St Raphael Resort & Marina

Set beside the sea in Limassol, St Raphael Resort & Marina is built for guests who like their holiday base to do some of the organising for them. You have the beach, pools, restaurants, spa and evening entertainment in one place, which is useful when your legs have had enough of excursions and your appetite has not.

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Greek, Russian and German. That matters when you are arranging dinner, asking the concierge about a day out or dealing with the small practicalities that appear between breakfast and the first drink of the evening. Couples have sea and marina-facing rooms, while families have dedicated room options, a kids' club and a playground.

The address is Amathus Avenue 502, Pyrgos, Limassol, Cyprus, with the resort directly on the beachfront. Parekklisia Beach is roughly 0.2 miles away and Panagies Beach about 0.3 miles away, so you have alternatives within walking distance when you fancy changing your patch of sand. Agios Tychonas Beach is around 0.7 miles away on foot.

Limassol city centre is about 7 miles from the resort. Amathus, the nearby ancient site, is around 1.5 miles away, while the Limassol District Archaeological Museum, the zoo and the Municipal Gardens are each about 7 miles away. The promenade is roughly 7 miles from the hotel, so this is a seafront base outside the central city rather than a hotel for wandering straight into the old town.

Larnaca International Airport is about 34 miles away by road, with Paphos International Airport around 42 miles away by road. The coastal setting gives you the sea at the door, but reaching Limassol's central restaurants and sights calls for a car or another form of transport.

For two people, the Sea View Room gives you the most straightforward choice if waking up to the Mediterranean matters more than having extra indoor space. The Marina View Double Room shifts the outlook towards the boats, while the Imperial Front Sea & Marina View Room combines both views with a super-king bed. The private-veranda options add sun loungers, which saves you from hunting for a poolside chair before breakfast.

If you are travelling as a family, the Family Inland View Room without Balcony is arranged around a double bed, a single bed and bunk beds. It is the practical option for three rather than the romantic one, and the lack of a balcony is the trade-off. Families are welcome with children of any age, but extra beds are not available; cots can be requested for children aged up to two years.

Air conditioning, parquet flooring, modern furnishings, a minibar, kettle and satellite television cover the basic return-to-room routine. Soundproof rooms and soundproofing are useful details when you want sleep rather than a replay of the evening entertainment. Daily housekeeping, a private bathroom, bathrobes, slippers and a hairdryer keep the room side of the stay sensibly uncomplicated.

Seven restaurants give you room to vary the evenings without turning every meal into a taxi journey. Breakfast is a buffet with Continental, Full English and Irish, American, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices, so a proper morning meal is covered before you head out. Breakfast can also be served in your room, and there is a snack bar and an on-site coffee house for less formal stops.

The Octagon Restaurant handles the morning buffet, while Alakati Restaurant serves Cypriot cuisine in an al fresco setting for the evening. Alakati operates seasonally from May to October and depends on the weather, so treat it as a seasonal part of the dining line-up rather than a guaranteed nightly plan. The Palladium Restaurant uses a smart-casual dress code; Bermuda shorts are welcome, but beachwear and flip-flops are not.

For a change of country, Golden Monkey Thai Restaurant serves dinner indoors or on its terrace from 19:00 to 00:30. Ristorante Dolce Vita serves Italian dinner outdoors from 19:00 to 22:00. The nautically themed bar has a wooden deck overlooking the sea, while room service, minibars and a bar give you alternatives when the sensible decision is food and a quiet chair.

Two outdoor pools and a beachfront setting give you the easy version of a day away from the water. Sun loungers, beach chairs, umbrellas, a sun terrace and gardens make it possible to settle in without turning relaxation into a project. There is also a water slide, a children's pool and a kids' club, so the family contingent has its own distractions while you protect the afternoon with a book.

Serenity Spa is the more convincing answer when your shoulders have collected a few too many hours of kit, travel and general life. Treatments include massage, facials, hammam, sauna, Jacuzzi, mud baths, body wraps and body scrubs, with a spa lounge and relaxation area for the part before or after the treatment. Couples' massages are available, along with a fitness centre, fitness classes, yoga classes and a personal trainer.

Two tennis courts, table tennis, billiards and darts provide activities with varying levels of commitment. You can also hire bicycles, use the on-site water-sports facilities, go canoeing, snorkel or cycle. Live music, performances, evening entertainment, film nights, temporary art galleries and themed dinner nights give the resort a little life after dark, although the exact choice of evening is best treated as part of the resort programme rather than a fixed ritual.

Check-in starts from 14:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. The front desk is open around the clock, with concierge service, luggage storage, a tour desk, currency exchange and car hire available on site. That combination is handy if you arrive before the room is ready, want to arrange a day away from the resort or would rather not improvise your transport around Limassol.

Free private parking is available on site without reservation, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. Air conditioning, a lift, facilities for disabled guests, a minimarket and room service add useful day-to-day convenience. Laundry, ironing and dry-cleaning services are also available when salt, sunscreen and travel clothes begin to form their own small ecosystem.

The minimum age for check-in is 18. Pets are not allowed. Children of any age are welcome, but accommodation-specific child and cot arrangements should be checked when you choose your room, particularly if you are relying on a cot for a younger child. The resort also offers family rooms, a kids' club, children's play areas and babysitting or child services.