Frequently asked questions

Yes. Booking on our website is cheaper than on Airbnb or Booking.com: there’s no booking-site commission to pay, and we pass that saving on to you. You can check dates and book on our Book now page.

Our prices go down automatically as the dates get closer, so the price you see is already our best last-minute price. On top of that:

• Last-minute deals: for a further discount, see our last-minute deals page. It lists open dates over the next six weeks, each with a discount code to use when you book here.
• Returning guests: 10% off when you book with us again.

You pay 50% when you book, and the other 50% is charged automatically to the same card 30 days before arrival (you can change the card through the link in your confirmation). It shows on your statement as KOUKLIAVACATIONRENTALS. If you’d rather pay by PayPal or bank transfer, or need a custom payment plan, just ask.

Payment links come from our booking system, which handles cards through Stripe. We never see your card number.

If you booked through Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo, you pay them as usual.

Yes. Our prices include 9% Cyprus VAT and all fees. The only extras are optional: pool heating and mid-stay cleaning.

3–5 nights depending on the dates, or 2 nights when there is a gap of exactly two nights between existing bookings.

Yes. After booking we send you a short contact form and a rental agreement to sign online. This applies to all bookings, including those made through Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.

For bookings made on our website: a full refund if you cancel at least 60 days before check-in, 50% if you cancel at least 30 days before, and no refund after that.

For bookings made through Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo or any other booking site, the cancellation policy shown on that site applies, and they handle the refund.

We are not able to provide refunds in the case of flight cancellations or illness. Please make sure that you have travel insurance that covers cancellations. We are happy to help in any way we can, including preparing a note for your travel insurance claim.

No. There’s no security deposit for stays at our villas.

Accidental damage during your stay is covered up to €400 through our insurance partner, and it’s included in the price. It doesn’t cover extra cleaning or damage from breaking the house rules, such as smoking indoors. It’s covered as long as you let us know and send us photos of the damage.

Up to six guests in each villa, plus up to three infants in travel cribs (please ask us before booking with more than one infant). There are no extra beds or sofa beds.

All beds are made up for your arrival, whatever the size of your group, and each double and king bed has two single duvets.

Yes, up to six, at no extra charge. Just let us know.

Travel cribs and high chairs are available on request. Tell us before you arrive and we’ll have them ready.

Villa Pleiades and Villa Panorama are next door to each other, and Villa Pontus is a two-minute walk away. Send us your dates and we’ll check which are free.

Sorry, no pets.

Check-in is from 4 pm and check-out by 10 am. Check-in is self check-in with a key box, and we send you the details before you arrive.

We can’t promise early check-in in advance, because the guests before you leave at 10 am, the villa then needs cleaning, and we may have maintenance work that needs completing. We can message you on the day (usually on WhatsApp) as soon as it’s ready. If you need to be sure, ask us whether the night before your arrival can be added at a reduced rate.

You’re welcome to drop off your bags earlier – please let us know so we are available to receive them.

Sometimes, yes, but we can’t guarantee anything in advance – it depends on our cleaners, when the next guests are checking in, and what kind of maintenance work we need to do. If you need to be sure, ask us whether another night can be added to your booking. We can normally arrange for you to leave your bags over the day.

No. With the key box, you can arrive at any time.

• Leave the used towels in a pile; the beds can stay unmade.
• Load and start the dishwasher.
• Clean the grill and any kitchen equipment you used.
• Put back any furniture you moved, indoors or outside.
• Close the windows and doors, and lock up.

You can leave any leftover food. If something broke, don’t worry, just let us know.

Contact us if you are in the area, and we’ll try to find a day and time that works to visit.

Pool heating is available as an optional extra in winter and spring, to cover the cost of electricity. Ask us for a quote. Heating takes 2–4 days, so please give us about a week’s notice.

Unheated, the water stays close to the average overnight low: about 15°C in April and about 20°C in October. By late May it’s usually warm enough without heating. Keeping the pool cover on when you’re not swimming helps hold the heat.

