GUEST INFORMATION
A BIG WARM WELCOME TO OUR VILLA…
Your Welcome Guide
Welcome to Villa Maria! This guide contains all of the essential information you need for a smooth, relaxing and enjoyable stay. Inside you'll find details about the villa itself, our house rules, the local area, restaurant recommendations, and more!
We hope you have an amazing stay!
For any problems during your stay, please use the following numbers:
Local Agent: Stacey - +357 xxxx
Owner (Escalations Only): Lisa – +357 xxxx
If you notice anything wrong, please let us know and we will be pleased to address it. We always strive for a 5-star review and, as such, welcome the opportunity to address any problems as they come up so that you can have a 5-star stay!
House Rules
• Please respect the neighbours by keeping noise to a minimum, especially after 11pm.
• Use air conditioning responsibly — ensure windows and doors are closed whilst it’s running.
• Do not leave the BBQ unattended and clean it after each use.
• Pool safety first: no diving, no running around the poolside, and supervise children at all times.
• Only plastic glasses may be taken into the pool and around the pool area.
• Dispose of rubbish regularly to avoid pests. The main bins are situated at the entrance to the villa complex beside the main road and are marked “Astra Villas”.
• Keep doors and windows locked when leaving the property.
• If the wind picks up strongly please take down the parasols as they can often be ‘taken’ by high winds causing damage to property and risk to individuals.
• No smoking or vaping inside the property
Villa Amenities
Access
There is no access to and from the villa from the side of the property parallel to the main road. Both the perimeter side gate and interior side gate remain locked permanently for security reasons.
Alarm System
The alarm system is not active for your stay and should not be used or interfered with please.
Please do not unplug the ‘Yale Alarm Router’ or make any adjustments.
Air Conditioning
Each air conditioning unit has a handheld unit in a holder within the same room. Instructions are available within this pack. Please switch them off when not in use or when leaving the property unattended.
PLEASE ENSURE WHEN ANY AIR CONDITIONING UNIT IS ACTIVE THAT ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS ARE CLOSED. EXCESSIVE ENERGY CONSUMPTION UNFORTUNATELY HAS TO BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR DEPOSIT GIVEN THE HIGH COSTS OF ENERGY AND IS MONITIRED VIA A SMART METER.
Feel free to use the air conditioning for your ultimate comfort in any and all rooms if all doors and windows remain closed, thank you we appreciate your support in this matter.
The air conditioning is also twice as effective if blinds remain closed during the day as these blinds reflect heat back outside of the property. Do not keep the blinds closed if doors or windows are open though as this will damage them.
Appliances
Instructions for each appliance are available in this welcome folder.
Beds
In bedrooms 2 and 3, whilst the single beds can be pushed together or apart, the drawers underneath and their wheels will get damaged if not removed first.
The sofa in the lounge is a sofa-bed. To use this, pull upwards and outwards. The bedding for this is located in the footstool unit adjacent to the sofa.
BBQ & Pizza Oven
A gas barbeque is provided for your use. Please clean this and the grills after each use and at the end of your stay ready for our next guests (our agents do not clean the barbeque).
A pizza oven is provided for your use. It is very worthwhile watching ‘YouTube videos’ as to how to use these effectively to avoid burning your pizzas as the heat is very intense and cooking is much quicker. Please clean this after each use.
Both of the above are supplied by gas (orange gas bottles). We do not supply the gas free of charge and kindly ask that, if you use this up, then replace the gas bottles accordingly. If you walk or drive up to the convenience store on the same side of the road, up towards Pernera past the Maris Grand Hotel, then a gas bottle can be swapped for another at a much lower cost than buying a new bottle alone.
Please take care when swapping gas over.
CCTV
CCTV Cameras are installed on the outside of the property and in the internal kitchen area above the cupboards. For your privacy these cameras are NOT active during your stay and are only live when the villa alarm system is active when the villa is not occupied and/or out of season.
Coffee Machine
The coffee machine takes Tassimo capsules.
The plastic plate is inserted instead of a capsule when the machine needs to be cleaned. Use this when the water is filled at the back and place a cup underneath. Run the machine and then discard the water. Then the machine is clean and good to go with a sachet. Store the plastic plate safely in the cutlery drawer.
Cots & Highchairs
Xxxxx
xxxxx
Dishwasher
Please replace the dishwasher rinse aid and any tablets used for the convenience of our next guests.
The best setting is to use: xxxxxxxxxxx
Please do not use the dishwasher to clean pots, pans, blender jug or the BBQ grills as it is not effective and can damage these items.
Food blender
Please handwash the jug from the blender after use as opposed to using the dishwasher.
Fridge/Freezer
A fridge/freezer is provided. Please leave this on at all times, keep the doors closed and leave the temperature settings as they appear.
