The Golden Bay Beach Hotel

Golden Bay Beach Hotel is an upscale business and leisure hotel housed in a seven-story purpose-built block dating to 1983 (and most recently renovated in 2011). The lobby is elegant and bright, with low ceilings, lots of off-white and gray marble, and soft lighting. The hotel's Shakespeare's Pub is down a few stairs, and the lobby extends out to a semi-enclosed lobby bar with lots of plush seating. Outside, large lawns are peppered with palm trees. This hotel gets a good mix of guests, with families in the summertime and couples outside of the busy school holidays. While it attracts plenty of vacationers from the United Kingdom and Europe, Golden Bay also receives its fair share of local business travelers, and unlike many hotels on the island, Golden Bay is open year round. 

Golden Bay Beach Hotel is situated in the northern outskirts of Larnaca, right on the beach and just next door to Sentido Sandy Beach Hotel. There's a small mini-market/souvenir shop across the street, but not much in terms of attractions in the immediate area. However, there are plenty of restaurants and small shops within walking distance, and travelers can get down to the heart of Larnaca on the local public bus, which stops in front of the hotel every 30 minutes. The journey takes about a half-hour. Further afield, it's about a 45-minute drive to Lefkara, a traditional village known for its lace and filigree silver work. Party hub Ayia Napa is a 25-minute drive from the hotel. Larnaca International Airport takes 20 to 25 minutes to reach by car.

Golden Bay offers Standard Rooms plus three types of suites (Grand, Mini, and Presidential) with inland, side-sea, or full sea views. Decor schemes vary a bit across categories. Expect light-wood floors and pale turquoise upholstery and accents in Standard Rooms and Mini Suites and slightly darker decor in the Presidential Suite. More traditional elegant furnishings are found in the Grand Suites. Think: four-poster dark-wood finish beds and matching swing sofa seats, and even frescoed ceilings. All come with private balconies, and Mini Suites and the Presidential Suite feature whirlpool hot tubs on the balconies (though note that some of the Mini Suite hot tubs are shared with neighboring guests). Other amenities found across categories include 32- to 42-inch flat-screen TVs, safes, minibars, and coffee- and tea-making facilities (with espresso coffeemakers in Mini Suites and higher categories). Wi-Fi is free in rooms and throughout the hotel. Bathrooms are big, with marble countertops, hairdryers, shower/tub combos (or walk-in showers in Mini Suites), and a huge selection of toiletries. Bathrobes and slippers come standard in all room types. Welcome gifts of traditional sweets are a lovely touch. While rooms are lovely, the soundproofing could use some improvements, and light sleepers may notice that it's easy to hear what's going on in neighboring rooms. 

Amenities at this hotel are aimed at both business travelers and tourists, with a good balance of conference and event facilities and leisure activities. Entertainment options include regular band and piano shows, themed nights in the main restaurant, live folk performances, and an assortment of craft vendors selling wares in the lobby during dinner hours. At the heart of the hotel is a lovely outdoor pool area with a swim-up bar and lots of lounge chairs, plus plenty more palapa-shaded lounge chairs down at the sandy beach, with calm waters suitable for swimming. There's also a lovely heated indoor pool with a mosaic bottom. It's located right by the hotel's Leisure Club, which offers a spa with high-end treatments plus a two-room fitness center with cardio and weight-training equipment. For kids, there's a waterslide that leads in to a small landing pool, an indoor mini-club for winter play, and an outdoor playground with a bouncy castle and clubhouse that's supervised in the April-October high season. For business travelers, the hotel offers conference facilities for up to 300 guests, plus all sorts of audiovisual equipment. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel and there's a good deal of free on-site parking. Dining options include the main Yacht Club Restaurant, with huge buffets at all three meals plus chefs on hand to help cater to guests' special dietary requests. Other options include the upscale Les Etoiles Classic, with French and Italian fare served a la carte, plus a lovely seasonal tavern restaurant, Ouzeri, with its garden seating and its own tiny Orthodox chapel. Along with a pool bar, there's a British-themed pub, Shakespeare's Pub, on a lower level off to one side of the lobby, with lots of cherry-wood furnishings and beams plus a few stained-glass features.