New members of the Cyprus forum, introduce yourselves here - 2020

Hi I am a single Irish lady in my 40's. I was widowed in 2018. I have a grown up son and daughter. I need a change, a challenge and this is something I've been thinking about for a while.
But it is nerve racking doing this alone.
I have a lot of skills and have worked all my life doing different things. I am a trained nurse. I plan to rent an apartment for 3 months and see how I get on. I have English roots and would like to base myself near ex pat communities in Paphos.
I haven't told my family and friends as I want to get my ducks in a row before announcing anything. Unfortunately I don't speak the lingo but I love all things Greek.
I would welcome any advice/tips.

Welcome to the forum  - dont get too daunted by it yes it can be but stay calm think and research as much as you can - - there are people here who can advise you the best they can - use the search function for specific matters read the forum entries and if anything is missing or you cant find an answer to your specifics the ask that specific question

good luck - enjoy the planning

Hello everybody. In 2012 I first came to paphos for a job in the Aphrodite hills resort in Kouklia. That was a life changing experience for me, in terms of me falling in love with Cyprus. I quit the job shortly after I came because I wanted to explore other opportunities in Paphos. That was a right move for me at the time, because working in a kitchen for 10 hours a day didn't leave me much time for anything really, and I felt I was missing out on what the island had to offer. My luck was that while working in the hotel, I was given accommodation in Geroskipou, and when I quit the job, I was allowed to spend two more weeks at the house before clearing out, to find somewhere else to crash. Riding my bike to the harbour one evening, I made friends with a cypriot guy that turned out to become one of my best friends. From there on out he introduced me to his family, put food in my plate when i didn't have the money, and made sure that he included me in every odd job that he did during that summer. We made gardens, did bar work together at riccos beach in geroskipou at a beach bar one of his closest friends owned, he got me a job at a carwash another friend of his
Owned, I even did night security at a small casino. I'm not ashamed to say I was willing to work anything decent that summer just to spend more time there. And I did. It wasn't easy at times, but hand on heart, now when  I reminisce, it's one of the best times of my life.
Eventually I went back home in Romania, but I knew I was hooked. In the next years I travelled a lot, studied Tourism business management in the UK, where I spent 4 years. I'm really nostalgic when I think about England as well, but I always had in the back of my head that I need to do something in Paphos. Every year I went at least for a week or two during the summer, and every time I fell in love with the place all over again. When I finished uni, I was locked on the idea to open a small bar or mobile business somewhere around Paphos, so fall of 2016 I left England, went straight to Paphos and started speculating. Unfortunately, I wasn't properly prepared with a business plan so the municipality kind of laughed in our face( i was with a friend from Romania at the time, who wanted to get involved as well). That reality sank in, that we weren't actually prepared to take on the challenge of starting a business in a foreign country with no substantial income, so we decided to take the idea back home, where we had all the necessary contacts and support. In other words, I chose the easy way, but I came to realise that risking is good, and I should have tried. I opened a specialty coffee shop in my home town, and it's been a hardworking, nerve-wracking, beautiful experience altogether. I have the best coffee in town, I interact mostly with quality people, the money is ok ish, but hey, quality of life is a factor too. So I find myself still missing Paphos, my cypriot family and everything that I so love about that place.
I' m thinking to sell the business here in the next period of time and to do what I wanted to do 4 years ago, but the right way. It' s a difficult time now, I know, but when all this situation will clear out and the tourism and services sector recovers, people will get back to their habits.
I want to open a nice little food/coffee place in Paphos, and from what I see anually, the harbour is the best place to be. Daytime is getting hotter and hotter every year, so I m thinking a evening- oriented schedule. Bar street is dead, or at least it was last year when I passed it. If anybody living in Paphos for a longer period of time would be kind enough to share some other ideas on where I should ideally set up, I would appreciate it. Last year I went to Kato Pafos to check out the coffee scene. It was sad. Small coffee shop owners telling me there's no demand for specialty coffee, to let signs all over the place, just a sad vibe. To be frank, as hot as it is, I wouldn' t enjoy a warm flat white either in the middle of the day, but I still think there' s room for quality coffee, even in a cold form.
I Always said that if I start a business in Paphos, it will be for the tourists, as british people who visit Cyprus are used to quality coffee from back home. At the same time, I' m looking to target people on a holiday who are there specifically to have a good time and spend money, so offering a quality service would be key. Again, if anybody has any advice or ideas on how I could take on this challenge, I' m trying to gather as much info as possible for people living there on a daily basis. Sorry for the long novel, I just felt the need to put everything in context for someone who's wondering why a Romanian lad who in the last 10 years has travelled and lived in all kinds of places wants to move to the island. I asked myself that question over and over. It just has a magic that no other place gave me. I guess it touched me somehow, that summer eight years ago.
I hope everyone's okay, all things considered, and may we get through these crazy times with our head up and a smile on our faces. Stay positive! Stay healthy! Thank you for pulling through this text if you have! Any advice is great, as long as it's on a polite note.
Have a wonderful day everyone.

