Website & Brochure information

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the website and particularly the brochure are accurate on publication, inevitably there are some amendments which take place subsequently. Please check at the time of booking. All distances given in the descriptions are approximate.

The "In Detail" and "In a Nutshell" section of each property description contains details of what accommodation, service and facilities are included in your holiday cost. It also gives essential local information. This website is frequently updated, for additional information.

Note: Accommodation always leads in to the ground floor, unless specified (but may not take into account any varying ground levels within the floor of entry), thereafter different levels are specified.

Where indicated, walking times are usually down hill, and may not represent the length of the return journey – which will vary according to the individual’s fitness!

In a Nutshell and Accommodation

Annexe/Guest House
This usually means guest accommodation in a separate part of the house or a separate building on the property. They vary in comfort, standard and location, from being more modestly furnished and equipped (Annexe), to being of the same standard as the main house (Guest House). If further details are of particular importance, please ask our sales staff.

Bathroom
Bathroom means with bath (usually with shower or hand shower attachment), washbasin, WC, sometimes a bidet. Bath sizes and ease of access can vary. En suite means private to the specified bedroom.

Shower Room
As ‘bathroom’ stated above but with walk in shower unit instead of a bathtub.

Bath and Shower Room
As ‘bathroom’ stated above but with walk in shower unit as well as a bathtub.

Separate WC
Usually adjacent to a bathroom and usually with hand basin.

Cloakroom
Usually with WC and hand basin only.

Bedrooms
Please note that no two bedrooms in any of our villas are of equal standard in terms of decor, size or views. Master bedrooms are considered superior to all other bedrooms. For groups of friends sharing the cost, please bear this in mind, as the decision on arrival as to who has which bedroom can otherwise ruin the best of friendships! Where specified twins can be made up as doubles, or vice versa, when requested well in advance. Mattress types and bed sizes vary greatly from one country to another and will not necessarily be up to the standard or size of your country of origin.

In a hot country such as Greece, mattresses tend to be harder than people from Northern Europe are used to, as they are considered to be cooler.

Dining Room
A separate room with dining table and seating.

Kitchen
This means a separate room with full oven and refrigerator. Dishwashers and washing machines are indicated in the Villa Facts. Note: ovens are nearly always full size with hobs. In some villas, smaller cookers are provided, often with a separate hob unit (kitchenette).

Kitchenette
This is usually very small and designed for those who intend to eat out, or prepare simple meals only, and usually with a small 2 or 3 ringed unit only, sometimes a small grill/oven. There is always a refrigerator, adequate cooking equipment, and limited storage space.

Sitting/Dining Room
A room with both sitting and dining area combined.

Studio
Usually open-plan sleeping/living area, although the size can vary enormously – ask for details.

Mezzanine Floor
Is usually a balconied split level floor above the ground floor, reached by stairs. Usually open-plan with no dividing walls or doors, therefore not private, and often low ceilinged.

Facilities

Air conditioning
Where this facility is available it comes included in your holiday price (unless otherwise stated in the Facilities section) and can usually blow hot and cold air. Please enquire at time of booking.

Underfloor Cooling and Heating
This is a form of central cooling and heating which uses heat conduction and radiant cold or heat for indoor climate control, rather than traditional air conditioning which relies on convection. Where this facility is available it comes included in your holiday price, unless otherwise stated in the Villa Facts.

Heating
You will often require some form of heating if you rent a villa in the early and late seasons. A supplement is payable locally for any central heating that is required and must be paid before departure. Sometimes houses have separate meters, but usually the owner gives a weekly estimate based on average consumption. Costs can be very high, and should be clarified on booking.

Logs can sometimes be supplied for houses with fireplaces. Costs must be clarified on booking, and are payable locally.

