The guest guide, in advance.

Villa Christina comes with a house guide — the sort a good owner writes after a few summers of being asked the same questions. It covers the air conditioning, the kitchen, the laundry, the pool and what to do if the power goes off.

It is normally handed over on arrival. Everything on this page is taken from it, edited down to the parts that are worth knowing while you are still deciding — because “is there a washing machine” and “how far is a doctor” are booking questions, not arrival questions.

The Wi-Fi details are not here. Those stay in the private guide, where they belong.

Every bedroom has its own thermostat.

Air conditioning is fitted in each bedroom and controlled individually, so nobody has to negotiate a single setting for ten people. The guide suggests 24–26 °C. Some units have a door sensor and will refuse to start with a window open, which is worth knowing before you decide the unit is broken.

The house is built to stay cool without it. The working method is the Greek one: shutters closed through the worst of the afternoon, opposite windows open for a draught, and everything thrown open again in the evening. The guide's own advice is to turn the air conditioning off overnight and sleep with the shutters ajar instead.

Sockets are European type C/F at 230 V, so UK visitors need adapters. Power cuts are rare but do happen on the hottest days; the lights and the air conditioning come back on by themselves.

Properly equipped, not holiday-let equipped.

Hob, oven, microwave, dishwasher, kettle, toaster and a Nespresso coffee machine, with cutlery, crockery and cookware for a full house. Dishwasher tablets and cleaning things live under the sink. One guest wrote that the kitchen was better appointed than theirs at home, which is the review a self-catering villa most wants.

Bins are under the sink and sorted; the outdoor bins are by the entrance and there are recycling points in Nidri. Food waste does not want to be left out — the warmth here brings ants in quickly, which is the one housekeeping note the guide makes twice.

Eating outside is expected rather than tolerated. Anything unopened can be left behind for the next guests.

Two sets of towels, and a line in the sun.

Bed linen and towels are provided at the start of the stay, with extra blankets and pillows in the wardrobes. On stays of more than a week a mid-stay linen change can be arranged, and a mid-stay clean too, both with notice rather than on the day.

Bath towels and beach towels are separate sets, and the guide is firm about it — the beach towels are the ones for the pool and the sand. Some windows have insect screens, which are worth closing at night.

There is a washing machine and detergent in the utility room, an iron and board in the cupboard, and a washing line outside. There is no tumble dryer, and in this climate there is no need for one: a load hung in the morning is dry within a couple of hours. Shake the sand out of beachwear before it goes in, or it blocks the filter.

Yours alone, and unsupervised.

The pool is private to the party staying, with no outside visitors and no lifeguard — children need watching, and the tiles are slippery wet. Nothing made of glass goes near it; plastic and metal cups are provided for outside. It is maintained on a regular schedule rather than by whoever happens to be staying.

Sunbeds and chairs can be moved around, and the pool and terrace lights run on timers. Lefkada is breezier than people expect: the guide asks that parasols be taken down and the awning retracted whenever the terrace is left for the day, and that cushions come in overnight or if rain is forecast.

The garden itself needs nothing from you: a gardening team handles the watering and the planting, and may come by during a stay for light work. The pots on the terrace are the exception, and the owners ask that you give them a drink when they look thirsty — which in a Lefkada August is most days.

A smart TV, a speaker, and eleven o’clock.

There is a smart TV in the living room with the usual streaming apps, which you can sign into with your own accounts — and should sign out of before you leave. There is an Alexa speaker, and board games and books in the living area.

Sound carries on a hillside. The house rule is quiet after 11 pm, particularly outdoors, and it is the one rule the guide returns to more than any other. The neighbouring villas are close enough to hear a terrace at midnight.

The guide's own way of putting it is worth keeping: you are in one of the most peaceful spots in Nidri — enjoy the sounds of the sea and nature as much as the technology.

There is a safe, and there are motion lights.

A safe is provided for passports, cash and anything else you would rather not leave in a drawer. Outdoor lighting runs on motion sensors, which are worth leaving on if you are coming back after dark. Doors, windows and shutters want closing when you go out for the day — as much for the wind and the summer showers as for anything else.

The villa is for the registered party only, and cleaning or maintenance staff come only with notice. The guide's closing line on the subject is that Lefkada is known for its hospitality and its safety, and that most guests never have cause to think about any of this.