Monday 16 August 2010

Golden Cyprus – English and Sunshine, what more could you want?

Two things most Brits really want deep down when considering moving or just buying overseas: i) a place where most people speak English; and ii) great weather.

Northern Cyprus satisfies on both counts. 

Of the just over 250,000 people who inhabit the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), almost all speak Turkish as their first language.  Where there is a second language, this is almost invariably English, and spoken by many of the people you will come into contact with on a day-to-day basis.  For the typical Brit who, let’s face it, is generally well known for not really making too much of an effort to be multi-lingual, this is a real blessing.   As an expat you will need to use the local tradesmen from time to time and, even if you are both speaking English, and you are promised exactly what you want, the advice as ever is always where possible only to use tradesmen who come recommended by others. Nuff said!

And now, the weather. Well according to the Cyprus met office, the island as a whole experiences over 300 days of sunshine each year.  So, a bit more than what might be termed typical in the UK then!

Summer is full of sunshine with rainfall a rarity. The average annual temperature of North Cyprus is 19°C. Officially, the hottest month is July – that said, at the time of writing (August) there is currently a heat wave where temperatures have soared to 42°C! The local met office does say though that this is now on the decline – seems we can expect a more comfortable 38-40° in a few days!  All this means of course that it remains comfortable in the evening for plenty of al fresco dining, and of course making the most of the pool at any time.  Even in January, usually the coolest month, the air temperature averages out at around 8°C (46°F) – so no jacket required, but you might find a light one useful.

When it rains, it does rain, but mostly this will be between December and February.  You can the showers to be heavy, but short in duration.

Living in the TRNC then means that this Mediterranean paradise delivers both winter sunshine in November to March, and a genuine hot summer during May through September. The table below makes for some interesting comparisons – it shows average TRNC vs UK temperatures over the last five years:

Temps (°C/°F)
Jan
Feb
Mar
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
TRNC
17/63
17/63
23/73
25/77
29/84
34/93
36/97
36/97
33/91
27/81
22/72
19/66
UK
3/37
4/39
7/45
9/48
12/54
15/59
17/63
16/61
14/57
11/52
7/45
4/39

Suits me just fine!
J

Best
GC
Please visit us at Golden Cyprus: www.goldencyprus.co.uk

Friday 13 August 2010

Golden Cyprus – Pace of Life in Paradise...
So, you’ve got to that point in your life where you feel that you’ve earned something just for you.  And Cyprus is on your list of places where you might now consider buying a home.  Before you go any further though, consider what you really want.  Things like a slow pace of life, sunshine, a place where the locals are accepting and generally helpful, and also mostly speak English, high quality homes built to earthquake standards, all these may be on your agenda.  If so, then you may care to read on...
I’ll be going through the various attributes (and downsides too) of life for an expat in northern Cyprus, so if this region is on your list, you might want to bookmark this blog.
Let’s just cover a little about this slow pace of life to begin with.  There are parts of the UK who really do seem to know how to take a step back and really enjoy a slower way of doing things – the West Country or up in the Scottish Highlands spring to mind - but compared to these guys, they’re mere amateurs!  It really is delightful to experience a lifestyle where time just doesn’t seem to be an issue.  The downside of course is that when you do want to get something done, the ‘manana’ principle is applying itself in spades.  You know the story about the hole in the roof?  You can’t fix it when it’s raining, and when it’s not raining, it doesn’t matter that there’s a hole in the roof!  It’s a cultural thing though which seems to extend to just about anywhere in the Mediterranean – you’ll find it in the TRNC and it’s certainly not going to change any time soon!  
If you’d like to find out more about living in northern Cyprus, keep coming back to this blog.  Or visit the Golden Cyprus website and leave your details.  We’re working on a free report about life in the TRNC which we’re hoping will be ready to send out soon, so when you register, you’ll be on our list to receive it, free of charge.  And let us know if you’d like an exploratory conversation.  We’re always happy just to talk about the TRNC.  If you’re really serious though, we can discuss the kind of place you might be looking and put an itinerary together for when you come over.  We’ll arrange for transfer from the airport and accompany you around the properties on the list we will have agreed with you.  And if at any time you think that you might like to have your own bespoke villa built, we’ll take you to an English speaking architect to discuss your options.
Hope to hear from you soon J
Best
GC
Please visit us at Golden Cyprus: www.goldencyprus.co.uk