Columbia Beach Resort

Rooms

The fusion of two neighbouring hotels has given the resort an attractive village feel, with most suites in low-level buildings connected by verdant pathways, particularly around the lagoon-style West swimming pool. A higher building book-ends the newly revamped East side, giving views to both ends of Pissouri Bay. Set on a hill to the rear, top-of-the-pile Eagle's Nest Suites have spectacular panoramas across the resort and bay.

Generally, revamped Suites have brighter primaries against white walls, with some (mostly in the West section) in a more muted classic style. All have a balcony or terrace, ample storage, writing desk and seating area, and a cool bedside 'cigar-box' housing whole room lighting controls. Bathrooms, especially the newer ones, are sleek and contemporary in marble; all have a separate shower and bathtub.

Your choice of Suite will be determined by your preferred view - Garden, Pool, Side-Sea or Sea - and requirements - whether Junior, Executive, 1-Bed or 2-Bed. Wherever you lay your hat, be assured of comfort and space in spades.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Fan
• Hairdryer
• Iron
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Columbia has three à la carte restaurants. Bacchus, beside the lagoon pool, is a romantic choice for evening meals, offering tasting menus and Contemporary European inspired food. Apollo, overlooking the lawns and sea at the other end of the pool, offers more traditional Cypriot dining.

We chose to eat at Cape Aspro (open seasonally for all day dining), tucking into fajitas, tacos and burgers with almost embarassing enthusiasm! Food here is very kid-friendly - there's a separate pizza menu too. It was utterly delightful dining, overlooking the beach as darkness fell. On some evenings, gather round the fire-pit centred BBQ for Street Eats - small plates and sharing platters cooked under the stars.

And there's no shortage of drinking holes either: a swim-up bar at Cape Aspro, Poseidon Pool Bar on the lagoon, Poseidon Beach Bar on the West lawn, and the Seven C's piano bar inside the East wing. Aficionados should head for Ouzeri for mezes and ouzo beside the Apollo Tavern, or the nautical-themed Eros for great cocktails on the terrace above the lagoon pool.

Breakfast is a fabulous buffet affair, either at Bacchus for those staying West-side, or at Cape Aspro for those East-side.

Features include:

• Bar
• Coffee maker
• Kids' meals
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Be sure to try out both swimming pools: vast (West) or merely large (East); you can book swimming lessons, too
  
• The excellent Hebe Spa has endless Elemis-based treatments, plus yoga, gym, a salon, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms
  
• There's a dizzying array of watersports on offer, from kayaking and kite-surfing to SUP and sailing; tuition is available
  
• A professional cycling centre, BikeCyprus (open Feb-June & Sept-Dec), offers exhilarating mountain- and road bike tours, plus bike rental for all ages
  
• Tennis on the rooftop courts is popular outside midsummer, and there are squash courts in the spa
  
• You can horse ride from nearby Avdimou to the beach, play golf at four 18-hole courses on the island, or enjoy a cooking demo

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Archery
• Basketball
• Boat trips
• Boules
• Cooking classes
• Croquet
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Golf
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Kitesurfing
• Language courses
• Mountain biking
• Paragliding
• Private guided tours
• Sailing
• Shopping / markets
• SUP
• Surfing
• Table tennis
• Tennis
• Tennis coaching
• Waterskiing
• Windsurfing
• Yoga

Kids

This is a splendid place to bring your kids. Staff are utterly charming with children, and the Blue Flag beach, free kids club, creche, swimming pools and the various activities (below) will keep everyone happy.

All Suites can take an extra bed (the first child sleeps for free), and there are larger options too (see below). Cots, high chairs and interconnecting rooms are available, and you can pre-order a good range of baby and toddler gear to await you on arrival, so you can travel lighter.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

All suites can take an extra bed. For those with 2 children, we suggest either the Executive Suites (which can take 2 rollaway beds), or the more spacious One- or Two-Bedroom Suites. We stayed in the latter with our 2 kids, so can attest to the usefulness of a good-sized living area and 2 bathrooms. For larger families, there are interconnecting suites across the Junior and Executive categories. All bathrooms have a separate bath and shower. Note that the East side of the resort has the family-designated swimming pool

Distances:

• Airport: 30 minutes (Paphos)
• Hospital: 30 minutes (Limassol)
• Shops: 3 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Columbia Beach Resort is on the shores of Pissouri Bay, on the south coast of Cyprus (the Greek part of the island).

By Air:
Paphos (30km) is the closest but Larnaca (100km) has a slightly wider range of flights.

From the Airport:
You can take a taxi, book a transfer (see Rates), or hire a car. If you are not intent on exploring the island, you could easily manage without a car.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Cyprus and getting around