We have just come back from a xmas holiday where we stayed at the St Rahael Resort. It was fantastic the food, location, staff and facilities. We went all inclusive and well worth the money. In regards to the food, i am a vegetarian and the chefs catered for my need very well. The entertainment for xmas was very good and the staff were very friendly. I would recommend this hotel to anyone and i am thinking about going back there next xmas.

Just come back from a weeks holiday at the Raphael. My husband and I + 2 kids (10 +7). Our first time back to cyprus for 12 years having visited limassol a couple of times before we decided to go for a nice 4/5 star hotel.

We had a large family room on the 4th floor facing the road. Some noise but nothing major. Maids come every day and are very helpful and friendly as is all the staff in the hotel.

Weather was fantastic. We are beach people more than pool loungers so we were delighted with the beach and the watersports that were available right beside it. Pool areas are clean and tidy with plenty of sunbeds.

Food - there are 3 restaurants - we did not try the lebonese but we tried the italian which was ok but mainly stayed with the Palladium. The food was generally good and we felt there was plenty of choice but i must point out that we are not fussy eaters. Everything was cooked properly - my only slight disappointment was the lack of choice for children as i have a fussy 7 yr old!

The town of limassol has changed alot in 12 years in fact it was hard to recognise. Its never been pretty so we were not surprised with what we saw. But this holiday was about finding a nice hotel with a good beach and going all inclusive so we could thoroughly relax. This definitely was acheived.

We do agree that it may be does not reach a 5 star status but a good 4 star.

Just a couple of points - be advised that russians/eastern european holiday makers occupy 60-75% of the hotel.

Kids club could have been more entertaining.

Overall we had a lovely holiday and would recommend the hotel.

Hope this has been informative for you.

The Hotel, well fantastic, I travelled with My WIfe, Son, Two Friends and there two children. After a 45 min transfer check in was slick and the porters quick to get the bags to our rooms.

The Rooms were on the sixth floor, via the glass lifts! They were clean and had all the mod cons listed in the brochures, Internet, Flat screen tv, coffee and tea making facilities, Safe and Mini Bar.

We wer lucky to get a sea view, but our friends had a slightly bigger room! (Well they had one extra Bod!!)

After the first night we changed rooms, so we could be inter connecting! This allowed the kids to cause mayhem and Chaos from 7am!!

The Holiday was about having fun, watersports and the kids! It was all there. October was the perfect time to go, it was quiet enough by the pool and on the beach, but all activities were still available. This allowed the boys to do the Adrenalin stuff! Which included, Fly fishing! See Pic!, Jet Skiing, Parasailing and much much more. (Not Inclusive but well priced!!)

For the kids, Play group, 2 Parks, two pools and a waterslide!

For the ladies, a fantastic Spa!

So all good!!

The Food..........lots of choice, but as with any all inclusive, can get repetetive! But we had Lebanese twice, Italian, and the other nights from the Med Buffet!

Breakfast was fab, with Bucks fizz available if you could face it!!

Lunch wise you had 3 choices, by the sea, by the pool, or in the main restaurant! - Again all good!!

Bar wise, a pool bar(in the pool) a bar by the other pool 20yards away! and the Main Bar 'The Captains Bar'!!

Unlike most all inclusives you don't wear a wrist band, so you sign for everything! Check the bar tariff as not everything is included! We realised this quickly! but there was more than enough! Cocktails galore, Champagne, Wine and Beers are all in!! its thinks like XO Brandy and Port (Jim Liked his port!) that you pay for!!

So overall, Fantastic the whole hotel staff were polite, the watersports team were friendly and mainly british!!

Would I go back?? Sure would!!!!

My husband and I have just returned from a week at this hotel and although we had a plesant stay, the food leaves a lot to be desired from a 5* hotel.
The meals were buffet style and although there was plenty of choice it seemed the dishes were mis-matched and did not complement each other. All of the meat served at the Carvery (which we renamed the Chunkery) were very overcooked and dry to the bone, which is why they couldn't carve the meat and had to lever chunks of it away.
We tried the Octagon (Italian) restaurant,which also doubled up as the breakfast and lunch dining hall. The food was laughable and certainly not Italian. We figured that it wouldn't make any difference what restaurant we ate in as all the food was cooked the same way!. At breakfast for example there was hot food but they did not cook eggs to order, they had a 'chef' frying and poaching eggs which then sat in containers for what could be 1 hour. There are lots of stray cats that roam the hotel grounds and restaurants, which doesn't bode well for hygiene reasons.
Our room was ok, we had a front marina view, but the hotel is dated (apart from the new wing) and could benefit from a total overhaul. The rooms and hotel were kept clean by very friendly chambermaids.
The hotel has two pools and while we were there it was very peaceful around the pool, with plenty of sunbeds available.
Entertainment was quite dire, an outside disco most evenings which played the same music everytime.
There was only two english channels on the bedroom t.v, one being Sky News the other BBC World.
We stayed on an all inclusive basis, but there are restrictions as far as drinks available, some cocktails but not all, some coffees but not all. Weird!!
Would not go back to this hotel, despite the friendly staff, it is too far from the main resort of Limassol and there are only a couple of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.