Good Larnaca areas

One of the things I like most about Larnaca Town is that there does not appear to be any "class" related issues wherever you go. There are no real "ghettos". The area we live in has run down properties nestling between large villas and apartments of various sizes and everyone is friendly and gets on with each other.

Yea that vibe I get from Larnaca too and of course the Greeks are amazing :-) So looking for an appartment where would you recommend?
Is it ok to be able to live rent/work?

My point was that there are no specific areas to recommend, or avoid. Decide on your own priorities, and budget and go for it. You will pay more for near the beach or town centre, which is where we are but can then walk into town anytime. Further afield there are some really nice outlying villages, some with decent local amenities, tavernas, etc and some which are much quieter. Best thing to do if you are not sure is start with a short (ish) rental and spend some time exploring the area before committing to a longer term.
Be warned. There is an idea amongst a lot of ex-pats that "everyone speaks English". This is generally true in the tourist areas and places like Oroklini where there are a lot of Brits but very few of our neighbours speak it well enough for us to have a reasonable conversation.
We retired here so can't really comment on work but I would imagine speaking Greek would be a pre-requisite for most jobs?

Thanks for your detailled reply.
I will have my car brought over from Ireland so I am thinking to be able to be maybe a bit more flexible. Guess on the outskirts of town as my daughter will go to school in town and as I am probably working fulltime it would be very important for her to get around by foot.
I speak greek, I was fluent so i guess I have to just get used to it again as the base is there and with my studies in Greek and residence in Greece I am confident I would be on a real good level again after short time.
So Oroklini would be a place with lots of Brits?
I don't mind to live among locals as I love everything Greek and guess I know how to handle them having lived among them ... just love it!

I see there are quite a few jobs going I also have qualifications for...
My idea is to come on "holidays" armed with Cvs and paperwork concerning work/accommodation in March and I want to stay in Larnaca... any tips for a nice cheap-ish place to stay?

Thanks Harvey

xx Christine

Sounds like you are pretty well sorted and will have no problems settling into any neighbourhood in Larnaca so, as previously stated, choose your priorities and budget and move in.   :-) The Cypriots are the most friendly people in the world so spend a bit of time in the area of any place you consider renting. If most of the neighbours are Cypriot, you will have no issues. Our biggest problem is we don't speak Greek so have difficulty sometimes communicating with some of our elderly Cypriot neighbours. We are trying to learn Greek but, at our age, this is not easy so we envy you.
Yes, Oroklini has a lot of Brits, which is one reason we did not consider it! If I wanted British neighbours, I'd have stayed in Scotland. Having said that, most of our friends are Brits, partly because of the language but mainly due to our interests of Scuba diving and Horse Riding which seem to be of little interest to Greek Cypriots.
You state you think the "outskirts of town" might be of interest. Larnaca is not really that big a place. Anywhere from the Port area to Mackenzie and inland to the KCineplex can be considered walking distance of the centre and Finikoides beach. (15 - 20 minutes walk.) Nowhere South of the motorway is more than a half hour walk from town.

Yea that is my experience as well when I lived in Greece. I cried my eyes out when I left for Ireland as I so loved the Greek culture and people.

Same here I have no interest moving next to British neighbours I go to Cyprus not staying in Ireland.
I feel can really relate to Greeks especially with my passion for everything Greek and now wanting to expose my 12 year old daughter to it.

My only "worry" is  if I will manage working and living on a normal salary with the expenses. I need to figure that out and calculate it or get myself a second income (i am also a writer / blogger / designer and translator). It is ok when you emigrate on your own but with a teenage daughter.. well at least the schools seem free.
Yes thats why I consider Larnaca as I really like smaller towns AND I heard its the cheapest place to rent in Cyprus. And a bit outside might be more affordable even I have read that the fuel is not as cheap either in Cyprus am I right? And car insurance/tax..

Well first of all I need to find work which does not seem such a huge problem in Cyprus in general due to my experience and it seems to be available.
Even got a few responses from recruitment agencies already.. just has to be enough to live decent. Unfortunately its not enough to live from sun and air LOL lots of it here in Ireland

Fuel for your car is far cheaper than Uk / Ireland for sure (in paphos area its about €1.19 per litre for UL 95 ) , tax and insurance is entirely dependant on the car  - our fiesta 3 1300cc is only €60 per yr tax and insurance is about €250 for two people (60s)  with fully comp

Oh ok I just got on approx quote yet with status and they told me 350/yr and tax 120 so I might need to give more details I guess.

LOL EVERYTHING is cheaper than Ireland thats for sure. .
I dont know what UL 95 is but that sounds much cheaper surely and I guess it depends also where you live - even outskirts of Larnaca how much you actually need the car. For the weekly LIDL shopping or once in a while to Carrefour which I heard is all outside.

it is different in different areas of cyprus  - UL95 is unleaded petrol.... diesel is ever so slightly more expensive but we are only talking about 1-2c

status are definitely more expensive ...i get a quote from theme every year at renewal and they are always more expensive than abbeygate

Oh thanks Toon, I wrote to Abbeygate last week didn't get a reply yet so I will get back to them again.
Do you know when you bring the car over you need to go straight away to the insurance/tax/VRT? Or you can do that online ahead of your travel? Did you bring your car over or did you buy it in Cyprus?

we bought ours here - -but i would speak to Andrea Etherington RSS Logistics as they bring cars in all the time and for sure will be able to advise you 100%

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