The Annabelle............
by TripAdvisor Member Lynne501
We spent the last week in February at the Annabelle, hotel was about 25% occupied with mainly retired couples. Read fairly mixed reviews prior to going to the Annabelle but decided it was probably worth going with an open mind. Hotel was on the whole very nice, various levels/grades of rooms which varied in price from the Standard room, which over looks the car park to the sea view room which we upgraded too at a cost of nearly £400 for a week, a bit stiff for the time of the year we thought.
Food was very good. Breakfasts had many choices, dinner in the evening was also quite good.
Distinct lack of good fresh fruit, veg and seafood though, the island grows much fruit but this was not evident at the Annabelle which was a bit of shame.
Rooms were 'ok' nothing special, maybe a bit of a refurb could be on the cards, the Hotel Group has another hotel the Annasa which is probably the flag ship hotel for them nowadays. TV is limited to BBC News 24 and Eurosport for its English clientele.
The resort is very quiet in February and a good percentage of the bars, restaurants and shops are not actually open.
Staff were on the whole quite friendly, bar service was a bit poor, you could wait quite a while to be served, which was always a mystery to us as the hotel was so quiet.
Best bits would be the gardens and the pool area, well maintained.
Worst bits - over pricing of drinks! Astonishingly so! £5 for a beer and the same for a coffee! Plus the drinks service was terrible.
Not really suitable for kids or for people looking for nice beaches, the Annabelle has a tiny beachfront which is man made with some rocks down into the sea.
The Annabelle is wonderful
by TripAdvisor Member Englishtraveller
We have just returned from a wonderful week at the Annabelle. Having read many mixed reviews prior to going it was a delight to arrive and find this beautiful, elegant hotel. We had a de-luxe seaview room which was extremely nice - huge bed, huge bathroom, robes, slippers etc. Lovely view looking over swimming pool and gardens and out to sea from big wide sliding patio doors onto balcony with table and chairs.
Food wasn't brilliant, breakfast was good with plenty of choice, dinner in buffet restaurant varied in quality but not bad, Main restaurant was good but choice on table d'hote (we were half board) was a bit limited but quality was good.
Staff were all attentive and very polite and helpful, star of the show was Demetrius alias Jimmy in the pool bar, what a nice guy and so professional. We will miss the club sandwiches and the ice cold white wine! Everything was immaculately clean and well maintained. We had a lovely relaxing week.
delightful break
by TripAdvisor Member JanGerrardsCrossU_k_
As a travel agent, I was fortunate to spend 3 wonderful nights at the Annabelle hotel. Despite receiving only positive reviews from clients, like many other viewers of this site, I was not sure how accurate they were.
This hotel is very centrally located in Paphos with many shops and restaurants within a 5-10 minute walk. At this time of year, many resorts have little going on, but as Paphos caters for the local community, all eating places etc. were open.
The hotel itself was extremely pleasing. The entrance is very welcoming and the staff are some of the most pleasant I have ever met. The hotel foyer extends into a lounge area with a pleasant bar and many comfortable seating areas cleverly separated in their arrangement. There is also a very pretty area lit by tiny lights from a small tree; this is slightly secluded and is ideal to read or chat intimately. There is an ambience which although not stuffy, is very professional and personable. There are not many hotels where the G.M. and other senior staff address the less senior staff in such a friendly manner, neither do you often see senior staff chatting to the guests in the restaurant.
Whilst we had deluxe rooms, it was important to see a number of accommodations in all the price ranges. I do not believe anything negative was hidden from us and I found everywhere to be clean, bright with soft colours, fresh and modern. Some rooms have a private plunge pool, others a jacuzzi; there are also 1 and 2 bedroom suites which are very luxurious. The beds were extremely comfortable and the extras in the bathroom such as bath-robes and slippers, very welcome.
Understandably, not all the restaurants were open as it is low season, but every meal we ate (which was the same as all the other guests ) was excellent. The variety, presentation, service and attention to detail were very evident. As I am not a lover of carveries, I would not choose such a restaurant, but fortunately here, they did cater for all tastes and offered a selection of cheeses, fish and vegetable dishes. All their bread and pastries are baked daily by the chefs - they really are delicious !
Although not heated, one pool was open, although due to the cold temperature, I wasn't tempted; I was however cossetted in the therapy room by booking a 60 minute aromatherapy message. Both therapists were extremely good.
The grounds are truly magnificent although I would like to see them in warmer weather. They are extensive with, I am told, enough sunbeds for each guest.
