We stayed at the Almyra a couple of years ago and loved it. At the time I don't think it had quite the reputation for young families as it does today but now that we have a one year old daughter, thought it would be the ideal place to return to - we like modern style hotels but like previous reviewers didn't want to feel we were 'getting in the way' or disturbing others because we had a baby with us.

In that respect the Almyra is perfect. The week we were there it was probably 70% young families and a really friendly atmosphere as a result with no cringing when it's your turn to deal with the odd tantrum from the little one.

I would agree with reviewers who are couples looking for a quiet week away that this doesn't present the perfect scenario but if you don't desperately want to lay by the pool all day the hotel is still worth considering as it's a lovely setting, the evenings are much more relaxing & adult dominated and the restaurant & bar areas are very nice day or night. You can also sunbathe just away from the pool in a lovely garden area overlooking the sea which seemed to be pretty child free and so is much quieter.

Also, they are nearing the completion of a spa section to the hotel - the manager told us this was with the aim of giving the hotel a more comprehensive dual feel - one half where it's child friendly, play areas, creche etc, one area where it's more geared to cater for couples & parents who want to 'escape' for a few hours and pamper themselves - this was supposed to be ready in spring but certainly looked a couple of months away from completion when we were there (mid-May 2008).

The staff are all very efficient & friendly & the creche is a great place - the girls there are all trained (and seemingly from England) and couldn't have been happier to help. One tip - they all offer evening baby sitting services if you ask - a few people at the hotel found this out & spread the word to the rest of us so rather than go through the hotel's own service most guests who had used the creche & got to know the girls there found it just a little more comforting to use them to baby sit in the evenings too.

As many have pointed out, Paphos is a mixed bag. If you want brits on tour then bar street is nearby (though not in noise distance) but there are also plenty of nice bars & restaurants nearby too which are more relaxed and they are also very baby aware & all have highchairs available. The Gourmet Tavern restaurant is a particularly good one for quality of food at reasonable prices.

The thing that stops me giving the Almyra 5 stars is the attention to detail. On the surface it all looks perfect but there are just too many little lapses in quality. Examples were our room, (sea view terrace), though great in most respects, had slight flaws - a plug that didn't quite work, making baby bathtimes a pain, a bathroom door that you had to slam to shut properly, marks on the curtains. Nothing major but it gives the hotel that 'scratch below the surface & it isn't quite as it seems' feel and something you don't expect given the prices you pay.

One other point of note - we found the sea view terrace to be ideal as we didn't want to go out every night and so could put our daughter to bed & sit out on the terrace with a glass of wine & room service without any worries. That's great until about 9-45pm when you sit in calm relaxation listening to the crashing waves, but then the automatic sprinklers come on all guns blazing for an hour and a half & somewhat spoil the moment.

As many have pointed out, the food & drink prices in the hotel are really steep but v good quality and recommend you get breakfast included as it offers a great choice and again they really do cater for children & babies here too.

All in all a very nice stay, just the small things preventing it being an excellent one.

The Almyra is one of the few hotels we've stayed in that truly lived up to the stunning images and impressive promises in the brochure. The whole place oozes style and comfort, while offering some of the most efficient and genuinely child-friendly service we've ever encountered. We have a one year-old and wanted to try and re-capture some of the luxury travel we enjoyed pre-parenthood, and the Almyra absolutely delivered. More importantly, because our son was welcomed throughout the hotel and catered for excellently at mealtimes, he had a fabulous holiday too.

We stayed in a sea-view terrace room with the most beautiful outlook onto the sea and Pafos' harbour and port. Our accomodation was on a B&B basis which enabled us to explore eatieries in the locality (a bit hit and miss but the Seven St Georges Tavern was magnificent and the Gourmet Tavern and Mandra are worth a visit). Eating in the hotel is pricey but all the restaurants are in such wonderful settings and offer really good childrens' menus and service so we always felt it was money well spent. Breakfast is particularly impressive.

I think it's worth mentioning that previous reviewers have been quite harsh about Pafos. True, some of the roads nearby are dominated by tacky bars and clubs, but these can be easily avoided. The archaeological sites are numerus and excellent and the walk along the coastline beyond the fort is lovely. We hired a car for 2 days and trvelled up to the Akamas which was awesome, and spent the second day in Troodos which again was beautiful - and all just an hour from the hotel. The Bird Park was superb but I wouldn't recommend visiting the Aquarium, it's a very sorry state indeed. That said, I can imagine many visitors to the Almyra don't feel the need to leave the hotel at all.

Almyra has positioned itself as a hotel catering equally for parents and children. We were looking for the quality and service of a luxury hotel (Almyra is officially only 4 stars, but could beat many "5 stars" hotels in Europe) without having to hide our 2 year old son for the week.

Almyra was perfect for our situation and we would recommend it to anyone with small children. All areas are child friendly, childrens dinner buffet at 6pm, play area, swimming pools, professionally managed creche, warm milk delivered to your room etc. Most importantly the staff are very friendly and used to guests with the trials and tribulations of small children.

The hotel was recently renovated in 2007, so everything was fresh and new. We stayed in a Kyma suite which was very quiet. We also organized a babysitter for one evening and she was great. The spa services are currently provided in hotel rooms in the main building. A new spa center will be opened later in 2008.

This quality and service does not come cheap. Prices are high and you are charged for all extras. We took full board but would recommend B&B only. If you want to eat lunch and dinner in the hotel pay as you go. Otherwise, you have a large choice of restaurants within walking distance from the hotel.

Areas for improvement:

- Shade and lighting on the Kyma suite rooftops terraces.
- Extend creche hours into the evening to allow parents dinner.
- Reservations need to improve on response to emails and accuracy.

Tip:

- Fly into Pafos airport if you can. We could only fly into Larnaca. It's a 90 minute drive to Pafos and the road is excellent.

Having stayed at The Annabelle in Paphos a number of times, my husband and I felt we wanted to try the Almyra as it was generally considered to be better. We chose the signature deluxe rooms with pictures showing the most beautiful roof terrace over looking the sea. The terraces are as beautiful as the pictures, but they cannot be accessed from the room and are not in the least private! In addition there is no shade which makes it uncomfortable in the day and no lighting in the evening! All in all good PR but impractical in reality and not worth any extra cost. Our villa had a sea view but the front area was overlooked by hotel bedrooms. From the first morning we were woken up by very loud banging. On speaking to the front staff we were told this was just plumbing, but on showing them whole bedrooms were being gutted even they had to admit they were undergoing extensive renovation! Each day we were assured it had stopped and each day it continued. In the end we were given a letter apologising, a bottle of Champagne and told we were be remibursed one nights stay. The Manager even came over to us as we left to say how sorry he was. Sadly he was clearly not sorry enough because by the time we were home the hotel had forgotten all their promises and the money was not reimbursed until we supplied a copy of the letter to remind them. This is not the way to treat paying guests and whilst the facilities are very good we will be returning to the Annabelle in future where they treat you with courtesy rather than contempt.