Follow
The Four Seasons Hotel in Limassol, Cyprus is one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever had the pleasure to stay at. I’ve been sharing my fun days at the hotel on social media and so many people have requested more information, so here’s a blog about my experience (written whilst under the shade at the edge of the ocean! 😉
I’ve been keen to fit in a quick trip somewhere hot in Europe and my friend – the celebrity chef- Tonia Buxton – who is Cypriot – enthusiastically recommended this hotel to me. I planned to meet friends out there, and so a couple of us booked our trip via Tonia’s pal Anna Papaphotis at Travelosophers / Travelmania, and then threw our suitcase together for an unforgettable holiday with long days of sun, so much youthful fun and a tropical landscape of relaxation.
I confess, that after the past few years of visiting luxury hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, I was concerned that the quality standard wouldn’t live up to what I had experienced before. But I was pleasantly surprised and relieved. The Four Seasons Cyprus (not a part of the international Four Seasons group), is lavish on a par with some of the best five star hotels that I’ve visited in the Middle East, Asia and across America – and I’ve been lucky enough to stay in quite a few (mostly work, a tiny number- pleasure!).
OVERVIEW
The Four Seasons has elegant opulence with marble, water, flora and art everywhere you look with a strong sense of brand and harmony. It also has free, strong wi-fi that extends all the way out to the beach front where some of us are able to work on laptops in our bikinis. Breakfast is a magnificent feast and it’s free! There are stunning 180 degree views across the ocean and everywhere you’re surrounded by the birdsong of the prettiest fluttering birds.
The all marble grand foyer lobby area has a giant orchid display at the entrance. Sometimes this floral display is all white, on other days its a burst of coloured orchids.
The hotel sits on the ocean on the Mediterranean coast and has two outdoor pools.
The grounds are green and lush and lead directly to the ocean. The site also houses an indoor pool , steam, sauna, indoor fitness studio and gym. The hotel amenities also feature a stunning spa!
Once a week the hotel hosts cocktail evening for guests to meet the staff and partake in delicious canapés and a long bar full of numerous cocktails and champagne.
Very handily, all the plug points are British 3-pin sockets and plugs. Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, after 82 years of British control. Apparently according to official blurb, ”our two countries now enjoy warm relations”, however the continuing British sovereignty of the Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas has continued to divide Cypriots.
The hotel is fully accessible with ramps and lifts everywhere as well as four specially allocated disability friendly rooms with larger walk-in / wheel-in showers and low level switches. Theres a slick Capri-like chair lift to and from the beach too.
HOTEL GROUNDS
Everywhere you walk in this hotel you hear water and see lush flora and fauna which adds to the tropical energy.
From the front entrance which has a grand pond and art sculpture to the many waterfalls and flowery walls which are scattered across the grounds lush green lawns and immeasurable palm trees. There are lagoon ponds full of fish, indoor water features with hanging glass art sculptures, and the corridors are lined with beautiful gold leaf artefacts lit by spotlights.
POOL & BEACH
The adult infinity style pool is picturesque, serene and overlooks the ocean. It has glass walls and jacuzzi beds in the pool so you have an excuse to lie in bed all day whilst overlooking the ocean, and ordering cocktails from the warm and supportive pool staff team. Unlike many pools where you’re lucky to spot and wave down the pool staff, here they walk around constantly so theres no chance of your craving for an iced coffee not being met immediately. Even if you order a simple soft drink, a plate of macaroons, crisps, olives and nuts arrive alongside (so theres no need for lunch if you’ve had a big breakfast!).
The other side of the hotel site has a picturesque circular children’s pool complete with an exciting water slide, more jacuzzi bubbles, mini waterfalls and for any instagram fans theres even a bridge that cuts across the pool facing the ocean where you can pose up a storm.
The giant Rolex clock at the side of the large kids pool always reminds you of the time. It told me that it’s always time to be fabulous, relax and be pampered.
The Four Seasons makes life feel fun and effortless. It’s as if the most demanding diva oversaw every aspect of the hotel before it opened to the public, to ensure that every need is met and not one irritation exists. I couldn’t find anything to complain about – they have been really thoughtful with every detail.
For example, like the best sun beds on the best beaches, each sun bed stand has a shade with hooks so that you can hang up your complimentary, huge, white Four Seasons beach bags, shawls and sun hats so that there is never any reason to get the irritation of sand in your bag, trainers or anywhere else.
The hotel is positioned directly on the beach with numerous paths which lead straight onto their private beach. All of the straw beach shades have dark wood sun beds with thick cushioned cream cushion beds. ( A very famous pop / rock star once told me they would only stay at hotels with wooden sun beds with white/cream cushions- and NO PLASTIC SUN BEDS-EVER” LOL!)
