Cyprus Ayia Napa HOTEL REVIEWS Hostels/B&B Non-Brand Trip Directory Quest Around the Globe

Ayia Napa, Cyprus: Hotel vs. Hostel

March 12, 2021

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Hotel vs. Hostel is part of the Quest Around the Globe Trip Report.

I arrived in Ayia Napa, Cyprus with nowhere to stay. Spoiled by the perks of my Russian hotels (see Park Hyatt Moscow: Luxury Inside & Out, St. Regis Moscow: Setting the Standard, W St. Petersburg: Vivid Veuve Memories, Radisson Royal St. Petersburg, Russia: Where’s the Sauna?), I was not ready to abandon the luxury lifestyle alive.

Faros Hotel

With no name-brand hotels in the area, I decided to pay for a ‘3-star’ hotel. While it was not bad, I don’t believe it was worth the $150/night that they were charging. It certainly is not worth the advertised rate of $350 a night.

Amenities

There’s no need for a giant pool when the draw of the island is the beaches. It’s worse when the pool lacks signs of life.

Comfort

The room was decent and the shower was fine.

a room with a desk and chair a room with chairs and a tv a bed with a headboard and a table a bathroom counter with a few items on it a bathroom sink with towels on the wall a shower with a shower head

Overall

I give this hotel a solid two stars. It would be a bargain at $75. At $150, it’s a bit much. At $350, it’s ridiculous.

Senator Hotel Apartments

I switched to Senator Hotel Apartments for my last night.

a vehicle parked outside of a building

Amenities

While the location was a bit further from Bedrock nightlife (see Guns & Butter: Ayia Napa Travel Guide), the pool was just as good. In addition, it was nice seeing young travelers at the pool instead of grandma and grandpa.

a pool with chairs and umbrellas in front of a building a pool and lounge chairs in a hotel

Comfort

The trouble with any hostel-style hotel is comfort. Happiness in life, including hangovers, requires a good shower, a comfortable bed, a humming a/c, and good Wi-Fi. Here, the beds were horribly uncomfortable and the shower had no pressure and intermittent hot water.

a kitchen with a table and chairs — A full kitchen that I would never use.

a television on a table — A color TV is a must.

a remote control and a wallet on a table — The invaluable a/c remote

a bed with a bed and a telephone on the wall — Just looks uncomfortable.

a close up of soap a white towel with a name on it a bathroom with white towels and a bathtub a shower and bathtub in a bathroom

Comparison

So which one is it? Hotel or hostel? Each of them had perks and each of them had drawbacks. For the hotel, the perk is the location. The drawback is the price. For the hostel, the perk is the price. The drawback is more of the location than the expected lack of comfort, especially for one night. If I had to choose, I would stay for free and be pampered at a brand-name hotel. Since there weren’t any, I was fine splitting my time between these two.