Stratos House is one of those rare gems you always hope you will find when you go on holiday but so rarely do. It exudes charm from every corner — a tastefully restored traditional Cypriot house, furnished with traditional furniture (the bed we slept in was a family heirloom). It offers all the modern comforts you might require (free wifi, air conditioning, satellite TV, CD player), yet at the same time provides a taste of the "real Cyprus". But what truly sets this place apart is the hosts — Giorgos and Elena welcome you not as guests but as part of their extended family. We lost count of the freshly cooked treats they lavished on us. Nothing was too much trouble, and for their hospitality alone they deserve every success — the fact that Stratos House is itself a delightful place to stay makes this an unbeatable prospect. Don't come here if you want "modern tourist" Cyprus — you'll want the tacky bars and brash hotels of Agia Napa or Limassol for that, but if you want to know what Cyprus is really about, and want an unforgattable experience that has you planning your next visit on the plane home, then look no further.

I totally agree with the review read in the financial mirror by Matthew Stowell: Here is a summary, with some additional notes from myself.

As soon as I walked through the ancient wooden doors of Stratos house, you feel that you've entered a parallel universe, but one that is a least 100 years in the past and of a more genteel era and culture. My room, or suite, was very spacious and the owners give so much care about the design and layout of the rooms. Awaiting me was a complimentary bottle of wine, a bowl of mostly local fruit, and a large bottle of water. The bed was very good, high off the floor to help with cooling and also newish TV, sound system and DVD player were available. The bathroom had a sort of high-tech shower equipment usually found only in 4 or 5 star hotels. There is also two nice terraces and Giorgos and Elena care very well about you. They help you where needed and offer additional food if needed.

In the house there is no swimmingpool, but with your key and a five minute walk you get to the local pool. Nice place, I went twice and had the pool complete for myself. Free wifi is also available, as I am writing this review while sitting on their terrace.

When I come back to Cyprus, this will definitely be one of my highlights to sleep.

Absolutely no complaints about our stay here. Our ground floor apartment was spacious and charming, with traditional and antique furnishing and ornaments. It really felt like staying in someone's home rather than a holiday apartment. There was a kitchen, a large room with distinct bedroom and sitting room areas and a bathroom with a good, always-hot shower. For outside space we had the choice of the courtyard outside our room, where there are tables, chairs and more old-fashioned objects, or a sunny terrace on the first floor. We used both.

When we visited the central square of Kalavasos was being dug up (sounds like this is a semi-permanent state of affairs!) and we had some difficulty finding Stratos House. Despite this, we liked Kalavasos, and found everyone we met to be friendly and helpful. The owners of the house - Georgios, Elena and Panagiota - were very welcoming hosts, and a couple of times shared some of their (delicious) cooking with us. At the Tenta taverna we ate home-cooked meals most nights - don't ask for a menu there, just find out what's cooking, and drink the house wine. If you want a menu, the Bridge Taverna is also good, particularly for meze.

There are plenty of day and half day trips you can do from Kalavasos if you have a car, but I probably wouldn't recommend coming here if you're relying on public transport. Although there is a small shop in the village, there are bigger and better shops at the top of the road to Zygi from the motorway junction - including a nice bakery and very good fruit and veg. Sunday lunch (which has to be fish!) in Zygi is a good time to mix with local families, but arrive early if you don't want to queue for a table.

We were very pleased with our suite. The room was very large with a spacious bathroom.
The bath was over sized and we both commented on how nice it was to shower with the extra room. Very quick check in. Our room over looked the parking garage but it really did not bother us.