Telephones
Villas with telephones are indicated in the Villa Facts. As some telephones are metered, no itemised phone bills are available and so accounts must be settled upon your departure. Meters must be read on arrival and departure. For non-metered telephones and the loan of mobile phones, deposit guarantees are required and will be taken before your departure. The deposit amount will vary according to owner’s requirements and this will be confirmed at the time of booking. Final accounts will be settled upon your return but bills from local telephone companies can take three months or more to come, so the security deposit will be held by CV Villas in such cases until the relevant telephone company issues the itemised phone bill to the owner. Some villa telephones have ‘zero stoppers’ – this means you are restricted to incoming/local calls only. This restriction can be removed, subject to owners consent, but clients must request this prior to departing on holiday.

Any unpaid telephone bills will be settled from the security deposit held by CV Villas.

Mobile Phones
We highly recommend clients bring a mobile telephone. However, as many of our houses are in very rural locations, we cannot always guarantee whether your chosen villa has a mobile telephone signal.

Internet Access
Most villas have WiFi. Connections can be unreliable in rural areas and vary from region to region. Please enquire at the time of booking whether internet access is available as the situation is constantly changing across our portfolio of villas. Internet cafés are common in most areas.

Television/Satellite Television
Television, if provided, will show local channels, some of which may or may not feature English speaking programmes. Satellite and/or cable television, where advertised, does not include access to subscription channels such as Sky Movies or entertainment channels and Sky Sports unless indicated. Limited English speaking news channels and Eurosport are usually provided, but as satellite and cable television providers may alter transmission and reception facilities, we can not guarantee the provision of any specific satellite channels.

Grounds, Pools, Tennis Courts

Gardens and Grounds
This describes the area immediately surrounding the property. This is usually not lawned and can vary from natural vegetation, grass or terraced area to almost English garden standards. The standard of gardens and frequency of keeping natural vegetation, trees, shrubs and grassed areas clipped or controlled is at the discretion of each owner. Descriptions relying on such controls, and photographic impressions are therefore subject to change. Some owners employ full time gardeners whilst others engage contractors who come from time to time. Consequently, there will often be the presence of a gardener at many villas. CV Villas can accept no responsibility for properties with extensive grounds/parkland/farmland and/or for works in progress by individual owners.

Tennis Courts
If a villa has a private tennis court, this will be detailed in the villa description and Villa Facts and on the Quick Villa Reference Guide. Tennis courts are to provide enjoyment and are suitable for an informal knockabout. Surfaces, sizes and standards will vary and the court may not always be considered suitable for expert players, and may not have a run-back. Floodlighting may be an extra cost. You must bring your own rackets and balls.

Swimming Pools
Usually freshwater, and unheated unless specified in the Fact Box.

The approximate length and width of each pool is indicated in metres. Pool shapes vary, and some may be uniform in depth and/or have no shallow end. If clarification of pool depth is important, please discuss this on booking and confirm this in writing. Few pools have pool covers or fencing, and children must be supervised at all times. Pools are maintained by the owner’s staff or contractors who will endeavour to clean and maintain the pools unobtrusively. Pools can become cloudy or “go green” quickly, especially during bad weather or thundery conditions. At the time of high winds, dust or debris can appear: villa staff should be advised immediately should this occur.

Please see the HEALTH & SAFETY section for further important information regarding swimming pools.

Pools – Opening/Closing Times
Weather permitting pools are generally open for use from 1 May to various dates in October.

Pool Heating
Costs of pool heating are very high and may vary according to size of pool. Prices are per week and payment is to be made either pre departure in the UK  or in resort and will include the appropriate costs for heating to required temperature prior to arrival. As a general point please note that pool heating will only bring the pool temperature up to approximately 10 degrees higher than the night time temperature. As such in early or late season you may still consider the pool too cold despite heating. We regret that should this be the case neither CV Villas or our local agents and owners can refund monies paid for this facility. It should also be noted that pools do not always have covers and therefore heat can be lost overnight causing the pool water temperature to vary. This service is available on a weekly basis only and must be requested in the UK prior to departure.