The dark golden sand is pristine with not one bit of litter as someone goes around making sure that nothing unsightly is left anywhere. On the sun bed tables are the now customary ‘call button’ on each sun bed to summon a beach staff for drinks, food, help to move your sun bed in/out of the sun, a chat, support for people with mobile vulnerability with a ski lift style chair that transports guests from the hotel to the beach.
I CALLED IT A STENNA SAND LIFT LOL!
The hotels attention to detail for accessibility was second to none and the staff couldn’t be more helpful. If you have any mobility issues, then they also have a slick efficient lift- like a little mini ,slow roller coaster, similar to the funicular chairlift in Capri that takes you up and down the mountains – well here at the Four Seasons Hotel they have a mechanical chair lift that takes guests slowly and safely – operated by a staff member – from the hotel to the beach front.
Similar to some of the best hotels in the world that I’ve been to, the pool staff come round regularly with refreshing pool free smoothies, slushies, ice lollies and ice creams and even the most gorgeous occasional fruit platters.
One thing that always irritates me on holidays is flies and midges and mosquitoes – (I KNOW!- first world privilege problems!), there are always plenty of them by the water and they always love feasting on me. The fascinating thing about Cyprus is there weren’t any flies ,mosquitoes or midges anywhere? Even at breakfast when we are eating alfresco, there is nothing flying in to try and swoop on our food. Similarly, on the beach when we are eating food there are no creepy crawlies or flies buzzing about. I didn’t get bitten once – a miracle!
Furthermore, we expect when we’re on holiday for there to be the occasional insect irritation in the pool. It could be the odd beetle or fly that’s drowned itself by accident but the Four Seasons pools are all pristine and clean with not a whiff of chlorine or dead insects about them. I don’t know why or how, but I appreciate it. No mosquito spray or copious drinking of tonic water needed to discourage the biters. Even the water on beach front is spotless and twinkling and totally see through – completely crisp and just spectacularly pretty!
ROOMS & SUITES
When I arrived I was initially allocated a first floor sea view room, which was huge and lovely, but on flinging back the curtains to take in the sea view for the first time, I found that whilst facing the sea, the sea wasn’t visible as a flower bush was blocking the view. My heart sank. Not to worry, the hotel stated, tomorrow we will swap your room for a forth floor room, which they did and the sea view was spectacular. The Four Seasons staff are very keen to please guests where they can.
Rooms are stylishly interior designed with much higher height beds – which is glam but could be tricky for people with limited mobility to climb up onto so that’s something to be aware of! The beds are extremely comfy with crisp cotton sheets, a variety of pillows, with subtle ambient lighting options in every room. Huge slabs of marble make up all the bathrooms in the hotel and feel very prestigious (I stroked the walls a lot!).
The rooms have spacey wardrobes and drawers, large bedroom and living room areas, with sofas that open up into beds, a mini bar, the usual Nespresso coffee machine, tea kettles, proper tea as well as herbal, a fruit stand and ice bucket with Prosecco.
EATING
There are a handful of restaurants on site, each offering exquisite selections of food and drinks. The hotel has five gourmet style restaurants.
The Tropical Cafe is where the day buffet dining takes place.
The main all-day-dining restaurant – Tropical Cafe – is where the main breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet is- it’s decked out with lush fauna and flora and surrounded by lagoon style pools of water teaming with colourful koi fish splashing about. Just mesmerising!
When I usually hear the word buffet it’s a concern and feels basic. Not this time! This buffet has some of the most creative, delicious concoctions that you will ever experience. In fact, the dinner buffet has numerous 5 Star gourmet style food options. The chefs cook up steaks, duck, salmon, lobster, the salad is creative and sexy (honestly!), there is nothing boring about anything in there. So, the fact that it was a buffet was an advantage as we got to try a little bit of everything!
This area of the hotel felt beautifully matched to me and seemed like I was destined to be here because everywhere you look there are jasmine flower bushes, jasmine flower trees and anthurium flowers – both my top flowers – what kind of a beautiful coincidence is that?!
Seasons Oriental is a pricer than usual Chinese restaurant which is well-renowned with the most immaculate service and beautifully presented delicious food.
There’s another spectacular elevated sushi restaurant with smart livered waiting staff called Vista , that sits halfway between the beach and the hotel overlooking the ocean. It’s like a restaurant that Hollywood films would shoot stunning panoramic scenes at. With beautifully attired waiting staff, a view of the ocean and the stunning water lagoon lights below, it’s breathtaking and unforgettable. We had dinner here on our first night!
Despite all the above being totally 5 Star standard, one element that feels off kilter to the rest of the hotel brand and sets it aside from other five star hotels is that aside from at breakfast all beverages cost extra and are not included. So you can get free Prosecco at breakfast, but request a water or coke at any other time of day and it’ll cost you. You are given two small bottles of water daily in your room.
YOUTHFUL VIP MAGIC
So much about the Four Seasons hotels seems to encourage you not just to relax but actually lean into your youthful side so there are lots of moments where I’ve been clapping with glee.
