Last week, the lovely people from TravelBeam gave us a chance to visit their luxury hotel and resort in Cyprus, which is specifically aimed at the kids market. Obviously, we snapped up their offer.
Luxury hotels are often seen as destinations purely for adults, whilst families are advised to visit resorts packed full of jolly/irritating entertainers, cramped rooms and limited menus. Which doesn't really give the parents much time to relax and unwind, does it?
The Columbia Beach Resort and the Columbia BeachHotel aim to bring luxury and families together in one place. We spent four days in a suite at the resort trying out all the facilities, both for parents and kids.
For the kids, the resort offers an assortment of water sports, a huge pool and a fully staffed kids play area and classroom. The water sport facilities really are fantastic for slightly older children, with wind surfing lessons, water skiing, para sailing and the frankly brilliant Crazy sofa (an inflatable sofa pulled along by a speedboat) available.
The resort's kids area is staffed by qualified child care assistants who can look after your kids all day or let them come and go as they please.
The kids can hang out in the playroom where there are plenty of crafts to do, and there's a rubber play area outside for the younger children to play out on.
The resort offers several different restaurants, and the range will suit a multitude of tastes. A children's menu is available too if you fancy eating a little earlier, and the prices are really reasonable at around €8 for a burger and chips. A babysitting service is available if you'd prefer an indulgent dinner for two.
So whilst the kids are being entertained, you can relax in the Molton Brown spa on site, by the indoor or outdoor pool or with a game of tennis on the resident courts. There's also extensive tourist sites nearby which can be arranged through the tour provider or resort.
The rooms also have excellent facilities for kids. The resort suites offer a kitchenette, which is suitable for cleaning baby bottles, and the hotel rooms has a separate bedroom for the kids, which is divided from the main room with a sliding wooden door.
As a luxury destination, the hotel and resort definitely delivers. Whilst it's aimed at the family market, it still maintains a relaxing atmosphere, which is perfect for the kind of parents who like their own children, but don't necessarily want to be surrounded by the screaming offspring of others when they're soaking up the rays by the pool. If you've got young children, I'd recommend the hotel over the resort, as it offers a few more facilities and a better atmosphere for them. It's also worth mentioning that the hotel has plenty of disabled access, which is also suitable for buggies.
Luxury doesn't come cheap, and TravelBeam Luxury Hotels quoted us a price of £2499 for a family of 4 for 7 nights in August in the hotel, or £3399 for the resort. This includes Half Board, flights and private transfers. You can get further details from their website or on 0845 845 0145.
ParentView score: 4.5/5