France is making noise about banning adults-only hotels, but here, Mel Evans argues that child-free resorts are not only attractive — they’re essential.
No screams at dinner, no cannonballs in the pool, no 5am sunbed wars. This is the reality of staying in a child-free hotel, and you’ll need to drag me kicking and screaming (like a child) away from them.
There is one crucial element at play here, and that is that I do not have children. Otherwise, I, too, would be mingling among the babies, toddlers and teens at the breakfast buffet like every parent on a family holiday.
In reality, I find myself sans-sprog and I have no qualms about choosing to enjoy my annual leave in the confines of an adults-only hotel after I recently stayed in one for the first time.
In fact, after spending one blissful week at the Constantinou Bros Asimina Suites in Cyprus this summer, I’ve concluded that if you, too, find yourself without kids, why on earth are you holidaying any other way?
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Children are cute, sure, but staying at a five-star adults-only hotel where every guest has a suite showed me what stress-free holidaying *should* be.
There are luxuriously long dinners and strolls to the buffet, free from the worry of tripping over a rogue toddler while balancing a piled-high plate.
There are no 6am wake-up calls or mad dashes to lay claim to a family-sized collection of sun loungers.
There are poolside margaritas, and no fear of splashes.
While the delighted squeals of children may sound like sweet birdsong to some, to me, it may as well be a banshee in the neighbouring hammock.
The French, it seems, disagree.
France’s former families minister Laurence Rossignol has proposed a bill that would make it illegal to ban children from venues, based on the claim that it is discriminatory to little ones.
Rossignol was quoted by The Guardian as saying: ‘We can’t organise society by separating children off from ourselves in the same way some establishments don’t take dogs.’
Should child-free hotels be banned?
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Yes
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No
Child-free spaces, according to Rossignol, amount to ‘organising society around people’s intolerance of others’ and ‘allow people to say, “I don’t like children and I don’t want to see them”…And that is not acceptable, because to not like children is to not like humanity itself.’
A bit brash, Rossignol. I can like children and still enjoy not being around them while I read trashy romcoms and sip strawberry daiquiris in peace.
Still, the move was supported by Sarah El Haïry, France’s High Commissioner for Childhood, who called for parents to vote for their favourite child-friendly destinations. This aims to ‘put children back at the heart of public space’ amid a ‘new no-kids trend’.
Look, I like my peace, and if that means choosing a hotel that only allows those over the age of 16, then shut up and take my money. I’ll gladly leave Disneyland for the kids.
Don’t just take it from me, though. When we asked Metro readers for their thoughts on Rossignol’s proposal, the response was overwhelmingly in favour of adults-only hotels.
Some were grinchy, sour people like me, but many were parents who – brace yourself – might want a holiday away from their kids, every now and then.
To me, the point of a holiday is to destress and decompress in a place where I can hear myself think.
At Asimina Suites, I awoke to serenity and stillness from my room that overlooked the pool; a delectable basin of warmed freshwater, dotted with only a few (adult) bodies who’d opted for an early morning dip.
And, despite the hotel being at full capacity, I had plenty of room to frolic without copping so much as an elbow to the head.
Leaving the cushy confines of the resort grounds felt like wandering into another realm, as the hum of doof doof DJs at 10am and the raucous sound of rugrats running around other hotel pools filled the air.
If that’s your bag, I salute you, but it wasn’t long before I was yearning for the comfort of our child-free haven where we had our pick of seafront sunbeds (or a hammock, if you choose – or a private bungalow…or a private pool if your suite came with one), as well as the quiet enjoyment of dining in the on-site a la carte Kymata restaurant without toy cars ramming my ankles or a kid chasing birds into my table. It’s the little things.
In fact, it truly was the finer details of our stay that made it most memorable. Moments that, frankly, I don’t think I’d experience in a family-friendly resort.
VIP check-in with champagne and canapes. Yoga sessions on the seafront and well-tended gardens untrampled by tiny feet.
And the food. Top-notch noshery that included a sushi buffet for dinner alongside traditional Cypriot fare, and breakfast plates piled high with pastries such as Greek bougatsa, Mediterranean cheeses and any variety of cooked egg you could imagine. Plus my personal favourite: a Buck’s Fizz station featuring a loaded tub of prosecco bottles and juices to mix.
The hotel caters exclusively to adults seeking tranquillity and calm (me and me), and without the need for family-sized spaces, each room is a suite, providing a level of attainable luxury so many of us dream.
There are double basins and rainfall showers, superking beds and turndown service, plus private balconies and espresso machines.
I’ll argue for maintaining a sacred place for child-free spaces any day, and this hotel may be the apex of peaceful paradise in Pafos.
Hey, while we’re at it, what about child-free flights? Restaurants? Tube carriages? Rossignol, you know where to find me.
Asimina Suites: the details
Constantinou Bros Asimina Suites sits on the largest beach in Pafos, with four restaurants on site (three being a la carte), two adjoining freshwater pools, a gym, tennis court, sauna, steam room and several bars for a post-buffet nightcap.
Speaking with Constantinos Bros General Manager, Aristos Diomedous, over a Monkey 47 gin in one of the hotel’s bars, he explained how every elegant touch was thought of when the hotel group closed the hotel for two years, reopening in 2010 as a fully-refurbished five-star offering.
Now, each of the site’s 111 rooms are suites, with my One Bedroom Suite sporting a deluxe marble bathroom including a separate bathtub and twin wash basins, a fruit basket awaiting on check-in, comfy Simmons mattress and superking bed, and a separate living area.
Should you want to go uber luxe, you can opt for one of the 12 Executive Suites, which each come with a private pool to turn up the charm. Guests can opt for half board, full board, or deluxe package options if the all-inclusive vibe lures you, too.
Should you drag yourself away from your private splash, each night sees live music in the restaurants and bars, with complimentary gin tastings and cocktail-making classes in the day.
The details:
- 15km from Pafos Airport
- 140km from Larnaca Airport
- 2km from resort centre
- 3km from Pafos fishing harbour and key architectural sites
- 500 metres to the nearest bars and restaurants
Tui, Jet2, EasyJet, Ryanair and British Airways all fly direct from the UK to Pafos.
Seven nights at Constantinou Bros Asimina Suites in a Junior Suite on B&B from £1,485 for 2 adults with Jet2 flights from Stansted including 22kgs luggage and transfers.
To Book call 01924 380160 or visit www.constanttravel.com
