Pine Grove Villa, Northern Cyprus

My husband found Pine Grove Villa in North Cyprus independently on the Internet, so it wasn't anyone's recommendation.

We emailed a request about the villa availability and got a phone call within half an hour. The villa was available for the period we were looking at.

The accommodation is owned by a British couple and all of the arrangements were really easy. We paid a deposit in advance and the remaining amount 3 weeks before the holiday.

The owner was very helpful with organising airport transfers and generally very knowledgeable about the country and the area. He advised us to hire a car and he was right.

Although the villa is about 10 minutes from the nearest beach, you still need to go to the supermarket and to do any sightseeing.

The villa itself comprises a lounge, a dining room and a kitchen, a utility room and a toilet downstairs, and three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Two bedrooms have balconies with fantastic views. One of the bedrooms has an en suite. Everything was clean and tidy and furnished very tastefully. Almost all of the rooms had mosquito nets and air conditioning. The bathrooms had a supply of towels, shampoo, soap and shower gel.

The villa had everything really - TV, books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, a washing machine, an iron and an ironing board, a dish-washer, a fridge, a cooker, crockery, cutlery… The only little drawback was the state of the pans and frying pans. We love cooking so couldn't really do much with the pots provided. BUT… if you eat out every night or buy ready meals, this is not a problem. We couldn't go out all the time because we had a 16-month old child!

Outside there is a lovely spacious pool with parasols, sun loungers and mattresses. Around are beautiful gardens. A real treat. There is also a lovely table and chairs for eating el fresco.

Any pictures you take, you can immediately email to your friends as there is a wireless Internet connection.

The villa was a great find and we started recommending it to others.

The web address is http://www.pinegrovevilla.com/ and you can even watch a video online!