Get more from a winter break than just sun and sand  in Cyprus is Winter and Spring. 
There is so much to see and do , including a walking tour of Paphos which will illuminate the intriguing history of the coastal town. 
Visit the incredibly well-preserved Paphos Mosaics, spread among several Roman villas, and the ancient Tombs of the Kings. 
Away from the lovely seaside town of Pafos , which is the European Capital of Culture for 2017 , are the wonderful Troodos Mountains and isolated villages, Byzantine churches and the mountaintop Kykkos Monastery, home to a museum resplendent with Byzantine icons and other treasures. 
You can also visit the divided capital city, Nicosia, with its cosmopolitan cafés, restaurants and shops and nearby Pano Lefkara, a village known for its exquisite lace. Optional excursion takes you beyond the Green Line to Turkish Northern Cyprus, including a visit to Bellapais, once home to writer Lawrence Durrell, and featuring the dramatic ruins of a Gothic abbey. You can also opt for a tour that takes in the Greco-Roman city of Kourion with its impressive amphitheatre, Limassol’s old town, and the rock where, according to legend, the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite emerged from the sea.
Wonderful beaches , Winter snow on top of Troodos complete with snow lifts and ski runs , Wine regions with excellent Wineries to visit , Ancient ruins of the World Heritage sites , in fact so much more than you expect is waiting to be explored. 

Secure your most precious passengers - its the Law ! 

Not securing children in car seats is a crime and against the law , the head of road safety promotion non-governmental organisation, Reaction, Marios Stavrou said on Monday.

The group called for a revision of the legislation concerning children’s car seats and the introduction of stricter penalties on drivers who do not put children in car seats.

“Unfortunately in Cyprus we daily witness children playing or moving aimlessly in the car or worse, standing between the seats. It is clear that in a collision even at 35 kilometres per hour, these children will suffer physical injury,” Stavrou said in an announcement.

Current legislation provides that children under 1.50 metres tall must be transported in the car with the appropriate child restraint system, in accordance with their weight, he said.

“It is a crime, for parents to properly wear a seat belt, but their children not, and a worse crime is the fact that many parents and grandparents hold children in their arms, let alone infants,” Stavrou said.

The car seat, he said, must be in line with the international United Nations standard for all EU member states –  ECE R44 / 03 – or later, and must bear the capital letter `E` and a number which indicates the country of approval.

He added that manufacturers must also indicate the minimum and maximum weight of the child that can use the seat, while it must bear the word ‘Universal’ meaning it is compatible with all vehicles.

“The driver of the vehicle is responsible for the safe transportation of children under 16 years and the use of child restraint systems,” Stavrou said.

Every year, he said, more than 4,300 children are killed in the EU in road accidents, while one third of these deaths concern children who were passengers.

Simila Cyprus Car Hire have EU standard Baby Seats and Child Booster Seats available with all of the cars and there is no charge during the rental period. 

For details visit ; CLICK HERE

Revised Cyprus EU Citizenship Scheme Approved through Parliament

The Council of Ministers have just approved this week the revised scheme for granting Cyprus EU Citizenship to non-Cypriot investors and Entrepreneurs.

In a statement to the press Mr Harris the Minister of Finance said that the revision of the scheme aims to encourage " Real Investments" that will benefit the Cyprus Economy. 

The Government also said that they want to attract new investors who will choose Cyprus as their base for residence and economic activities. 

New Investors need to be kept in Cyprus for a minimum of 3 years and companies in which investments are made should employ at least 5 local Cypriot citizens , so aiding local jobs as well.

The most important changes are that this new updated scheme abolishes the provision for a collective investment of € 12 million and is reduced to € 2 million with the purchase of a private residence of at least € 500,000 , so this opens up Cyprus as a very attractive proposition to many more non-EU investors , primarily in China and Russia , but also now in Great Britain after the BREXIT vote. 

11th International Film Festival starts in Paphos

Weds 14th September 2016

The eleventh Cyprus International Film Festival – The Best of the First – (CYIFF) will start in Paphos on Wednesday 14th September and screen 100 films in addition to a few parallel events that might even make you feel you are at the Oscars.

The festival, that will run over a period of 12 days at both K-Cineplex the Kings Avenue Mall and at the Neapolis University amphitheatre, will include feature films, animations and documentaries from directors from 37 countries from around the world.

All screened films will enter a number of competitions, the main one being the Golden Aphrodite for feature films, named to honour the goddess Aphrodite who is said to have been born in the waters of Paphos and is the reason why Cyprus is called the island of love.

Russia-Cyprus Gala promises an exciting mix of Cultural Event

Michalis Hadjiyiannis

From heartthrob pop sensation Michalis Hadjiyiannis to multi-award winning virtuoso pianist Dmitry Masleev, this year’s Cyprus-Russia Speakers Gala promises to be the most culturally diverse and entertaining ever as it marks its 10th anniversary with world-class performances from some of the most talented artists from Cyprus and Russian Speaking Countries of the Former USSR.

