Visit Cyprus with Muchosol
Visiting a new country for the first time can be daunting, especially with young children, and so booking via a reputable agency is paramount. During October half term we were invited to stay in Cyprus with Muchosol, founded in 2005 with just one mission – to offer the perfect holidays!
With a team of 25 professionals, Muchosol feels far more personal than other agencies we have used previously and, during our early discussions when we were deciding where to stay, their help and expertise was so reassuring. Muchosol offer over 30,000 accommodations across the main tourist destinations including Cyprus, Spain, France, Italy and even Cuba! Every accommodation you see on their website is managed by home rental professional agencies in situ with all legally registered as tourist accommodations.
As a family of six we often struggle with accommodation large enough for all of us and yet Muchosol have a range of properties suitable for larger families and even several families who may wish to holiday together.
We’ve never done a villa holiday before and yet after a manic Summer, and a rough few weeks for various reasons, we really wanted to just go away, spend some quality time together as a family of six, and most of all, RELAX!! Our first villa holiday has been a real learning curve and I wanted to share our top 10 reasons why. we will definitely consider a villa holiday again in the future.
1. More space to spread out
As a larger family we tend to take up a lot of room and cramming all six of us into one small apartment can often feel claustrophobic. Having a villa with enough bedrooms for each of us as well as ample living space made a real difference.
2. The use of a private pool
Having our own pool was by far the biggest appeal for us, as well as not having to get up super early just to reserve a sun bed with our beach towels! Our children love to spend the whole day in the pool and now they are getting stronger with their swimming it means we don’t need to be in there with them continuously. With having a private pool the children were in sight at all times and us just a metre or so away.
The children were able to jump in as many times as they likes without the worry of splashing other swimmers or making too much noise and use inflatables which during previous holidays have not been allowed in the main pools.
The only down side to this is that, especially somewhere like Cyprus, the local wildlife loved the pool just as much as the children did and each morning we would wake up to at least one type of pool invader!
3. No need to keep the noise down
Another main positive for us is that with our villa being very isolated we had no neighbours to worry about! The children could make as much noise as they liked, we could play our own choice of music without being asked to keep it down, and I felt way more relaxed knowing that my very excitable children weren’t impacting on anyone else’s peace and quiet!
4. Having our home comforts
Although when we go on holiday we like to eat out at local restaurants, as a family of six it can soon add up. Going on a villa holiday with cooking facilities was really important for us and makes a huge different when you’re budgeting. Also having towels included meant we didn’t have to waste our baggage allowance on them, and having a washing machine meant we could pack less full stop so saved money on extra luggage.
5. Going at our own pace
Although it is lovely to stay at a resort where all of your meals are cooked for you, it’s also lovely to go at your own pace and eat outside of any specific meal times too. We found the children were utterly exhausted after a day in the pool and slept most mornings until at last 9am! We also enjoyed some late nights at the villa just watching the sunset together which was a real bonus!
6. A great base for exploring the local area
Villa holidays are great for spending quality time together but it’s also fun to explore the local area. We found that many of the villa’s were outside of the regular tourist spots which meant we could explore the hidden gems that Cyprus had to offer. Due to the location of the villa, and the inconsistency of local transport in that area, we hired a car so we could literally go wherever we wanted.
7. Getting a better deal.
Although foreign holidays are expensive full stop, when it comes to pricing up a villa over a hotel, we found there was just no comparison. For us as a six we would usually need to book two separate apartments which obviously has a huge impact on the cost. For a villa the prices per person work out at just a fraction though of course, if booking via an agent such as Muchosol, you need to book flights separately. I recommend booking flights way in advance to get a good deal or else the cost of the flights can really bump up the cost.
8. Family friendly.
Visiting countries such as Cyrpus where the temperatures can get incredibly high, especially in the Summer, it’s important to make sure that the children don’t over heat by spending too long in the sun. I love that with a villa the children can sit playing beneath a sheltered canopy or indoors to cool down during the hottest times of the day. Unlike at a hotel where either myself or Gaz would have to take the children indoors and sit in the room together, we were able to enjoy the sunshine and still be just a few metres away from the children safely under the shade.
Of course there are pros and cons to all types of holidays and for some villa holidays aren’t necessarily the right choice for their family. Muchosol also have a range of apartments to hire within resorts so you’re certainly not narrowed down to any one type of holiday. You can find out more about what Muchosol has to offer on their website here – www.muchosol.co.uk.
