Athena Beach, a big beach hotel for families

Athena Beach is one of the big Paphos hotels, and by number of beds it nearly matches Coral Beach. What interests me most isn’t the pool, though, but a practical detail, you can get from the airport to its door by bus. Below are the official entry, the facilities and my take on who it’s for. To compare, see Paphos hotels.

The entry

In the ministry’s Paphos register it has four stars, 420 rooms and 835 beds on Theas Afroditis Avenue, within Geroskipou. Classification is still in progress, shown by the P, so the rating is provisional. The hotel itself says that since its refurbishment its standard matches a five-star, which the register doesn’t reflect.

Water for every age

There are four outdoor freshwater pools, one for adults, two paddling pools for the little ones and an indoor pool heated from November to April, plus indoor and outdoor jacuzzis. Children have a water-play area, Oasis Splash, a kids’ club and a playground. Over-16s have their own space with a pool, sun terrace and swim-up bar. The Elixir Spa adds another heated pool, two saunas, two steam rooms, a gym and a hair salon.

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

Eating and getting about

There are five restaurants, Mediterranean and Italian, with a buffet and al fresco à la carte dinners, plus a beach bar, a pool bar and a cocktail bar. If you book bed and breakfast you can move to half board or all-inclusive at reception for stays of four nights or more. Outside, the bus stop is by the entrance. Route 612 comes from the airport and route 611 goes to the harbour, though the seafront promenade gets you there in about 25 minutes on foot. From Larnaca the hotel recommends the Kapnos shuttle, and it can also book a private taxi from either airport, priced by the number of passengers. More in airport transfers and buses in Cyprus.

Neighbours

Just to the east are the two buildings of Aliathon Resort, another big family complex. Towards the harbour along the same coast is Olympic Lagoon Resort Paphos, all-inclusive, and in the heart of Kato Paphos are the King Jason apartments.

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

My take

For families I think it’s a very solid choice, with pools for every age, an adults’ area for parents who want to slip away for a while and public transport to the door. For anyone after a characterful hotel or a quiet couple’s break, its size weighs too heavily. The hotel also sells cycling and lawn bowls holidays, and its guest relations team can arrange bike hire for exploring the coast.

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

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