Not only Russians will attend the event , but also many other Russian Speaking Counties citizens have made Cyprus either their Home or preferred Tourist destination , including citizens of Ukraine , Georgia , Lithuania , Belarus , Moldova , Armenia , Azerbaijan , Estonia and Latvia. 

Just as not all English speakers are actually English , many Russian speakers are not actually Russian either. 

Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Cyprus 

is celebrated on 15th August 

The feast day of the Assumption of Mary celebrates the Christian belief that God assumed the Virgin Mary into Heaven following her death It is celebrated on or around August 15 in many countries, particularly in parts of Europe and South America. It's also called the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God (in the eastern countries), or the Feast of the Assumption.

The feast day of the Assumption of Mary commemorates the Virgin Mary's assumption into heaven.

©iStockphoto.com/Mark Strozier

Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven, often shortened to the Assumption and also known as the Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary,^[1][3]according to the beliefs of the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of Anglicanism, was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

The Catholic Church teaches as dogma that the Virgin Mary "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory".^[4] This doctrine was dogmatically defined by Pope Pius XII on 1 November 1950, in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deusby exercising papal infallibility.^[5] While the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church believe in the Dormition of the Theotokos, which is the same as the Assumption,^[6] whether Mary had a physical death has not been dogmatically defined.

GOOD NEWS FOR PROPERTY BUYERS 

Property Transfer Fees reduction of 50% is now permanent 

29/07/2016

The time to buy your dream home in Cyprus is now. Benefit from the permanent reduction of the transfer fees by 50%.

In an announcement published earlier today the Cyprus Finance Ministry announced that it has lifted the temporary arrangement to reduce Property Transfer Fees by 50 per cent, which was valid until 31st December 2016. The 50 per cent reduction is now PERMANENT; the law implementing the change, ‘Land and Surveys Department (Fees and Rights) (Amendment) (No. 2) Law’, was passed on 14th JULY 2016 at a plenary session of the Cyprus parliament.

In its announcement the Finance Ministry said “The above arrangement aims to boost additional growth in the construction industry and attract new investments from both the domestic, and the foreign markets.”

The following example clearly illustrates this:
For property purchased for €200,000 in one name, the fees payable are €9,200
For property in the name of one person
 

Cyprus sees record passenger numbers in 2015

Hermes Airports recently celebrated 10 years of running Cyprus’ two main airports at Larnaca and Paphos. Last year the two airports handled a record 7.7 million passengers despite the demise of the country’s flag carrier, Cyprus Airways, at the beginning of the year. As with Budapest in Hungary, it seems that the collapse of an unprofitable flag-carrier can actually be good news for the country’s airports.

Blue Air, Ryanair and newcomer Cobalt operate bases in Cyprus after collapse of Cyprus Airways , who's name has been bought by a Russian Airline.

Hermes Airports recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of running two airports in Cyprus at Larnaca and Paphos. During that time passenger numbers across the two airports have grown from just over 6.5 million to just over 7.5 million in 2015, despite the demise of the national airline, Cyprus Airways, in January 2015. 

If you need any advise on where to go and what to do please look at this link and feel free to contact us. Here is our link to the main Tourist Attractions around the Paphos Region.

Please Click on this Link ; http://www.simila-cyprus.com/content/PlacesToVisitInAndAroundPafos.aspx

We also recommend these 2 excellent places ; 

 Mosquitos biting & Flies Annoying you at the BBQ ?

They can turn the most relaxed of backyard barbecues into a frenzy of swatting and knee-slapping. And then there are allergies and serious viruses like Zika that can be transmitted by the annoying little buggers.

But you know what sucks even more than mosquitos? Some of the commercial repellants that’ll suck your wallet empty over the summer season, especially if you’re the outdoorsy type.

Commercial repellants also tend to have more than a few harmful effects that arise from breathing them in.

The solution? Believe it or not, coffee grounds!

The Environmental Protection Agency says coffee grounds work as a very effective natural repellant that will keep many insects – including mosquitos, wasps and bees – away.

Many insects have a very strong sense of smell, and coffee grounds, which are incredibly strong-smelling when they burn, drive them crazy.

So how do you use them?

THE 18th ‘Pafos Aphrodite Festival’ will presents Mozart’s popular opera Don Giovanni at the medieval castle in Kato Paphos in September it has been announced.

Performances will take place on  September 2, 3 and 4 and there will be a simultaneous translation in Greek and English via subtitles.

The offering is a co-production between Parma Opera Organisation C.E.F.A.C. with the participation of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, said organisers.  A statement from the Pafos Aphrodite Festival said: “This is one of the greatest works of the operatic repertoire and one of the leading lyric masterpieces of all times, the outstanding Don Giovanni by Mozart. This is an opera in two acts and the libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte.”