Furniture
The indoor furniture is fabric-based for your comfort. As such please cover the furniture with towels should you use the indoor furniture when you are wet or when covered in sun cream, oils etc. This keeps it in superb condition for future guests.
Garden
The trees and plants in the garden are operated by a timed irrigation system, please do not interfere with these or remove them from the taps as the plants will die. Damage and repairs/re-installation of the equipment or to the plants is chargeable.
Heating Inside The Villa
Heating is available via the air‑conditioning units during the cooler months and a mobile electric heater is provided downstairs.
Immersion Heater
The immersion heater must not be used between 1st June and 31st October and is purely suitable for the winter periods where there is too much cloud cover for the solar system to work. Running them together can damage the equipment.
The immersion heater switch is on the landing. Please ensure that this is OFF at all times.
If it is required in the winter, please use it for a limited time before switching it off again. Excessive electricity costs are chargeable due to the extremely high energy prices that remain in Cyprus.
Keys
The key to the front door is available in the key box on the pillar adjacent to the front door. Please take care of this key as surcharges apply if the key is lost or damaged.
The keys to the side door and upstairs balcony are left in these doors and should remain in the villa at all times.
The vehicle gate is a SLIDING GATE. The key to this is in the kitchen, in the pot, should you wish to open the drive for a hired vehicle. PLEASE LOCK THIS VEHICLE GATE AND RETURN THE KEY TO THE KITCHEN PRIOR TO VACATING THE VILLA ON DEPARTURE.
It is best that the vehicle gate remains closed and access through the pedestrian gate. Cars and rental quads, buggies & scooters can be parked outside of the property.
Location
We do know that if you are reading this then you know where the villa is! 😊. However if you need to inform others, like Taxi Drivers or Delivery Drivers then here are the details:
Google Maps: If you search “Villa Maria Protaras” you will find us (it shows the address below). This pin can then be shared with others.
What3Words: hankies.unwind.orders
Directions: We are on the main “Protaras to Kavo Gkreko” [that is: Protaras to Cape Gkreko] road. We are just opposite and a bit further along from “Nick’s bottle shop”.
If driving towards Protaras from Pernera we are just past the Maris Grand Waterpark Resort Hotel which is on your left. We are the villa just past the hotel, on the left, on the corner of the access road.
Postal address:
LEOFOROS PROTARA-KAVO GKREKO 311, VILLA MARIA, ASTRA VILLA NO.1, PROTARAS 5296, CYPRUS. Tel:+357 23 721 835
Microwave
The microwave is operated by xxxxxxxxxx
Motorbike
The owner’s motorbike is chained up in the garage area, please do not touch this.
Noise Policy
Protaras is a lively resort and, as such, noise is to be expected. Please respect our neighbours as you would normally respect yours at home.
The adjacent hotel has entertainment each night and this is clearly heard from the villa. This tends to conclude by 11pm. Furthermore, as advertised in the villa’s description, the main road is also noisy and busy in the peak periods.
As such, unlike other villas in the area, all bedrooms at Villa Maria are equipped with quadruple glazing and high-quality internal doors for your comfort.
By closing the internal doors (and the bathroom doors) at night the noise is significantly mitigated and should cause no issues whatsoever.
For ultra-light sleepers we can provide complimentary ear plugs.
Outside Lighting
The outside lighting uses solar power which charges the units during the day, the lights come on automatically at dusk.
Additional powered lighting is available at the front and rear using the light switches inside, beside the front and back patio doors.
Oven & Hob
The oven is electric and the hob is an INDUCTION hob. Pots and pans in the villa are suitable for use but others brough from outside may not be.
TIPS: xxxxxxx
Parasols
The parasols are secured using sturdy bases. However please take down the parasols in very windy conditions to avoid damaging them or causing injury to others. THEY SHOULD ALSO BE TAKEN DOWN EACH NIGHT as the wind can pick up at times.
Pests
The only thing we tend to encounter, like everywhere else in Cyprus, is ants. Ants can be prevented by wiping the floors, surfaces and bins regularly (and emptying kitchen bins daily) as they are predominantly attracted to food and drink. The ant spray and powder stored in the kitchen cupboard can be used outside of the house along the bottom edge of the house (particularly the rear of the house) and is extremely effective.
The ant spray can be used carefully inside the house too when sprayed on the floor edges and lasts some time. Please replace any suppliers for the comfort of our next guests.
Pool Heating
For a surcharge (for stays between 1st October and 31st May only), pool heating is available when pre-arranged before arrival.
Pool Maintenance & Cleaning
The pool is cleaned and treated twice per week in the summer and once per week outside of the main peak season.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE POOL CLEANERS WILL LET THEMSELVES INTO THE GARDEN & POOL AREA SO PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED.