Hi, don't be afraid.  I'm also a woman on my own in my late 50's and as soon as lock downs and travel bans are over, I'm also planning to travel to Cyprus to set up a new life for myself.  I also plan to rent a small apartment for about 6 months while I take my time to look around and buy the right place.  Which part of the island are you thinking of going to?  We can do it!  Just join forums, read what other people are saying, contact the lawyers they are suggesting for advice.  Download buying guides and Google, Google, Google!  I've done loads and loads of research within the past two months, on the buying process, the residence permit process, the taxation, etc., etc.  Best of luck!

Thank you Sally, I'm sure I'll be in touch with you again

Thank you Sally that was very motivating

Good evening and hello

Hello gillmoss2000,

Welcome to Expat.com 

Could you please introduce yourself to the other members of the Cyprus forum by telling us more about you?

Cheers,

Cheryl
Expat.com team.

Hi. My husband Nigel and I are in our fifties, no children and are planning to relocate from UK to Cyprus for early retirement. We are hopefully coming over next month to rent first and look around both the Paphos and also Paralmini/Famagusta areas so both west and east.  Would be interested to have any information on the differences between the 2 areas and rental costs for say a 3 bed villa/apartment for 6 months. Any information would be really helpful and much appreciated. Thank you.

Hi. My husband Nigel and I are in our fifties, no children and are planning to relocate from UK to Cyprus for early retirement. We are hopefully coming over next month to rent first and look around both the Paphos and also Paralmini/Famagusta areas so both west and east.  Would be interested to have any information on the differences between the 2 areas and rental costs for say a 3 bed villa/apartment for 6 months. Any information would be really helpful and much appreciated. Thank you.

welcome.... differences depends on what you are looking for.. and is hugely personal.
e.g. we love Paphos as its a good all year round area.... we dont like Limassol at all... and Larnaca area is very very  quiet in winter but extremely busy in summer....
 

Nb it is perosnal and not mean to offend anyone

as for rentals Limassol rates are quite high - i can say much abkut larnaca region but paphos you would be talking about  minimum 750/850 rising to 1200 per month plus utilities pool and garden maintenance, internet/tv services,  etc

But again its dependent on areas and what you are really looking for... will you have a car, or will you rely on public transport,  pool or no pool furnished or unfurnished, pets or no pets, easy access to shops bars restaurant cafs etc, town living country living, near beaches etc etc etc

,

Hi Toon. Thank you for your response.  We have followed some of your posts over the last few months and you seem very knowledgable and have been informative with your postings. We have been looking at rentals around the Paphos area today. We want unfurnished with private pool and are happy to drive up to 20 mins to the sea.
Interesting what you say about Paphos. We don't want somewhere too quiet in the winter. Don't want to be in the thick of things but close enough ie 10 mins drive.  Also not too rural if that makes sense. We like to eat out maybe twice a week and be close enough to drive 10 mins to a local supermarket. Your estimate on rental prices seems spot on. We just now need to analyse the different areas around Paphos. Our initial stay will be for one month only and we want to use our time wisely. Any other advice you can give regarding areas around Paphos would be great. Thank you so far for your help. It is much appreciated.  PS We will eventually be looking to purchase a house.

Might be a good idea to start a fresh thread with specific areas of interest

Good Morning!  I live on the west coast of Cyprus with my husband and dogs..   
I love this area, which is not very touristy (except during August, when it does become busy) yet there is normally plenty to do, a variety of “clubs” to join,  and “locals” know where to go and what to do!

