Marathos is a small roadside picnic site in the pines at 1,282 m, on the forest road that links Kakopetria with Prodromos — about 7 km from the first and 6 km from the second, right beside the road in the Marathasa valley. It is the kind of place you pull into on a mountain drive rather than plan a whole day around, and that is much of its charm.
The essentials are covered: picnic tables, barbecue hearths, drinking water, toilets, parking, and bins, with room for just under 300 people. There is no playground here — it is a simpler, quieter alternative to the big organized grounds around Troodos square, and it feels noticeably calmer for it.
The trail cluster around Prodromos is the real bonus: four routes — Prodromos - Zoumi (short), Prodromos - Zoumi (long), Prodromos Dam - Stavroulia (short), and Prodromos Dam - Stavroulia (long) — all start within about 450 m of the site, so you can walk first and grill afterwards without moving the car.