Review: Makarios Beach Hotel

After several packed days of adventure and walking, we felt it was time to have a good rest. Also, we didn’t have a pool and were frying slightly so we found an all-inclusive hotel on the island where we could chill out around (or even in) a pool and not have to worry about working out what we were going to eat etc.

The hotel was Makarios Beach Hotel, Kamari. It was just south of the airport and about 20 minutes from our apartment. We booked a quadruple room via Expedia, but when we got there, we were informed that they didn’t have any quadruples remaining so they gave us a double and a triple. We ended up just using the triple as Caitlin is quite happy being literally glued to me in bed so we shared a single.

The hotel was clean and tidy, the corridors felt a little sterile (in a kind of school/hospital like manner) but it wasn’t unwelcoming, and definitely couldn’t be called unclean. And the pool area was definitely stocked well enough to ensure a table or sun lounger for all. And it was the perfect temperature to contend with the heat. What the children found really cool was the fact that, being so close to the airport, they got to watch several planes lowering to land, whilst they were chilling in the pool. That was apparently the most amazing thing ever, being able to see planes from a swimming pool.

We had arrived just in time to unpack, have a wander and then grab lunch. The buffet was fairly basic, but had all the main bases covered. It wasn’t a gourmet meal by any means, but that’s not how buffets work, so if that’s what you go in expecting you’re gonna be disappointed. With that in mind, I was quite satisfied by the food. And later in the afternoon we had access to self-serve scooped ice cream and at the bar they served cheese and ham toasties. The evening meal was also buffet, with similar structure to the lunch setup only with a few additional “mains” added. All the while beer, wine, soft drinks, water and hot drinks were available, and there was a fridge in the room, and a jug for getting water for your room.

The staff were all friendly enough, and the stay was pleasant, but we were also using this break to gauge whether the all-inclusive concept works for us… If I speak with complete honesty: Did I enjoy not having to cook? Yes, without a doubt. Did I like that we could just get ice cream and drinks and stuff easily, without having to worry about having cash etc. Yes, of course I was, I don’t think anyone in their right minds would hate that idea. Was I sold. Hell no. The problem is, the concept is so attractive that families who have regard only for how close to the bar they can sit, becoming more and more vulgar with every glass of beer they intake and caring less each second about the children they dragged along to pretend it was a family holiday instead of a glorified drinking session. Call me anti-social, call me a grump, call me what you will, I just don’t see the appeal of spending my leisure time with them and would much rather a secluded villa, near a beach with our own private pool.