The following information is designed
to help you choose the right holiday and answer as many questions
as possible, based on our experience of arranging villa holidays.
Whilst there is lots of information here, you'll find it invaluable
in planning the perfect holiday. If you read nothing else, we urge
you to read the Travel Advice & Safety section below as well as
our Terms & Conditions.
Who are Hestia?
Choosing your villa
Holiday prices
Paying for your
holiday
Star ratings
Reps
Villa book
Villa arrival and departure
times
Travel Advice and Safety
Building
work
Facilities at your villa
Swimming
pools and beaches
Access to your villa
Privacy
Insects, pests and animals
Water
The weather
Festivals
Who
are Hestia?
Hestia Holidays are specialists in privately owned Villa and apartment
accommodation in Cyprus.
You can easily search for a wide range of Holiday Homes on the island
including Family Villas, Panoramic Mountain Homes, Romantic Hideaways
and Golfing holidays in the sun.
Booking through Hestia Holidays means you'll receive local advice
and low cost vacation homes and villas on this beautiful island.
Choosing your villa
As your home from home for a week or more, it goes without saying
that the villa is the essential ingredient for your holiday. Location
is key, as well as the facilities available. If you require help
in selecting your holiday accommodation please contact us and we will
be pleased to discuss your requirements.
Holiday prices
Holiday prices shown on the website are quoted in sterling, per villa, NOT per person. The rates include air conditioning at no extra charge (unless stated otherwise) and include cleaning
before and after your stay. If your booking is for 2 weeks, the accommodation will be cleaned automatically after 7 days, so during your stay at no extra charge.
We can arrange an optional "mid-week"
clean at a reasonable rate, so the property would be cleaned every 3 - 4 days if desired, please contact us for further details.
Paying for your holiday
You can pay for your holiday by cheque, bank transfer or credit or debit card.
A deposit of 30% is required at the time of booking with the balance payable 10 weeks before the arrival date. If under 10 weeks at the time of booking, payment is required
in full.
Star ratings
Our unofficial classification of villas star ratings are not necessarily
comparable between destinations, but we hope they will help you
choose.
5 star: exceptionally comfortable for a holiday home, with excellent
facilities
4 star: great location, good facilities and an improved level of
comfort
3 star: comfortable accommodation with an improved ratio of bathrooms
to bedrooms
2 star: simple, but practical, offering excellent value
Reps
Our representatives will be available in the event that you have
a problem in your villa. An emergency contact number will be supplied
to you before you travel. Daily rep service is not included.
Villa book
Each property should have a book containing practical information about
facilities at your accommodation and what to do if things go wrong. It should also
contain useful information about the destination you are visiting.
Villa arrival and departure times
You will be allowed into the villa after 4pm on arrival day, you
should leave the villa no later than 10am on departure day, giving
us sufficient time to prepare the villa. If you arrive earlier then
you may have to wait for the preparation of your villa to be completed.
Travel Advice and Safety
Whilst the majority of clients enjoy a trouble-free holiday, we've
identified some of the potential problem areas here to help you
plan your holiday and avoid any nasty surprises!
Safety matters;
Health and safety standards in foreign countries will differ from
those that we are used to, and take for granted at home, but these
may not match UK standards - which are among the highest in the
world. We would ask you to consider the following areas of safety
when choosing your holiday.
Most of our properties are privately owned and are designed to
the specification of the owner. Houses with steep and unguarded
staircases or steps (sometimes without handrails), ornate balconies
or ponds, or houses with steep drives or drops may not be well-suited
to a party with young or less mobile guests. Points you should consider:
- Balconies and other steep drops, protected by railings or other
barriers, which may encourage small children to climb or squeeze
through.
- Roof terraces often have low walls.
- Glass doors, windows and fly screens may be difficult to see in bright
sunlight.
- Granite, Marble and Tiled floors, which may be slippery when feet are wet or wearing socks.
- Un gated swimming pools or villas where rooms open directly onto
pool areas.
