Ditch the Euro, embrace the Lira!
 The UK Times Money section has published a list of the top five currencies that are great value for UK holiday makers at the moment - and the Turkish Lira is one of them! Even though the exchange rate is not actually as good as last year, Anthony Rice of Travelex is quoted as saying; "Your money certainly goes a long way in Turkey.”
Yes, you've spotted my gripe already! The Times article doesn't even mention that North Cyprus uses the Turkish Lira. So, once again, North Cyprus loses out on publicity.
However, I've been browsing some travel forums recently, and am constantly amazed as to how many people don't know what currency various European countries use. There are endless questions along the lines of "What currency shall I bring to Cyprus?", and equally depressing answers that still mention the Cypriot pound, AND leave out any mention of the difference between north and south. So, it's time to take up the challenge! With the Turkish Lira being such a good buy for the UK, this is the year to plug a TRNC holiday to all your friends as not only fun, sun-filled and relaxing, but also cheaper than in any Eurozone country. And that includes hotels, so they don't all have to stay in your villa all summer to save cash!!
A Happy SeaTerra Reserve customer
 If I had listened to all the bad stuff in the press about buying property abroad, I would never have come to North Cyprus, and just sat at home moaning about the weather. But if I had never come to North Cyprus, I would not be the proud owner of a place in the sun at SeaTerra Reserve. North Cyprus has had such a bad press, and everyone said "oh, it's really difficult to buy", "you'll get ripped off", etc. Well, buying was easy, we haven't been ripped off and in fact we're very happy with progress so far. We've been out again to see how "our" space in the olive trees with a number on it has turned into a smart apartment block, and even the wife is impressed! Our daughter's been trying to buy a new home in the UK, and the quality of some of the workmanship on some of the new builds she saw was terrible. Our apartment is much better built, with a more quality finish and certainly much better views. To everyone thinking about buying in North Cyprus, get out here and see for yourself, and for all you Sea Terra buyers, I'll be there in May (fingers crossed) to soak up the sun and sink some beers! Dave and Sue from Dudley, West Midlands
Need a hotel in Kyrenia but don't know where to look? Fed up with trawling through endless web sites and travel brochures? Then relax, because KyreniaHotels.co.uk has arrived, and we just can't wait to tell everyone here at the Cyprus 44 community all about it! The team at goNorthCyprus Travel Ltd have been burning the midnight oil to create this unique one-stop online shop for booking your Kyrenia hotels. At last you can choose from 20 top Kyrenia hotels all on one site, from the family-friendly Acapulco Beach Club & Resort Hotel to the stately grande dame hotel of Kyrenia, the Dome Hotel. As you've come to expect from the goNorthCyprus team, our new site is quick and easy to use, with three great features you are going to love: - We're online, not in an expensive office, so we can offer you amazing prices on Kyrenia hotels all year round.
- Special Offers. All the latest discounts and exclusive free upgrades you just won't find at any other web site.
- Over 20 Great Hotels to Choose From. You'll find your favourites here, including the cool and curvy Malpas Hotel and our new addition Colony Hotel, with up to date information and some great new pictures too.
We know many Cyprus 44 forum regulars already live in North Cyprus, and get lots of UK visitors as a result! So, if your villa is just too small for the mother-in-law to stay, you can now book her a lovely room in a comfortable Kyrenia hotel, can't you?! We'd love you to try out the new site, so feel free to explore our brand new Kyrenia Hotels Booking Website, and discover the best hotels Kyrenia has to offer. Let us know your views too, by posting comments to this blog - we'd love to hear from you. And if you think our new site is good, tell all your friends about it, so they can save time, money and frustration with an instant online quote on hotel accommodation in Kyrenia. Thanks! The goNorthCyprus Team
 The recent post in the Cyprus 44 forum "Property investment as a business here - your views?" has set me thinking. Poster Mish (a professional international development economist, whatever that might be!) has been looking at the TRNC market with a keen eye for the margins. Basically, his post boils down to three fundamental issues of investing in property in North Cyprus:
1) Long-term rental verses short term holiday lets?
2) If holiday lets, where?
3) If holiday lets, is there a market? He's quite happy to consider the familiar property developer technique of flipping (selling an off-plan property before completion at a profit), yet is concerned with the number of completed and unoccupied properties for sale around Esentepe. And here is the crux of the problem. Those eager property investors who bought off-plan for profit now face the same problem as flat owners in Leeds and other UK cities; in some developments, supply currently outstrips demand. (Please note I said, currently.) The number of empty properties seen in developments are not attractive to those looking for a bustling location for family holiday lets, nor to those looking for a friendly retirement haven. Couple this with the downturn in tourist numbers, and the demise of holiday firms such as Cyprus Paradise, and us TRNC property owners must start to wonder if it's time to stick our heads in the nearest gas oven. Of course, it's not. North Cyprus is not a market for making a quick buck, despite the sales hype from developers, but neither is the UK anymore. British property investors have been spoilt by great returns on a rising market for years, and it's made them greedy and impatient. So, I'd ask them to take another view, and think outside the profit margins. Making an investment in North Cyprus property is also making an investment in North Cyprus itself, stating you have confidence in the Turkish Cypriot people and this country’s future. A solution will come, and each day it's getting closer. It won't make millionaires out of any of us overnight, nor will it necessarily be an easy ride, but I for one am here for the long term. As Julie Andrews sang, "I have confidence"! I also have a great lifestyle, a lovely home, sunshine 300 days a year and wonderful neighbours. Perhaps Mish might like to leave the profit-chasing and chill out for a while in North Cyprus - it won't make him rich but it might make him happy!
