Nicolas And Maria's Cottages — Hotel in Anogyra

Nicolas and Maria’s Cottages are located in Anogyra village which is in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountains and a really beautiful traditional village. It is a fantastic location - away from the tacky tourist areas but centrally located and equally convenient for coast, countryside or mountains. The cottages used to belong to Nicolas’ grandparents and was the family home for many years, they have been beautifully restored while keeping the original character and now form 8 cottages/rooms which surround and open onto a central courtyard full of plants, flowers and old artefacts, a really charming place. Outside the door of each room is a table and chairs, it was too cold to sit out when we were there but would be a lovely place to sit and enjoy breakfast or an evening meal. (Maybe next time!) The room was huge and very well equipped - although it was all open plan the “bedroom” area was separated from the rest by being on a slightly higher level. The centre part was the “living room” with comfy chairs, dining table and chairs, and the kitchen and bathroom were at the other end. The kitchen area had a kettle, fridge, toaster, hob and plenty of pots/pans, crockery and utensils; it was small and not a lot of work surface so might be a bit restrictive on a long stay but it was OK for cooking simple meals. The double bed was very comfortable, there were wooden shutters on the window to block out the light, and the whole place was spotlessly clean. The wifi was a bit slow but adequate for us. There is free parking in the village car park just round the corner. The owners, Nicolas and Dora, were very friendly and welcoming. They weren’t there when we arrived but had left us the key so we could let ourselves in which worked well, and Dora had left us some home-made Christmas cake which was delicious! We met them the following day and shared a drink and a chat with them and left feeling more like friends than guests. We had three nights here but would love to return for a longer stay. The only downsides for us - nothing major but the cottage was quite cold with no form of heating apart from the air conditioning unit; the lighting was poor with only 3 single hanging bulbs to light a huge room; the soundproofing wasn’t the best as we could quite clearly hear our neighbours coughing and talking in the night. Nothing that would stop us...

Our two nights stay was really relaxing and enjoyable. We have been sent a directions map on the e-mail (even though we didn't make the booking directly from the owners but through another website) that easily lead us to the cottages. Owners are not always there but they keep the keys in a place so that was not a problem at all. Entering inside you find yourself in a green yard full of flowers, traditional objects, old photos on a stone wall. It's indeed very picturesque and calm. Since we were there beginning of summer we loved the swallows having their nests over the entrance room (reception area). The studios are lined on one side whereas there is the option of suites that also have a fireplace. We booked a studio and I think is perfect for summer as it was really spacious, decorated with traditional furniture and objects. Walls are stone and this adds a lot o the place. You get a small kitchenette with everything you may need. The place doesn't offer any meals at all so get some supplies. Nicolas and Maria's cottages own also a restaurant witha pool a few meters away so this is also an option for dinner or lunch. We were having our breakfast outside into the yard (as there are many tables and chairs around) surrounded by little trees and flowers. Everything is well kept and clean and we found the owner Nicolas and his wife Dora very friendly. Even though they are not all times of the day at present (we noticed they come at least twice, morning and afternoon) they were available when we needed to contact them. The only problem we had was the wi-fi connection. Although is available for free in all areas we had great difficulties connecting. Mrs Dora explained that maybe it's a problem with guests having iphones/ipads etc as they faced it also with other people there but not with everybody. This was not really a problem but if I would pick something to be improved at this great place is this one. If you need a place with Cypriot character, calm, with privacy and close to the beach this is the one! It's 15 mins drive from Pissouri and Rock of Aphrodite beaches. Anogyra village is amazing (surprisingly our first time there) and if you want to escape around for dinner or lunch, there are plenty of villages with more choices on tavernas. One night we went to Kouklia which is 15 mins away and there you also have multiple choices of restaurants. Highly...

We stayed in this property whilst researching the area for a possible retirement home. It is quite an amazing, unique place. Because we particularly wanted a bath as well as a shower, we were accommodated in one of the apartments at the top of the external stone stairs - quite a climb but well worth it, with lovely views from the landing outside the front door. The whole building has belonged to the same family for several generations; apparently fell into disrepair in the 1900's but has now been lovingly restored and is very much a traditional "large village house". Anoyira is a very big village, but has only 3 such houses (we visited all of them) and this is the only one built in the rural style, as rooms on one or two levels surrounding a courtyard. It was lovely to go down into the courtyard during the day to take our meals - quite an idyllic environment.||Furnishings etc. are basic; and our apartment really did not have enough storage space for a couple staying a whole week. I suspect the majority of stays here are people touring and just staying for a couple of nights. It was very cold while we were there, and there is no central heating (it would be out of keeping with the property) but the owners promptly provided us with a powerful gas fire and there was a plentiful supply of calor gas to fuel it, at no extra charge.||Nicholas, the owner (descendant of the original Nicolas and Maria) was extremely helpful to us, showing us around land and property for sale in the area and proving to be a mine of information.||Have to have a car to get there and get around, but that's the joy of the place. Not cheap, but then accommodation this unique and...