Leonardo Laura Beach and Splash Resort, Paphos, Cyprus

I decided to fly to Cyprus in the summer of 2020 with my two children. I was searching carefully for the right hotel to enable us all to relax and enjoy the sun. Our flight landed in Larnaka, but I thought that the scenery of Paphos was more dramatic with the cliffs. If you prefer swimming in the ocean from the golden sandy beach, Larnaka might be a better choice for you. 

Paphos is located about 1,5 hours drive from Larnaka, but that was easy enough by bus. From Paphos, I chose the four-star Leonardo Laura Beach and Splash Resort and I never regretted this choice. We stayed the first and last night in Larnaka, but six nights in this resort which fulfilled all of our wishes. We didn't feel any need to venture out of the resort during our stay. 

Aphrodite's Rock

Leonardo Laura Beach & Splash Resort

Immediately when you walk into this resort you feel taken care of. The check-in process was smooth, the receptionists were very polite, and all spoke English well. We got our bracelets since we had an all-inclusive package. There were refreshments available in the lobby, which was needed, as the temperature outside was over 30 Celsius and we were not used to that yet. 

The resort was renovated in 2018 and it looked bright and clean. It is a very large property with 412 rooms and 20,000 square meters of land, but clearly, there was enough staff to maintain a high level of cleanliness. On the other hand, I was traveling during the coronavirus pandemic, so other times the hotel may have more clients. Nonetheless, everybody I spoke with seemed proud to be working in this place, which is always a sign of a great hotel. 

The space was in my opinion decorated with good taste. Vast spaces can sometimes feel cold, but here they used wooden decorations and spots of colors to make the space feel more inviting. The fresh flowers were not used everywhere, but nonetheless, I was taken by the beauty of the space. In addition, the peaceful music that they had chosen to play in the background positively affected my experience of the space. 

My Standard Room

I was in a Standard double room with an inland view. The sofa in the room provided one extra bed for another child. I thought that there was enough space in the room and it was nicely decorated and clean. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom had a bathtub. The balcony was great and I was happy with the view because I could also see a little bit of the ocean (the picture below). But we didn't spend much time in the room. We put the sun lotion on in the morning and spent the day outside. 

Great Restaurants & Other Amenities

We were using 5 different restaurants, 3 pools, and the water park. The resort features also a gym, kids club, and a spa, but we didn't try those on this visit. 

The lunch and the breakfast buffet were in a different restaurant than the dinner. The buffet restaurants were sometimes a little noisy, especially during breakfast time, but luckily there was a chance to eat outside by the pool in the morning. For three evenings we ate in different restaurants that were called Creek Taverna, Burger House, and Little Italy. We really enjoyed the food in all of these restaurants. There were always plenty of choices, the food was of good quality, and my daughter, who has a celiac allergy, was able to order her meals directly from the kitchen. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, our temperature was measured on our wrists each morning when we arrived for breakfast. But we didn't mind this at all, as it only took a few minutes of our time and made us feel safer inside the hotel.

In addition, there were two bars close to the pools for drinks, a snack bar during lunchtime, and even an ice cream trolly, our favorite! These enabled us to stay at the pools for hours. The service was immaculate in all the restaurants. The personnel was always smiling and kind. They really made our holiday!

On the hotel premises were two bigger pools and two smaller pools for kids. Every day the staff organized outdoor or pool activities for children. The gardens around the pools were beautiful and well taken care of. There were always enough sunbeds for everybody, and the pool towels were changed daily. But the best thing was the water park! There were more pools and so many slides that kids of all ages could enjoy. Even I was brave enough to try a few of those slides myself. The personnel was assisting the kids kindly. I could not have been happier! I felt like I was living the best time of my life.

At the Seaside

There were nice walkways by the coastline just outside of the hotel. The beach itself was rocky and I didn't feel like swimming from the rocks, but we all enjoyed walking there in the evenings when the weather was a little cooler. The scenery was just amazing! One day we took a taxi to see Aphrodite's Rock, which is on a beach about a 30-minute drive from the hotel. That was a stunning place with turquoise waters and I really recommend taking half a day to see that.

In Conclusion

In short, I can not recommend this place enough if you are traveling to Cyprus with children! We didn't see much of the island on this trip but enjoyed the holiday nevertheless. The best thing is that in this resort also the parents get to rest and focus on enjoyment. When the kids are happy and well-fed, the parents can also relax. It is great that this place provided that for us, especially during the tough coronavirus pandemic.