Is it better to rent a luxury villa right on the shoreline, or up in the mountains?
This is one of the most frequent questions we used to ask ourselves before selecting a vacation villa for our holiday.
Should we rent a vacation villa located as close as possible to the beach or should we look for a villa higher on the hills, or even up in the mountains, and using our rented car to drive to the wonderful beaches of Cyprus? In this post we will try to answer this question, as objectively as we can, so when you come to Paphos, you can make the best decision for you and for your family.
What are the pros and cons for each decision?
For villas located close to the beach, there are several clear pros; Let’s take for example the Coral-Bay area near Paphos as a good example. If you rent a villa by the beach in Coral-Bay you could walk to the beach and to the different Coral-Bay amenities, restaurants, and bars so there is no need to use your car. You can stay in the bar very late with no need for designated drivers.
However, renting a villa close to the beach also comes with several cons; Villas by the beach in prime tourist areas will be in most cases smaller, older, and much more expensive per day of rent. Sometimes, rooms will be so small that you do not have enough space to put two cabins by the bed with reading lamps and sometimes you will have one bathroom to be used by all the sleepers’ in the villa. Since land by the beach is costly, the villa gardens and the pool areas will probably be very limited. In short; If you dream of a bountiful specious villa by the beach for your vacation, you will need to pay an arm and a leg for it…
Another con for a beach location is the weather. The summer in Cyprus is very hot and the closer you are to the shore it becomes also very humid.
What about the pros and cons for a rented villa up in the hills or mountains?
Well, if you are looking for magnificent and specious villas for your vacation, you should look for something further from the beach. You can find bountiful big villas with private swimming pools for very reasonable prices. The rooms are mostly large with king size beds, the pool area is usually huge with garden and sea views. Usually the price for such villas will be much lower than the villas on the shore.
Obviously, if you stay further from the beach and the main tourist amenities, you will need to hire a car to get around. Yes, you will be farther from the tourist action and if you are looking for pubs, live shows and attractions – you will need to plan and drive over. So that is a con for sure.
However, hiring a car can contribute your vacation a sense of freedom when you will find yourself traveling to different beaches and the villages around the area and eating in traditional restaurants. A rented car could offer some unexpected wonderful adventures.
Another pro for the higher hills and mountains is the summer weather, which will offer you cool sea breeze during the hot summer.
In some cases, you can find great compromise between the two extremes; For example, the village of Peyia is located on the hills just above Coral-Bay. The village offers many restaurants, bars, and all other amenities and is just five-minute drive to the “Coral-Bay strip”. Peyia is a great example where you can rent a munificent villa for a reasonable price but still be close to everything you need, even public transportation to Coral-Bay….
So what would it be? Small and dated villa by the beach or a bountiful and specious villa farther away?
Well, it depends on your own preferences and now that you know the pros and cons, you can make your own mind. Whatever you decide, I am sure it will be a brilliant sunny holiday to enjoy, since the right combination is just there – sun, sea, history, tradition, local cousin, trails in the mountains, rocky beach trails, pubs, live shows and so much more….Yassoo Cyprus !