How many hotel reviews gush about the immersive lift experience? Well, one of my favourite things about the hotel – don’t laugh now – is the lift! Every time you get into the elevator, as well as elevator music which is par for the course, they have stunning a video immersions which change depending on the time of day.
At breakfast you’re transported into an aquarium of tropical fish.
At lunchtime you’ll find yourself standing at the base of a beautiful cascading waterfall.
At tea time you’re in a peaceful sunlit bamboo forest.
At night time, predictably you experience a starry magic night full of stars.
It really is the best experience coupled with the music. The lights go down as the lift moves , then the lights come up as you exit – it’s just like being just the star of your very own little lift show!
A cute touch at the Four Seasons Hotel is all the restaurants are surrounded by water and in those water ponds are the largest koi fish I have ever seen! They are orange, yellow, black, grey, white.
They have feeding time every afternoon at 2:30 where guests are encouraged to go and help feed the koi fish. It’s another enchanting, playful touch!
Everything in every suite has exquisite attention to detail from the real clothes hangers-not those annoying slide on/off hook hotel hangers, huge interactive television screens – (every time you turn them on they will say welcome with your name and thank you for choosing them as a hotel on your vacation), it’s a nice touch a small thing but very sweet.
You can oder room service, book spa sessions, book gym/ yoga classes, view your bill, change the temperature in the room, control the rooms lighting, and – my fave- open and close the curtains. My laziness was fully leant into!
Each room has ensuite showers and bathrooms. There are also fresh fruit platters that are renewed daily – which is unusual as often when you go to a five-star hotel a fruit platter tends to sit there deteriorating day by day. Here there is a fruit bowl connoisseur who comes round and replenishes fresh fruit in your bowl every day.
Another little touch that always made me giggle and brought on the child in me was that the walk-in shower has a coloured lighting system where you can change your washing experience to different colours. I’ve come across this lighting system in my dance studio at the gym before where you can change the colours of the lights, but to change the colour of your shower daily is another amusing touch that I’d not come across before. I ensured to switch up my green-blue-orange-pink-red shower at every opportunity. In conjunction with that – the bath is double sized with jacuzzi spouts for even more fun!
Additionally, a slick branding touch is that all the toiletries in the bathrooms are Molton Brown and in keeping with the theme – they are Cypress and sea fennel! (See what they did there?)
So like any hotel, the bath and shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, shower gels and body lotions are replenished daily like any hotel (and they’re not cheap!) and yes, I did snaffle away a few!)
OUTSIDE THE FOUR SEASONS LOCALITY
If you spend a week at the Four Seasons Hotel in Cyprus you don’t need to venture out at all as there is enough R&R and fun onsite with water sports and floodlit tennis courts, as well as a coastal footpath catering for the long-walk-aficionados amongst us, leading to some delightful views and yet more restaurants.
If you are inclined to venture out though, there is a nearby Marina and an Old Port with a castle should you be so inclined to tick your history and culture box, but to manage your expectation, the town looks quite run down once you’re used to the opulent Four Seasons. Outside of the hotel there’s a lot of graffiti and there’s an abundance of construction work going on. So bar the marina and a shopping mall trip (cos Zara abroad always has different styles and stock than the UK), you never have to leave the perimeters of this hotel.
One morning a staffer at the pool saw me practising yoga and invited me to join her beachside yoga class for Four Seasons staff.
It was excellent and the only yoga class I’ve ever done wearing sunglasses!
Real hot yoga on the edge of the pier surrounded by water where jet skiers, water skiers, speed boats and swimmers who were all indulging in the 8am 27 degree ‘cool time of day’! It gave our mountain poses and water poses a whole new magic!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The managers of the Four Seasons Hotel couldn’t do enough for us. Between Evelyn Ibrahim, Nick Aristou, Coatas Nicolaou and Andreas Alkiviades, they were keen to make sure that our every wish and comfort was catered for.
A chic, classy touch was on the day you depart your room, they leave a thank you card and Four Season branded luxury candle.
This attention to good values and behaviour extends to their environmental policy that addresses water and power consumption, chemical use and waste management.
Something I have found is that outside of the middle east the standard of luxury hotels drops. At Middle East hotels the staff service is stellar and I’ve found holiday hospitality in the rest of the world simply hasn’t compared, so it was unusual to come to Cyprus and actually find a hotel full of staff who at every opportunity greet and strike up friendly conversations with guests and remind us that they are here to help – the hotels staff are truly their greatest asset – my staff besties were the lovely Mariam and Thanasis – they went above and beyond to chat, help and ensure we were happy – just incredible service – brava!
I’ll be doing everything I can to come back here soon with even more friends and family. It’s my new fave spot! Thanks again Tonia for suggesting it and to Anna for hooking me up a great deal!
Holiday of a lifetime and great value!