Tasia Maris Sands in Ayia Napa

We stayed in a swim up room from late August until early Sept. We went with Tui and set up half board.

Pros: the location is great, it’s a 7/8 minute walk to the centre of Ayia Napa but restaurants on your way. You can get a bolt taxi for 10-15 euros depending how busy. Nissi beach a 7/8 minute walk in the other direction, a great beach with plenty to do. The Spa at this hotel is lovely and reasonably priced compared to UK prices. The reception staff were the friendliest people we met at the hotel. The swim up room allowed us to sunbathe in the morning as the room faces sunrise. The rooms were well air conditioned and kept tidy. The breakfast had a good range of food and was tasty.

Cons: I felt we were not told just how unappealing the building opposite the swim up rooms is. In the room and outside it towers over, so although you have some nice plants opposite, look 20% up and there’s an ugly looking building. When this building is complete, you won’t have much privacy. Also, the plants opposite don’t fully cover as a fence, so we often saw people walking by whilst sunbathing. The road is busy during the day, and noisy. During evening it’s stark contract and no traffic. The road leads to the beach I think. The small beach by the hotel is not great, we preferred Nissi beach. In terms of sun-beds, unless you wake up and have breakfast by 8am, you won’t get a sun-bed during peak season. We were able to use the swim up room beds in the morning and then find some sun-beds at the back when people had left to go for lunch at 2pm.

The staff were average friendliness. I felt because we weren’t all inclusive we were deemed not as important. We had limited contact with staff through their choice. The Spa receptionist was the nicest.

The dinner was varied but felt quite repetitive after a few days and not the type of food I’d typically eat in a hot country. Eg. A roast dinner. We ended up eating out for the majority of the trip.

Overall, this is a staple 3 star hotel that typically catered to the 40-50s age range with a few youngsters. The rooms were clean and the stay was sufficient, though this is not a luxury stay. It is safe and well located.