Aquasol Village Review

Overall Rating

None.

Lots !

The Aqua Sol Village is best described as a slum!

This relates to an April 2004 holiday advertised by Instant Holidays/Future Travel (part of the Co-Op Travel Group) on Teletext and described as a 4-Star HB AoA. On calling Instant Holidays the 4-Star rating was confirmed. The subsequent documentation, and that of Airtours, restated this as an Airtours 4-A HB AoA package. The Airtours documentation stated that "Sundeals may be allocated in a self-catering complex with central dining facilities". This did not cause us undue alarm since we were guaranteed 4-A facilities including, we assumed, all aspects of the package.
At no time in our discussions with Instant Holidays, or in any of the documentation, was it stated that the 4-A rating is quite different from a 4-Star one. There is in fact a radical difference, and one which I find completely unacceptable.

On arrival in Paphos we were allocated to the Aqua Sol Village, which the Airtours representative present described as being "in the centre of Paphos" ; it is in fact in Coral Bay, some 17 km away.

The Aqua Sol sits at the bottom of a steep road, the little pavement that there is being either unmade or broken. The complex is a series of cheap-looking concrete apartment blocks set in neglected garden areas intersected by footpaths.
The public area consists of one large open plan room containing reception, a bar, an entertainments area and a cheap-looking caf -like dining area separated by a low barrier. The whole place had the look of a cheap, run-down karaoke bar-caf .

On arrival we were allocated to apartment 2401, on entering we were struck by the overwhelming smell of dampness. The soft furnishings were dirty, stained and torn in places. There was a sign in the bathroom saying "Please place soiled toilet paper in the waste basket, not in the toilet pan" (Really !? In a 4-A apartment ?). There was no plug in the bathroom sink, so water could not be collected in the bowl. The upper walls and ceiling of the bedroom were covered in black mould caused by dampness. There was black mould also on the bathroom tiles. The whole appearance was one of dirt and neglect. The outlook, back and front, was onto footpaths which were covered in litter, rubbish bags were stacked at a bin a few feet from our front door.
Because we had missed our evening meal there was a meal in the fridge, it consisted of cold meat and poor looking soggy salad.

We immediately complained to the Airtours rep who had accompanied us on the bus. She responded with a shrug, saying "It's not that bad, but if you want to be moved you will have to see your rep in the morning". We complained at the reception desk, but were again told to wait until morning.

We spent a largely sleepless night in the room, the stench of dampness and the buzzing of mosquitoes (clearly attracted by the dampness) made sleeping almost impossible. During that night my wife received several severe mosquito bites which required medication throughout our 14 day stay in Cyprus.
At this time my wife also began to experience mild symptoms of food poisoning which we attribute to the MyTravel in-flight meal we were served. These symptoms persisted for several days.

In the morning we complained to reception and were allocated another room, 2501. This had the single merit of not smelling, although it was in every other respect identical to 2401. In fact the outlook to the rear was worse, it consisted of overgrown plants completely shadowing the terrace and set in waterlogged ground buzzing with insects.

Not satisfied, we complained to the onsite Airtours rep. I detailed all of our complaints about the Aqua Sol and explained that we had been sold a 4-Star package which this complex did not come near to meeting. She explained, "It's a 4-A Sundeal which is not the same as a 4-Star. In the Aqua Sol it's the facilities that make it a 4-A". I am completely perplexed as to what "facilities" would cause a reasonable customer to overlook the fact that they were living in an unhygienic slum and eating in a bar-caf . In my view every aspect of a package should measure up to the 4-A rating, it is inexcusable to completely neglect living and eating conditions in favour of "facilities".

We requested a move and were presented with a single take-it-or-leave-it option of moving to the Hotel Avanti at an additional cost of 480.87 Cypriot Pounds (billed as £568.82 Sterling). We reiterated our complaints about the Aqua Sol and how it certainly did not measure up to 4-A, the rep simply shrugged and said "if you want to move you will have to pay the extra charge". Given the conditions at the Aqua Sol we felt we had no option but to accept. We requested the rep to assist us in ensuring a good room at the Avanti but she refused any help at all and the final insult was that, on enquiring about transport, we were told we would have to find our own way to the hotel. It cost us 10.00 Cypriot Pounds (£12.35 Sterling) in a taxi.