We are both retired, yet seem to lead busy lives - mainly with friends, or in our own home and garden.   
We meet friends for coffee and chats (putting the world to rights) at one or other of our favourite cafés in town.  We join in quizes at a tavern, (several do these).    We belong to a walking group and explore the areas,  and there are all sorts of other activities to join in.
It's a beautiful area with the sea on one side and hills and mountains on the other, and we smile as we drive along beside the sea almost every time we go out..

lam a cameroonian and lam a teacher l would like to come in cycrus

West Coast Lives. Thank you for your message. Sorry for the delay in replying but we are in the middle of moving house to come to Cyprus!   May I ask which part of Paphos you are based in. Your lifestyle sounds ideal. I like the description of your area as we are not looking at too busy an area. We are considering Polis or maybe Tala. How long have you lived in Cyprus and did you come from UK? Any advice would be much appreciated. Many thanks!

Hello afi20.  We are English and sold up in England in 2003.   We moved to France where we lived for seven years.  I spoke almost fluent French but Hubby spoke “some”.   As we lived “in the sticks” and had snow from sometimes November to March, we decided to move somewhere warmer, so moved to Malta.   We lived there for over six years, but it became too built-up and polluted, so we moved to Cyprus, where we have lived since very early in 2017.
We find the west coast area around Polis (we live in a village about 10minutes from Polis) is just right for us.   We don't want to live right in the middle of a busy large town, but Polis has many restaurants, a handful of banks, a variety of shops, a big supermarket and a smaller one, an Asian food shop, and this smallish town has a nice feel to it.  The shopkeepers are friendly once they know you are a local and are ready to help with information.  We live in Argaka, which is a slowly expanding village where there are enough English people living here to help one feel “at home” but it is perhaps, not where there are too many British people to take away the Cypriot feeling.  One can live higher up in the village, or half way down - or on the level!  The village is quite sprawling and covers various hilly or not (!) areas.
There are three kiosks, one is pretty large and stocks most things, several taverns, a good local butcher, two petrol stations and a huge baker, who seems to be open always!   We support local businesses whenever we can, including Cypriot Cafés and restaurants and the local electrical shops etc.   There are quite a number of doctors to chose to go to and a small local hospital in town.  There is a citizen's advice office and most places other that you generally need.
“Red tape” stuff does has to be done in Paphos, so it does mean that you need to drive for an approx 40/45 minutes journey through the mountains, but there are two roads to get there.  We usually take the main B7 to go, and sometimes return via the “back” road through Pegiea, (Peyia) and passing by various other villages including Kathikas and eventually Drousiea, before arriving back in Polis.   It is probably the more scenic route, but takes a little longer.

We have joined a walking group that is great fun.  We take our two dogs with us on these walks, as do a couple of others and we walk for approx two hours, one morning a week, exploring local lakes,  valleys, abandoned villages, scenic areas etc etc, but the group stops about May (usually!!) because it becomes too hot to walk!  Restarts end of September or start of October.  We play boules once a week and in the winter, I attend yoga classes.   We need some time for our own social life and jobs that need doing around the house and garden though!
There are all sorts of groups to join in and around Polis though, including mosaic and art classes, various dance classes, Yoga and keep-fit, Pilates, badminton, pool, and there is a regular Monday evening quiz in Argaka that we go to for a laugh and where most locals get to know others, and at the same venue there is a charity quiz every other Thursday. 
There are charity shops in Polis and various animal sanctuaries around that are crying out for volunteers.  There is truly SO much that you can be involved with if you want to mix or make friends.

