Leonardo Laura Beach & Splash, slides in Chloraka

In Chloraka, the stretch of coast that begins where Paphos ends, there are several big resorts, and this one is the most obviously built for children with energy to burn. The full name gives it away, Laura Beach & Splash. Here’s what the register says, what it offers and why I wouldn’t send everyone there. If you’re still choosing an area, start with Paphos hotels.

What the list records

The official Paphos listing records it as Leonardo Laura Beach & Splash, four stars, 292 rooms and 584 beds on Chloraka Avenue. With its P for classification in progress, treat the rating as a guide. The chain’s website, on the other hand, talks of 412 rooms and suites across several wings. I don’t know the reason for the gap, which is why I give both figures.

Slides, clubs and five restaurants

The waterpark is the heart of the place, with a wave pool, a float slide and what it calls the tornado pool. Children aged 3 to 12 have their own club, Leo’s Jungle Kingdom, run by multilingual staff, and there’s a teens’ club, a cinema and an amusement arcade. For food there are five restaurants, with an international buffet, The Great Burger House, the Italian Little Italy and the Mourayio Greek taverna. The usual plan is all-inclusive, with unlimited local drinks, and the restaurants ask for smart casual dress in the evening.

The FAQ adds a few practical points for families. Cots are free, there are family and interconnecting rooms, some swim-up rooms open straight onto a shared pool, and the staff speak English, Greek, Russian, German and French. Check-in is from two in the afternoon and check-out by midday.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Leonardo Laura Beach & Splash Resort before prices climb.

A detail I like

It accepts small dogs, up to 6 kilos, for a fee. In a family resort of this size that’s unusual, and few hotels on the Paphos coast do it. Before you travel, go through your pet’s paperwork in Cyprus with a dog.

Nearby

Along the same avenue, a couple of kilometres south, is the King Evelthon hotel, with an even bigger waterpark across the road. About three hundred metres away is Azia Resort, far calmer. And following the coast north you reach the Coral Beach hotel in Coral Bay.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Pafos and choose by the reviews.

My take

For a family with children who never sit still, waterpark plus all-inclusive makes life very easy, because nobody needs to leave the grounds to have a good time. What its board covers, and that of the others, is in all-inclusive hotels in Cyprus, and more hotels with their own waterpark are in family hotels in Cyprus. For couples, or anyone who wants dinner in Kato Paphos every night, I find it too far out and too noisy. Paphos airport is 23 km away, according to the chain. If you fancy leaving the resort, the road to Peyia is the way to the coves and trails of the Akamas peninsula.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Larnaca on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Leonardo Laura Beach & Splash Resort before prices climb.