There are many positives to this hotel, the friendly staff*, the nice pool area, the style of the rooms, all of which are certainly 4star, but maybe not 5 star...

(*When I say friendly staff, I am referring to the waiting staff in the restaurant, the reception staff were not really friendly at all)

However, what they don't tell you on their website is where the disappointment lies.
We had booked full board in a "mini suite" as a treat and for a totally relaxing holiday. A suite, to me anyhow, constitutes more than just a larger room, there should be a separate part. What we got was a large room, with a sofabed, desk and small table with a couple of chairs.

But the most disappointing aspect was the food... Although there are four restaurants, due to low season, only one was open at any time, which meant that there was no choice for us. Another real disappointment was that each night was a themed buffet and we were not allowed to choose off the ala carte menu (because we were full board). The food that we could see being served from the ala carte, looked far superior to what was available on the buffet. Also despite being full board, no drinks were included. Not even water. Alcoholic drinks were perfectly understandable, but not even water - which it was stated by the hotel that the tap water was unsafe, so we had to purchase bottled water.
There is no explanation on the hotel website of what is included in full or half board.
A final disappointment was the setting, the hotel grounds themselves were very nice, everything well maintained and it was enjoyable to be there when it was not crowded. However, the beach is little more than a mud strip, the view for half of the hotel rooms (including ours) was of an identical 6+ storey hotel not more than 20 metres away. There were 3 identical buildings together which seem to be all owned by the same group, but with I guess different standards. Our terrace which was meant to be a bonus of choosing a mini suite, was overlooked by at least 100 balconies from the hotel next door.

The beds are very hard (uncomfortably so), the wifi is not free, the room cleaning was ok but not much attention to detail.

All in all we had a nice holiday, we wanted a quiet time in the sun, just relaxing, but I couldnt imagine returning or recommending it.

i had my wedding at 20 / 10 at golden bay hotel. Everything was perfect ,the food, the atmosphere, the staff ,good organized ,i really enjoy my wedding and the cooperation with the staff. The f&b manager of the hotel was very helpful and professional .He made me feel comfortable for our special day. I recommend it 100% .

We have stayed here before and live on the island. We had stayed in a suite last time and it really was fantastic but as I had to pay for other family members, had to stay in regular rooms this time.

The staff here are fantastic, polite, helpful and nothing too much trouble at all, a credit to the hotel. The pool, bar and restaurant areas are beautiful and very well maintained, great staff. We only experienced breakfast and it was great with many many choices to choose from and very well presented; staff very efficient and friendly.

However we were disappointed with our rooms, we are sad to say they are not of 5 star standard. The decor was rather plain and dark ( but clean) and some of the furniture a little marked and chipped. The bathrooms were indeed in need of some updating and TLC please.

I feel rather sorry to have to write about the rooms as the staff and other areas are fantastic so if the regular rooms were given some attention what a place it would continue to be!

We ran a 2-day conference at the Golden Bay at the beginning of October during the Cyprus presidency of the EU, involving 100 people from 28 different countries, all arriving at different times, speaking different languages, etc. The hotel staff managed admirably, every last-minute request was met with a smile, nothing was too much trouble. Our team didn't have much time to make the most of the lovely pool and beach, but the service during the conference - water, coffee breaks, lunches - was faultless. For our last evening group dinner they threw in live music and dancers free of charge, and it turned into quite a party. The waiting staff were pleasant and efficient, the reception staff were attentive and responsive, and the front office manager was never far away if we needed him. The interior decor and rooms were a bit spartan and could benefit from some artworks and flowers but generally one of the best hotels I have worked with for international conferences.