There is a pool net for your convenience as the pool cleaners do not attend outside of their regular days unless there is a fault with the pool. The pool pump and lights are on a timer so please do not touch any of the essential controls within the pump room. Please do not treat the pool with any chemicals stored in the pool room/box as this can affect the important chemical balance of the pool which is monitored for your health and safety.
Please report any incidents with the pool.
Pool Rules
NO DIVING: The pool is not deep enough for diving. Diving will result in certain injury. Please take care when jumping in.
NO GLASS OUTSIDE: Plastic glasses are provided for your safety and enjoyment. Damage caused to the pool filter system is chargeable. Additional charges also exist for cleaning external areas where glass or crockery has been dropped.
BALL GAMES: We want you to have fun so please enjoy yourselves! There are several lights, cameras and decorations around the pool so heavy balls are not permitted as damage to the property or lights, fixtures & fittings is chargeable. Please take care of them.
FILTER & PUMP SYSTEM: Please do not open the pump room/box, all equipment is set to the right standards. Chemicals within the pump room are dangerous/hazardous and should not be touched in any circumstances.
Printer
For those guests unfortunate enough to have to work on holiday there is a printer for your use! Also this can be handy for guests wishing to print their boarding passes. However, this is difficult for us to maintain and so there may be times when there is no paper or ink available unless guests replace it themselves at their discretion
Instructions: You need to be on wi-fi:
Replacements: Cartridges are “xxxx”, paper is standard A4
Safe
There is a safe in the master bedroom for your use. The instructions are as follows:
Xxxxx
Please remember your code as regrettably there is a surcharge when calling out the agents to access the safe when codes are forgotten and/or the safety lock kicks-in after multiple attempts.
Security
Please ensure that all windows and doors are locked when leaving the villa at any time and when retiring to bed. Protaras is generally a very safe area but the security of all personal belongings remain at the risk of our guests.
Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms are installed and checked regularly. It is the responsibility of our guests to assure themselves of the operability of the smoke detectors by testing them as required.
Storage
External:
Certain storage boxes outside are always locked as they contain equipment for maintenance or for the owners.
Guests may use any unlocked containers for their convenience. In the storage boxes in the main porch/garage area you will find the iron and other useful appliances or equipment, including items handy for the outside area such as barbecue accessories.
The storage box at the front of the villa is very useful for you to store your empty suitcases if you wish to keep them out of the way. We do! But this is obviously at your own risk.
Internal:
There is a cupboard in one of the bedrooms that is chained shut as this includes items belonging to the owners for when they come to stay.
There are storage drawers under all beds should there be insufficient space within the wardrobes and drawer units.
Sunloungers & Outside Furniture Cushions
Ample sun loungers are provided for your convenience. Please take care if removing any sun loungers from the balcony through the property as damage is chargeable; and be sure to return them to the balcony at the end of your stay. Additional sun lounger cushions are available in the outside storage box.
To preserve the life of the outdoor furniture cushions it would be really appreciated if you could store them in an outside storage box at the end of each day, at the end of your stay and in the event of prevailing weather conditions. Sun lounger cushions can remain outside at all times and can be wiped clean when required.
Telephone
There is a landline telephone for use in an emergency. Other than in this case, charges will apply.
Television
2 options exist for worldwide television services in multiple languages:
Cyta Vision: xxx
Cosmos: xxx
Washing Machine
A washing machine is provided for your convenience. Please replace any washing powder/tablets used for the convenience of our next guests.
Wi-fi
Ample wi-fi options exist including ultra-high speed broadband
Cyta (fastest):
Villa Maria Cyta : 35703570
Villa Maria Cyta Premium (5Ghz devices only): 35703570
Cosmos (slower but ample):
Villa Maria: figtree21
Portable Downstairs:
xxxxx
HOW YOU COULD LOSE YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT
There is an inventory inspection and general inspection between all rentals. Please report any damage to our agent immediately upon your arrival otherwise we have to assume that you caused it during your stay.