They added that the opera premiered at the Estates Theatre in Prague on 29 October 1787. Da Ponte’s libretto was considered, like many of its time, as drama giocoso, a term that denotes a combination of serious and comic action.

How many of us have cringed at the prospect of buying our airline tickets to fly in or out of Cyprus?

Air travel has now never the been cheaper to the island and the harsh reality for Cyprus is that underwater motorways and submarine cars are still a long way off.

But all that promises to change with the arrival of fresh competition that is expected to broaden not only our options in terms of flying direct to our destinations but also to cushion the impact on our bank accounts.

Better options for travelling out of Cyprus are currently on departure boards at both Larnaca and Paphos airport but things are expected to get even better. Whether we will be spoilt for choice, however, remains to be seen.

Apart from chartered flights or routes out of Cyprus available on the back-end of returning fights out of the island, standard direct flights out of the island have increased somewhat since the spectacular collapse of national carrier Cyprus Airways.

Thanks to the likes of Aegean Airways, Blue Air and Ryanair (out of Paphos only) picking up the mantle, people in Cyprus can now fly directly to the UK, Greece, France, Israel, Belgium, Poland and even more outland places like Lithuania.

Earlier this week, a new Ellinair flight route connecting Larnaca to Salonica was announced by the Greek airliner – that recently opened up an office in Limassol – which would see five flights per week, with tickets going as cheap as €19 including one piece of luggage.

  

And now, there are new kids on the block and it could be that local big-hitters Aegean, Blue Air and Ryanair will be up against some stiff competition that would force them to knock down their ticket fares even more.

And that’s not all.

Steps to Buying Property in Cyprus

You have made the decision to buy property in Cyprus. For many buyers the legalities and formalities are the most confusing. However, we make it as easy as possible by outlining the steps involved in buying your dream house in Cyprus and the fees that you will need to account for.  You have found the right property - you have made an offer on a property, and it has been accepted by the sellers, you will need to appoint a lawyer who will represent you in Cyprus and assist you with the legal, technical and financial matters in purchasing a property in Cyprus. In the Cypriot system, there are 2 main categories of properties. The first are properties that have their own individual title deeds at the time of purchase. The second are properties that do not have their own individual deeds at this stage of the purchase. The issue of the individual deeds is dependent on the completion of the project, and the subdivision by the Lands Office. The properties with title deeds, can be easily transferred in the name of the purchasers, considering that the only requirement for the purchasers is a permit from the District Office, which is granted as a matter of formality. Such a permit is not required if the purchase concerns land, purchased by Europeans. The legal formalities to purchase immovable property in Cyprus are as follows -

2015 Safest Countries in the World - Cyprus is 5th

Whether it's where you live or where you're visiting this summer, your country falls somewhere on a sliding scale, from dangerous to safe. ValuePenguin set about finding the safest. Of the 195 or so countries in the world, 107 reported enough data to our reputable sources to be ranked. As we note in our methodology below, our belief is that a country without accessible data is less likely to be safe than one with troves of it. But don't trust us. Take a look at the numbers.

5 Safest Countries

These countries have an average safety score of 47, 62% lower than their typical peer in the study. They scored some of the best rankings in the seven data categories we analyzed: population, CO2 emissions and life expectancy as well as the number, per 100,000 people, of national police personnel, traffic deaths, thefts and assaults.

Latchi Fish Festival 2016 

3rd Annual Latchi Fish Festival will take place on Saturday May 14th from 12-4pm.

Restaurant owners in Latchi Marina near Polis in the Paphos region of Cyprus, along with the local Polis & Latchi Municipality, initiated the idea 3 years ago, which will see visitors served Free Locally caught Fish, Salad, Bread and Drinks.

There will also be an entertainment programme planned , all of which will be in the beautiful settings of Latchi Marina.

Mr Lakis Matheou, owner of Faros Restaurant, said that the municipality would buy the fish from local fisherman, around 300 to 350 kilos, which will then be cooked and served by the participating restaurants. The businesses will supply fresh salad, bread and beer.

He said that the fish, which is a Cypriot Fish known locally as the ‘Sex Fish’, is a male Marida fish, which will be served hot at four separate food and drink stalls, which will be dotted along the harbour front.

Matteou said that along with live music and dancing, there will also be a special traditional dancer who performs with 100 glasses, also a kid’s play area with Bouncy Castles and Face Painting.

