Peristerona is in an area of Cyprus we'd not visited before. It's about a 50 minute journey north from Paphos airport. We were there for 5 weeks, escaping from the winter at home and when we left at the end of March we had seen the change from Winter in Cyprus to Spring. As we were staying for a fairly long period we had wanted a property that was homely, not somewhere that was white concrete with marble floors, a pool and tiny garden. We were attracted by the photos of the lovely garden even though we knew that on our arrival the garden would not be in full bloom. We had booked car hire with Petrides Car Rental situated in Latchi and they had offered to collect us at the airport and take us to the property and arrange the car hire details at their office the next day. It was a real advantage to be picked up at the airport. As we journeyed north we were amazed to see all the orange trees covered with fruit as well as lemon and grapefruit trees!
When we arrived at the house our hosts, John and Angela were waiting to greet us. This was February and it was cold by 6pm when we arrived. John helped my husband to light the fire in the sitting room so it was soon warm after that. Each room has convectors which supply heat or a/c for hotter months. One of them in a bedroom wasn't working and within 15 minutes an electrician had arrived to try to sort it - imagine this at home! He was not able to do this and the next day a new heater was fixed!
We hadn't brought food with us - not an option when flying and Angela had provided eggs, milk, cheese, coffee, tomatoes, oranges etc. She then decided it was too late for us to shop so she insisted on going and getting some Souvlaki from the nearest restaurant, and the four of us sat and had supper together. It was John's birthday too so we were pleased to be able to say Happy Birthday. The house inside is a typical Cypriot house. The kitchen/dining area/sitting room is well equipped with ample cutlery and crockery so we didn't have to keep using the dishwasher which was unlike some rental properties. It is a property which would really come into its own in the summer months with such a fantastic garden which must have taken John a long time to establish. We did have days, even at the end of February when it was warm enough to have breakfast outside.
Our final two weeks there we had hot days when it was possible to use the loungers and sometimes we had to find shade it was so warm. By the time we left the vine over the eating area was shooting and the roses had buds just about ready to open. Unfortunately it was not warm enough to use the pool but we could imagine how welcome it would be in the very hot summer months.
We had stayed on the south coast near Larnaca before and had not realised how beautiful the area around Polis and Latchi is. There are a lot of twisting roads but the views down into valleys and the sea are absolutely stunning. There had been a lot of rain the previous months so everywhere was incredibly green. My husband and his brother did a lot of exploring and some trekking and returned with some lovely photos, while my sister-in-law and I relaxed in the garden!
We ate at several different restaurants and returned to some. We recommend The Old Town Restaurant in Polis for a special occasion, not fantastically expensive but not as cheap as others but the food and service is splendid. We loved Moustakallis, also in Polis, run by the redoubtable Papa Moustakallis. This was our favourite place apart from The Old Town. It is a delight in blue and white with yellow napkins, a lovely choice of food from traditional Cypriot to more European dishes and not expensive. Papa and his family are very keen to see their clients have a lovely evening or lunch time.
The nearest restaurant to the house is The Waterfall in Steni, about 5-10 minutes drive. We ate there several times and had a lovely lunch with John and Angela the day before we left - many thanks for their hospitality. This restaurant also sells bags of the amazingly huge Cypriot oranges - about 10-12 in each bag for 2 Euros! The oranges are fantastic, so juicy, we'll really miss them. The other restaurant near The Waterfall is The Steni Tavern, a small restaurant with a small menu. The owner and his wife, who don't speak much English are very hospitable and we left there with two Pomelos - a fruit we'd never come across before, quite like a grapefruit but larger and sweeter.
The garden of the house is, as I say beautiful and if people are thinking of visiting in the summer months I'm sure it will be an amazing place to sit, in the sun or the shade and enjoy the lovely village of Peristerona. If people are looking for a typical Cypriot house with fantastic, hospitable hosts then Rose Garden Villa is the place.