New airport shuttle routes during Winter holidays in Cyprus

cyprus — 21/12/2015

Kapnos Airport Shuttle operators have announced that separate routes to and from the island’s airports will be introduced during the winter holidays to cater for the increased number of travelers.

Routes to and from the airports of Paphos and Nicosia will continue to take place during Christmas and New Year.

“Around 67 routes take place daily between the two airports,” said Kapnos Airport Shuttle Director Pambos Kapnos.

Cyprus in Photos - Winter 2015 

Christmas Land 2015 comes to Aphrodite Hills

CHRISTMAS comes to Paphos this weekend, Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th December with an event to be held at Aphrodite Hills , Paphos , Cyprus.

Titled ‘Christmas Land,’ the two day programme will include a visit from Santa and many activities for children, as well as numerous stalls and attractions.

Stalls will sell arts and crafts, sweets, decorations, handmade jewellery, and will take place at the village square at Aphrodite Hills resort in Paphos.

DOG FRIENDLY PLACES TO VISIT IN CYPRUS

We Feature 26 Dog Friendly Places around Cyprus You Need to Know About

Ever wondered where to take your dog for a day out, or even, just a few hours outside the confines of your home or garden? Here in Cyprus, things are slowly progressing when it comes to pet friendly spots, but the few places that do wave the ‘Dog Friendly’ flag, often instil strict limitations on dog owners according to the size, age, breed or behaviour. But as the Cypriots say “Siga Siga”  (slowly, slowly), and in the meantime, here are My Cyprus Insider’s seven favourite beacons of warm welcoming dog friendliness!

Jamie Oliver Expands Restaurant Chain to Cyprus

2016 will see the launch of the first Jamie Oliver restaurant on the island

December 11, 2015

Cyprus will soon welcome its first Jamie’s Italian restaurant, owned by renowned British celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality Jamie Oliver.

Indeed, PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd, the largest group of companies of franchised restaurants and cafes throughout Cyprus, has revealed that it will launch a Jamie’s Italian eatery on the island during the first half of 2016.

It has been reported that the restaurant’s first site will be located in the country’s capital city of Nicosia, while additional restaurants will follow in other cities in due course.

Oliver launched Jamie's Italian in 2008 in Oxford, England. The restaurant has proved successful and now counts some 40 restaurants in the collection. Following the brand’s global franchise, the eatery includes branches in the UAE, Australia, Ireland, Russia, Turkey, Singapore, Hong Kong and more.

On the inspiration behind the restaurant’s establishment, Oliver said:

Tourism prospects looking good for 2016

 01/12/2015

Cyprus enjoyed good tourism in 2015 and the prospects look even better for 2016, according to figures of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO).

Speaking to state radio on Tuesday morning, CTO boss Angelos Loizou says Cyprus has enjoyed more visitors than in previous years and that forecasts for next year are looking even better despite more work needed to lure even more holidaymakers to the island.

“This year has been a good year in terms of tourism,” said Loizou. “Our hotels – which are still operating – are currently busier right now when compared to this time last year. For September alone, revenue from tourists went up by 17% when compared to the same time last year.”

Simila Cyprus Holiday Villa Unique Selection

Please click here to view our EDITORS CHOICE of properties. 

All of these 42 Villas & Apartments have been hand picked by us for quality, value and location. 

Prices per week from only €350 for a 2 bedroom apartment, up to €9100 euros per week for an Elite 5 bedroom Beachfront Villa.

For details email ; info@simila-cyprus.com 

CYPRUS ; +357 266 00 398 / +357 976 23543 

LONDON ; +44 20 8144 7080

Wine to be sunk for Pafos2017

Cyprus — 09/11/2015

Geraskipou,, Paphos at 11:00am Saturday 14th November 2015

Immersion of Cypriot wine in the seaA case of Cypriot wine will be sunk at Yeroskipou’s artificial reef later this week as part of Paphos’ ‘Pafos2017’ European Cultural Capital celebrations.

As reported by Phileleftheros, the case of wine will be retrieved once Paphos official takes on its cultural capital title.

The special aging of wine by submerging it in the sea—known as aquaoir– is undertaken around the world.

Aquaoir – from aqua,(“water”) is the interaction between a submerged container of wine and the set of special characteristics that a body of water and its environment hold – temperature, pressure, light (or darkness) and motion.

Simila Courtesy Loan Cars

We are proud to offer our customers and villa owners our Courtesy Loan Car Service.

Simila Courtesy Loan Cars now available . 

We have now created our own service of loan cars for our guests . Many guests complained about poor quality of hire cars and where shocked by surprise additional fees for the hire are when they arrive at the airport . 

