Tsokkos Gardens

Generally this review is for the life guard at the gardens apartment, Spiro he was absolutely fantastic with the kids and went above and beyond in his duty to keep the pool and kids safe, Never sat on a chair like most life guards on his phone never looking at the pool he was constantly up and about scanning the pool area and when he could he would play games with kids/guests and just a all round great guy and a absolute asset to the hotel, Thanks for making bobbi's holiday so special she really enjoyed playing games with you but overall we are so pleased that we actually had a life guard that cared for the welfare of the guests,

Just arrived back from this hotel and would definitely return. I was a little apprehensive after reading some reviews on here and the unofficial Facebook group.

Upon arrival we were checked in swiftly and as it was late (1am) there was sandwiches and bottles of water in the mini fridge. The room wasn’t the most modern that I have stayed in but it was clean, had plenty room and the beds were very comfortable. Our room overlooked the apartments pool and it was pretty quiet on a night assist from the hotel out the back which usually worsened down around 11ish.

The pool areas were fantastic! I’m an early riser and saw them getting cleaned every day. Yes, people did put towels down early but we always found a sun lounger no matter what time we went down. There life guards are fantastic lads, always friendly and interacted with the guests. The guy with the dark, mullet style hair was fantastic with one of the little girls around the pool who took a shine to him. The water park was great for being a freebie. Off you want something bigger with more variety, there’s a huge one at Ayia Napa.

We didn’t eat in for every meal but found no issues with the food at all. Breakfast could be a bit chaotic depending what time you went down but the staff were always busying themselves to make it run as smoothly as it could. We ate lunch about 5 times over the 2 weeks and that was always lovely. The other times we ate out, went to the snack bar or skipped it. The evening meal sheets had something for everyone, even my fussy eater child. Themed nights so not repetitive. Food was always being replenished so not standing going cold. The snack bar did things like chips, toasties, hotdogs and burgers (they also had mini magnum type ice cream). If you ordered when the snack bar opened after lunch at 3 there could be a bit of a wait but on the busiest day we only waited about 15 minutes. The food was cooked to order her so fresh and you can always have a seat and a drink while you wait. Angela at this bar is an absolute asset to the hotel, what a lovely lady!

The location was ideal for us. 2 minute walk to the beach where you can walk for miles either way. If you turn right you’ll get to the big beach and the road leading up to the strip at Protaras. It took us about an hour to walk to the far end and 20 mins to the end closest to us. You are a little out of the way but there’s shops, bars and beautiful beaches within a couple of minutes walk and I liked being able to step back out of the chaos a bit. The station pub is definitely worth a visit with their many tribute acts, kids play area and gorgeous cocktails.

The entertainment was your usual mini disco followed by bingo, karaoke, singers, parrot show, magicians, etc on the night. During the day they had darts, yoga, boccia, water polo, aquazumba, etc.

All of the staff were fantastic and really made our holiday. I was amazed by the manager - he really got stuck in amongst everything and I don’t think I seen him sit or stand still at all. He was always busy around the hotel, even helping at breakfast times and always making time to stop and chat to guests.

Thank you all for a great holiday.

If, like us, you’re used to holidaying in Turkey and staying in the big, fancy hotels, I’d say go to Tsokkos Gardens with realistic expectations.

This isn’t one of those huge, modern Turkish resorts. The hotel is definitely a little dated and the rooms are quite basic, but we actually had a really good holiday here and I think it’s important to look at the whole experience rather than comparing it directly to a Turkish 5-star.

🛏️ The room

Our room was basic but always kept clean. The beds had mattress toppers, which made them really comfortable, and the air conditioning was brilliant and kept the room lovely and cool.

Our bathroom was a wet room, which was probably the only downside. With four of us getting ready on an evening, the floor ended up absolutely soaked! 😂

🏊‍♀️ Pool area

The pool area was really good and probably one of my favourite things about the hotel.

If you’re travelling with children, it’s a great setup because you can sit around the pool and always keep an eye on them. They were never really out of sight, which made it much more relaxing.

The pool area was clean and the pool bar was okay. It served decent food when the main restaurant wasn’t open, so you could grab something before or after lunch.

The only downside was getting a sun lounger. If you came down after around 10am, you could really struggle to find one.

🍽️ Food

The restaurant was clean and the staff were always really polite and friendly.

The food was actually really nice and there was a very good choice for both adults and children. There were plenty of fresh salads, pasta, fruit and different hot dishes, and everything was regularly topped up.

One thing I really liked was that you weren’t left with the dregs at the bottom of a tray — food was constantly being replenished, so there was always plenty available.

For a family holiday, we thought the food was genuinely good.

📍 Location

This is probably the biggest thing to be aware of before booking.

The hotel isn’t right in the centre of Protaras. It’s around a 40-minute walk to Fig Tree Bay, which is close to the main strip with all the bars and restaurants.

However, don’t let the location put you off.

There are loads of bars and restaurants on the way, so you can easily stop for a drink or something to eat along the way.

A taxi into the main strip was around €12, and it was really easy to get one. The bus was only €2 each, so getting around was really simple.

There are also quite a few bars and restaurants around the hotel itself.

We went to Blue Spice, which was a lovely little bar/restaurant with a pool. We went there for breakfast a couple of times and the food was lovely.

We also went to The Station Pub, which is literally over the road. This was brilliant for families as it had an arcade and a bouncy castle for the kids, so they were entertained while we could sit and enjoy a drink.

⭐ Overall

If you’re used to the big, fancy hotels in Turkey, you need to remember that Tsokkos Gardens is more basic and a little dated. But it’s clean, the beds are comfortable, the air con is great, the pool is good, the food is genuinely nice and the staff are lovely.

For us, it was a really enjoyable family holiday and I think it’s good value if you go into it with the right expectations.

If you’re looking for a flashy, modern resort, this probably isn’t the one.

But if you want somewhere relaxed, family-friendly, with a good pool, decent food and plenty of places nearby, I’d definitely consider it. 🇨🇾❤️

Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️