Columbia Beach Resort

We spent a few wonderful days at Columbia Beach Resort for a family holiday, and the entire experience exceeded our expectations from the moment we arrived. The Junior Suites were spacious, beautifully decorated, and very clean, with lovely views of the pool. The architecture and interior design reflected Cypriot tradition, full of warmth and charm. The staff were friendly and professional, the pools were spotless, and the food at all restaurants was excellent. Everything was perfectly organized with a high level of hospitality and attention to detail. Highly recommended!

We really enjoyed our stay at Columbia. We got the Eagle’s Nest room and it was definitely worth the upgrade. Very spacious and in a totally quiet part of the resort. We enjoyed evenings at the taverna with live music and a special evening at the Bacchus restaurant, which was really a treat. The beach is small and quiet, and very rocky. But once you get to the water it gets sandy and smooth. The water is perfectly clear and clean. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, really contributing to the experience. In the summer there seem to be a lot of weddings, but the hotel makes sure the guests cannot hear anything past 11 pm.

The good: 1. The suite is amazing. We were 5 and booked a one bedroom suite and it was very spacious and felt really luxurious. With lots of areas to sit and store stuff. They also brought a gift for each child (a teddy bear and/or a hat) which felt really heartwarming. 2. Air conditioning is perfect in the room and in the lobby. We heard bad things about Cyprus in this regard, and we visited in one of the hottest weeks in history (45 degrees), but the hotel really managed to keep us cool and happy. 3. Breakfast is very good quality, although lacks variety (see below) 4. Everything is beautiful, pools are very nice. We were told the east pool is for families with younger children but we actually found the west pool to be just as good for that if not better (and no one told us to leave or be quiet) 5. Staff is super friendly and helpful - we especially liked Valentina from the kids club and Andreas from the seven Cs bar. 6. Kids club is very nice, although we have some thoughts for improvement (see below) To improve: 1. The gym doesn't fit a luxury hotel whatsoever. The equipment feels outdated and rusty, and there were not enough machines. Air conditioning was also not functioning well. Really hurt the impression of an otherwise modern and chic resort. 2. Variety of breakfast is lacking. Same every day. No salads, only a few types of cheese, etc. Quality of food was great but we expected a bit more variety from such a luxurious resort. 3. Bees (or wasps? | can't tell) are often buzzing around the table at the outdoor restaurants and bars. The staff were nice about it and brought smoke to scare them off but the smell of smoke while you eat is also not great. For that reason it's recommended to eat breakfast indoors at the west wing restaurant instead of the east wing. 4. Prices at the bars and restaurants are very high. 5 euros for a glass of juice, 10 for a smoothie, 50 euro pp at dinner, etc. The restaurants down the road have much more reasonable prices and all were very good. 5. Would be great to have a better equipped kitchenette with a larger fridge, more than only 2 spoons for a family, etc. 6. The no parents policy in the kids club and also 28 euros per session for kids under 4 were a bit of a let down.. We couldn't hang with our toddler there because of that and he threw a tantrum realizing his older brothers can play while he can't (we wouldn't have left him with strangers for 28 euros, having a parent area where one can watch the children play makes much more sense). Also only one controller for the game console, which can lead to frustration. 7. No open shop in the resort (but there's a mini market down the road) 8. Pools need more shaded shallow water areas where children who don't swim well can play without getting direct sun. 9. We had a malfunction at our bathtub, and communication with the reception and maintenance around it felt inefficient. We had to tell them and ask about it several times, they came and went a few times saying they would come back to fix later, until finally they called and said they are missing a part and since it was a holiday weekend they couldn’t get it until we already left. Understandable but frustrating and I expect a 5 star hotel to have all the parts necessary to fix their suites handy.