Information link ;  www.polis-municipality-cyprus.com

Paphos tourism promoted in Ukraine

April 2016

 AHEAD of direct flights connecting Ukraine and Paphos, which get underway later this month, local tourism representatives will promote Paphos at an event in Kiev on Monday evening.
Paphos regional board of tourism head, Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, told the Cyprus Mail that weekly flights would get underway on Friday April 29, and run throughout the summer period.
He added that representatives of the local board are visiting both Ukraine and Poland this week, promoting the town as an all year round destination.
“Our joint efforts with hoteliers are ongoing to promote the region and increase travellers to the area. Tonight we are participating in an event in Kiev which has been organised by the tour operator that will operate the first ever Kiev to Paphos flights.”

Cobalt Airlines - New Cyprus based airline

New Cyprus based airline plans direct US, China and India flights

A new Cyprus-based airline set to take to the skies this year will receive their first aircraft this month.

Cobalt Air has ambitious plans to turn Cyprus into a major transit point using a modern fleet of Airbus 320 and 330 aircraft “and connect Cyprus to the world and the world to Cyprus”.

In addition to European destinations, the airline plans to include far off routes including the USA, China and India by 2017, according to CEO Andrew Pyne.

The company – which had planned to launch last year – wants to plug the gap left by Cyprus Airways – the airline, which once dominated the local air travel market.

For further information view ; http://www.cobalt.aero

400,000 British tourists have canceled their trip to Turkey in the past 7 Days

*** TRAVEL NEWS *** 

February 22nd 2016

Over 400,000 British Tourists have cancelled their holidays to Turkey in the past 7 Days !
Bookings for Cyprus have increased since last year , which was a record year for Cyprus , so 2016 looks great smile emotico

"If your family or friends are thinking of visiting Cyprus this year , our advise is book early to avoid disappointment of being sold out." according to Simila Cyprus Holiday Villas .

Simila Cyprus Holiday Rentals

Simila Cyprus Holiday Rental Villas & Cars

British property purchases continues to increase in Cyprus, Spain & Portugal

January 21, 2016

 British Property hunters are set for a good year in Southern Europe, with homes priced as low as €50,000 in these property hotspots of the Mediterranean .

 

Property priced so low usually requires a major renovation effort, but this year thousands of homes are available at rock bottom prices. In Spain a relatively small amount of money allows you to pick up a three bedroom townhouse, a six bedroom country cottage or a city apartment with a shared pool. 

For buyers with greater capital, Cyprus offers a really attractive proposition. Here it is possible to find a two bedroom apartment in Paphos with a shared pool for under €100,000. 

A fully furnished studio apartment in excellent condition was recently sold in Paphos for under € 35,000 euros, although bargains this cheap are hard to find and buyers need to move quick to find something like that.  Other Cyprus properties include 2 bedroom Townhouses in excellent complexes with swimming pools are available for around € 120,000 upwards. 

"Cyprus offers great value for money", said Simon Gale, Managing Director of Simila Cyprus Property Company , " many non-EU countries have been buying in Cyprus in recent years , due to the advantageous residency laws and Tax benefits in Cyprus , and now that £ Sterling is at a very preferential rate , we are seeing a sharpe increase again from the British market now. 

The Eastern Mediterranean nation is on the up and According to Ideal Homes International, now is the perfect time to buy property on the island. Company director, Chris White explains: “Cyprus has got some real bargains at the moment and the climate is perfect for those looking for a holiday retreat away from the rain and cold back home. 

Trip Advisor list Top Beaches in Europe - Cyprus #1 & #3 

According to Trip Advisor, a very popular tourist guide website and is the Worlds Largest Travel Website, Cyprus beaches have ranked No1 and No3 in the Top 10 Best Beaches of Europe. The first place went to Ayia Napa while the third place to Protaras.

 Ayia Napa

 This resort town, with its great beaches, has a bit of a Spring Break atmosphere (the parties start in the late afternoon and go all night). If dancing in a bikini is not your thing, though, no worries—you can explore a mediaeval monastery or enjoy cruises on the lovely blue water. Families will want to visit Water World, the biggest theme waterpark in Europe.

RyanAir launches new Larnaca - Brussels route - only €19.99 !

Ryanair launched a new route from Larnaca International Airport to Brussels, Zavantem, on Monday. The new route will run twice a week, every Monday and Friday.

A flight arrival ceremony was held on Monday morning at Larnaca airport for the launch of the route from Brussels and the airline’s passengers were well received by both Ryanair and Hermes Airports officials.

Ryanair Eastern Mediterranean Sales and Marketing Director Chiara Ravara and Hermes Airports CEO Wes Porter cut the ribbon inaugurating the new flight.

“Ryanair is pleased to return to Larnaca Airport, with a new route to Brussels, offering even more possibilities for Cypriot customers to discover the beauties of Belgium,” noted Ravara.

She added that “our Cypriot customers can still expect more upgrades in coming months in the form of new aircraft interiors, new uniforms and more routes in keeping with the program ‘Always Getting Better’, while continuing to offer a lot more than simply the lowest fares”.