Eynel Wardi review 17 Aug 2010
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Enjoying Androula Christou's hospitality, which is largess itself.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Certainly. Many Troodos villages are being abandoned by the locals, and tourism can help.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Most pleasurable and relaxing.
Judith Green review 5 Jul 2010
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
I organized a very specialized tour of the UNESCO Heritage Byzantine Churches in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus, for 8 people. We also did a small amount of hiking (Mt. Olympus, Venetian Bridges). The house we booked was in a small villag in the western Troodos - it was perfect, exactly as described on the web site. We will remember it as our "home" in Cyprus!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Give yourself a lot of time to drive from one place to the other in the Troodos Mountains. Although the roads are paved, and in generally good condition, the driving is slow and difficult (and on the Left!). If you have kitchen facilities, buy supplies in the larger towns, preferably early in the morning, as things run out during the day.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Our hostess, Androula, was very well informed about the area, the people, the history. She encouraged us to buy things in the village, though not much was available, and to introduce us to other residents. Everything was re-cycled and well organized. Although this wasn't a shopping trip, but rather an art history tour, we did visit crafts-people in nearby villages, wineries and restaurants.
At least in June, there weren't a great many tourists in this part of Cyprus, and we would certainly encourage people to try it - cool mountain air, amazing landscapes, friendly people, and very beautiful and welcoming accommodations.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent - staying with the owner of the house was a definite plus, made everything more personal, more intimate and interesting. Great for a small group, self-catering; plenty of information and suggestions available.
Linda Johnstone review 21 Dec 2009
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Androula's excellent meals and hiking in the Troodos! Androula prepares superb meals, we intended to do more self-catering but her meals were good value & delicious. Also worthwhile having breakfast with Androula, we only had it on the last day but had we tried it earlier we may have had it every day! The Troodos mountains were great for walks, lots of different levels which was good as I was six months pregnant at the time so I stuck to the first couple of levels but would really love to go back and try the harder ones. Androula was very helpful in identifying appropriate walks helping us get the most out of our stay.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Visit cafes in the smaller villages and you will be made most welcome. A torch is useful if you are outdoors at night. The village shop stocks pasta, tins, drinks and some perishables but surrounding villages have shops & stalls have more range of fresh fruit and vegetables so you will be able to buy items for self-catering locally. The water is really good and as the apartment is self-catering you can boil it if you wish to avoid using bottled water.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, Androula believes in eco-tourism and runs the apartments as such. She grows fruit and vegetables in her garden making the most amazing jams and other dishes. She supports local business and encourages her guests to use the local shops and cafes and to interact with the other villages. She is really trying to bring life to Treis Eleis through this venture but also miminise any potential negative impacts of this. Recycling facilities are also available and Androuls re-uses materials where possible.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent, if you go to Cyprus you must visit Spitiko Treis Eleis. It is away from the crowds and within a short driving distance to wonderful walks and scenary.
Katharina Voss review 5 Oct 2008
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful nature around our apartment. It is an extremely peaceful atmosphere in the village.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you are not used to mountain driving or driving on the left side, it takes you some time to get from Tres Elies to other villages/sights in the Troodos Mountains.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes. We bought some things in the local supermarket and supported local restaurants in other villages. However, it was our first visit to the Troodos Mountains and we wanted to see a lot. So we did use our car almost every day. But you could make it a car free holiday - with the help of Androula.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
First class holiday. Special thanks to Androula, who creates a wonderful atmosphere around the house and has very helpful tips of what is really worth seeing in the area. She is also very helpful by picking you up when you start a hiking trip from the house.
Jenni Cadman review 22 Oct 2008
I can highly recommend staying at the lodge at Tries Elies. If you want a taste of a real authentic Cyprus village you can’t get much better than this. The villagers are so friendly and your host Androulas is charming, great fun and will help you out with anything like planning walking and sightseeing tours. She willingly picked us up after a gruelling days trek and on the way back we called in to her friend’s coffee shop where we were treated to preserved lemons and coffee while talking about the good old days before the car. We learnt a lot more about the country and the people in the short time we had in Treis Elies simply because of her. Androulas is a great cook, speaks excellent English and is interested in life and people. The lodge is a great base for touring, walking and just hanging out. Spending time at night on the veranda gazing at the moon and stars is especially wonderful – what peace!!
Beth Matheson review 2 Jun 2008
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The view from our terrace - of the hills & the village, the only noise being the birdsong & the soft chatter of the local people sitting outside the village cafe. Androula, our host, was so lovely, welcoming & helpful on where to go and what to see - as well as being a wonderful cook - supplying us constantly with fresh fruit from her garden & freshly made jam for our breakfast!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Stay for longer than 4 days!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
It certainly had minimal impact on the environment (apart from the long drive up the mountains but slow driving on cliff top bends means less fuel pollution!) and hopefully benefited the local people - we did buy some supplies in the village although the shop is quite scarce but we made sure we only bought food from other slightly larger neighbouring village shops rather than visiting supermarkets.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Wonderful & relaxing - go stay in Cyprus' most remote village & escape from it all!
Russell Cousins review 2 Jun 2008
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We loved the accommodation with its beautiful terrace overlooking the village. Our host, Androula, looked after us very well and provided delicious Cypriot food. The mountain trails and nature walks in the vicinity are glorious and well signed.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
A car is essential. The village has just one shop and no restaurant - but one of the nice things is that Tris Elies is not a tourist village. To locate Androula's house, follow the green 'bed' sign. If you want to go further afield, Androula will tell you about the best frescoes, beaches etc. A good tip is to go to the Troodos Square visitors' centre for leaflets about the different walks in the region. We thought the mosaics, Tombs of the Kings and archaeological museum in Paphos were excellent; and a trip to Turkish Nicosia is also fascinating (don't miss the Cyprus museum on the Greek side).
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We bought everything we needed from the village shop and little 'market'.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.
Anna Theodorides review 28 Aug 2007
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sitting on the beautiful terrace overlooking the mountains, with the amazing stars, eating the great food prepared by the great owner, and drinking the wine, all on our own. Not a sound to be heard, total peace!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Make sure you get good directions as to where the house is. The locals are great if you need to ask and have a good car! The owner is wonderful, and will give you all the help to make it an amazing experience
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We loved meeting the locals and shopping in the only store in the village!
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Superb! If you want a true mountain experience in a beautifully restored house, this is for you!
Paul Smith review 19 Apr 2006
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The excellent food provided by our landlady, Androulla.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
i) Make sure that you book at least one meal 'at home' with Androulla. We suggest you book it for the first night, as you'll then want to do the same for the remainder of the holiday.
ii) Be aware that facilities in the village itself are very limited; there are no restaurants or bars - just a couple of basic traditional coffee shops and a small shop which seems to specialise in cleaning materials. However, you should try and visit these, as you will gain some fascinating insights into the village and its history - assuming either you speak some Greek or you happen to catch one of the English speaking villagers - otherwise you may just get to smile a lot.
iii) Try and get maps and walking guides before you arrive in Cyprus, as we never managed to track these down on the island itself. We also never found any maps in Cyprus that included all roads into our village!
iv) Allow plenty of time to talk to Androulla. She's a fascinating, friendly woman with lots to tell.
v) If you're a walker, try the Madhari circular walk around Mt. Adelphi. It's around 14KM, and has spectacular views all the way round.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
It hopefully brought some cash into the area, although only in a very modest way. However, you really need a car to get around, so that probably didn't do much for the environment, especially as we were unable to get much that we needed from the village shop.
4. Any other comments?
**** and a half. It was excellent. Thanks very much.