Toon Army's post asking about the weather in February on the Cyprus44 forum has reminded me just how lucky we are in North Cyprus. Couple that with the dark, damp, misery I experienced in London before Christmas, and I feel doubly blessed to be back home again! It's all too easy to start complaining when the rain falls in North Cyprus, to shiver at the slightest draft, or huddle up to a fire in a restaurant muttering about the cold. In fact, we've had a couple of sunny days recently where I discarded my fleece and enjoyed a few rays on my terrace. OK, not suntan weather, but certainly not overcast, damp and grey either. It's exactly this kind of mild weather that attracts so many tourists to south Cyprus all year round, so I think it's about time we started telling the world that the lovely winter weather doesn't stop north of the Troodos! North Cyprus is a year-round destination, and if more holiday apartment and villa owners like Toon Army would come year round, it would benefit them and North Cyprus. New property developments would be less like ghost towns out of season, more local restaurants could afford to open throughout the year, and TRNC traders would not have to work so hard during the summer months if a winter source of income were available. I love North Cyprus out of season, when I can walk on the beaches and see nothing but the horizon, when I can hike through the mountains and hear nothing but birds, or wonders of wonders, get a table in a Kyrenia harbour restaurant! Yes, more out of season visitors might increase my chances of meeting someone on the beach, but I'd rather see more visitors and know they were spreading the good word back home, than know that for the local economy, silence is not so golden.
12 Days of Christmas Reasons to Move to North Cyprus
The Twelve Days of Christmas Why do I do this? Every year I vow that I will NOT visit the UK anytime within a tinsel’s length of Christmas, and yet every year I find myself sucked into the shopping frenzy that seems to extend from October onwards until the Queen’s Speech. However, this does ensure that I almost kiss the tarmac at Ercan the minute I get back to North Cyprus! So, in a spirit of North Cyprus Christmas good cheer here’s my “12 Days of Christmas Reasons to Move to North Cyprus”. (Not the snappiest of titles I know, but you get the idea!)! On the First Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Fresh fruit off a tree. You should hear the fuss in the UK at the moment about ‘food miles’ and the advantages of buying local produce. We know – it doesn’t get much fresher than off your own vine or tree, after all! On the Second Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Two Migrating Birds. They know the best place to stop off for a rest – North Cyprus! The BBC dedicated two weeks of primetime TV to Autumn Watch this year, the highlight of which was the non-arrival of massive flocks of starlings. I rest my case. On the Third Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Three Fresh-faced Tourists. I love meeting new tourists to North Cyprus, as every new visitor means one less prejudiced viewpoint, replaced with a happy memory. On the Fourth Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Four Skype Calls. Thank heavens for Skype! No idea what I’m talking about? See the forum posts! On the Fifth Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Five Golden Beaches. Well, more than five of course, but we all have our secret favourite, don’t we? On the Sixth Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Six Great Restaurants. That stay open even when the tourists go home – hoorah! Nominate your top three at the forum if you like. On the Seventh Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Seven Months of Swimming. Or thanks to solar panels, even more! On the Eighth Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Eight Pints of Milk. For my cup of monkey-brand, builder’s strength tea – there are some British habits I just can’t shake off! On the Ninth Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Nine Ladies Dancing in a Truly Traditional Fashion. I do try and take visitors to authentic North Cyprus events, but they are few and far between, it seems. What’s your favourite? On the Tenth Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Ten Lords A’Sleeping. Let’s face it, at times, it is just too hot for lords to be leaping about, at which point we all do the sensible thing, and have a snooze... On the Eleventh Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Eleven Pipers Piping. Pipe in the New Year by celebrating the small steps made towards North Cyprus being accepted by the EU. Remember what a hassle it used to be crossing the border to the south? Exactly! On the Twelfth Day of Xmas, North Cyprus Gave to Me:
Twelve Drummers Drumming. I’ll reserve my drumming moment for when there is no border at all! Hope you had a great Christmas and best wishes for a great 2008. Kathy
 One of our Cyprus44 visitors who comes to North Cyprus for holiday, emailed me the other day with his comments about the high cost of entrance fee to Escape Beach in North Cyprus. I got permission from him to publish this: I have recently returned home after a lovely holiday in Northern Cyprus. This was my fifth visit and was extremely dissapointed at the cost of a day on Escape Beach. My family usually holiday with me. This includes children as well as adults. There were nine of us this trip. We always spend at least four days of our holiday on escape beach. We were shocked this year when we were charged 15ytl per person. As you can imagine this was an expensive day for members of my family who have three children. Needles to say, we spent one day there. I cannot understand how the cost has risen so much, as none of the facilities have changed that much. We love to come to Northern Cyprus, as its a beautiful place, friendly locals, and is also great value for money, which is a pull for families. I do hope you are not going to price yourself too high as I feel you would loose out on custom. In fact I drove passed the Escape beach on several occassions and it was pretty empty compared to previous years (we always visit in October).
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