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| | Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach
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Ayia Napa |
| Cyprus |
| Star Rating: 3 Star |
| Telephone: 0035 723 721000 |
| Number Of Rooms: 257 |
| Number Of Floors: 5 |
| Number Of Lifts: 22 |
| What The Brochures Say: |
| First Choice |
| In a superb beachfront setting, with panoramic sea views, this modern hotel offers a range of sports and entertainment, a kid's club, wonderful cuisine and family friendly rooms, including kid's suites. With all this included in the price, it makes a great all-inclusive choice. |
| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Colin and Jayne from Kent travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff |  | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: FLIGHT: Arrived at Gatwick and everything on schedule. However, two people were late and that meant nearly an hour sitting on the plane waiting for them. The airline were in the middle of offloading their bags when they turned up at check in. The Captain said it would be quicker to wait for them to come through, than to continue the search for their bags. They got a loud boo when they finally arrived on board! Baggage reclaim was a challenge at Larnaca! Be prepared to wait around!!
TRANSFER: Very smooth. Rep friendly enough. We were the last stop, so we got a good nose around the resort while dropping everyone else off. I'd say, and I'm not being biased, our hotel looked the best when we first arrived.
ROOM: Checked in easily at reception and were shown to our room by a member of staff. The poor man carried my case, and I can only assume he is off work sick now with a hernia! He was very professional, showed us how to use the keycard and work the air con system. He was happy to answer any questions and spoke very good English.
The room was very modern: laminate flooring, huge wardrobe with lots of hangers, shower over the bath, TV with Sky News and BBC World, fridge, hairdryer, a double bed and another part of the room which can be closed off with double doors; containing two sofas and a table. We had room 304 which was on the 3rd floor and had a glorious view overlooking both the pool and the sea. We couldn't have asked for a better view!
HOTEL: First and foremost, I would like to say that contrary to previous reviews - the hotel is not at the top of a slope, it's at the top of a HILL! A steep and long one! We are both in our early 20's and fairly fit, but when it's 35 degrees outside, we found it a real struggle to get up the hill. I would hate to have to push a pram up it, and I can't imagine how the older folk got up it! We dreaded the walk back so much that we never went out the hotel during the day. On the few occasions we did, we got a taxi back (from the main strip of Ayia Napa this cost £5). We were coming home from our nights out between 2am-4am, and as it was cooler, the hill was that bit easier to handle. As much as we loved the hotel, this really would put us off going back there. Most people we spoke to had no intention of going outside the hotel anyway as it was all inclusive, but we like to go out exploring and hate just sitting around, so it was a big deal for us. To look at, it doesn't seem very steep (we were fooled by the appearance of a gentle slope) but it's worse when you actually have to walk up it! Just beware, it's not a SLOPE!
Moving on to the food. Every night is a "themed" night, although I would suggest that is pushing it somewhat. I didn't notice much difference. Basically the same stuff every night. Although it was nice, I didn't have one hot meal the whole week we were there. Don't get me wrong, it was never cold, just 'warm'. It was quite adequate for one week, but if you were to stay for a fortnight then you may find it a bit repetitive. You do get one A la Carte meal in a separate restaurant and this is very good. And hot! The waiter is very attentive and nothing is too much trouble. The snacks available throughout the day were, in my opinion, better than the meals in the restaurant! You could get sausage rolls, pizza, pasties, ice creams, milkshakes, and sandwiches.
Now the staff. One in particular stands out. Michael, the night shift receptionist. What an amazing man, and one who could chat for England (or should that be Cyprus!) In general the staff are all friendly and professional. Maids do a good job, sheets and towels changed everyday.
Swimming pools. There are 4 altogether. An indoor one. The main one by the restaurant and the infinity pool next to it. And also the pool set in amongst the bungalows. The main pool and the infinity pool are outstanding, the setting and views are excellent. There was a really nice atmosphere while sunbathing around these pools. There were always sunbeds available, no matter what time of day, and the pool never seemed to be busy. The biggest pool is the one by the bungalows, this has it's own pool bar and nicer sunbeds.
