CyprusVista

A German newspaper report recently published a list of popular places for the British to go on holiday - so their readers can avoid them! The article, in the daily “Bild Zeitung” claims that Ayia Napa in Cyprus and other Mediterranean resorts such as Malia in Crete are full of Brits because of the “drinking, sex and beaches (they) offer.”

However, the newspaper is out of date. This summer, you are just as likely to find a family enjoying the lovely beaches at Ayia Napa, or a retired couple strolling through the town for a leisurely lunch, as bleary-eyed clubbers emerging for breakfast at 12 noon.

Yes, the town is still a fabulous place for clubbing, and that’s where the real change lies in Ayia Napa, in the clubbers themselves. The lager louts and drug-abusing crowd seem to have moved on. In their place are an energetic, thirty-something crowd who want to party during the night, but not so hard that they can’t enjoy all Ayia Napa has to offer during the day, beyond the bars and football screens. And these days, they are more likely to bring their kids.

Not that this change will come as a surprise to the business owners of Ayia Napa. They have already seen their once-quiet Cyprus fishing village evolve into a club capital of the Mediterranean in just a few years. During the 1990s, Ayia Napa was a boom town, where clubbers spent money on enjoying themselves 24/7. On the downside, the younger clubbers who came in their thousands eventually tainted the resort’s reputation with excessive drinking and loutish antics.

As a result, both the police and the Municipality clamped down on antisocial behaviour and other drink-related issues, and it worked - almost too well. As visitor numbers started to fall, so did the tourist income, and the big debate in Ayia Napa now is how to develop the resort for the future.

Ayia Napa is certainly up for the challenge. Already there are plans for an Ayia Napa marina and a golf course, facilities to attract a more mature - and wealthy - tourist. The resort is also aiming to become a year-round destination, making the most of the 300 days of Cyprus sunshine a year, and there is certainly plenty to do during a family holiday in Ayia Napa once the clubbers have gone home.

• Ayia Napa Beaches
The main beach in Ayia Napa is just what you want from a Mediterranean beach; clean sand, watersports, sunloungers, sun umbrellas, and easy access to a cooling drink in the summer. Nissi Beach is the happening beach during the summer, with open air DJ sets, so if you prefer peace and quiet, head for the coves and beaches around Cape Greco, to the east of the town.

• The Monastery of Ayia Napa
The Monastery at Ayia Napa dates from the Venetian occupation of Cyprus in the 16th century, and the 600 year old fig tree in its grounds is proof that whatever happens in the town, some things in Ayia Napa don’t change!

• WaterWorld Ayia Napa
Kids and adults alike will have a great time at WaterWorld, whether hurtling down the Fall of Icarus waterslide at 40kms per hour, or twisting down the pipes of the Quest of Hercules double twist slide. The park has a great sense of fun, as all the attractions are all housed in mock ancient Greek ruins to suit their classical names, including the Midas gift shop!

• Eat the World: Restaurants in Ayia Napa
Ayia Napa has an impressive selection of restaurants serving world food from Japanese cuisine at Sapporo, Mexican favourites at Los Bandidos, and excellent Polynesian green curries at Fiji. Or venture out of the town to the villages of Liopetri, Sotira or Paralimni, where traditional tavernas will fill your table with a magnificent meze, freshly cooked to order.

Popularity: 11% [?]

If you’re looking for a relaxing holiday in Cyprus this year, leave the hustle and tour coaches from Larnaca and Limassol behind you, and head west.

Western Cyprus is a world apart that’s within easy reach of Paphos airport, and as you driver through the hills towards to town of Polis, you can feel the troubles of the world simply drifting away! As you leave the hills behind, the wide sweep of Chrysocou Bay appears, as wide as the smiles on the Cyprus faces that welcome you to this quieter, more laid back part of the island.

Polis may not be a very pretty town, but it’s a great place to potter around. Simply park in the free car park under the olive trees, and walk up the side streets behind the market hall. Here you’ll discover the town’s pedestrian centre, lined with pretty cafes and surprisingly good jewellery shops. Just off the main road to the north, the Archeological Museum is small but well-stocked, since Polis itself was built on the ruins of the ancient Greek port of Marion. This calm and cool museum is a joy to wander around, as you’ll often have the rooms to yourself, and the exhibits are interesting without being overwhelming.

From Polis, you can drive back into Cyprus’ more recent past along the impressive E704, the coastal road that hugs the edge of Chrysocou Bay. Here, the beaches may be small, but park the car and chances are, they’ll be yours alone all day long. Better still, admire the views and then head beyond Pomos to Pachyammos.  The modern church at Pachyammos is a blaze of colour, decorated with modern frescoes that gleam with gold. Afterwards, admire the stunning views over the sea from its back terraces under the shade of the trees, a picture-perfect spot.

Further up the road is the isolated Turkish Cypriot enclave of Kokkina (Erenkoy), guarded by Argentinean UN forces. The road has to head inland into the foothills of the Troodos Mountains to circle round this tiny part of North Cyprus marooned inside the Republic of Cyprus. Ironically, this road has amazing vistas, but don’t be tempted to take photos of this military area, it’s illegal.

Continue on and you’ll discover Kato Pyrgos, a small seaside resort where the Greek Cypriots go to escape from the tourists! It’s an ideal place to have a spot of lunch by the sea, and maybe a quick snooze in the shade…

Time to turn the car around and head back to the coastal road,and head out to Pomos Point for a breath of sea air, followed by afternoon coffee and baklava in a local cafe. Or if you’ve spent longer on the beach (and why not, you’re on holiday), stop for a romantic dinner at a pretty coastal restaurant, watching the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea. After all, Polis is less than 30 minutes’ drive away, one of the many delights of a holiday in this relaxed and easy-to-drive part of Cyprus.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Scuba diving in Cyprus is always a fascinating experience, especially since you never know what you might find! In 1967, a sponge diver found remains of an old wreck on the seabed just outside Kyrenia harbour, in what is now North Cyprus.

