Leonardo Plaza Cypria Maris - Adults Only

Could be better – all the right ingredients, but something was missing for us.

We stayed at the Leonardo Cypria Maris Adults Only Hotel in a deluxe room, which included reserved sunbeds and access to the Executive Lounge. Overall, it is a decent hotel and despite this review we made it a lovely holiday and would return to the area - there were many positives, but greater attention to detail, communication and service consistency would make a significant difference.

We arrived at around 9.45pm and were warmly greeted by the porter. However, reception felt rushed and impersonal. Having been dismissed from the front desk to complete registration - giving the exact same details that we had provided at pre-registration online before arrival, we were given the indoor pool location and restaurant times, and had wristbands put on - but nobody explained the different-coloured wristbands, how to access our reserved sunbeds, or that we had Executive Lounge access and where to find it. For a deluxe booking, we expected a more polished arrival experience. Ironically, there is a deluxe quick check in booth at the hotel that is seemingly unused.

Our first room overlooked the neighbouring family hotel, where evening entertainment and children’s noise were intrusive. We love children, but having specifically chosen an adults-only hotel for a special celebration this was not what we had anticipated. It was not a great start! If you book it may be worth specifying if you want a front or a side facing sea view room.

Tamara in Guest Relations was excellent: warm, helpful and professional. She arranged a move to a front-facing room with stunning views on our 3rd day. Unfortunately, the room’s cleanliness was disappointing. We found remnants of the previous guests’ acrylic nails, and the area beneath the open bedside table appeared not to have been cleaned properly for some time. We cleaned it ourselves and reported the issue, in all fairness the hotel did not have the opportunity to rectify the cleanliness themselves and efforts were made to apologise - we appreciated the effort behind this.

The exec lounge on the 6th floor was great at the start of our stay - a quiet oasis. By the end of the week it has become much busier. The downstairs bar also has deluxe food etc - but we saw several people enter with the wrong wristbands only to be sent away - proper signage would have avoided this and I felt for other holiday makers who looked perplexed at being turned away when communication hadn’t been clear.

We were also surprised that irons are not provided in rooms or even available o. Each floor. When we called reception, we were directed to an ironing room on the first floor. This may be hotel policy, but we found it inconvenient and inconsistent with the more premium experience suggested by a deluxe room. Being made to take several items five floors down to face a wall in a cupboard was a decision that could only have been made by someone who doesn’t do the ironing!

There were plenty of positives: the food was good, great in fact from the bespoke restaurants and the restaurant staff were very welcoming - Elizabeth and Charlotte attentively noticed every time drinks needed re-filling and Mike at the Greek restaurant has a lively warmth about him. The pool area was enjoyable but couples making out in the pool bar swim up was a little uncomfortable and we only used this once. The location was excellent and the sea views absolutely beautiful. The hotel also has many long-standing staff members, which is encouraging and we could see that the hotel was on a transformation journey.

The overall atmosphere jumped between young, busy and lively to more middle aged and older rather than particularly relaxed and spacious. That will suit many guests, but it was not quite the adults-only experience we had expected for the price. Notably the Leonardo hotels are the only ones we saw on the strip of hotel with basic sunbeds - every other hotel had sunbed mattress toppers of some ilk. Prior warning - if you play bingo and win they get you up to do a forfeit - all very strange unless you like singing and dancing on your own in front of people.

In summary - the hotel has all the right ingredients, but shortcomings in communication, training, culture and attention to detail especially from reception, prevented it from being as good as it could be. We would possibly return for a general holiday - although we can understand why others would enjoy it year after year as many people we met had done. If you want an adults-only hotel with a lively atmosphere, good food, a pleasant pool and a great location, it may suit you. If you want something with that little bit extra that is more luxurious - you might want to keep looking.

We absolutely loved our stay at this hotel and, overall, had a fantastic experience. It’s a beautiful hotel in a stunning location, and we would have no hesitation in recommending it.

There was a small issue with our room on arrival, but it was resolved promptly the following morning. I’d particularly like to thank the manager who went above and beyond to help arrange the à la carte experience for our 10th anniversary. Their effort and kindness genuinely helped make our anniversary feel special, and we really appreciated it.

The sea view from our room was absolutely stunning, and the quality of the food and drinks throughout our stay was excellent. We had a fantastic holiday and created some wonderful memories.

Unfortunately, there was one incident on our final day which I feel is worth mentioning. I tried a hat on in the hotel shop and simply walked a few steps over to my wife to get my wallet. At that point, the shop manager swore at me and spoke to me as though I was attempting to steal the hat.

I found this extremely disappointing and, quite honestly, quite embarrassing. We had already spent a considerable amount of money in the shop during our stay, so to be treated in that manner was particularly upsetting. I completely understand the need for staff to be vigilant, but there is a respectful and professional way to approach a guest if there is any concern, and I don't believe I was treated that way on this occasion.

That incident aside, our experience of the hotel was exceptional. The staff, food, drinks, location and breathtaking sea views were all fantastic, and the management team did a great job in making our anniversary memorable.

We genuinely loved this hotel, would highly recommend it, and most importantly, we will be returning. ❤️

Lovely room. Had a sea view, which was great. Cleaned daily. The food was exceptional. Always a good choice and not the same thing twice. The swim up pool bar was lovely especially the mimosa and pina coladas. All in all had a fabulous 10 days away for my birthday.