Talking of the pool by the bungalows brings me on to the topic of ENTERTAINMENT. This pool didn't have the same feel as the others. Mainly because it's where all the German speaking guests seem to go. The radio playing on loud speakers around the pool is a German station and all the activities in the pool are spoken in German. I really noticed the divide between the two areas of the hotel, and this is a shame. It was a "them and us" situation - German speakers around one pool, and the English at the other. This isn't helped by the fact that all the pool activities are run by the German reps. There didn't seem to be much for the English. They had an International Team based in the hotel, which is supposed to cater for the English guests, but if you call that entertainment you are very much mistaken. The German reps had it sorted - lots of fun and games (for adults and children alike) but the International Team thought that the same 3 songs for the kids disco every night was sufficient. I'm not even kidding! It was the same 3 songs EVERY night - Piano Man, Superman and a Scissor Sisters song. I don't have kids so this wasn't a big issue for me, but if I did, then I wouldn't be happy! It drove me nuts having to listen to it while having dinner, so I can't imagine what the parents having to sit there with their children thought!
GOING HOME: What an experience Larnaca airport is! I can see why they made a television programme about it! If you get a chance, watch 'Holiday Airport - Cyprus'. They are simply not equipped for the number of passengers they have to deal with. The queues were TERRIBLE. One good thing about the English is that we queue, and we queue well! It's a shame that other nationalities can't manage it. We queued for about an hour for security, only for a group of Greeks to push right in as we were about to go through. This was causing the queues to go even slower. If they'd got in line like everybody else, it would have run smoother. Mind you, don't think once you're through you are safe! And don't believe the screens when they tell you what gate to go to! They change this as often as they change their socks! And sometimes forget to actually put it on the screen! We queued in gate 5, then gate 1 and then finally gate 6. With other airlines all moving gates too, in a very small space, you can imagine the mayhem that ensued! After nearly 2 hours delay in the terminal, and a further 1 and a half hour delay once on the plane, we finally took off! Because we missed our slot, we had to take a detour, which meant our airtime journey became 5 hours instead of the normal 4 hour flight to the UK.
In conclusion, although I didn't go to the hotel for it's entertainment (come on, we were in Ayia Napa, I didn't want to sit around watching magicians!) I did feel a little ripped off. This is meant to be a 4 star hotel, and therefore I expected there to be decent entertainment should I need it. It's a real shame because other than that, it's a fantastic hotel and I reckon it's losing a lot of customers because of the entertainment issue.
At the end of the day, a holiday is what YOU make of it. So, will I return to Cyprus? Definitely! (once the new airport is built!)
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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RYCROFT from PETERBOROUGH travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
PORTLAND
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2006 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Standard 4* hotel but not one to go to for 2 adults who wanted peace and quiet as it was full of Germans with small children. A few more English couples arrived once the half term weekend started.
Rooms of good standard and kept clean. Views from the balcony were very good.
Food in restaurant of good standard other than one night when there appeared to be nothing other than curry on the menu. Waiting staff all very friendly and courteous.
Panorama Bar staff excellent and kept us well lubricated at lunch time and early evening. Thanks George?
Entertainment was the big let down. There was no English Entertainment Team on site and for those English visitors with small children it was very poor.
The English and American singers who entertained in the evening were excellent but in general the other entertainment was very poor and did not start until late.
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Jayne from Portsmouth travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
Eclipse Direct
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2006 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel was one of the best I have stayed in so far.
The staff are friendly (particularly the bar staff) and made us feel at home. The food was brilliant especially as it's all inclusive, so much choice. There is also an a la carte restaurant where you can eat once per week - I recommend you do as the food is delicious!
The hotel is on the outskirts of Ayia Napa approx 20 minutes walk to the busy nightlife of the square. The views from the sea view rooms are breath taking - well worth the money.
The entertainment team are hilarious and are keen to get to know everyone staying at the hotel, they do take no for an answer if you don't want to get involved.
I will be booking again for next year without a doubt.
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Debbie Fitchett from Soham travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Family of 5 travelled from the 12th to 27th july 2006
The hotel is in an elevated position overlooking the sea with outstanding views and has been recently refurbished to a very high standard.
