast Traveller pages. Our choice this time was Almyra, due to its child-friendly promise and good location in the center of Paphos. The building is from the 70s and the hotel used to be called Pafos Beach hotel. Nowadays the hotel looks like an interior design heaven and it’s no suprise it belongs to the Design hotels chain.
ALMYRA ROOMS
We had booked two inland view rooms. The view was to the garden and city. The rooms looked fresh but to my opinion do not reach the same star rating as other hotel premises. There was no balcony in the room but you basically got a French balcony when you opened the windows wide open. If you have enough cashflow, I recommend to book a Kyma Suite where you have more space, own yard and stunning seaview. The terrace rooms that open to the garden looked dark and the balcony chairs are basically next to each other, so there is no privacy on the terrace.
SOMETHING TASTY
Our price included half board and I’m really happy it did. Breakfast had everything we needed and dinner dishes changed every day. There were plenty of local flavors and french fries/pizza were left to the kids buffet. The main restaurant had a beautiful terrace area. Their wine list was very interesting with plenty of local wines and we actually chose our winery tour based on the menu. The waiters/waitresses had a proper knowledge of the wine list and were able to introduce good alternatives. You didn’t feel like you were having an ordinary buffet dinner in a cheap Mediterranean hotel where wine is served boiling hot.
There was a race during lunch time who would win the best lounge sofa set in Notios restaurant. You just wanted to chill there for hours. The service in Notios was slow but their pita burger was so delicious that we could kind of forgive the slow service. Our favorite restaurant in the hotel however was Ouzeri on the beach promenade. The food was delicious and prices reasonable. They had live music on site everyday we were there. Halloumi salad tasted even better when you were able to enjoy it with a seaview and live Greek music. There is also one additional restaurant in the spa area, but we didn’t try that one since the area was child free.
HOTEL AREA
During our holiday in July-August there were a lot of families in the hotel. And when I say a lot, I really mean it. The main pool had turned into a kids pool and we adults actually used the spa pool area or walked to the beach if we wanted to have a dip in the pool/sea. Spa area was child free.
There is a football field and a small park for kids which our child enjoyed every day. We didn’t try any spa treatments but did use the gym a few times. The gym was small but we managed to do a proper training routine there. There is also a stylish boutique on the premises which sold Jimmy Choo and Prada.
Almyra had been renovated in a way that pleased our eyes. It has a touch of a boutique hotel but still knows how to respect local traditional style. The garden was stunning, scents divine and lanterns made it very special in the evening. The service was impeccable both in the reception and in the restaurants (if we skip the Notios service part). Thanos hotel didn’t disappoint and I would love to try our also their two other hotels in the area, Anassa and Annabelle.
Few notes in a nutshell:
+ Stunning design
+ Good restaurants, interesting wine list
+ Child friendly (a lot of acitivities for the kids)
+ Excellent service both before and during the trip
– A lot of families during peak season (main pool is quite chaotic)
– Service in Notios restaurant didn’t reach the standard service level
*Pictures of the rooms, Kyma rooftop, gym and spa pool received from Thanos hotels
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