On arrival at the Avanti the minimum we expected was that our arrival would be known to them and anticipated. Wrong again, the hotel said that they had had an enquiry from Airtours but no confirmation. It was only with some persuasion and persistence on our part that they admitted us on the promise from ourselves of a follow up by Airtours. We were allocated a room overlooking the car park, after complaining we were offered an alternative overlooking a garden area, which we accepted. Had Airtours given us any assistance in the move we may have been able to avoid these unpleasant experiences.

We were surprised to find that the Avanti is both a 4-Star and a 4-A rated hotel. The contrast with the Aqua Sol could not be more obvious. Given the differences I am completely at a loss to understand how a place like the Aqua Sol can possibly genuinely attract a 4-A rating.

During our short stay in the Aqua Sol, thereafter in the Avanti and finally at the airport we spoke with a number of Airtours and Direct Holidays reps. On hearing that we had requested a move they gave us knowing-smiles, sly-winks and comments along the lines of "Don't quote me, but ". The message was very clear, the Aqua Sol is well known among the My Travel reps as being a problem location.

At the Avanti I wanted to meet with the Airtours rep to make a request of him.
I discovered that he was never present in the hotel at the published times. In fact I think I can confidently claim that he was never in the hotel at any time during our stay, other than when I called the Airtours help-line and requested a meeting. I made a total of 4 calls at my expense, a total of 0.80 Cypriot Pounds (£1.00 Sterling).

At our first agreed meeting he turned up 45 minutes late, no explanation or apology was offered. At this meeting I requested that, given we had been charged a considerable sum in addition to our package, we should have our luggage allowance upgraded from the Sundeal 15 Kg. This was stimulated by our having to pay £20 excess charges on the way out. Despite escalating this through the local Airtours office this request was given a blunt refusal.

At our second agreed meeting time he did not appear at all, I had to make three calls before he eventually turned up. Again, no explanation or apology.
Other reps in the Avanti referred to him as "The elusive xxxxx", as in, he can never be found. At the airport an Airtours rep told us that he had already received a disciplinary warning, I'm sorry to say it has not improved his customer skills.

On our return we complained to Instant Travel. Their rep confirmed that the holiday had been advertised as a 4-Star and was shocked at our experience. However, this admission did nothing to help our subsequent complaints.

We wrote to My Travel detailing our complaints. Their initial response was that the conditions in the Aqua Sol were "normal"! The dampness was caused by the room being underused over the winter and a sink-plug could be hired for a small charge from reception. This in a 4-A apartment complex!
After several letters of complaint My Travel paid us £337 compensation, blaming Instant Holidays for the 4-Star/4-A confusion and leaving us £245 down against the additional charges we paid to escape the Aqua Sol. Instant Holidays/Future Travel have bluntly refused to make up the deficit and have ignored our request to pursue My Travel for the balance.

So... NEVER AGAIN... (1) will we use Instant Holidays/Future Travel? (2) Will we use My Travel (3) Will we return to Cyprus, an overrated, overpriced, not very attractive Greek Island.

Members' Comments onPollensa1946's Review

• Lynne F on 21st Dec 2004

  I am shocked at this review! I am a very fussy and impeccably clean person who stayed at the Aqua sol twice in one year and had the most beautiful apartment, cleaned every morning by a lovely and thorough lady, the gardens were well maintained, the 3 pools were the cleanest I have ever witnessed and the restaurant, on-site supermarket, pool bar(with delicious snacks)and beautiful, spacious, marble reception area was clean, welcoming, air conditioned and manned by very courteous staff. Surely it cannot have become this bad since my visit in 2000, if so how sad but I think there maybe some exaggeration, some people have one thing that displeases them and so moan about everything.

• everton on 8th Jan 2005

  I tottally disagree with this review. My girlfriend, her mother and I went in 2003 and the only problem we had was we never took the children, they would have enjoyed it just as much as we did.

