Olympic swimming legend Rebecca Adlington has enjoyed a family holiday in Cyprus alongside her husband Andrew Parsons, five-year-old son Albie, and baby daughter Thea.
The 37-year-old former athlete stayed at the five-star Amathus Beach Hotel, located near the city of Limassol on the island's southern coast, just over five months after giving birth to Thea.
The trip marked the first holiday for baby Thea, who was gently introduced to the water by her mother in the private pool of their ground floor suite.
The luxury beachside resort features three outdoor pools set within tropical gardens, including a dedicated family pool with water slides and an inflatable water course out on the sea waves.
Amathus Beach Hotel stay in Limassol
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Adlington explained that Cyprus holds long-standing personal significance following her previous athletic training camps on the island.
"Cyprus has always been a special place for me since my Olympic training camp days there, so it meant a lot to return with Andrew, Albie and Thea this time," she said.
"The island is just as stunning as I remembered it! Our room completely blew us away too. We don't travel light with kids, so having so much extra space made such a difference," Adlington added.
Their ground floor suite included a private garden with sea views, alongside family touches such as a luxury coffee machine, and small dressing gowns and slippers for Albie.
Adlington noted that Albie enjoyed eating pancakes every morning before heading straight to the pool, while her husband spent time jumping off the pier and playing on the inflatables.
"We were all so incredibly well looked after by the friendliest staff team. This was just a brilliant base for a family trip," she said.
Rooms at the resort start at £375 per night, with facilities including direct beach access, a range of restaurants, an award-winning spa, and a Kids' Club.
Nick Aristou, commercial director of the Amathus Beach Hotel, said: "It was a real honour to welcome Becky and her family back to Cyprus to relax not train this time! Hosting an Olympic champion was really special for the team, and our beachfront location and range of pools make us a natural choice for families with children of different ages. We loved having them stay with us."
Olympic career and past holidays
Adlington is Britain's most successful female swimmer, having won two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics at age 19, followed by two bronze medals at the London 2012 Games.
Her connection to Cyprus began at age 15 when she was invited to a Great Britain holding camp ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics, before returning to train on the island with the Team GB squad in 2008.
After training with the British squad in 2004, Adlington joined her parents and two older sisters on a family holiday in Rhodes while the Olympic Games took place on the mainland.
"My mum and dad kept telling me off because I was just in the room the whole time watching the Olympics," Adlington said. "I was 15, I was really into the sport, I had just met the Olympic team and I felt like I really wanted to cheer on my friends."
Now working as a television commentator and pundit while running her own children's swimming programme, Adlington previously noted that her competitive career left little time for traditional vacations.
Following a 2016 break at a resort in Antigua that featured six swimming pools, she told the Daily Mail: "When I was in training as an Olympic swimmer, holidays were difficult to arrange. I travelled a lot, but like many people in sport I usually saw nothing more than an airport, a hotel and a swimming pool."
Family life and journey to daughter Thea
Adlington is also mother to an 11-year-old daughter, Summer, from her previous marriage to fellow swimmer Harry Needs.
The birth of daughter Thea came after Adlington and Parsons experienced two pregnancy losses over a three-year period.
In 2022, Adlington suffered a miscarriage at 12 weeks that required emergency surgery and resulted in her hospitalisation with sepsis.
The following year, the couple learned during a 20-week scan that their baby daughter, whom they named Harper, had died in the womb, requiring Adlington to be induced two days later.
Announcing Thea's birth on February 28, Adlington said: "What a rollercoaster this whole experience has been. Three years, two miscarriages, 39 weeks carrying our magical rainbow girl, and 87 hours in hospital."
Sharing photographs of Thea cradled by her older siblings, Adlington added: "Our family is complete."