We have had reports of extra credit card fees of €400 - €1000 being requested , including unfair fuel fees by companies such as Budget , Easyjet , Avis , EuroCar and Hertz. 

So we decided to buy our own cars and offer these at competitive rates for our guests. We started in August and this has worked very well and all our guests have been very pleased. 

List of Cars currently Available ; 

Honda Civic 1.6 Automatic 5 Door Hatchback for only €24 euros / day

Nissan Note 1.2 Manual , 5 Door Hatchback for only €28 euros / day

Mitsubishi Lancer 1.6 Automatic 

5 Door Estate for only €29 euros / day

Heated Indoor Pool & Sauna Membership at local 

 *****  5 Star Hotel  *****

2 week Special offer exclusive to Simila Cyprus Guests

Only € 30 euros per person for 2 weeks winter membership 
2 people for € 50 

Ask for details at time of reservation.

5 Star Hotel Indoor Heated Pool Membership in Paphos

Special Winter Membership Package for Simila Cyprus guests.

Up to 2 weeks membership of their Sports Centre with use of large heated indoor pool , with Hydro-spa , separate children’s pool , Sauna & jacuzzi and Gym for only € 30 euros !

British Forces in Cyprus Move Migrants, Deny UK Asylum Chances

Cyprus :  The 114 migrants who landed at a British air base on Cyprus last week were moved to another British military facility Tuesday, officials said, warning that the island would not become a conduit for immigration.

The migrants came ashore on two fishing boats Wednesday at the British Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri, from where British planes are carrying out bombing raids against the Islamic State group in Iraq.

The group, which included Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians, was made up 67 men and only 19 women and 28 children.

"We can confirm that the migrants have been moved to a temporary transit facility to provide more suitable accommodation," a British Forces Cyprus spokesperson told AFP.

They were moved from a warehouse at Akrotiri to another facility at Dhekelia garrison along the coast in Larnaca.

On Saturday, the military said some of them had asked for asylum, but declined to say whether that was for settlement in Britain or in Cyprus, and their fate remains in limbo.

A spokesman said Tuesday: "The UK government has made clear it will not allow a new migrant route to open up."

• • A New Dawn for Property Buyers and Holiday Rentals in Cyprus

by Channel 4 - "A Place in the Sun" on Friday, October 09, 2015 10:00 AM

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Positive steps are being taken to sort out the property market in Cyprus and drawing the British buyers back.

After a rocky few years, Cyprus is putting its house in order to encourage the international investment it badly needs for its economic recovery. Despite the country’s banking crisis, the appeal of Cyprus remains strong, especially amongst British home hunters, and they are now slowly returning to the market.

Deep-rooted cultural ties with the island remain a big part of the pull – English is widely spoken, the legal system is the same and the comforting familiarity of driving on the same side of the road – coupled with 330 days of sunshine a year at the end of a four-hour flight.

It’s a small, user-friendly and hospitable island where around 70,000 British ex-pats currently reside, many of them around the hot spots of Paphos, Lanarca and Limassol. 

Six Major International players bidding for the Cyprus Casino Licence

Six major firms from the USA, Malaysia, South Africa, Cambodia and France formally expressed an interest to bid for the licence to build and operate a large casino resort in Cyprus.

Government sources confirmed to the Cyprus Weekly that there is keen interest in the process.

And insiders said that five of the six companies include the Malaysian Genting, America’s Hard Rock, South Africa’s Sun International, the Cambodian NagaCorp and France’s Bouygues.

These casino operators paid €10,000 and bought the option to bid for the casino licence. The formal period for companies to express interest (EOI process) started on September 18 and ends on December 18, 2015.

The government expects more companies to come forward, although sources said that it is too early into the process to estimate the final number or the actual strength of casino operators who will submit an EOI.

The players
According to government sources, the first impression of the scope and strength of the six interested candidates is positive. The Cyprus Weekly knows five of the six players and some of them are indeed operators with global reach.

Cyprus Immigration, Residence Permits and Citizenship

Tourist visa (Online pro-visa & Multi-visa)

For a short term (under 90 days) stay in Cyprus non EU citizens require a simple tourist visa or a multi-visa. Once you purchase a property in Cyprus you automatically have a right to acquiring a multi visa for up to 5 years. This visa will allow you multiple entry for stay up to 180 days per year and up to 90 days in every 6 months. Russian citizens can take advantage of a user-friendly online pro-visa. 
Visa application forms should be sent to the following email address: provisamoscow@mfa.gov.cy. The applications which are submitted before 3:00 p.m. are processed on the same day. On receipt of the confirmation simply print it out and take with you to Cyprus. When you arrive at Paphos or Larnaca airport you will have to present the pro-visa at passport control. 