The rooms are very spacious and comfortable with double bed. The rooms are cleaned 6 out of 7 days and the towels are changed every time. The air conditioning cooled the room immediately and we had no problems working it.
The food was all excellent with plenty of choice and it was always piping hot. Drinks are served at your table but i would advise you to sit down and order your drinks first and wait for them to arrive before you get your food as sometmies when the restaurant is busy it can take a while. All waitresses and waiters are excellent. The a la carte was superb and claudio our waiter couldnt have been better.
The bar staff are all extremely friendly and helpful. There are many cocktails included in the all inclusive the only thing you would have to pay for was if you wanted a brand name.
We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. The team Nic, Sergio, Wayne, Celeste and kerry were all brilliant encouraging you to join in but not too pushy. There was water polo volleyball, darts, table tennis, football, footballtennis and aerobics during the day and in the evening upstairs there were acts and the entertainment team filled in between. The evening entertainment was brilliant and made our holiday. Nick, cher and boys not allowed were all brilliant acts. There is a kids club run by kerry and celeste we didnt use it cause ours are too old but the children seemed like they were enjoying themselves.
Pools were all lovely and not too deep so you felt safe. There was also a lifguard on duty.
The hotel is set quite a way out from Ayia Napa so I would advise you to take a taxi but it was too hot really to walk around even in the evenings.
The hotel was a mixture of nationalities and everyone was very friendly and there were never any problems.
All in all had a brilliant holiday the best and I would definately go back again I really didnt want to come home and would definately reccommend as everybody is so friendly and welcoming.
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Brook Family from SOHAM, Cambs travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Brook Family report from 13th July to 27th July 2007
HOTEL
Fantastic!! Set on 5 floors in the main hotel and bungalow /chalet type in the gardens.
Everyone is so helpful and friendly you will be made to feel welcome from the time you set foot through the reception doors - (Check out the lighting in the middle!)
We arrived about 2:30am and we were offered sandwiches, fruit and drinks.
The reception is actually on the 4th floor with stairs or lifts going to the other floors.
The rooms are very nice and clean with a fridge and tv. Air conditioning that you can control yourself. Superb maid service, very friendly.
Check out the cocktails while you are there, they have such a large selection and we tried most of them and they were all very good. Especially as they were included in the all inclusive part!
The thing that was weirdest is that whenever you order anything at all, they ask for your room no. this is because they check that you are AI as they have other guests who are not AI and they pay as they go.
POOLS
2 pools in the back of the main hotel over looking a wonderful sea view. Sunbeds around the pools and down on the grass going down to the beach. We used these pools as they were nearer to our rooms (323 and 325 and 226). Water was warm and both pools have a pool bar, where you can get all drinks, water, coffee, fruit juice, ice cream, etc, You can also have snacks there, mainly pizza, sausage rolls, pasties and sandwiches. My one complaint is that they could do with more bins around the pool area and sunbeds.
Other pool is in the middle of the bungalows. This is slightly bigger and very nice. They have a swimup bar and music. Tended to play water polo at 3:00pm. which was fun to play or watch.
Sunbeds - what can I say, we didn't have a problem getting a sunbed although I would imagine in peak season it could be a bit harder.
FOOD
The restaurant is on the ground floor. Take your table and the waiters/waitresses will come and take your drinks order. Then you can go and get your meal. The choice is plentiful and very good and there was always something to suit everyone, even if the kids will only eat fishfingers and chips. Loads of meat dishes, vegetables, salads, everything you could want. The service is very good and as with all the staff, they are very cheerful and helpful.
Don't forget to book to go to the a la carte restaurant (through the main one). You won't be disappointed.
ENTERTAINMENT
The entertainment during the day was the usual, darts, volleyball, football, archery, etc., for both English and German and all the other nationalities. All the staff speak English. Before we got there, there was only a TUI animation crew, but just after we arrived, there was a British animation team set up. Day time and evening time kids club is run by Kerry and Celeste who the kids and adults all adored. The adult team are Nick, Sergio and Wayne. They encourage everyone to join in and have a good time, but are by no means pushy about it. The kids and adult team do the evening entertainment in the Meridan Bar (up on 4th floor) led by Naughty Nick Stringfellow and Sergio the Italian Stallion! As we were a party of 9 who enjoy joining in, we became known as the Newmarket Bunch and got to know them all quite well. As they had only just got there, they were still setting up a proper programme which we are sure will be good once established, although we certainly enjoyed our time with them.