The west coast area from Latchi, Polis, Argaka and on towards Pomos is very beautiful, with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other.  It is an agricultural area, so except for August when it IS busy because the folk from Nicosia swarm here to enjoy this area (!), the roads are not that busy and the fields are full of orange or lemon groves, avocado trees or olive groves, and vineyards.
If I can help in any other way, let me know!  Good luck wherever you chose to live. 
(Be aware though that it can be very wet and cold between about January to end of March in Cyprus,  (you need your fleeces and good shoes!) and if you live high up around here, you may have frost or low cloud in the winter.  Lower down is much milder, though can be more humid in the summer (though nowhere near as humid as Malta was!!).  )

Hi. Thank you so much for your in-depth and very helpful reply. My husband and I are very grateful as we found it very informative.
Like I mentioned before Polis is one of the areas we are considering but were worried that it might be just too quiet and cut off in the winter. However it doesn't sound that way from what you have described. Both my husband and I are very involved with a local animal charity in the UK and we organise all their large fundraising events etc and will continue to do so even when we move to Cyprus. The fact there are animal sanctuaries around Polis is fantastic for us as we really appreciate wildlife and nature. Also your walks sound amazing!  Bakery might be a problem for us though as we both have a very sweet tooth! 😀. Like the sound of the dancing classes also. Was worried we might get bored as we both recently gave up full time work and are still quite lively. Don't think that will be the case though. We are flying to Paphos at end of September and will explore a few different areas including Polis and Tala. We planned to spend at least 2 /3 weeks in Polis to start with to see how we get on. We are booking air bnb. At the same time we will apply for residency. Once again thank you for your lovely response!  Hopefully we may bump into you during our visit! Thanks. Afi and Nigel.

Won't you need at least a proper rental agreement before you can apply for residency ?

Jim

That is true!   There are all sorts of paperwork “hoops” that need to be jumped through for all “red tape” stuff.   Toon is the chap to advise about this.  He helped us a lot when it came to official things before and after we first moved here.

afi20.  Hi Afi.   I wrote a long reply to you, then came out of here to find out about something and when I came back, it was gone!     Are you on FB?   I am Sheelagh.  See if you can find me on there as I don't know if I can private message you on here!  Toon, do you know?   (Toon is a member who is very helpful and knowledgeable.).    Let me know and I will open up (temporarily) who can send me a “friend request” - or you could private message me.

Yes you can PM here Sheelagh.... click on the avatar of the person to whom you wish to message and open the profile there is a link to Message...... hope you both are fit and well...   two dogs now, well done - i assume another rescue....

take care both, stay safe stay healthy, sorry to have mised you all last week  - darned ferals seem to have taken over our lives... but we love them all...


you only need evidence of an address  but if you do have a rental agreement then note that there is no legal requirement for it to be of a specific length....

BTW it may be better to continue further on a new thread, have a good day all

Thanks, Toon!   Yes, both of our dogs are rescues.   Poppy from Malta very sadly had to be put to sleep but she was 16 by then.  We swore we'd never have that heartache again and would be free (!) but adopted Ziva (a staffie) three months later,  then in January this year we also adopted Blossom, (then a four years old pitbull).  They are both as soft as dogs can come and get on very well together.   They keep us fit with their much-needed runs up in the hills! 

Thanks for the info you have given me.  I'll try it! 

We too were sad to have missed you at our mutual friends' home the other evening.  Oh well, another time.   (You know we moved to another house in the same village but further along the coast road, fairly recently?).  👍😋

Hello

My name is Neil, and I currently live in the UK near Newcastle upon Tyne. Me and my wife have been looking to move abroad for years, and we finally decided on Cyprus rather than Spain. In 2019 we bought a small townhouse between Polis and Latchi which we have been renting as a holiday home.

Our UK house has now been sold (on the third attempt) and we are moving to Cyprus in November. We have an appointment with Immigration in November and are using Guenney's Red Tape  Services to help us through the process.

We will be looking to buy a two bedroom property in the Polis area and keep the holiday rental business as it has proven to be very popular with guests and also it will provide some income. Either or both of us will need to find work after a while, but initially we want to get to know the area and the people for the first few months.

We will also need to find local contractors as there are improvements we need to make to the Polis property. We have been coming to Polis for a few years now and love the area. We have quite a few friends in the area and have learnt a lot about Cyprus but we still have many questions before we make the permanent move in a few months.

Neil

Welcome to Cyprus

Please feel free to ask specific questions on separate new or specific existing topic threads...

Hi all.
Arrived 22 Sept, looking for 1bed apartment in patphos district monthly for min 3 months. Any help greatful.
Regards cheers Bernie

@ Ogmore :

Welcome to Expat.com

I suggest you to post an ad for housing search in the housing in Paphos section, it might help you to find an accommodation soon.

Good luck,

Priscilla
Expat.com Team