The application forms you can find on the website of Embassy of Cyprus ; 
Moscow : http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/Embassies/MoscowEmbassy.nsf/DMLindex_en/DMLindex_en?OpenDocument 
St.Petersburg: http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/consulate/consulate_spb.nsf/dmlindex_en/dmlindex_en?opendocument 
Kyiv : http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/mfa2006.nsf/consular02_en/consular02_en?OpenDocument

Temporary Residency ("Pink Slip")

It is the right of every non EU citizen to apply for what is known as a "pink slip" or temporary residency permit. ... 

Cyprus Residency in European Union with property Purchase
Cyprus has recently introduced new legislation, offering Cyprus residency permit eligibility, to non-EU nationals who purchase a property. It's a straightforward process that can commence immediately on purchasing. Residency permits are generally unlimited in duration. Applications can follow the standard Immigration permit process (criteria detailed in section A) or the recently announced 'category F' expedited process (criteria detailed in section B) which requires additional criteria to be fulfilled. Pafilia will gladly assist you with the process & can also refer you to independent lawyers.  SECTION A Acquisition of an immovable property with a value of over €300,000. The purchaser must visit the property at least once every two years. Non-European citizens should possess an annual income from a legitimate source, deriving from outside of Cyprus, which is sufficient to support their family. Minimum annual income: €30,000 per couple and €5,000 per dependent is usually acceptable. Additional funds deposited in a Cyprus bank account are considered favorably. Residency permit applications may be submitted to a Cyprus embassy, should the purchaser reside abroad. If in Cyprus, the permit application should be submitted to the Immigration office in Nicosia. All documents must be officially translated and notarised. The Cyprus Press and Information Office can arrange this service on providing the original documents. We will gladly assist you with the process and can also refer you to independent lawyers,help you with opening Cyprus Bank Account , refer you to known and trusted Accountants.

Cyprus Investment Immigration Program – a Popular Option with many non-EU Citizens

Cyprus Investment Immigration Program — a Popular Option amongst the Global Elite

Recent data released by the Interior Ministry of Cyprus shows that the country’s popular Cyprus investment immigration program has led to inflow of FDI exceeding €2 billion into the country’s economy during 2012-13 to 2014-15. The Cyprus investment immigration program offers permanent residency as well as citizenship to high net-worth individuals from all over the world.

Investors can gain permanent residency in Cyprus ( European Union ) by purchasing property costing a minimum sum of €300,000. This is the same price for citizens from any country in the World. Hence many Russians and Chinese have purchased property in Cyprus. 

For those seeking EU Citizenship, Cyprus offers multiple options ranging from investment in bonds to purchase of real estate or companies.

Cyprus has long been a favourite destination for British buyers and British are still the largest group of non Cyprus nationals living in this country. 

One option for obtaining citizenship involves purchase of shares or bonds of state-run investment companies of minimum value of €2 million along with a €0.5 million donation to the Research and Technology Fund instituted by the government.

Cyprus Airports will handle 90,000 passengers over the August holiday weekend !

Over 90,000 passengers are expected to travel from Larnaca and Paphos airports this weekend alone, according to Hermes Airport spokesman Adamos Aspris.

The two week period between August 10 to 23 are “the absolute peak in passenger traffic for both airports in the country” he told the Cyprus News Agency. About half a million passengers are expected to go through Larnaca and Paphos airports.

Up to 50 per cent of them will have travelled by Sunday bringing the number to 240,000 people in less than a week.

“This weekend along, some 90,000 people are expected to travel with both airports in Cyprus.”

Larnaca airport is expected to be the busiest with Friday being “a huge workload” however things are under control and services are handling the situation well, Mr Aspris said.

1st Paphos Beer Festival at Paphos Harbour Castle - 7th & 8th August 2015 

There are a few things you can be sure to show up in summer. One would be the heat – that is rather turned up – another would be beach parties and another would surely be beer festivals.On Friday and Saturday the beer will be very much flowing in Paphos at the Medieval castle at Kato Paphos when you can enjoy a wide variety of beers from around the world.

Of course you will be sure to sample some home-made Keo, but if you feel that the blond beer needs to be compared with some other darker tastes you can surely have your pick. There will also be Carlsberg, Amstel, Becks, Leon, Guinness, Corona, Heineken, Budweiser, Murphy’s, Mythos, Stella Artois, Abbot Ale, Boddingtons and many more of the world’s finest beers bottled and ready to pop their tops.