Would definitely recommend this hotel and would have no hesitation in going back. We had such a good time that none of us felt ready to leave, even after 2 weeks.
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Human Family from Cambridgeshire travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed at the Sun garden for 2 weeks all inclusive. First impressions are important and this hotel did not let us down. Very clean all through the hotel, the only place which was not as clean as it could be was the toilet area by the pool.
We were impressed with our room, we did not have a sea view but still had a balcony which was pleasant to sit and relax on. The room had air conditioning but this only worked when you inserted your key card, therefore it took a while to cool down again. We had a TV with Sky news etc, we also had a fridge which was handy to keep water cool (free from the bar). We asked for 2 rooms close to each other and were given rooms side by side. We were on the 5 floor and it was very quiet.
The food was very good with a large selection to please all tastes. A very good selection of beverages again something for everyone. You find a table first (inside or out) a waiter/waitress will then take your drink orders which arrived very promptly, while you get your food. The tables are cleared very quickly. Remember to go and look to see what the chef is cooking.
We only found out on our last day that as an all inclusive guest you are entitled to use the ala carte restaurant free once a week, too late for us!
For us the location was ideal, not too close to Ayia Napa (approx 15 min walk) but close enough if you wanted to stroll into the town, if you walk by road be aware it is uphill coming back, the easier option is to walk along the beach which is flat and maybe a fraction nearer.
We found all the staff to be very friendly and approachable also very attentive. The same lady cleaned our rooms daily to a high standard.
The entertainment the first week was sparse, some of it was entertaining but nowhere near long enough, the second week was better, this was because school holidays were about to start and the hotel was full, just a shame it was not the same the first week.
The German entertainment team were good and friendly but really geared up for the German holiday makers, however we joined in with some of the daytime activities and were made very welcome with the instructions and conversation in both German and English.
Again the second week a British entertainment team arrived making it more interesting.
We would definitely visit again and happy to recommend it.
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Darrell from Isle of Man travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
Thomson
on a friends holiday.
There were 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Returned from this hotel on 13th july. Have to say it excelled my expectations by a long way!!
Everything about it is good and didn't have a problem at all in my 7 day stay there.
As Graham said earlier it is advisable to find the pool to the left of the hotel, outside of the apartments as it is alot bigger,better and usually more pieceful than the other smaller main pool. Plus it has a swim-up bar which serves some very nice sausage rolls :D
The room I stayed in was fantastic,had a great view over the pool and beach with a nice extra seating area that i didnt expect to get,as well as a lovely balcony (room 325).
Entertainment sounded a bit dodgy sometimes,but i suppose all family hotels have to do some entertaining that isn't to everyones taste. This didn't bother me however as i didnt watch any of it,prefered to sit and chill in the lobby bar or head down town.
Food was brilliant everyday whether it be breakfast, lunch or tea.
You get an "a la carte" meal once in a weeks stay and I have to say that it was gorgeous!We were treated like royalty by the waiters (probably because we were the only people having the a la carte on the day of the world cup final lol)
The waiters are very quick at clearing your table and offering you drinks and cant forget the lovely cleaner we had everyday, did a wonderful job and also if you had a late night out on the town,she would leave you alone until you were fully recovered.
People at reception were very helpful when i lost my keycard,they gave me another within 30 seconds of asking!
All together this is a brilliant hotel and i have no complaints,althugh it is a fair walk down hill to get to the centre of Ayia Napa if you bargain the taxi prices they can work out relatively cheap.
Quite a few brits there aswell which was good as i heard before we went it would be full of germans.
After having a look at some of the other hotels in Ayia Napa i am really happy i paid the extra for such a nice,pieceful hotel as it made my holiday all the more better.
Overall a brilliant holiday made even better by the high standard of the hotel!
