In high season, I take the car to get to the beach even from here where I can SEE it Jenny! Most do it's just TOO HOT to walk it.

I use the pool more than the beach and these are fabulous pools.

This link shows same apartment exactly as mine but mine faces the tennis courts and not the pool. I preferred that and yes it is my OWN garden and being the end one it goes right round!

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/cyprus/CY3250.htm

The top pics show the patio directly outside living room the garden is to the left of it in mine and then all round. Walled and with hedging too (apart from the exit from patio!)

All those luxury rattan patio chairs and me and only one bum to sit on them I'll have to rotate myself so I don't wear one out!

I will be able to work outside too at last as it is properly shaded right back by the sliding doors - I've earmarked a little corner for me and the laptop. Too bright all the time up here to see even my phone outside.

Listening to the workmen as I type this I CAN'T WAIT TO GO NOW! I didn't want to be viewing in high summer as everywhere looks pretty fabulous then. Wanted to see it on a glum day too and also at night which I've done now.

More pics to come.

I don't think I need even take a kettle or pot and pan. They are furnished to v. high standard. Leather sleigh beds with storage under throughout. In mine even nice pictures on the walls! Owner is in England - it's all Brits I'm dealing with for this. He's given up on it for his own reasons and overjoyed to have found someone reliable and 'nice' who will live in it and have some money coming in to cover the expenses going out on it for maintenance, pool cleaning, gardening etc.

For a comparison when I tell you the commons on my flat including cleaning and pool cleaning are 36 a month and the commons on this one are 90 I think you will realise the difference!

But ... they are included in my RIDICULOUSLY low rent! And I've just managed to negotiate another further (small) reduction for offering 6 months in advance!

WHY CAN'T I FIND TENANTS LIKE ME TO LIVE IN THE ONES I HAVE HERE!

There are people I will miss seeing so often but will still see them regularly. Maureen and Brian who come over 4 times a year are devastated I'm leaving but they can come visit me instead of me going down to them when they are here.

I've just emailed them to tell them I will arrange for my present Satellite TV connection in here to be transferred to their flat for them when they are on hols. They don't have proper TV or proper reception either. It's only about 30 euro for Sat Steve to switch it over - I paid the 100s for it to be put on in the first place years ago. I'll be happy to bestow it to them (rather than let present landlord keep it) as I don't need it and would have just left it behind. It is wired in properly with Sat dish on roof not a mickey mouse job with sat dish on verandah. That should please them. Make up a bit for losing their use of my internet connection when here!

Congrats.......... exciting times and a new place to live...

Anyway Lucia is already looking at something over there for her and Relou. They are bloody FOLLOWING ME! And I ain't gone yet!

Thanks Jackie - to be honest if it hadn't been for the downturn in Cyprus's fortunes

1. I wouldn't be able to afford to live there.

2. I wouldn't want to as it would be fully occupied and very busy.

But it is cheaper than were I am now (lol) and just 'quiet enough' to suit me without being deserted. Everyone I've met over there so far has been nice and very helpful to me pointing out stuff and places. And all ages and sizes which I like. Young couples, elderly ladies with dogs, mums and dads with kids.

Right off out now - just move my clothes airer before they paint my laundry again!

edit edit - high winds blowing up - hope that means the crane will have to stop! It has certainly meant that a lot more of my stuff has come crashing down as it is all still huddled in the middle away from painters. Think I'll give Lucia all the geraniums and stocks etc. today. Save me looking out for them until I go!

Want to get measurements for bedroom windows - if same as mine here (and a lot are standard) I can take my sliding insect screens with me.

*must start making sensible list.

It looks fab darlink, how could you not avail yourself of the opportunity of a bit of luxury.

This is much more like my one as this is same Ground Floor 2 bed.

http://www.buypropertyanywhere.com/c...la/P-14613.php

This describes it very well (mine does have the satellite TV installed - already has internet connection too - just not meaty enough for me!)

It is quite usual for people who buy here to buy a property and then buy what is called a 'furniture package'. Most go for the basic one (which is why a hell of a lot of people have the same sofas and dining suites here lol!) we even call 'em the furniture pack look!

These however have the top of the range stuff right down to kettle and toaster and outside furniture.

Developers and builders make a lot of extra dosh out of selling 'furniture packages' to buyers. It saves them bringing stuff over and they then arrive to a fully furnished and fitted home to move straight in or rent out to holidaymakers.

When places are resold (in the days when they were still selling!) it was usual for new buyer to say 'take all that furniture out' I don't want it. And that is why there is SO MUCH second hand furniture and kit for sale all over Cyprus!

Even full set new bedding is provided (loads of storage under the sleigh beds) for all year round. So Pat the cotton sheet queen and biggest buyer of pillows in the world is gonna have a lot of surplus linen!

When they lifted the bed end to show me the storage I said 'is that another bed under there?' they said no it is all bedding. All new and still packaged and plastic wrapped!