The usual types of pool heating are:

Solar Heating – please note that solar heating will only heat a pool by a few degrees and may be ineffective during cold or dull weather conditions.

Heat Pump – this is more effective than solar heating but relies on the ambient air temperature and is not as effective as heating powered by oil and electricity.

Oil Fired/Electric Heating – this is the most effective form of pool heating and usually can bring the pool water temperature up to an acceptable level reasonably quickly. It is also the most expensive method of heating a pool,.

Jacuzzis – are not heated unless stated in the Villa Facts. Jacuzzis also may not have a cover.

The Facts – General Explanations

CV Representation/Owner Managed - See CV Villas Contact & Representation Abroad

CV Exclusive - Available exclusively in the UK through CV Villas.

Rental Condition - Condition imposed on tenants within the owner’s contract.

Villa Staff

Cook Service - Please see the individual country information in the Extra Services section on this website

Maids
The number of hours and days that maids work includes the rental termination day. Minimum duties include cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms and communal rooms, though not always making beds! Most maids will do extra hours by local arrangement. Please note that these valuable maids have often been with the villa owners for many years and are vital to the smooth running of the property, therefore owners greatly appreciate you looking after your maid as you would at home. Your CV Villas Representative/Contact/Owner or his/her agent can provide guidelines on tipping if you consider they have provided a good service. Staff do not work on public holidays or Saints’ Days and extra hours will not be worked in lieu. Any extra maid hours required by clients, if available, can be arranged for and paid locally.

CV Villas Contact & Representation Abroad

It is very important that guests fully understand the method of CV Villas contact and representation (if any) for each villa/hotel, particularly in order for problems to be resolved. Failure to contact CV Villas by the appropriate channels, to include weekends, can also affect rights of redress, in the unlikely event this becomes necessary.

In particular, clients who are used to and expect the services of a local Representative, should carefully check the relevant Villa Facts before making their final villa choice.

The following categories are indicated in each villa facts;

CV Representative: This means that your villa will have our exclusively retained local representative to assist you. They will visit clients early on during their stay and assist them as much as possible with their holiday requirements. It should be emphasised that most of our Representatives are not seasonal staff, but professional people who live locally, and have a wealth of local knowledge. This, usually combined with a fluency in the local language, means they can provide an invaluable source of information and assistance to our clients, as well as assisting in resolving any problems that may occur. See note.

CV Contact: This is purely a method of "contact" by telephone with somebody (usually a CV Villas Representative) retained by CV Villas to assist our clients, but who lives too far away to visit clients, even in an emergency. They will, however, know the house, its staff and owner. They will give our clients a courtesy call after their arrival, and prior to departure, as well as being available to assist with any problems or language difficulties. They will assist as much as possible in resolving problems by contacting an owner, staff or local house manager by telephone as appropriate. Note below.

Owner Managed: No CV Representation or CV Contact is available. Clients will be given details of the owner, or staff, as directed.

a) Some owners live nearby, and will meet clients and be available in case assistance is required.
b) Some owners, usually those who live very far away, may have their own retained house manager, or a housekeeper/caretaker, living on or nearby the property. It must be emphasised that whilst they will do what they can to assist our clients, and assist in resolving small local problems, these are the owners’ private staff, and are not authorised or trained to assist or advise on CV procedures in the unlikely event of dissatisfaction. See note.
Note: If clients have any cause for complaint, they must bring this immediately to the attention of the local contact or representative who will endeavour to rectify the situation. If for any reason the problem cannot be resolved locally, clients should immediately contact CV Villas in the UK by telephone, followed up by fax/email. CV Villas and the relevant Management can accept no responsibility for unresolved problems that were not immediately advised to local management. CV Villas can accept no responsibility if clients do not refer to the appropriate CV Villas method of contact. Full details are in the Holiday Booklet accompanying your arrival information, travel documentation and in your Villa Book locally.