• Pollensa1946 on 13th Jan 2005

  You were there in 2000, I was there in 2004...says it all. No exaggeration I'm afraid.
  Put your money where your mouth is and go back again.

• Lynne F on 13th Jan 2005

  I will and I have to add that I think it unfair of you to describe Cyprus as a not very attractive Greek island, how much of it did you see? I have worked there and toured from one end to the other and Cyprus is one of the most beautiful, naturally attractive islands in the world, please don't let one holiday in one particular place put you off.Go back another time, stay in the Alexander the Great in Paphos and visit the very beautiful and clean Coral Bay Beach or hire a car and drive up the mountains, it will change your opinion, I promise you.

• Pollensa1946 on 13th Jan 2005

  Sorry, should have mentioned that this was our third holiday in Cyprus, have done all the things you mention. Opinion remains the same, there are other far nicer places. To be fair, had we been housed first in the Hotel Avanti rather than the dreadful Aqua Sol Village then our opinion might not be so extremely biased, but there you go...stuff happens.
  Enjoy your holidays in Cyprus, we will be elsewhere. This whole subject of holiday destinations is totally subjective and based on personal likes/dislikes so prolonging the discussion is likely to be unproductive.

• stripey170603 on 30th Jan 2005

  We have just come back from the Aquasol. It was a last minute, allocation on arrival and we were pleasantly surprised by the place. Yes, the road is steep and it`s maybe a little shabby in places, but we paid next to nothing to stay there! The rooms are nice and spacious (we were in room 1212) clean and bright. And the hotel is near to shops and places to eat. We hired a 4 wheel drive (dihatsu terrano) for £90 for a week at Nestor`s hire up the road from the hotel.All in all, a cheap, cheerful holiday. I would come back to the Aquasol.

• Pollensa1946 on 4th Feb 2005

  I am glad you paid "next to nothing to stay there" and enjoyed it. We, however, paid around £500 each and it was, as described above, truly awful.
  There is a very satisfactory conclusion to this sorry tale.
  For seven months I wrote numerous letters pursuing Instant Holidays and/or MyTravel for full recovery of my additional costs, they blamed each other and I got nowhere. This left me £245 out of pocket. I even wrote to the Sunday Times Travel Section "Readers Rant" column. They seem obsessed with problems about airline tickets to Tuscany and ignored my complaint.
  Finally I wrote to Barclaycard, pointing out their responsibilities under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1996, and asking them to intervene. This section of the act makes the Credit Card Company responsible for any failure on the part of
  a retailer where the bill exceeds £100 and has been paid in full with your credit card. They initially claimed that I had failed to establish a breach of contract and rejected my claim for the outstanding £245. I wrote back...
  
  The holiday was advertised on Teletext as a 4-STAR package. This was confirmed in several conversations with the Instant Travel representative, both before and after the holiday.
  The documentation from MyTravel restated this as a 4-A (their own rating), but gave no indication that this might include dirty, damp and unhygienic accommodation as was the case.
  MyTravel moved us to another 4-A hotel but demanded almost 600 Pounds from us to bring about that change.
  Subsequently MyTravel chose not to defend their use of this unsatisfactory accommodation and paid us compensation. However, their payment left us 245 Pounds in debit, this sum being swallowed by “administration charges”. They referred us back to Instant Holidays who have refused to pursue this with MyTravel and have refused to refund this sum.
  Consequently…
  We paid Instant Holidays for a 4-A holiday.
  We received a 4-A holiday, no more, no less, but had to pay an additional sum of 245 Pounds to achieve that end. Instant Holidays have refused our request to pursue this. This is a breach of contract by Instant Holidays within the terms of the act.
  
  Barclaycard again refused our claim, at which point I asked for a review by the Financial Ombudsman Service. At that point a very pleasant lady from Barclaycard rang me and offered a "goodwill" payment, with no admission of liability, of the full amount of £245.
  Case closed.

