You are on the outskirts of the town of Paralimni, which is the main administrative centre of the Greek Cypriot district of Farmagusta, and lies mostly west and inland of the Villa. The immediate area is known as Kapparis (which is Greek for capers), and the main road with most of “the action” is know variously as Kennedy Avenue, Kapparis Avenue and, in Cypriot, as Leoforis Kappari. (The area is still marked rather sketchily as “Skoutari” on the Cyprus Tourism Organisation [CTO] map for the Paralimni – Protaras area). It’s worth noting that the hotel apartments that you passed on the left side of Kennedy Avenue just before you turned right into the Mimosa complex are called the Amore, as this is useful for directing taxis, etc.

Kapparis is an up-and-coming resort area, and as such offers the sort of peace and quiet you won’t find in the bigger resorts of Protaras (5 minutes by car) or Ayia Napa (15 minutes by car). It is more than sufficiently supplied with bars and restaurants, from the local pubs to very high quality a la carte dining that would make into any number of UK restaurant guides. Best of all, they stay open all through the winter. This makes Kapparis a great all year round holiday spot, unlike Protaras and Ayia Napa where most close from November to April. You are about 200m/ 3 minutes from the nearest beach, which is known locally as Fireman’s Beach. See if you can spot why when you get there…

Other beaches of note in the immediate area can be found by the Malamar Village hotel apartments – Skoutari Beach – and near Ayia Triada church – Ayia Triada Beach – which are 15 and 30 minutes walk away respectively. There are no private beaches in the immediate area, so feel free to use any and all.

If you turn right as you come out of the Mimosa complex, you will find the road reduces to a track after a 15-minute walk and then disappears into farmers’ fields. Here you are very close to the UN Buffer Zone, which marks the limit of Greek occupied Cyprus. It’s worth a walk to see the little zoo here, and for a vantage point where you can get a good view of the ghost town of Famagusta in the distance.

(The Buffer Zone is also known as the Green Line, supposedly after the colour

of pen used by the UK commander to mark the newly-proposed border on his map)

The other end of Kennedy Avenue ends by the roundabout. Here you can turn left for Ayia Triada beach, carry straight on for Protaras and Ayia Napa and turn right for Paralimni town centre. There’s a bus stop here where buses stop frequently going to Paralimni, or to Protaras, Ayia Napa and on to WaterWorld.

Useful infomation on how to use applicances in the villa etc… Turn on the electricity? The Electricity will not work until you place the key fob into the electric box on the kitchen wall to the right of the dining table. If something isn’t working, check the fuse box on the wall to the right of the washing machine cupboard. If any switches are in the off/down position, switch them on/up. Drinking water As in most foreign countries it is not advised to drink the water from the tap, You can purchase water from the local supermarket on Kennedy Avenue and I would advise you purchase the large screw cap water bottles (not the water dispenser type!) and you can refill them just past the Twilight bar on Kennedy avenue which is just around the corner from here. Toilet paper Like many Mediterranean countries, Cyprus has narrow diameter pipes that weren’t designed for Western European habits. They will block easily if you flush more than a couple of sheets of toilet paper at a time.

Needless to say, I hope, sanitary products and disposable nappies are an absolute no-no. Please place them in the bin provided, many thanks. Turn on the hot water? Hot water is automatically provided by the solar heating system on the roof. The water can get very hot, especially on very sunny days, so please take care.

In the event that you need to top it up, then there is an immersion heater switch on the wall at the top of the hall next to the upstairs light. Please do not leave this on for longer than 10 minutes – mains electricity is very expensive in Cyprus! NB The water heater will not work unless your key fob is inserted into the control slot by the washing machine on the wall. Also note that the hot water is dependent on electricity for pumping too. If the electricity is off, you will have no hot water. Use the air conditioning? The air conditioning (AC) units will not work until you put your key fob into the electrical supply control slot by the front door.

The operation of the AC units is controlled by the remote controls. There are controllers in every room. Use the oven? The oven is simple to use make sure the oven red switch is on above the hob and to use the oven press the buttons in use as normal oven fan assisted and grill etc…. To use the Dishwasher? Place in the plates/cutlery and insert a dishwasher tablet the press the on button to the left inside the door of the dishwasher and select the wash you require then start. To use the Washing Machine? Place in the power/tablet and clothes, then select the on button, then select your required temperature and the Remojo is a normal wash and Function Express is a quick wash etc then press the grey button (incio/pausa) button Other Points to be aware of The Ironing board, mop and broom are located behind the door of the downstairs toilet; the dustpan is under the sink.

Please do not use the pool after a trip to the beach as the sand can affect the pool lining and also refrain from using the pool just after oil/sun tanning cream has been applied as this can affect the pool water appearance so please shower before using the pool.
Should you need to remove articles from the pool there is a net on the fence to keep it tidy? When Dinning Alfresco When in use of the parasol outside please remember to release and place back down as sometimes winds can blow it away and could cause injury, and needless to say please don’t leave food and beverages around as this will cause ants to join your stay!

If using the barbecue there is a barbecue motor which is normally placed in the kitchen drawers? Please clean the barbecue equipment after use with a wire wool to be courteous to the next staying guests.
There are outside sockets in the grey box just by the dining table should you need to use.

More Details can be found visiting these useful websites

• Cyprus Tourist: www.cyprustourist.com
• Cyprus Tourism Organization: www.visitcyprus.org.cy
• Cyprus Maps: www.cyprus-maps.com
• Cyprus Net: www.cyprusnet.com
• Cyprus Weather: www.cyprus-weather.com