Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tom G]

Hi All,

I will be coming to Cyprus at the end of December for at least 3 months, with the possibility of setting up camp for a much longer period. My situation is this.

I currently live in Chiang Mai and have been living in Thailand since 2000, on and off, mostly on. I have a 20 month old son with a Thai woman, I'm separated from her but on good terms.

My finances come from the UK, where i have a company in Bristol. The company is doing OK, but needs more input from me on a daily basis - this is difficult when I'm 7 hours ahead time wise.

I need a place that is halfway between Thailand and the UK, that is roughly on UK time and allows me to fly in to Bristol with a direct flight, and get back to Thailand easily. Cyprus fits that bill perfectly.

So, I will try a 3 month period in the winter when it's about as cold and quiet as it will get, if it works at this time of year then it will probably fit the bill longer term.

I will obviously travel around and see the different areas when I get there, but I'm looking for as much info as possible before I arrive to eliminate any areas that will simply not be suitable.

My requirements are:

- A villa with a pool (I know it will be too cold to use in the winter). Internet that can handle Skype calls, not that fast but reliable. Rental budget 1000- 1500 Euro's per month. I will rent a car, but obviously want to avoid drink driving on nights out.

- Nightlife of some kind, I love to play pool so a pool league would be a great way of meeting people quickly.

- I'm 42 years old, so looking for an area that is busy, but not crazy.

Any suggestions of areas that may fit the bill, and areas that definitely won't be suitable would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Tom.

[Sotos]

A villa with a private pool for 1000-1500 for short term rental might be a bit difficult to find and will limit your choices. Maybe you should just rent an apartment for this 3 month trial and then get the villa when you will be ready to rent for long term. I would say the east coast of Limassol would be best for you based on your description. Paphos has the most British expats so that could be an option also even though it is a much smaller town. Ayia Napa / Protaras are wild in the summer, kinda dead during the winter. Larnaca... you will be the closest to the airport but I wouldn't suggest it otherwise. You can get good internet speeds in most parts of Cyprus, that is not a problem... just don't get a villa in the middle of nowhere.

[supporttheunderdog]

I would agree with Sotos that Limassol is likely to be the best bet, and probably reasonably close to the main connurbation rather than the outlying inland villages. Eastern Limassol tends to be more expensive as it is popular with the Russian Community but it has the tourist strip running for a good distance with a number of sports pubs rather more likely to have a pool team, if they have a pool table. Not sure which do. It also has good options for eg food shopping with a good selection of supermarkets, butchers , greengrocers, etc., to be joined by Lidl in the near future, and multitude of eateries.

His recommendstion to get an apartment for the initial period is sound.

[DrCyprus]

If you end up in the Paphos area send me a message on this forum and I will show you around.