Thanks Pat and congratulations ....... it looks out of this world.
You will feel as though you are on holiday there and as you say all your friends, sea and dog walks are only a short car drive away Do many people live there all year or are some rented out for the season to holiday makers. Either way has wonderful advantages

Also to have your own garden where little Bella can trundle around .... she'll soon get use to it and it will make a huge difference to you. That furniture is fantastic!!!! Well everything looks fantastic and it sounds a great deal financially for an even better apartment

Really exciting times for you over there and your grandchildren will LOVE the pools, tennis court and of course all of that land to play on.

Jenny

Anyone for tennis? lol! What with MY KNEES? I could happily watch others playing though if they get a few in there - through the vines growing up the metal enclosure. It is about 20ft high so no chance of stray tennis balls for Bella!

My reason for doing my looking for somewhere this time of year (January onwards) is just so I DO see the places at the DEADEST time. I don't want to move to the 'Village of the Damned' like some are here where they've built a 'village' where none existed before and now they are more or less deserted.

Pyla is an ancient village and all the old traditional houses are occupied and is 'open all year round' where the inhabitants are concerned. Uni of course during term times and the UN personnel all year round too.

It's huge enough to accommodate any amount of summer visitors. The summer season where people on holiday 'with kids' here is short because of the restrictions on taking them out of school during term time nowadays.

I so WISH I'd been there when Dan, Em and kids came. It sleeps 6 anyway as one leather sofa is a sofa bed. But there are loads of others adjacent available for renting for a week or two as well.

I've mulled it all over for AGES. Ditched the idea of leaving Cyprus altogether although it would mean cheaper flights and easier travel with Bella because it has been my home for so many years now and I do know lots of people here all over (that's how I got this apartment).

I am heartily SICK of the major refurbishment of the entire area all round. It looks awful, today we have gales and it's blowing the dirt and dust everywhere (and I have another date with Henry soon as more pots went over while I was out with Bella). In fact so windy today I might have to disappoint Lucia with our trip to take her in an hour's time. Don't fancy the highway in my little yellow peril in these winds. Not with some of the overloaded 'farmers lorries' you see on there Well it's sometimes hard to see the lorry with what they load on them! We usually get the gales in April. But hey - we usually get a winter sometime between Nov and Feb but didn't happen this time! Still clear blue skies and unrelenting sunshine - just windier than you can imagine.

I have been thinking long and hard about the long hot summers here which seem to be getting longer and hotter every year. I use the pool more than the beach to swim in crazy season. Take the car anyway - and takes longer to get to and park at a beach here than it will to drive the 2 miles to the beach there where it's quieter (but still a CTO beach).

Checked all the areas I would consider and went back again and again for a half day each time. Now dismissed everything west of the airport as they are quiet for different reasons. They are quiet because they consist of mainly 'holiday villages' which have become deserted. Nothing I'd consider between here and Mazotos (Camel Park) - I did look at a house there tho - right opposite Camel Park! Lol! See my camels every day! Far too isolated.

Looked at my old stamping ground Dhekelia. Tempted by the beach houses as you know and then what brain I've got left kicked in! Right on the beach? On a day like today? Or worse in hail and sand storms? Don't think so! And they again have become sort of sad and desolate - were busy once but not now.

This place was never busy. It was built as a luxury development for owners to use for either renting out for income or retirement or just for their own holidays. It's a short walk into the traditional village centre and I have good pals who live in the old village. (One of them is the man who kindly collected Martin from airport for me after his spinal op because my car was unsuitable).

Another friend actually lived in one of these for a while and said they loved it.

It's the spotlessly clean, pretty all around you, no rubbish or litter that really appeals - along with the fact that just outside the 'gates' you have the meadows and mountains and the old traditional stuff.

No dogs allowed of course - but NO ONE applies that rule to Bella lol! Poor little Bella declassified as a dog! Agent even joked that she's got CATS bigger than Bella and not so well behaved either!

I just knew there wouldn't be a problem with Bella because my pal Alfie who recommended it does a lot of work with animal rescue. He even phoned me on my mobile as I was driving there the other day to say 'watch out when you get to the speed bumps Pat because there are a couple of little dogs lying out in the sun around there' lol! And I did see ONE - but he was on the pavement (perhaps Alfie phoned the dog too and told it to watch out for a little yellow car coming thro?)

Hope it all goes well Tang, must admit that your 'rent only' philosophy is perfect for never getting bored with a place, if you do just move

Also agree about paying someone when you can be making more at your 'proper' job. When we moved in here one of the guys doing the renovation decided to show me how they sharpen knives and sycthes, I'm not kidding, he used a hammer and bashed the blade repeatedly to create a 'sharp' edge, nice trick if you don't have a grindstone but it took him four hours to get one small scythe just about sharp I told him to buy a grindstone and he could do it in five minutes and get a much sharper edge.

But time management here is a concept that hasn't really sunk in yet

Pat , you are doing exactly the right thing, it sounds and looks amazing!!

Definitely in agreement about paying the movers to do everything!

When we moved from Falmouth up here we had a " proper Cornish " company do us. They arrived in the morning and packed absolutely everything last thing apart from me and the cats!

All I had to do was provide pasties at lunchtime and then do a cleaning swoop around the skirting boards after they'd taken everything away! Perfect