| | P.o. Box 63003, Paphos, Cyprus
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Overall Community Rating: |   9.1 (based on 2 user reviews) |
 Iberostar Ledra Beach: Ledra Beach by Lisa Conway |
| Posted 02 January 2006 about a visit in August 2003 | Overall rating: 9.1 |
Ledra Beach - Paphos
Having been to 2 other Louis hotels we were pleased to find out that the Ledra Beach had become all-inclusive and we decided to give it a try. Here are our views on what we thought about the hotel.
Rooms
The hotel bedrooms had most facilities what you would expect for a 4* hotel, hairdryer - albeit not very efficient, mini bar with soft drinks, air con, daily maid and towel change, balcony/terrace, T.V. and a telephone. However I would imagine that the bedrooms would be refurbished soon to live up to the modern design of the public areas. That said it was kept clean and good enough for the time, which we spent in there.
Public Areas - General
The areas, which were used by all hotel guests, were kept well, there didn't seem to be a problem with any particular area. The maids were around most of the day. The pool areas were modern and bar/lounge areas were bright, clean and comfortable. The only area, which, I thought wasn't up to much was the newly built amphitheatre. It consisted of benches facing a stage, we didn't use it after one night trying to sit down only to sit in a wet patch where someone had put their drink previously. This was no fault of the guests but the fact that there wasn't anywhere else to put them. Many people complained about the same problem.
Swimming Pools and Sunbathing Areas
There were 3 / 4 pools. One was the indoor pool it is 1.4metres deep all round, great for that early morning solitary swim. I used this most mornings, in the afternoons it's used mainly by families wanting to get little ones out of the sun, or by the odd group of unruly children wanting to get away from their parents. This pool remained the coolest throughout the day. The main pool was quite large, it's also 1.4metres deep all round, it is in the sun all day so ends up like bathwater by mid-afternoon, saying that still refreshing. This pool is used for pool activities at certain times of the day. There is also an 'adult only' pool, the signs were ignored, however this pool was very small and not suitable for swimming (2 strokes and you'd swum a length!) it's also 1.4metres deep all round. There is one more 'pool', which is about knee deep, ideal for toddlers. The pools were cleaned daily apart from Sunday. The pool and beach sunbathing areas were quite extensive for a hotel of its size and there appeared to be ample sun beds, and umbrellas. The patio areas were swept daily, but not always swilled. Andreas the general manager told us he was getting 60 new sun beds this week to replace some of the older blue ones.
Bars and Lounge areas and Service
During the day all bars remained open. There is the inside lobby bar which is air conditioned, this includes a lounge area and 2 outdoor decked balcony areas. From about 10am this is waiter service, this remains open until 1am (all-inclusive drinks finishing at 12) From this bar you can get everything, which is available. The drinks available are quite extensive don't be afraid to ask for a favourite, they will mix it using local brands or some brands they use are named, you will be given warning if what you ask for is at an extra charge to all-inclusive. We drank Irish coffees, Baileys (equivalent), BMW (Baileys, Malibu, Whiskey), all coming within all-inclusive. It was also a refreshing change to drink dry white wine which is my favourite drink, but can sometimes taste like dish water! I read complaints previously about being unable to get served. Once you made yourself known to staff and also alerted them that you wanted serving there wasn't a problem, and you only needed to do this when they were very busy. Once that they knew you were there they would keep coming to check. This is also where you could get cold evening snacks, this consisted of nuts, crisps, cheese biscuits and sandwiches.
The Sundowner Pool bar opened at 9.30 and remained open until 5.30. This is bar service, again all drinks hot and cold were available from here. There are also pumps for self-service soft drinks. The Sundowner serves hot snacks all day during opening times, and during the lunch hour they put on a selection of what is available in the main dining area.
The Beach bar is also bar service and just serves cold drinks. You can get bottled water at all bars included in the all-inclusive package.
All of the bar staff and waiting staff were friendly and efficient and we enjoyed chatting to and having a joke with a few. Margarita in the lobby bar deserves a big pat on the back, she is a very talented and hard-working young lady.
Food and Restaurants
The food was very good, there was a repeat 7-day menu, which was fine as there was plenty of variety so even though the menu was the same as the previous week you didn't have to eat the same. There were usually about 3 meats to choose from for the evening meal one which was on a carvery. There's always a soup and lots and lots of cold meats, salads, cheeses and of course a variety of potatoes, rice, pasta and vegetables. Whilst we were there, there were several theme nights, French, Cuban, Chinese, Italian and Greek. It was buffet service and this included self-service drinks, wines, beer, soft drinks, juices and water. (not all of these drinks were available at breakfast)
We used both restaurants for lunch whilst there, the indoor restaurant gave a wider choice, however it wasn't as wide as the evening and they didn't serve soup, which would have been an ample lunch on it's own.
