Sandy Beach Hotel & Spa - ex Sentido — Hotel in Pyla

here are three hotels that offer almost identical conditions, grouped one next to each other. We chose Sandy Beach because it has a little more greenery (it has the most beautiful palm trees of all, the gardener deserves congratulations) and two beautiful outdoor swimming pools (the other two hotels seem to have only one each). We stayed for a week here at beginning of August. All the rooms have “side sea view”. Our room was medium size, clean, equipped with a medium sized TV (French, German, Polish and English channels), a small fridge (nothing “from the house” in it, not even water), a safe (free of charge, a plus for the hotel). The beds were comfortable and they had the biggest number of pillows I’ve ever seen: 3/person (too many…). The room has a small balcony, with a table and two chairs. You had a view of the swimming pools and, on the side, of the sea. The air-conditioning worked very well. The cleaning in the rooms was done daily. The Wi-Fi worked very well in the reception and in the pool area, but a bit bad in the room. The hotel has two pools, medium size, both of them. The water was clean and warm. There was never enough umbrellas for all the clients. There is also a tiny pool for children. There is also an indoor pool but we didn’t use it. The hotel has a private beach, shared with the two neighbor hotels (here you can freely pass between the three hotels). The beach is sandy (let's say) but it is beaten sand, mixed with pebbles. The entrance to the sea is smooth, but for about 3-4 meters the bottom of the water is covered with the same mix of sand and gravel, quite unpleasant to walk on. After that, however, the water is very clear, warm and the bottom of the water is sandy and pleasant. We had half board and could choose between dinner and lunch (another plus for the hotel, at many others the options were fixed, breakfast and dinner). The restaurant was nice, the food was quite diverse but not very tasty (with the exception of the desserts, which were really good). Unfortunately, there was not much variation in the 7 days. As minuses: only one type of soup at lunch or dinner; the breakfast was quite varied, you had a lot to choose from, but it was totally lacking in variety. Every day, the same food, absolutely nothing new. Even the arrangement of the dishes was identical. After two days I already thought I was experiencing a deja-vu. In general, the dishes did not have labels with the names in English and you had no idea what they could be. Another minus is that at dinner you don't have anything free to drink, not even water (although at breakfast you had water from the dispenser, at your discretion). Not even the tea is free in the evening, although we thought so. It turned out not to be so, and so we ended up drinking the most expensive tea we've ever drunk, 10 euros/2 cups (and prepared by myself...) The waiter seemed very happy when he told me that I had to pay for the tea. Sad, I find it strange to be stingy with small things... There is a bus stop right next to the hotel. You can easily get to Larnaca, with buses 424 or 425, it costs 2.4 euros/person. It takes 15-20 minutes. Tickets are taken from the driver, you can only pay in cash. Across the road there are 3 small "supermarkets" where you can buy food, juices, water, beer, local products, souvenirs. All in all,...

The reason for my low rating is the last day which was very Bad. I was betrayed and probably discriminated. Maybe it was because travelling with travel agency koala tours i am not sure.

I already knew, that the Room should be empty until 12:00 and my airport transfer is leaving 5 hours later so I was trying to explore some option about having any Room until that tíme or at least longer than 12-00.

As IT was important for me, I already asked on monday (2 days advance). The Receptionist told me, that in case I want to have 5 hours later checkout, i need to pay 50% of Room prize for 1 day as it is over 4 hours. I agreed to do so, and i was willing to pay immediately.

But the Receptionist told me, i should come on last day-wednesday to know it for sure.

So i came on wednesday to same Receptionist. I was trying to pay for later checkout, however it was denied because All Rooms were booked and should be available from 2 pm (14-00). I want to pay for that or change Room but it was denied because of Full capacity. But Receptionist offered me a 30 minutes tíme slot in additional room where i Can take a shower and undress myself before my journey back. I accepted it.

So i came back around 4 PM i found this notification on reception. (See screenshot) So it is actually possible to have a later checkout but not for me... Even if i would pay for that or even more than they demand (50% of day prize) Neverthless, Room for undress and shower was occipued until my airport transfer came altough IT should be empty at 16-30, so me and my wife were forced to také shower in fitness and dry us with hand towels and limited privacy. She go to the transfer without makeup because the only available toilet was cleaned by cleaning lady. Maybe the Room was never available fór undress and shower or IT was only unavailable for me?

because if i did not Saw the offer regarding later checkout i would be Also 100% persuased that they are not offering an option for later checkout, because if they would do, why do they not allow me to pay for that???

So they do not want my money, betrayed me, discriminated me (because someone could have Room for at least 1 hour and I cannot have IT for 1 minute of privacy)and instead of giving me Room for shower and undress for 30 minutes they gave the Room to person, who broke the rules because he was blocking the Room even after 16-30 altough i had a reservation. Affected day 24.7.

I Guess hotel should learn how to treat and handle guests willing to pay equally. It is simply unacceptable to deny a payment for service which you are actually offering and then even do not grant available Room for shower and undressing altough you promised to do that.

This situation actually ruined whole positive impresion I got regarding food, Room view, Nice garden, helpful staff especially at bar especially Vladimíra and main barman (Pavlos I guess)

Maybe solution for the future would be to make a reseevation directly not with travel agency, but the reception failed with reseevation of 1 Room which was Made on same day. Should i really took a risk and pay hundreds of euro for fly tickets to found out, that my Room will not be available, because someone would like to have that...

The overall experience at the hotel was truly amazing. From booking to departure was easy, efficient and very straightforward. I stayed from the 10th to the 15th of September 2023 for my birthday.

Booking was easy as I booked online. I ended up calling the resort to confirm my reservation and I was greeted with clear information and all my questions were answered in a clear and concise manner. Much thanks to Varvara.

The front desk staff were dilligent, informative and displayed the highest levels of professionalism. I cannot remember all of their names but the front desk staff are true stars. Shout out to Christina for making me feel truly welcomed as she went out of her way to make me feel special on my birthday. Cake and drinks included!!!!

The bar staff are easy going, friendly and can make a heavenly cocktail. Shout to to Rafaella and the other male bartender who recommended me the ouzo.

The spa staff were very informative and delightful to speak with as well. Got a wonderful massage that had me feeling like a new man. Shout out to the lady who books the spa treatments and the masseur. Both are true professionals of the health and wellness arena.

The pool area was well maintained and the beach furniture was also well maintained.

In terms of food and the dining facilities, they were high quality and properly looked after. The food was fresh, tasty, and definitely made with love. Breakfast was never boring and dinner was always a lovely surprise. Shout to to the chefs. Especially Toni and Theodorus. Those gentlemen definitely are culinary artists of the highest order. And their people skills are second to none. And special mention to Damos who kept stuff running well and a true gentleman. The wait staff were on point.

The room was spacious with a lovely view. It was cleaned and well mainted. Much respect to the hardworking cleaning staff who do a very good job.

Overall my experience was nothing short of magical. I will definitely be visiting the hotel again.

The only reason that I did not give a five out of five review was the noise from the bar area and sometimes from the resorts next door after 11. While the sliding doors are relatively sound resistant, you can still hear it. For light sleepers and those who sleep early, this may be a bit jarring. Please rectify this as it would definitely improve guest experiences. But despite that, the hotel is a well oiled machine that can boast quality facilities, amenities, food, drinks and high performing, professional staff that truly look after you and make you feel welcomed. I will most definitely be...