Panthea Holiday Resort — Hotel in Ayia Napa

As someone who works in the hospitality industry, I always try to be understanding and fair. My recent stay at Atlantica Panthea in Cyprus had its highlights, but it also showed some clear areas where the hotel could improve.

Check-In Experience: We arrived earlier than the official check-in time, and the lady at the reception informed us that our room was already ready — which was a very pleasant surprise after a long journey. However, she then told us she couldn’t check us in because she didn't have access to the key maker and the room was still marked as “out of order” in the system. It seemed more like a system issue or a lack of training. This kind of situation should be avoidable with proper support and training from supervisors.

Finding Our Way: After lunch, we finally received our keys. Check-in involved receiving two pieces of paper — one with a map and another with hotel opening and closing times. We were vaguely told to go “this way, then right, then left,” which made us feel like we were in a scavenger hunt rather than being guided properly. A brief walkthrough or clearer signage would have made a big difference.

Room Condition: The room itself was minimal but acceptable — nothing luxurious, just the basics. However, the toilet seat was in very poor condition, with yellow stains embedded in the plastic and visible mold on the front part. I attempted to clean it myself, but the issue clearly required proper cleaning with the right products. The rest of the bathroom and room met the expectations for a 4-star hotel, but that toilet seat was far below standard.

Dining Experience: Dinner was a mixed bag. Themed nights sounded exciting, but the execution fell short. For example, on “Oriental Night,” the only items that could remotely qualify as oriental were the duck and a sweet-and-sour chicken dish. “Italian Night” featured schnitzel and BBQ chicken wings — not exactly Italian cuisine. Oddly, the only pizza was at the kids’ buffet. That said, the food quality overall was fine — just not what was advertised.

Restaurant Staff: Most of the restaurant staff seemed disengaged and unmotivated, except for Veronica, who always had a genuine smile and a positive attitude. It was disappointing to see the lack of enthusiasm and professionalism in some of the others. Communication was difficult due to limited English, and older local staff members seemed more focused on giving orders than on guest service.

Bar and Entertainment: A highlight of the stay was definitely the bar staff — especially Giannis and Samuel — who were upbeat, funny, and always willing to serve with a smile. The entertainment guy deserves special praise; he’s clearly passionate, talented, and a true asset to the team. Management is lucky to have him onboard.

Lagoon Restaurant: We dined at the Lagoon Restaurant, where Petros was our waiter. He was fantastic — friendly and professional. However, the food was another story. My seafood pasta had some noodles that were undercooked — more “hard” than al dente. It's a small detail, but one that matters.

Check-Out Issues: At check-out, I asked to add my membership number to the reservation to collect points. Apparently, only one person knows how to do this, and that person wasn’t around. Shockingly, even the supervisor and reservations manager didn’t know how to handle it. I asked for a hotel card or contact, but the receptionist had to ask the manager to handwrite the email address for me — something basic like contact info should be readily available.

Final Thoughts: Overall, this wasn’t a bad stay — there were definitely good moments — but I believe Atlantica should uphold certain standards across all their properties, even 4-star ones. There’s plenty of room for improvement, especially in training, communication, and consistency of service. With the right attention to detail and staff development, this hotel could offer a much...