We constantly work to improve safety standards by taking advice
from appropriate organisations within the UK but should you be concerned
about any health or safety issue while on holiday.
Building Works
Many resorts are still developing and building work or roadwork's
may sometimes take place. Often starting with little or no warning,
they may be intermittent in nature. Occasionally we are unaware
of building work until it actually commences. However, we will attempt
to offer alternative accommodation where available.
Facilities at your villa
Where we state a villa has a TV this may mean satellite or sometimes
cable. However, this will often only give access to 'free' channels
(such as CNN and Euro sport). We cannot guarantee access to other
channels.
Where advertised, tennis/table tennis courts are there to provide
enjoyment and are suitable for a friendly 'knock about'. Don't expect
them to be championship standard! We recommend that you take rackets
and balls with you.
Barbecues may be gas or charcoal. However please be aware that cleaning
of Barbecues is the responsibility of the holiday maker and a charge
may be applied (normally £10) should a barbecue be left uncleaned.
Please be aware that the risk of stray golf balls entering the gardens
of villas near golf courses is unavoidable.
Please also bear in mind that villas might not have their own telephone
or be within walking distance of a public phone.
Swimming pools and beaches
Pool sizes are given with every villa description, based on maximum
measurements in irregular shaped pools. Please note some pools do
not have a shallow end.
Swimming pools that can be heated take time to warm up (2-3 days).
Please advise us at the time of booking if required. Heating charges,
if not included, are payable either locally or prior to departure.
Pools may be filled with fresh water or seawater and when water
supplies run low, fresh water may be infiltrated by salt water.
Please note that pool towels are not provided.
Where we advertise the distance to the nearest beach, please remember
that beaches aren't always sandy, but may be rocky or of local stone.
Access to your villa
Access roads to villas can vary considerably. Some may be well-maintained
while others, even in residential areas, may be rough, bumpy and
sometimes steep. You may also find that taxis refuse to go to out
of the way properties.
Privacy
Tending property gardens, cleaning pools or carrying out other odd
jobs may be necessary by Hestia Holidays, their representatives or a third party authorised by the property owner
during your stay.
Insects, pests and animals
It is a fact of life that insects thrive in hot countries and will
be attracted to pools in hot weather. For ants - powder deters them,
for mosquitoes and wasps - sprays/repellent is needed. Spiders and
dust quickly reappear after cleaning. Food should be covered up
to deter stray rodents, pine martens, etc (especially in rural areas).
Local dogs may sometimes be heard barking and are often allowed
to roam free. Sometimes cats or other animals attach themselves
to a villa. If close to farmland, cockerels and other farm animals
may be heard!
Water
Water shortages and pressure reductions may occur, and supplies
may be cut off without notice for short or long periods. Reserve
supplies can be difficult to obtain, particularly during July and
August. As water runs short or pressure reduces, water often tastes
salty or appears discoloured. Tap water is only considered safe
to drink in some areas.
The Weather
Our villas are located in areas where the weather is generally good
throughout the summer, with low average rainfall. Buildings are
designed/furnished to be comfortable in hot temperatures, and may
not be as well suited to wet and/or cold periods as north European
houses. Humidity can be a particular problem in countries where
temperatures are usually high. In very wet periods, villas may give
the appearance of being damp. However, as soon as the weather reverts
to normal, and houses can be aired, any sign of dampness will quickly
disappear.
Festivals
Lively and animated celebrations can take place throughout the year
and are often accompanied with firework displays, church bells and
music. Villages are decorated with banners and lights, food stalls
line the streets and in some cases shops and banks etc, may close.
Hestia News
Latest news and interesting articles all about Cyprus; We hope to offer you a great information source for many issues, events and attractions. ..
Regularly updated with new articles, you can subscribe to receive all updates by email. Click here to visit Hestia News
Free Holiday Photos
Order your holiday photos online, please use the link below and get 50 FREE PRINTS, dispatched the same day. Supplied by Photobox, Europe's leading online digital photo service with more than 5 million members - simple upload your photos and order from their great selection of products and prints available.
|
