Gabriella

Coral Bay has nice bars and restaurants, and the local Sea Caves are well worth a visit. It’s about a 25-minute walk there, including a steep dirt path down to the sea, or around five minutes by car with free parking. The villa itself sits in a banana plantation, so the area is wonderfully quiet, apart from the quads passing by briefly about twice a day. There are a few nearby villas, though a new one is being built that will overlook this villa and a small part of the pool by the steps. Most of the pool will still be out of view. There are lovely sea views from the villa, especially from the upper balcony. You’ll want a car. The villa is away from Coral Bay and the supermarket, and even the bins and bus stop are a 15-minute walk away. In the summer heat, that can feel like a lot. We didn’t hire one at first, but after two days we rented locally in Coral Bay. Check my profile for that company’s review, they were brilliant and much cheaper than the big firms. A taxi is about €55 each way from the airport, €22 each way from Coral Bay, or €20 each way to the supermarket. phillipos offers a free return trip in one of their cars after you shop. There’s plenty of room inside. All four bedrooms are spacious and have air conditioning, and the lounge unit keeps the open downstairs area cool. The villa is well equipped, although the kitchen looks dated and the place could use some updating. That’s us being picky, really. There’s also a nice barbecue area to use in the early evening sun. The garden is well kept and adds to the relaxed feel. The pool is a good size, with plenty of room around it, though it isn’t the biggest and could do with a refurb. It was still more than adequate and welcome in the summer heat. The maintenance team cleaned it twice a week. The guy was friendly and helpful, and it looked great after he’d finished. Palm trees at one end drop debris into and around the water, so it needs a quick skim with the net fairly often, but it wasn’t a real problem. One thing to know: the villa uses a hotel-style electricity card. When you go out, everything switches off except the fridge freezer and the light by the front door. It stayed fairly cool while we were out in the evening, but remember to turn the air conditioning back on when you restore the power. One bedroom unit didn’t restart by itself. We also had an issue with the air conditioning in the main upstairs bedroom. The maintenance team replaced the whole unit within three days. We had enough space to sleep in the kids’ rooms in the meantime, so it wasn’t much of an issue for us. There were a few local power cuts, mostly at night, lasting 5-10 minutes. They were due to the local supply, not the villa. We all had a great time in Cyprus. People were friendly and welcoming, the plugs are UK-style three-pin, and they drive on the same side as us Brits. The villa is peaceful and has lovely views, and the pool and gardens made it a relaxing place to stay.