As a winter sun destination, the only thing which would benefit the hotel is an indoor pool; that said however, many older clients seem to holiday with friends and with historical artefacts in abundance which are open all year round, there is no shortage of things to do. This hotel would definitely suit customers wanting relaxation in pleasant, friendly surroundings, and I am sure would suit all ages in the warmer weather when the pools would be more appealing. For families with teenagers, the local area is extremely safe with the harbour just 10-15 minute walk away and plenty of shops and a few "nice" bars; for younger families, the hotel offers a kiddies club. A regular bus service (every 30 mins)with a bus stop outside the hotel, goes to Coral Bay for those who enjoy a sandy beach; having used the bus, I can assure english guests that it puts our service to shame.
I understand that the weather even for Cyprus was rather unusual - quite chilly even in the day time. Certainly, long trousers and jumper were needed during the day and a light jacket in the evening. Ordinarily, spring wear would normally suffice in February.
Having viewed some neighbouring hotels, I would not hesitate in recommending the Annabelle to anyone - they have very little competition. I would like to thank Chrystalla and Adonis for their excellent hospitality and look forward to visiting again with my family.
great experience
by A TripAdvisor Member
I was plesently surprised at the Annabelle after reading some of the reviews. The rooms were lovely and the bathroom was huge! The staff were all very pleasent and friendly. The food was excellent, the buffet at breakfast could have done with being warmer though, the bacon & beans etc were only luke warm, however you could get freshly made to order omelettes and eggs. The gardens and pool areas were very nice.
we also used the health spa and had treatments they were very good and not badly priced. Overall this hotel was excellent and i would not hesitate in going back again, or recommending it to anyone.
Doesn't justify the price tag.........
by A TripAdvisor Member
My girlfriend and I stayed at the Annabelle for a week at the end of May 2006. We are in our late twenties. Apologies in advance if my review gives the impression that we are in our early seventies .......
The Pro's:
The Annabelle is in a really good central location on the beach. Its an easy ten minute walk to the harbour. 5 minute walk to shops, bars and restaurants in the other direction. If you like a bit of Elvis Presley then this is the place for you as 90% of the bar entertainment in Paphos seems to come from Elvis impersonators.
Decent balconies and views from Deluxe Sea View Rooms (but you have to pay for them - see below)
Pool area is nice. One of the pools is landscaped with waterfalls and a swim up bar.
Plenty of sunbeds for everyone and not many Germans. I'm sorry if I've offended any Germans (what am I talking about of course I'm not)
The staff were friendly enough. Maid service was excellent. Only one gripe was that service in the lobby bar could be very slow. (After a 20 wait one night, I tended to cut my losses and go up there myself)
Breakfast was good. Fresh fuit, cheeses, ham, continental and a full english buffet. The also have an omlette station where they prepare to order. Beware of the deep fried eggs though - the chef was literally cooking them in 2 inches of oil. No risk of Salmonella there I guess.
Some nice 5 star touches - turn down service, bath robes in room etc
The Con's:
There wasn't much of a beach - just a handful of sunbeds and a few rocks - but then I think thats the same throughout Paphos. The best beaches in Cyprus are on the East coast I think.
The basic rooms (side / sea view) are not five star standard. No way. Not even 4 star. I'd say 3. The one we were allocated was a very small ground floor room with a view of the road (they called this 'side sea view', but it might be more accurately described as 'dirt track/overgrown bush view'). We paid £400 for an upgrade to Deluxe Sea View which I thought was a bit steep as the hotel was only half full. Maybe they show everyone to the same room in the hope they'll opt for an upgrade.
Drinks in the hotel are v.expensive - GBP3 for a diet coke. I appreciate that its a 5 star hotel, and therefore its not going to be "Asda price" but even so.
A minor gripe but........the hotel impose a CYP10 per day charge if they find any of your personal food / drink items in the mini-bar fridge. So if you've been out for the day and come back with a bottle of water it'll cost you 10 quid to keep it cool using in the fridge in your room. I just found it a bit disappointing that the owners of a hotel of this class and price feel they need to charge their guests in this way. I guess it means they sell a few more cans of their 3 quid diet coke.
The gym is rubbish. Ok.......I realise you don't go on holiday to get fit, but it really is rubbish. 1 runner, 1 bike and a couple of random (and I mean random) worn out weights machines in a room about the size of a phone box. Ok, I'm exaggerating a little about the room size, its probably 3 phone boxes, but it is honestly rubbish.
Overall, some pro's and some cons but the biggest con is the price and the rating. I travel on business quite a lot, and as I'm not important enough to get the 5 star treatment, I usually end up in Hiltons or Sheratons or somewhere else in that 4 star range. In my view 80% of the hotels I've stayed in of that range beat this hands down.
It really is overated and overpriced.
we will return
by A TripAdvisor Member
Really nice, classy hotel. We had a very enjoyable week & while not quite being 5 star it is certainly a 4+, which in this part of the world is not all that common. Good food, attentive service, great location, we will return if we go to cyprus again
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