• JohnBull on 21st Mar 2005

  We have been to horrid hotels before hand and also to ones that have a higher rating. There is nothing wrong with the Aqua Sol at all, it was clean, bright and well presented. It had good food, lots of entertainment, and we really enjoyed our stay. We have known several people who went before and after us and they thought it was excellent and value for money. Maybe anyone who thought it wasn't 'acceptable' should go and stay in a 6 star and also take their servents with them. Honestly!

• Pollensa1946 on 22nd Mar 2005

  Your closing sentences are not even worthy of reply. However, taking your posting overall I would say, had you been put in the apartment we were in and treated as we were you would not be posting quite as positively as you have done.
  It is worth noting that we eventually received full compensation for all the extra charges we incurred in moving from the Aqua Slum. Speaks for itself.

• HB1 on 9th May 2005

  I must say, it's a shame it took you 3 visits before you decided that Cyprus was "overrated, overpriced and not very attractive".
  
  Lets face it, you could have saved yourself a few quid had you taken this view earlier.
  
  Sour puss you!!!

• Pollensa1946 on 17th May 2005

  I like to carefully weight up my judgements, give a dog a chance I say. After three visits I decided there was no hope that I was going to see merit in the place.
  Your closing comment is insulting and out of place in what are supposed to be objective comments.

• JohnBull on 17th May 2005

  well, no one agrees with you then. Did you actually go to the same hotel as the rest of us?! No need for a reply... we have heard enough!

• HB1 on 17th May 2005

  Take a chill pill. My closing comment was definitely meant in a cheeky sort of way, not insulting, I promise you.
  
  I'm off now.....to cyprus. Bye Bye :-)

• Pollensa1946 on 18th May 2005

  Quote..."well, no one agrees with you then"...unquote.
  The people that mattered agreed with me...I got my £600 back. At no time did either the travel agent or MyTravel try to defend the place. In fact MyTravel stated in writing that the dirty, smelly room was "normal". Case closed.

• HB1 on 18th May 2005

  Round of applause.
  
  Thank you and goodnight!

• lefi on 30th May 2005

  I stayed at Aquasol in 2002 and I found the place really nice, and the staff really friendly. I really enjoyed my stay there.

• aat166 on 3rd Jun 2005

  Sounds to me like someone just likes to complain and get a free holiday - funny how he knows all about consumer law and ombudsman - makes you wonder if he has done this before. I have also visited the Aquasol and found it delightful as is Cyprus itself. Am off again to Paphos in two weeks time - can't wait.

• Pollensa1946 on 4th Jul 2005

  You are insulting, my friend. I did not get a free holiday, I got back the sum of 600 Pounds that MyTravel charged us for moving out of that slum. The holiday cost us over 1000 Pounds, ultimately (in the Avanti) we got what we paid for and were promised, a 4-star hotel. No I have not done this before, so before running off at the mouth again I suggest you objectively look at the facts. I resorted to consumer law and the Ombudsman only because MyTravel and the travel agent refused to reimburse me the full amount of 600. They claimed that 245 of it was "administration charges", as if !
  Enjoy your holiday In Cyprus. It's not for me I'm afraid.

• Jack65 on 24th Aug 2005

  I'm off the Aquasol Village in two weeks time with my husband and 20 month old son. I have read all the reviews on this site about the accommodation along with other holiday review sites and have to say you seem to be the only one who has completely slated it!
  
  I have been to Cyprus twice before and on both occasions have stayed in AAAA apartments, which compared to the same standard in the Greek Isles have been superb!
  
  Your comments have not put me off! In fact I am looking forward to proving you wrong, along with everybody else!
  
  Watch this space!

• kamj on 10th Aug 2008

  i had a great time got married at aquasol last year 2007 best holiday iv had iv already proved him wrong some people better off at home

• jilly72 on 1st Oct 2008

  I am going to the Aquasol in just over a week. I have read these comments and compared to the other comments on another site am quite pleased as was getting really worried because ppl kept going on about the apartments being dirty and also saying the food is disgusting. So obviously a bit nervous but will let u know how it went wen I come back lol and if anymore good comments pls keep them coming lol!!!!!!