In particular, clients who are used to and expect the services of a local representative, should carefully check the relevant villa page before making their final villa choice. Some villas suit those who prefer to organise their own activities and excursions, where the local staff cannot speak English, a CV Contact visits the house at the beginning of the season and is available for assistance by phone. Others, prefer to have an English speaking concierge service who can provide local information and hands on assistance during their stay.

Your Resort – Some Guidelines

Animals and Wildlife
Indigenous animals are an essential part of the way of life in all rural communities and the braying of a donkey or a cockerel crowing, or the barking of a dog, is not a complaint that the locals will sympathise with! Various animals including rodents, birds and insects such as wasps, mosquitoes, ants and horse flies are present in the countryside around the houses and in the hot months, such stinging insects must be expected.

Occasionally, and unpleasantly, wasp or bee nests can occur inside a house from time to time, if the insects gain access via a chimney, a broken roof tile or an open window. On the whole however, nests are built out of doors. A large number of wasps or bees at a villa does not necessarily mean that there is a nest on the property – they are attracted to water, such as swimming pools, and can sense it from up to 6 miles away! Nearby water such as streams and pools may also attract frogs, ants, horseflies and other insects which, whilst unpleasant, is regrettably unavoidable. Frogs, toads and small animals also occasionally find their way into swimming pools in their search for water and distressingly may drown.

A house in a country area inevitably attracts inquisitive and hungry rodents who seek the tempting food that tourists bring into kitchens or dispose of as refuse. The best way of deterring insects such as ants and wasps, or indeed rodents such as mice, is to ensure that no food is left accessible, and crumbs etc are always swept up from terraces after an al fresco meal. Food is always the attraction, for insects and small animals, and for stray dogs or cats. By making sure that food is put away and rubbish regularly removed daily, you will be helping to keep the property free of unwelcome visitors.

Some properties, in very rural areas, with unfenced land may have goats and sheep as part of the holiday scene. Stray cats and dogs may attach themselves to a villa, particularly if previous clients have been feeding them, and these situations are particularly difficult to resolve immediately. For security reasons, it is often common practice to keep dogs, especially in farming areas. Sometimes absentee owners may leave their animals in the charge of a caretaker/maid in the grounds (or occasionally in the property) and whilst we are usually kept informed by owners/local agents, no responsibility can be accepted by the Company.

Please note that we are not able to guarantee the absence in any numbers of pests such as bees, wasps or hornets from any of our villas. If there are issues then we will of course work with house and local staff to do all we can to mitigate the circumstances, but CV Villas cannot be held responsible for their presence.

Horseflies: unfortunately these occur very frequently, especially in high summer and especially near water. They are attracted by wet skin, so swimmers are especially at risk. Their sting can be painful, so please ensure you are protected by a strong insect-repelling cream or spray, and always have a sting-relieving stick or cream handy.
It is very difficult to prevent horseflies from congregating in certain areas. Villa owners take strong preventative measures, by spraying all the trees around a villa in spring to kill eggs and larvae (horseflies lay their eggs on tree leaves), but it is obviously impossible to spray all the woods in all the surrounding areas, and so horseflies are born all over the countryside and at certain times of the summer will congregate round water, animals and, unfortunately, human beings.

If a booking is conditional upon no animals being on the property (ie allergies), this must be advised to CV Villas at the time of booking, and confirmed in writing. We regret that none of our villa owners will accept pets unless by special arrangement.

Drought
During periods when there is or has been a drought in the area, naturally water supplies can be affected, and in some cases local authorities cut mains supplies at certain hours of the day. During peak season months, demands on water can be such that it exceeds supply, resulting in loss of pressure or supply for certain periods. This in turn can cause problems with water pressure in properties and affect boilers and general plumbing. Some rural houses rely on wells/natural sources and supplies can run out or be intermittently interrupted. In these instances, the owners will use their best endeavours to solve the problem. Clients may be asked to restrict the use of ‘deep baths’ and Jacuzzi’s during these conditions. Problems of this nature are seasonal in all hot Mediterranean countries, a consequence of natural causes and it is beyond anyone’s control to prevent this type of occurrence.

