Atlantica Aqua Blue

Nice experience and amazing place

We did not originally pick this hotel, but our original booking hotel was refurbishing, and Jet2 moved us to here. First thing is that although it is described as being in Protoras, it is not near the main strip. There are regular buses however straight outside the hotel, and taxis (€12 each way), so if you want to be able to easily walk to the action, this hotel is not for you (is walkable but takes 45 mins). Following on from this, there is little entertainment at the hotel, so the evenings are quiet (if you like that sort of thing then this hotel might be for you). Cannot fault the cleanliness of the hotel, there is always someone cleaning constantly everywhere you look. The staff take empty plates within seconds in the restaurant. The speed of the service of drinks (during lunch and dinner) was amazing. You would tell the waiter/tress your order and it would be at the table within 2/3 minutes. Mentioning the restaurant, I cannot say we enjoyed the food. We did not have one hot meal the entire visit, all lukewarm unfortunately. The selection was ok, but not massive. The salad and fruit were nice and fresh and always available. Following from the restaurant, the pool snack bar was also not great. Everything was pre cooked and held, and then they would chuck the item on a griddle for a few seconds to “warm it up” (it was never warm). It was pot luck if you got a member of staff who asked you what you wanted in your gyros or burger etc, some times it was a case of you get it how we make it (fine for us, but might not be for others). We also noticed they’d batch cook the chips/fries and then leave them hanging over the fryer for ages (making them go all soggy and oily) and cold. They did have pre made sandwiches and wraps, we tried these and they were bland and tasteless unfortunately. They have an “a la carte” restaurant on site, and you are meant to be able to attend once during your stay on AI, but we tried to book and it was fully booked the entire week, despite it always being empty every time we passed? Our room was lovely, modern and clean. They have a mini bar (which ours was unfortunately not cold) but it was stocked complementary once during the stay which was a nice touch. They also gave us bathrobes and slippers. Another plus is plenty of towels. I’ve been to some hotels where they are scarce and tiny, but you get them in abundance, and they are large and great. They also have a towel hut for the pool, so you didn’t have to use your own towels if you didn’t want to. The pool area was clean, and there were plenty of sunbeds. We went during a quieter time of year, so could be harder during the peak months, but no issues for us during our stay. The pool was a little cold, but again we have visited early in the year, so wasn’t expecting it to be warm. It warmed up as the week went on. The kids splash area was good, but the water was really cold (far colder than the pool) so most of the children couldn’t bare it for long and

I have just returned from a week's holiday with the family. I do not normally provide reviews, but credit should be given when due. Atlantica Aqua Blue. Positives:- 1/ Staff great. To include but not all, cleaners, waiters and pool bar staff. 2/ Food very good to excellent [based on days]. 3/ Clean and fresh. To include rooms and general area. 4/ Close to beach. Nice pool, splash Park and sun beds. 5/ Bus stop outside, allowing island travel for circa 2 euros. 6/ Drinks good. 7/ Sports TV [for football fans]. 8/ Well priced for what you get. 9/ Kids Club staff fantastic. 10/ Close to outside restaurants and amenities. Negatives:- 1/ Pool chilly. 2/ More vegan food options required. Or flex the dishes served, upon request. The rejection of a pizza without cheese [to make it vegan - was a little baffling]. 3/ For the kids - a 'proper playground'. This does sell a holiday to some families. Why not use the land, at the bottom of the hotel. 4/ Some of the drinks, could be better. 5/ The waiter staff seemed a little rushed, but very hard working. Employ more, maybe. Overall this hotel is a ' hit '. I find some of the reviews quite baffling, particularly in relation to smoking and rude staff. I experienced neither. The staff were quite the opposite. Thank you, Atlantica Aqua Blue Hotel, for a fantastic 7 day holiday. We will recommend.