Cinema at the beach in Paphos - August Events 

Paphos2017 moves on with its summer programme of events

The European Capital of Culture – Paphos2017 moves on with its summer programme of events that includes ; 

SEE FEST – CINEMA AT THE BEACH, with films that flirt with the theme of gastronomy and the 1st Folklore Festival of Ktima, presenting the Cypriot tradition through a celebration of music, dance and gastronomy.


06 – 26 August 2015

SEE FEST 2015 – DELICIOUS…CINEMA

The European Capital of Culture – Paphos2017 establishes a programme of screenings within the concept of its summer programme of events, aspiring to develop the open air cinema in Paphos, growing its audience and creating a new institution through its course to 2017.

Since 2014 Paphos2017 organizes within the Open Air Factory concept and the thematic World Travellers, Cinema at the Beach. This year the event features films that flirt with the theme of gastronomy, love and good food.

Geroskipou Municipal Beach - Atlantida
Start time: 21:00
Free Entrance to all screenings
With Greek & English subtitles

Programme of Screenings

BRITISH EXPATS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION !

Barclays Bank is closing accounts of UK Expats and here is a way to have a real UK address and keep you account open. All mail is received and you are contacted by email . I have set myself up with an account and I am very pleased with this service. Open the link and see for yourself the full information. I expect other UK Banks to follow this , so get in early and change all important UK mail to your very own real UK address. 
Here is the Cyprus News report about Barclay ; http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/07/24/our-view-barclays-expat-clients-have-been-shabbily-treated/

This is the very latest service available for British Expats who need a UK mailing address.
Get your UK Address and 10% Discount !

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    Evening of gypsy music and dance in Paphos - plus list of other Music Events in Paphos during July & August

 RESIDENTS and tourists in Paphos will be entertained by an evening of gypsy rhythms and dance on the Kato Paphos Promenade this Friday.

The public will be entertained by dancers George Pilla and Ann-Sylvia Clark in a repertoire of orchestral compositions from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece and Serbia.  

The dancers George Pilla and Ann-sylvia Clark are based in New York and have international careers with major collaborations and participations in productions in the USA all over Europe.  

Ann-Sylvia Clark has appeared on TV series like 
FAKE OFF and off Broadway shows like The Hip Hop Nutcracker. 

George Pilla has performed at the Arthur Murray Dance Studios, the Greek Culture Center of New York, at Pratt University, and other prestigious venues.

The group Op Sa! has assembled especially for this event and is comprised of: Yiannis Hadjiloizou (Piano), Nikos Pantechis (Accordion), Constantinos Efraimides (Clarinet), Elias Ioannou (Trumpet), Nikos Koukouvinos (Trombone), George Meliniotis (Contrabass) and Alexis Theodorou (Percussion).

Paphos is quickly becoming a city of culture and the cultural centre Technopolis 20 has much to do with that.

The centre offers variety, quality and a laid back atmosphere in which the month of July enjoys its last two weeks in style.

As of Friday this week , the centre will host its first Iconography exhibition by Marina Cushnirenko at 8pm.

The exhibition is taking place with the support of the Honorary Consulate of the Russian Federation in Paphos and the blessing of Paphos Metropolis and it will be opened by The Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Paphos, Dr George Prodromou.

According to the artist “visitors will have the opportunity to see a different art of iconography, a personal technique that I have developed with no training”.

Iconogaphy is not the only thing on offer on Friday, a reception with wine, champagne and classical music will follow.

The exhibition will remain open until July 31.

Cyprus Property News

News Flash ! 

Property transfer fee reduced by half & capital gains tax temporarily abolished.

Has there ever been a better time to buy a resale property in Cyprus? Probably not! 

17th July 2015 - Property transfer fee levied on a sliding scale on all transfers of titles in Cyprus was reduced by a whopping 50% today !

This tax bill was approved by the House last Thursday the 9th  and came into effect today. This reform will cover ALL transfers from today until 31st December 2016.

This latest move by Cypriot lawmakers is designed to both stimulate the property market and encourage those who have not taken deeds from their respective development companies to proceed with transfer of ownership in their names.

In addition to this any property purchased during the same period (today to 31st December 2016) will not be subject to Capital Gains Tax which is levied in Cyprus at 20% even on a primary residence. So, why not invest in Cypriot property to benefit capital gain in the future tax free.

Simila Cyprus have a superb selection of properties for sale in the Paphos region of Cyprus. Whether you are looking for a nice 1 or 2 bedroom apartment , or a luxury Villa with private pool , contact the team at Simila Cyprus for confidential and personal recommendations of the best buys around. 

Send your requirements to ; info@simila-cyprus.com