Yes. Each villa has a private six-person hot tub, heated and included in the rate all year round. The water is fully changed between guests.

There’s no central heating. Each room has its own air conditioning unit that also heats, with unlimited use. The units switch off automatically after 6 hours in the bedrooms and 2 hours in the living room; just switch them back on if you need further heating. Villa Pontus also has a wood-burning fireplace; we don’t supply firewood, but you can buy it in local stores. Cypriot houses are built to stay cool rather than retain heat, so bring a warm layer for winter evenings.

Yes. The whole villa, garden, pool and hot tub are yours. The gardeners come on Monday mornings and the pool cleaner normally on Tuesdays and Fridays. Additional maintenance visits may be necessary, especially for the pool.

All three villas have high-speed Wi-Fi and a TV with international channels. We don’t have a Netflix subscription, but you can sign in with your own account to stream on the TV.

• Bed linen, bath towels and pool towels
• A fully equipped kitchen, with dishwasher and washing machine
• Coffee and tea to get you started, plus soap, dish soap, and starter dishwasher and washing machine tablets
• Hair dryer, iron and ironing board
• Board games
• Plastic tableware for around the pool

Pantry items: we don’t stock basics such as oil, sugar, salt and pepper, but you’ll often find some, as we don’t throw away pantry items in good condition that earlier guests leave behind.

Pool inflatables: we don’t provide these, but there’s usually a selection left behind by earlier guests. We don’t check them for leaks between stays, so some may be broken; please throw away any that are.

Yes, with a few days’ notice: €90 for fresh linen and towels, or €150 for a full clean.

Villa Pleiades has a Weber charcoal grill. Villa Pontus and Villa Panorama have outdoor kitchens with a Weber grill and a Cypriot foukou rotisserie grill, with motor and skewers. Charcoal isn’t provided, but if the previous guests left some behind, we’ll leave it for you.

Yes. Use the second tap in the kitchen, which comes straight from the mains.

Each villa has four.

In Secret Valley (also known as Venus Rock or Ha Potami), between Kouklia village and the Aphrodite Hills resort, about 20 minutes from Paphos. The villas are on Eleftheriou Aristodemou street, and we send you the exact address and directions after booking.

Both airports are conveniently located for getting to the villas, but Paphos airport is 15 minutes away by car; Larnaca is about 1 hour 30 minutes. We recommend picking up a rental car right at the airport: it’s the most convenient option, and often the cheapest.

Yes. The villas aren’t within walking distance of shops or restaurants. Buses to Paphos stop at the Secret Valley entrance on the B6 road several times a day, but it’s a bit of a walk to the bus stop.

Each villa has room for two cars in the driveway, plus free street parking outside, and an electric vehicle charger that you can use at no extra charge.

Approximate drive times from the villas:

Alphamega is the best supermarket nearby. If you’re driving toward Limassol, Papantoniou in Pissouri is also convenient. Our shopping guide has more, from local specialties to Kings Avenue Mall in Paphos.

Secret Valley’s own golf course is a 2-minute drive, and the Aphrodite Hills resort next door has another, plus a tennis academy, a riding club and a gym and spa (weekly membership available). The beaches around Aphrodite’s Rock are 10 minutes away, and Kouklia village has taverns and the ancient site of Palaepaphos. Further afield, the Troodos mountains, the Akamas peninsula and Nicosia make good day trips (see our day trips page). Our area guide has our favorite places, and the supermarkets, pharmacies and ATMs nearby are in essentials.

Not indoors. Damage from smoking inside isn’t covered by damage protection.

No. Only the guests staying at the villa (up to six) may be at the property, so no visitors, parties or events.

• Quiet after 10 pm.
• No glass or porcelain by the pool or hot tub (there’s plastic tableware you can use).
• Shower before using the pool or hot tub.
• Children in the hot tub only with an adult, and for up to 15 minutes at a time.
• Put the hot tub cover back on after use.
• Tie down the parasols (or lay them down on the ground) when it’s windy.
• Please don’t let the neighborhood cats inside.
• Bins go out on Tuesday and Friday evenings.