jamesvillas.co.uk

EFROSONI II Coral Bay, Cyprus

First off, I should say that I have no connection with James Villas or the owner or anyone else connected with the holiday we took at this villa. So, having got that over with, here are some of the things you need to know about a holiday at this villa.

We stayed for a week in April. Of course, we knew the weather would not be hot, and so it proved, but we were blessed with five sunny and warm days, in which we were able to spend time by the pool, and also get out and about.

We hired a car, and I would say that, although it is strictly not absolutely necessary, it is recommended, and we would not have managed very well without one. The villa is about 15 to 20 minutes walk from the centre of Coral Bay, where most of the restaurants and night life is situated. It should be noted that there are three Tavernas within a five minute walk of the villa – more about that later.

The Villa itself – what can I say about it? Well, we had a wonderful week there, and there’s very little for anyone to be concerned about in deciding to stay there. It has four genuinely double bedrooms with wardrobes and storage, three of them have en suite facilities. One is on the ground floor, without en suite, three are on the first floor, and they all have en suite and their own balconies where you could sunbathe in privacy if you did not want to lie by the pool. The showers were good, and everything was in excellent decorative order. We think we were the first people to occupy the villa from new, everything looks new and unused. If you were buying this villa, it would be worth over half a million Euros, so it is a very high quality house.

This villa could easily cope with four couples and four hire cars. The driveway would take more than four cars, and the pool is a good size, with plenty of room to swim or sunbathe. There’s an outside table where meals could be taken when it’s hot, and there are attractive lights around and in the pool and on the driveway which give a certain romantic ambience to the property. (Sorry if I’m waxing lyrical here!).

The villa is in a rural setting, with fields all round, but you can faintly hear traffic on the road about half a mile away. I would say that this is a quiet area, and not near night life, loud tavernas or pubs, and is quite peaceful. During the day, all you’ll hear is the sound of the birds, skylarks, and the occasional call of a nearby peacock or cockerel. We loved the peaceful area and the privacy of the villa, and we would come back again – but when it’s a bit warmer.

We did not need to pay for the optional costs for air conditioning units, as the temperature was just right, but you should not that it costs 6 Euros a day for each bedroom and 10 Euros a day for the lounge area, which has two units to keep it cool. If you were a large family, this could add up to 34 Euros a day. Now if there are a few groups, that’s fine, but if it’s one family, this could add considerably to the cost of the holiday.

There’s a traditional Cypriot Barbeque outside, and plenty of cooking implements pots and pans etc. The kitchen is very well equipped, with cooker, oven, dishwasher and glasses plates etc. There is a large fridge and a smaller freezer that works well, and in the utility room there’s a washing machine and a separate sink for hand washing. There’s also an ironing board and iron.

In the lounge, there is satellite TV, and a DVD player. There were around three or four English stations, the rest being Arabic from Nilesat. The English satellite stations have Arabic subtitles, but let’s face it, we went to Cyprus for the sunshine the food and the people, and who wants to sit watching TV? We took a laptop and listened to our music files through fairly small speakers, but that was fine for us. If you have kids, you could take some of their favourite dvds from home and it could keep them amused if the weather was not nice. (Highly unlikely of course!)

There is no internet at the house, but in some areas, you can access free internet services, for example at Starbucks down in Paphos. Personally, I missed being able to access the internet, even if it was just for the weather forecast. Accessing the internet through mobile phones cost an arm and a leg, and is to be avoided at all costs.

We could recommend two of the restaurants nearby. There was the Stone House Taverna and Kosta’s Taverna. We could not recommend the Ampelonas Taverna, because it was too large and impersonal, more suited to weddings we think. We had good meals at both of the other two though. Beware – the Stone House only takes cash. Kosta’s takes credit cards okay. Kosta’s do a fantastic “Kleftico” dish. (Like a slow braised lamb shank).

The beach at Coral Bay is one of the best on the island. Sandy and with parasols and sun beds available to hire. It also has jet skiing, “crazy squab”, not for the faint hearted, and the inevitable banana boat ride. Also, for the more leisurely minded, there are canoes and pedaloes. All are properly supervised, and life jackets are provided.

If you are looking for night life, then Coral Bay has a selection of bars, and one night club. There are a good few restaurants in Coral Bay, and as with any resort, there are good ones and not so good ones. You just make your choice! You will probably go down into Paphos on occasion throughout your holiday, and the night life is more varied, and it’s a lot busier than Coral Bay. If you want some entertainment in Paphos, try Demokritos taverna in Paphos. The food is not great, but it’s worth going just for the entertainment. Aim to be sitting down to eat at 8.30pm.

Near Demokritos Taverna are plenty of lively night clubs, but you’ll need a dedicated sober driver to get you home!

In Coral Bay, we particularly enjoyed the food in the Corallo Taverna, and the staff were very friendly. Our meals were excellent, and at the next table, we saw what seemed to be an excellent Mze being served.

To summarise, we had a great time at the villa, it would be fantastic for a large family or a number of couples, and there’s enough room to spread out and not be too cramped. A car is recommended, and there’s plenty of parking in this peaceful and tranquil setting.