Asterias Beach, a four-star on Makronissos beach

West of Ayia Napa, past Nissi beach, the coast opens into Makronissos bay, with white sand and little building. Asterias Beach stands here, a long-established four-star run by the same family for decades. I cover its entry, what it offers and what to see around it. The town’s other hotels are in Ayia Napa hotels.

On the Agia Napa list

The Deputy Ministry of Tourism includes it on its Agia Napa list, dated 4 August, as a 198-room, 396-bed four-star at Makronissos. The P beside it leaves its rating as a guide. According to its website, three generations of the Hadjisoteriou family have been through the hotel, which they’ve spent four decades improving.

Beach and setting

The hotel sits practically on Makronissos beach, which according to its website has fine white sand and very clear water. The St Nicander forest reserve surrounds it, which is why the area remains lightly built up. A few steps away there are bars, restaurants, shops and places to visit.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Asterias Beach Hotel Ayia Napa on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Food and bars

Over the last two seasons the hotel carried out a major renovation, adding a rooftop bar, a seafood restaurant, a beach bar and a new spa. It now has four restaurants, namely the Ammochostos buffet, Koralli for fish, an Italian on the terrace and the kitchen at Levels Beach Bar, open from 09:00 to 18:00 and later in summer. The Panorama Rooftop Bar looks from Makronissos to Cape Greco, and the Christi Akti cocktail bar faces reception. Across them all, the hotel says, the cooking mixes Cypriot and international dishes.

Spa and children

Iris Wellness & Spa takes up a large area of the basement, with Far Eastern-style rooms, Thai, Indian head and aromatherapy massages and facials. For little ones there’s the Asterino mini club, with an evening entertainment programme for guests of all ages.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Ayia Napa and pick one that fits your day.

What to see nearby

The hotel itself suggests starting with the Makronissos tombs, 19 burials from Greek and Roman times which, by my calculation from OpenStreetMap, are about 400 metres away. From there it suggests the Venetian aqueduct, the chapel of Agia Thekla, the 16th-century Ayia Napa monastery and the harbour with the Thalassa museum. Nissi Beach is 1.2 km away in a straight line. In the same area is the Dome Beach hotel, and past the centre the Grecian Bay hotel and, at Konnos, the Grecian Park hotel.

My view

It wins me over for couples and families wanting a really good beach without the noise of the centre, with the bonus of a family-run hotel. The price of that calm is relying on a car or taxi for dinner in Ayia Napa. Other hotels on the sand are in Cyprus hotels on the beach. I compare the resort’s other stretches of sand in Ayia Napa beaches.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Ayia Napa before you arrive rather than at the desk.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Asterias Beach Hotel Ayia Napa on Booking.com and filter by area before price.