To keep the villa in great condition for all guests, the security deposit may be withheld (fully or partially) if any of the following occur:
Property Damage
· Broken furniture, fixtures, fittings or appliances
· Stains or damage to sofas, beds, or soft furnishings
· Damage to walls, floors, doors, or windows
· Misuse or damage to the air‑conditioning units
Pool & Outdoor Area Damage
· Damage to the pool or pool equipment
· Broken sunbeds, umbrellas/parasols or outdoor furniture
· Glass items taken around the pool area (strictly prohibited for safety)
Excess Cleaning Required
· Leaving the villa excessively dirty beyond normal use
· BBQs left dirty or full of ash
· Rubbish not disposed of, attracting pests and any associated rectification charges
· Dirty dishes left throughout the property
Smoking or Vaping Indoors
· Smoking or vaping inside the villa (strictly not permitted)
Unauthorised Guests, Parties, Behaviour
· Hosting parties or events
· Exceeding the maximum number of guests stated on the booking
· Attracting complaints from local residents or the authorities
Negligence or Misuse
· Leaving doors or windows unlocked resulting in loss or damage
· Misuse of appliances or equipment
· Leaving air‑conditioning running whilst doors/windows are open, resulting in excessive energy costs
Items
· Loss, damage or removal of towels, linen, keys, remotes or any villa items
General
· Failure to follow any guidelines stated herein
LOCAL AMENITIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
(sometimes things can change so don’t totally hold us to it! 😊)
LOCAL BEACHES & WATERSPORTS
Closest Beach: Protaras Municipal Beach – walk down the road into Protaras, past the McDonalds. Turn left at Waves Cocktail Bar and walk down towards the sea. This is about a 15-minute walk.
Best Beach: Fig Tree Bay (just in front of the Capo Bay Hotel) – 20-25 minute walk.
Best Watersports: Stavros Watersports @ Fig Tree Bay.
There are countless other great beaches to choose from in the local area and beyond.
CAR HIRE
Sixt is as good as any and their office is a short 5-minute walk away, towards Protaras on your left, assuming you have not hired a car at the Airport.
QUAD, BUGGY & SCOOTER HIRE
If you wish to hire buggies, quads etc. we would recommend using Yerimos, usually he is sitting in the shade on the main strip opposite the Malthouse Pub, next to the Vrissaki Hotel. Always assure yourselves of the quality of the products.
LAUNDRY
A serviced laundry (Premier Laundry Services) is located on the way into Protaras from Villa Maria at the opposite side of the road. They will usually take a few days and charge by weight with a minimum charge so it is usually worthwhile loading up a bag!
There are self-service laundries located in Paralimni too, and one in Pernera called “Laundry Station (Windmills) open 24 hours a day.
RESTAURANTS
Traditional Cypriot Tavernas:
Meraki - Protaras
Located further down the strip, Meraki opened in 2025 and quickly became a favourite amongst both locals and tourists. It’s highly advisable to book, as it gets especially busy and often they host local dancing and traditional plate‑smashing. The Meze is excellent and reasonably priced, and the menu offers many other delicious dishes such as Moussaka, kleftiko, and other Cypriot classics.
Vangelis Tavern – Protaras (note: not the Vangelis Hotel)
An excellent Tavern with a more adventurous meat Meze and an excellent Fish Meze.
Ifalos - Pernera
A taxi ride away in neighbouring Pernera this restaurant is a traditional Cypriot Taverna with great quality food and a nice atmosphere.
Family Restaurant
Anatolia
Only a few minutes’ walk from the villa, Anatolia is a cheap‑and‑cheerful traditional taverna that’s consistently popular with families. The staff are friendly, attentive, and fantastic with children. The mezze is very tasty and excellent value for money, and the rest of the menu is also reasonably priced with good solid food.
Fish
Kalamies
Only a few
Beach Bar & Food (Great For Lunch)
Paragka, Agia Trinity Beach
Only a few
Italian
Just Italian: Kapparis
VISITING THE SURROUNDING AREA
Church
Famagusta – Mr John
Ayia Napa
Waterpark
Breakfast cafés
BARS & LOUNGES
Cartel Cocktail Bar
A fantastic, elegant cocktail bar located halfway down the strip. It is more expensive than the standard bars in the area, but absolutely worth the price for its atmosphere and quality. I can highly recommend trying the Shopping Trolley cocktail — it’s a standout!
Q Cocktail Bar
Q is a large bar located further down the strip, offering regular entertainment alongside a great selection of fantastic and reasonably priced cocktails. The service is always fast and efficient. Entertainment typically consists of tribute acts who tour the strip — some better than others, but always fun!
Malmia
Our neighbours, Cypriot-owned by a lovely family but full of Brits.
Massage
Orchid Thai Massage
+357 97 488 558 (thai-massage-orchid.com)
Sunrise Pearl Hotel (spa?)
xxxxx
TAKEAWAYS & DELIVERY
Takeaway – You can use the App WALT for takeaway
Gyros / Kebab - I recommend Masa Fast Food
SUPERMARKETS
By Car (lower cost and used by local community, broader range of products):
Metro Supermarket Paralimni – very good range, on the way to Paralimni via the Kapparis Island
Poplife Paralimni (lower budget)
Kokkinos Paralimni – very good range, in the centre of Paralimni
Bakeries: Any Zorbas Bakery
Walking (more expensive in resort) – all around a 10-15 minute walk:
Any “Best Buy” Supermarket
PierCo – opposite Bliss Bar/Sunrise Pearl