Noise
Regrettably, we must all accept traffic, music and other sounds are part of everyday life and whilst seasoned travellers accept this, it is obviously in our interests to help clients in their choice of holiday by assisting them with any information we may be aware of at the time. However, clients will have their own idea of what they consider ‘noise’, with some more attuned to sounds associated with life in the country, whilst others accept everyday sounds associated with town living – and vice versa. Clients used to town life should remember that most of our houses are in the countryside, where work starts early. Agriculture and farming is a way of life in country areas and tractors, for instance, are a common sight, especially during harvest periods and grape and olive picking times. It should also be remembered that during very busy high season months, even quiet seaside resorts can become impossibly busy and noisy, not only with holiday visitors, but with its own countrymen, who all leave the towns to come to the sea. Building or roadworks may occur without any warning and this is, understandably, out of our control. Music can sometimes be a problem even though there are strict laws regarding hours of operation. Whenever possible, we will endeavour to inform our clients of any events or situations, but it should be appreciated that, if we have not been notified, we cannot guarantee to do so.

Noise Outside Property Boundaries
One of the most aggravating disturbances must be that of noise due to circumstances beyond the control of proprietors or indeed ourselves. Whilst owners and agents endeavour to inform us of any private or community works that may affect the property, this is the exception rather than the rule. As at home, if the next door neighbour or the local community decides to put up a new building which involves excavating using machinery, digging a hole for a swimming pool, chopping down a tree with a chain-saw, there is little that can be done, bearing in mind that planning consent and regulations taken for granted at home, are viewed very differently abroad and are often ignored. Whilst we and our owners understand only too well how precious a holiday is, it is of no interest to those responsible and whilst we will always make every reasonable effort to assist, clients should understand that these are circumstances we have no control over and we are not liable for these.

Building Work
It can happen that building work in the vicinity of the villa takes place, and this is something over which we have no control. We do not always receive advance notice of when the work will begin or how long it will last. Work can start (and end) very unexpectedly. We will always endeavour to advise our clients of any building work and to find an alternative solution if we feel that the work will have a detrimental impact on the enjoyment of a holiday. Please see clause 5 of our Terms & Conditions.

Equipment – Villa and Grounds
As in your own home, we are reliant on machines and equipment for the functionality and running of a property.

Whilst owners provide necessary items, inevitably things can malfunction, or at worst break down and need replacing.

We would ask our clients to advise the local office or house managers immediately if they become aware of such concerns that staff may not have noticed, or addressed. Whilst every effort will be made by the local office to find the relevant supplier to repair/replace such items as quickly as possible, allowances should be made for delays in acquiring parts or replacing such equipment. Equally for properties in very rural areas, and/or heavy seasonal demands upon such suppliers, this may cause delays which are beyond the owners’ control.

Beaches
Whilst our brochures and the photography therein illustrate beaches at or nearby several of our properties, these are subject to natural erosion in the shape of storms, etc that can often be violent enough to remove a beach altogether. CV Villas cannot therefore guarantee that the beaches represented in the brochure will be the same, and sometimes a once-sandy beach can become pebbly or weed-strewn over the intervening winter.

Laundry and Linen
Villas with washing machines are detailed in the villa facts in the brochure. Some maids will do some personal laundry and ironing for an additional local charge. Linen and bathroom towels are included in your holiday prices, with a change once or twice weekly. Towels for the pool or beach are sometimes provided. Please check with your consultant for full details.

Driving
Car hire is essential for most of our villas

Access to villas: access to properties varies enormously. Some may have well maintained drives leading from public roads – others may have very long, rough tracks making them totally unsuitable for some cars, particularly after bad weather. Please ask our staff for advice as this is an important consideration when hiring a car, or if you plan to drive using your own car, particularly luxury cars with low chassis.

Insurance: Please check with your insurance company/motoring organisation that you have all the correct documentation for driving on the continent.