Archaeologists soon established the wreck as the best preserved classical-age Greek cargo ship ever discovered, dating from around 300BC. During the summers of 1968 and 1969, the wreck was lifted from the seabed and placed in a special museum in Kyrenia castle. The Kyrenia Shipwreck Museum now houses both the preserved wreck itself, plus the wreck’s cargo of large pottery wine jars (amphorae) from Rhodes and Samos, 29 millstones from Kos, and over 9000 preserved almonds!

Now, against all the odds, a team of archaeologists in south Cyprus have discovered the preserved wreck of another trading ship, located 45 metres down off the coast at Mazotos, near Larnaca. The exact location has been kept secret to preserve the security of the site, but the details of the finds are strikingly similar to the Kyrenia wreck.

The archaeologists have discovered the ships’ cargo comprised of around 500 amphorae, probably from the Greek island of Chios. Chios was famous in the ancient classical world for its excellent quality red wine, which is probably what these amphorae originally contained. The scientists cannot exactly say where the ship had visited prior to being wrecked off Cyprus, but suspect that Chios was just one destination in a trading voyage around several Aegean islands.

Unlike the Kyrenia wreck, where the finds included personal items as used by its four man crew, the Mazotos site has not yielded any objects apart from the Chios wine jars. However, the ship itself is well preserved, and historians are confident it will yield more information about both the trade patterns of this age and ship construction techniques.

Popularity: 20% [?]

When the property market in Cyprus slows, it’s not just the buyers and sellers which are hit hard. The Republic of Cyprus government has seen its revenue from property taxes drop by 25% in the last year. The government also reported a drop in capital gains tax income, much of which is collected from property sales income.

This may be not such good news for anyone trying to sell their property in Cyprus, but it’s great news for anyone looking to buy. Just as in the UK, it is becoming a buyers’ market in Cyprus, with a wide range of properties on sale at reasonable prices.

However, any drop in asking prices should be offset against the  Home Price Index for 2007, which rose an impressive 16.13% in 2007. So, property prices rose dramatically in 2007, only to dip again in 2008, so owners who bought before 2007 have made gains in the long-term.

To make the most of the buying opportunities in a sluggish property market, you need to be more than a little hard-hearted. Chances are, the best bargains to be had are from those desperate to sell their Cyprus villa or apartment for personal reasons. If you have the cash ready to spend, this ensures you can negotiate a good price, but only if you can hold out against the sob stories.

So, what should you consider when buying a property in Cyprus in 2008? The answers are remarkably similar to what you’d expect to do in the current UK market:

1. Buy quality. Look for good build quality, high ‘kerb appeal’ and a high standard of finishes and fittings. Some Cyprus new-build properties built in the boom years were basic at best, and are hard to sell on. Also, quality properties require less maintenance and are generally easier to let.

2. Avoid overambitious developments. Some Cyprus developments are neither picturesque nor have sufficient infrastructure, so suffer from being deserted in the winter months and suffering power cuts and other amenity problems in the summer. In fact, you may wish to avoid new developments altogether and look for more mature properties in central locations of major tourist areas, where the rental potential might be higher.

3. Stick to a realistic budget. A bargain is only a bargain if you can afford it.

4. Look to the future. Both Paphos and Larnaca airports in south Cyprus are currently being expanded, and in addition, new flights by international carriers have been announced. Cheap flight market leaders easyjet have also touched down, offering bargain flights to Cyprus holiday-makers and residents alike.

With greatly increased passenger numbers already arriving in Cyprus in 2008, and cheap flights to Cyprus offering the possibility of long weekend breaks, investing in a Cyprus property now might be a wise move for the serious property investor.

Popularity: 15% [?]

It’s unusual for an Australian politician to be approached about a top job by the United Nations, but then reviving the peace process in Cyprus is an unusual job.

Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer is a strong candidate for the delicate task of bringing the Republic of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriot governments together to resume serious reunification talks. As Australia’s longest-serving foreign minister, Downer has considerable experience in international relations, as his party leader Brendan Nelson confirmed: “Alexander Downer has enormous ability… and I’m not surprised that anybody would want to engage his considerable experience and skills.”

The rumours persist that Downer is likely to become the main UN envoy of the Secretary General for Cyprus, although Downer himself was not giving much away; “I’ve just had some discussions with the United Nations, but this isn’t necessarily something that they want me to do or that I would do.”

If and when it happens, Mr Downer’s appointment would be likely to start just as the renewal of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus is due to be discussed by the UN Security Council. At present, UN peacekeepers patrol the Green lines borders and maintain the UN-controlled buffer zone between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish Republic of Cyprus in the north.

Meanwhile, on Cyprus itself, the momentum towards reunification talks has appeared to slow. On the plus side, Republic of Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met on 22 May 2008 in the UN buffer zone for over three and a half hours, much longer than expected. However, a decision on the start of reunification tasks was postponed, pending further discussions at the end of June, and with an actual anticipated start date of the end of July.

Perhaps a straight-talking Aussie politician can provide the spark to get the two sides to finally sit down and get to work on their stated goal. In a joint statement by both leaders as, this goal was the establishment of a “bi-zonal and bi-communal federation based on the principle of equality.” 

With the Australian nation’s reputation for straight-talking combined with informality, the reunification of Cyprus may yet be solved by three blokes chatting over a beer. The question is, which beer - Keo or Efes - or perhaps a more diplomatic Castlemaine XXXX?!

Popularity: 10% [?]