Atlantica Club Sungarden Beach, Aiya Napa

It was a tough decision not to bring my camera on holiday but I decided that there was only one thing to do: some snippets and a bit of a review, all brought to you from my iPhone. And boy, I’m so glad I did – it was a trip worth documenting!

Last Wednesday, my boyfriend and I jetted off for a week in Aiya Napa, Cyprus at the Atlantica Club Sungarden Beach resort. After a long day of travelling, it’s not a surprise that walking into this gorgeous hotel reception managed to perk me up. What can I say, I’m a sucker for fancy lighting. On checking in, we were told there were snacks waiting for us in the bar area so we quickly dumped our bags before heading back downstairs. My first drink? A cherry slush, enjoyed whilst watching the second half of Holland vs Argentina. So wild.

Waking up in the hotel room, I could truly appreciate it for the first time. While luxury isn’t in our budget, the abundance of mirrors with good lighting is something often understated by hotels and our simple white bedding was much preferable to the crazy colours and patterns often favored by big hotels. The bathroom was a bit older fashioned in comparison but nothing to mark it down on – especially when it came with a gorgeous smelling shower gel among other toiletries.

I was pretty impressed with our hotel room in general: while we were initially disappointed with the view of the hotel front from our room, it turned out not to matter. I mean when you have a view from the main pool area like this…
The hotel has two main pool areas, each split into two pools. We spent most of our time by the quieter pool which had an adults only infinity pool. Total bliss for looking out onto the bay and we could see the Black Pearl pirate ship go out every day. Plus, various party boats which did make me want to get out for a dance! We were handily located by the pool bar too which had a variety of drinks and snacks for when we needed a break from the heat.

The food in the hotel was varied and always fresh. Their salads in particular looked yummy and they had pancakes for breakfast nearly every morning which makes for a very happy Laura. Of course, we ventured outside the hotel for a couple of our evening meals. On our first evening out, it was so hot that I could feel sweat dripping off me so we staggered into the first place we found – a bar/restaurant called Jello.
With a massively varied menu, we each ordered two drinks (including this amazing smoothie for myself) and the Carbonara that subsequently followed was so massive that I only managed about half. So good though and highly recommended if you’re looking for a simple meal.

We didn’t fancy any of the evening entertainment in the hotel, instead choosing to sit outside on the balcony with a Gin Fizz and game of cards. Who says you need to party in Aiya Napa? We were both so knackered from a busy few weeks in work that all we wanted to do was relax.

Other holiday highlights included walks along this stunning beach: the hotel was situated about fifteen minutes from the harbor and we quickly found out that walking along the beach was significantly more pleasant than braving the road. I’ve never been so thankful for a cooling sea breeze.

The views from my sunbathing spots were constantly uploaded onto Instagram so I do apologise if you’re sick to death of seeing them! My mind can’t quite comprehend that it was a mere two days ago since I was looking out onto this incredible blue sea.

But when in Napa, some things have to be done…

An incredible week and one that I’m already mourning the end of. I’d happily go back and visit the area again and while I’m a sucker for staying in new hotels, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to the Atlantica Sungarden Beach either!