Good.||||The hotel/room was clean and tidy and the cleaners and staff were nice.||Unclear and confusing when there was a note on the toilet saying that you were not allowed to flush toilet paper at all but that it should be put in the bin after drying. Regardless of when you needed to do no. 2, we used paper that we flushed down the toilet anyway, otherwise the smell in the bin would have been unbearable.||||The location is a 2 minute walk from Agias Napa's shopping street, which we really liked.||||We were very happy with the transfer to and from the hotel.||||Less good||The all inclusive was ok and the food was so-so.||The pancakes tasted strange and had a strange consistency and the béarnaise sauce looked like bea but tasted like vinegar dressing and the snack bar's selection was very simple. The bars were ok but they didn't have a pool bar, they were a walking distance away.||The drinks machines in the dining room at breakfast did not work as they should, but when you pressed apple juice, pineapple came instead, etc.||Important to point out that there was no real juice, only mixed juice.||At lunch and dinner there were no water fountains or soda machines to take yourself, but you had to wait for the waiter sometimes up to 20 minutes to get your drink served, which was frustrating in 33 degree heat, you were constantly thirsty.||The dining room was ok. although it could get a little loud.||||Bad||For red wine drinkers, be aware that no red wine is served above 4 degrees Celsius. So no place for the red wine connoisseur.||A nicer dining room was popular to go to in the evening and is included in the all inclusive on one occasion, but we were not impressed by the surroundings, a lot of tables in a plain room that lacked a romantic feel. No candles on the tables and no dinner music on the speakers. The 3-course menu that was served was absolutely nothing wrong with it.||||On the dining terrace and at the pool area, only hip hop Latino music was constantly played, i.e. no Greek classical music at all. We went to Cyprus to experience and feel Greek culture, but it felt like we were in Malaga.||||The pool was certainly good, but those traveling with children should note that the lifeguards do not pay attention to the children in the pool and do not mess with ball launchers and other things that disturb the peace.||The lifeguards sit and braid each other's hair and surf on their phones and basically only have the job of handing out towels.||The hotel area was completely open to anyone and it was noticed that several times immigrant gangs came and threw themselves into the pool with their clothes on and were very close to especially the Scandinavian girls in their lower teens, which created discomfort for many parents.||The hotel area has no security measures or plans for the residents to feel safe and to keep out unauthorized people.||The area is said to be completely open 24 hours a day without guards and no one should open their doors in the evenings and nights as there are door knocks which some experienced.||Not worth the 4 stars the hotel has for some reason due to the lack of security of...

Don't take any notice of the bad reviews. Me and my wife stayed here for a week from the 21st September. The hotel is different to what the norm is with it being laid out in small blocks which I found really nice but my wife likes the traditional hotel layout. She did enjoy her stay though and grew to the idea. The staff were very welcoming from the time we arrived to the day we left and were always happy to help us. Rooms could do with a little touching up in places ie the shower silicone in room 4313 could so with a renew and tidy up. Other than that the rooms are very large and everything was as it should be. Television wasn't plugged in and had the wrong plug on it but we don't use them anyway but just a point to make. Food was really nice and very varied every night and there wasn't a day we didn't enjoy our meals. Entertainment is not the best at all and we went out every night for a walk instead.. The outside entertainment area is in need of a good look at the way it is laid out and needs more of a seating area to make it better if you want people to use it more. Pool was good and really clean the day we used it but we are note beach focused on our hols and love the sea. Location is great and near everything you need with some great beaches nearby within walking distance. The A La Carte restraunt is definitely worth a visit as the food there was amazing. Salmon and the steak were both to die for and it was the best salmon I have ever tasted with the mustard sauce making it the best taste sensation. Some of the staff you have need to be truly recognised for the service they give and this was the young with the glasses and the most amazing snile called Veronica who was in the dining area. She worked tirelessly all day and was so happy and very chatty and polite when serving us. We tipped her really well when we left and she nearly cried when we gave her the tip and wouldnt accept it but we made her take it and refused to take it back.

Also Andrea's the older man who seved us in the A La Carte was the most attentative man and nothing was to much trouble for him. We had a really lovely chat with him about family values and he was so lovely to speak to and you could tell how genuine he really was. He made the meal very special for me and my wife and we tipped him really well also. My only downside to some staff veneers were the female cleaning staff who did out rooms as they knocked then entered the room which we found odd as some days we wanted a little lay in and we could have also been laid naked on the bed or doing something they didn't need to see so this is something you could address down the line and ask then to wait a moment before coming in and see if someone answers the door. Other than the little niggles we would definitely return to the place as we really enjoyed our weeks stay with you and love Cyprus with all our heart. Thank you all for a great holiday and we both hope to see you in the early season and late one next...