"4 stars for a 4 star hotel.
Hotel & staff: The hotel, although built in the 80s is very clean and well maintained. All of the staff are very friendly and helpful. Particularly Alexandros, who greeted our son Alex every meal time with a high five.
Pool area: One big pool, one toddler pool, and one tiny pool for babies under a shade. I would prefer the big pool to have had some kind of gradual slope to walk in rather than the old style metal steps. Shallow end for the kids and a very deep end for swimmers. Small pool has a little slide which our boy enjoyed. Could have done with some more parasols, and the beds were very close together which could get a bit uncomfortable sitting basically hip to hip with strangers.
Bar: There is only one main pool bar, which could get very busy at times. This put us off going up for drinks at times and I ended up just buying drinks from the shop. Drink portions are tiny and full of ice. One glass of cola is basically 100ml of actual drink when you factor the ice. Cocktails are good, as is the beer. I did find one staff member of the pool bar to be quite rude, arguing with someone on her phone with a huge line of people waiting. On night times you’d sometimes get waiter service for drinks which was very welcome when you’re watching the entertainment.
Food: Snack bar beside the pool is very good. Burgers, hot dogs, toasties, gyros, chips, salads, fruit, yogurt etc. The guys work flat out. The restaurant/food is very good. Different food each night and a good variety. Lots of healthy options, and a premium station where you’re served rather than buffet style. I still can’t get over how good the braised beef cheek was. Drinks in the restaurant are served by waiters, no bar.
Room: The room was nice and clean and maids were in daily. TV, fridge, wardrobe space etc. Bathroom could have done with some better lighting as it was a bit dark. The shower was excellent, nice and powerful. I found the beds to be very hard, which made it difficult for me to sleep. I’m a side sleeper so I ended up with a bit of hip pain. Our room had a pool view, which is where the entrainment is. At night we might as well have slept on the stage it was that loud. I think the balcony doors could be better to help soundproof. The entertainment stops at 11pm, but the bar doesn’t close until 1am so you can still hear people drunkenly carrying on. Air con is a little tricky to get to work, as it doesn’t activate unless the patio doors are shut and the magnets are aligned.
Entertainment: Lots of daily activities. Pool yoga, darts, ping pong etc. The night time acts were different each time with a decent variety. Some of it wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was nice to sit outside with a drink all the same. Kids disco is on from 20:30 although our son is now 7 and too miserable to join in now it seems.
Surrounding area: The hotel is literally a 30 second walk from the beach. The hotel is nowhere near the main part of the resort, although there are a couple of shops and restaurants right outside the main entrance. We visited Taverna Maria, which cost €42 for 2 starters, 3 mains, and soft drinks, which I found to be very reasonable. The main part of Ialyssos is about a 15 minute walk, with tons of bars, shops, restaurants. In front of the hotel there is a small hourly road train which takes you on a tour of the resort. Our boy absolutely loved it. We hired a car from Efrem for €60 for 3 days and couldn’t recommend doing so enough. We visited the old town and lots of different places around the north of the island.
If the small issues such as the rock hard beds and the poor balcony doors were ironed out, I’d be happy to visit Atlantica Princess again. It’s probably worth paying the extra for the sea view for a better nights sleep. Overall a very nice welcoming hotel ideal for families with kids."