The breakfasts were very good, obviously not the same bacon as at home but there were so many things to choose. The fried eggs were by the show cooking and the chef would flip them for you if you asked. We had an omelette on several mornings, which I thought I'd never do but they were cooked to your liking and delicious! There were pancakes, fruit, cereals, breads for toasting or uncut bread, loads of jams and marmalade and even chocolate spread! Of course there were the continental choices also available - we didn't sample this as I can't quite picture myself eating cucumber at breakfast!
We had a packed lunch once, this was good enough if only used for the drinks. We pre-ordered the day before. It came in a cool bag with an ice block and each one consisted of, a ham and cheese sandwich, a beef sandwich, 3 pieces of fruit, a fruit juice and a bottle of water.
The main restaurant seating was a bit disappointing for us being in a couple. There were only 3 tables, which were for couples only, which had space round them. Other tables for couples were about 10cms away from the next. We found that if any of the 3 tables, which were decent weren't available we would sneak in the side door so not to be seated somewhere we didn't want. We would then sit on a table for 4.
Staff/Management
All of the staff, which, we encountered, was friendly and helpful. There seemed to be a few people within management who didn't lead by example, and stood around - previously we have experienced management setting examples by rolling their sleeves up and working alongside, we feel that they commanded the respect of their staff for this. Andreas the General manager seems to take on the role of number 1 and number 2 and works very hard, but could do with better support and maybe someone he feels that he could trust.
Entertainment
In the evening there's the choice of where to sit and what to be entertained by. In the main Lobby bar 5 nights out of 7 there is some type of outside entertainment brought in. It was the same entertainment on set nights, the only one, which we found entertaining, was Nicholas he called himself the one-man band. He couldn't sing and didn't know the words, but played good up-beat music which got people up dancing, the more the audience enjoyed themselves the more Nicholas did, he absolutely adored himself and this alone was hilarious (he looks like the baldy man). We had several good nights and managed to get him to play after time
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 Iberostar Ledra Beach Reservations |
| Iberostar Ledra Beach: Ledra Beach by Michelle Jenkinson 3 |
| Posted 26 August 2005 about a visit in April 2005 | Overall rating: 9.0 |
We have stayed in this hotel twice before, although this was the first time on an all inclusive basis and we were worried that as it had gone all inclusive that the standards may have dropped. But we need not have had any concerns.
The staff were excellent, especially Nick the front office manager, nothing was a problem. The rooms, although probably now looking a little tired and in need of modernisation, were clean and tidy and having a fridge in the room that was re stocked daily with soft drinks (included in all inclusive) was a major asset with a 2 year old in tow.
The food was excellent from breakfast to dinner. Generally buffet style but replenished regularly and kept hot. Carvery on offer every evening with variety of different meats to suit all tastes. Dont worry if traveling with children if there is nothing that they like speak to the staff and they will arrange what ever you want (within reason).
Entertainment staff work really hard and mix with guests for general chit chat and no pressure to join in activities if you choose not to. Although the actiivities on offer were great and a mixture of different thing for all age groups from football to archery & Shuffleboard etc. Hotel run childrens club very well supported and "Holly" did a fantastic job with the little ones who all loved her.
Three great pools especially the indoor one in the afternoon when it is too hot for the kids to be outside in the sun. They have lovely sun loungers by the indoor pool too. Hotel has its own beach although getting into the sea can be a bit on the difficult side as it is very rocky and you tend to stub your toes on a regular basis, but agian it is very clean and tidy with sun longers etc provided free of charge.
All inclusive is definately worth the money and it has definately not lowered the standard of this first class hotel. Outside of the hotel Paphos is a lovely resort again with a mixture of everything from a lovely little fishing harbour to nightclubs & Pubs.
In the 2 weeks we were there we never saw any trouble or rowdiness. A must is a visit to the old town and the daily market even if you just sit in a cafe and watch the world go bye the views over the coast are fantastic. Other than that getting out and about is relatively simple- local bus service goes from hotel zones out to Coral Bay (Lovely Beach) and costs less than 1CYP.
Car hire is a good way to get around the island and upto the mountains etc although the main roads do tend to end up as dirt tracks just when you dont expect it. You couldnt wish to meet more helpful & friendly people than the cypriots and this is a truly family orientated country.
Over all an excellent holiday & Hotel and we are returning for another 2 weeks in Septemeber.
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
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