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Graham from Beford travelled to Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach with
Thomsons
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 | rated the Club Atlantica Sungarden Beach as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Thought I'd get this done quickly as I personally have found the reviews to be extremely helpful when choosing hotels / resorts.So hope this helps.
Quick summary. A great hotel & facilities but boring entertainment.
Rooms:
Good sized room, key cards are used (also turn on the electric). The bedroom itself was fine – first time I’ve ever actually had a king size double bed in a hotel room in Europe!. Aircon only worked when in the room, and could take a short while to cool down. Decent sized bathroom with bath/shower, 2 sinks and plenty of space for all your toiletries, and marble tops. A hair drier is also part of the fittings. Plenty of wardrobe space BUT not many hangers, so take your own . There are very few drawers and no shelves in the wardrobe (unless you count the safe in the wardrobe). A colour TV which included, CNN/Sky news/BBC World & Eurosport . A fridge with complimentary bottle of water, We were in the main block (5 floors) which gave us a lovely view of the sea & Ayia Napa + a nice balcony that you could sit out on.
Restaurants
Main restaurant, meals are buffet style and you can either sit inside or out (and with that view why not). There is something for everyone the restaurant had several main course choices + “show cooking “ of meat and fish + carvery meats, loads of salads and lots of vegetables, incl brussel sprouts!. Sweets but always fresh fruit on offer + cheeses. The very good news is that you also help yourself to hot drinks (Dow Egberts Coffee!!), and cold drinks (incl wine, beer etc) were delivered to your table in super quick time by the fantastic table staff, who cleared your table as fast as you finished each course.
BARS
There are 3 main bars (2 are pool side), and the inside bar (4th floor) also backs onto the entertainment room. During the entertainment period the waiters will keep coming over to you at your table as soon as they think your glass is looking empty (so don’t expect to go to your room sober!!!), which means only the “bar flies” hang around at the bar. The bar also supports a large terraced area with nice (although limited) comfortable chairs, with a fantastic view. If you get fed up with looking at the view, look down below, as the restaurant roof, also boasts the biggest fish pond I’ve ever seen (it goes all-around one side of the hotel), and has Koi etc up to 1 mtr in length).
The pool bars (more about them in the pool section) also offer snacks (pizza, hot dogs and cheese pies), along with ice creams and milk shakes (and of course alcoholic drinks).
Pools
There are 3 main pools (one indoors) that are well looked after with free sun beds (the hotel also give you free towels for use at the pool, but don’t leave these on your sun bed overnight as they are collected each night for cleaning, (but a top tip, is to leave your own towel on your chosen bed overnight).
The most obvious pool (the one you see from the restaurant) is actually the smallest, the larger better pool is to the left of the hotel, and features nicer sun beds and a themed pool. Due to the hotel being on a cliff, the designers have designed the pool so the sides nearest the sea, have no edge, this means you can swim up to the edge of the pool and enjoy the view with a cup (plastic pint) of beer or whatever takes your fancy from the swim-up bar!!!!, yes you can swim to the bar and the staff will put your drink into a cup with lid and straw!!!!.
Entertainment
Unfortunately this was the only feature that everyone (including the Russians) agreed let the hotel down. Every night at 9pm the children's club (German, but spoke enough English) played the same CD for the kids disco that you got sick of the songs (again in German). The adult entertainment started at 10~10:30 and seldom lasted more than 1 hour (you were quite glad as well!!!), the best of the week was an English guy called “Nick” who not only could sing Robbie Williams and Pavarotti, but also knew how to make the audience enjoy themselves. The rest sad to say was rubbish and very amateurish (even the magician got stuck in his own trunk).
Facilities:
The hotel has its own supermarket (5% discount for residents).
reception -
Always available and willing to help, even showed you to your room on first registration to demo the safe and air con, etc.
Location:
This seems to be what most people have complained about as the hotel is about ½ mile out of Ayia Napa, up a hill. However if you walk down to the beach (a mere 50 mtrs) you can walk along the beech to Ayia Napa without getting out of breath (and its lit up).
Gripes :
Entertainment at night – Rubbish (except one)
No tea/ coffee making facilities in the room
Is it me, or are the Germans (TUI) taking over all the best hotels in Europe?
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