The current temperature in Cyprus

ARRIVING

At the immigration desk at Ercan airport, pick up and fill in a small white visa form, giving your name, nationality and passport number. These are free, and it means they will not stamp your passport. 

You must keep this white form; it is your visa, and will be needed when you are leaving Cyprus. It may also be needed when you stop in Turkey on your flight back.

You will need to re-confirm your flight when you get to Cyprus - this can be done in the middle of your stay. All you need to do is ring the Cyprus Turkish Airlines Office.

If you have any problems such as lost passports etc, you can contact the British High Commission, which has an office on the Turkish Cypriot side.

TAXI

A taxi can be arranged to collect you from the airport. The driver will meet you outside the arrivals hall and will have a card with your name on it. He will take you to the house which is known as Duckworth House in Karaman. (The village is called both Karmi (English) and Karaman (Turkish). The drive to the house takes about 45 minutes, and the fare is approximately £25. The taxi driver will accept sterling.

For the return journey, a taxi can also be arranged.

THE AGENT

We have an agent in Cyprus called Anja, who speaks English, Turkish and German. She looks after the house and the people who come to stay, and she will probably visit you on the first morning to introduce herself to you. She works at the Karmi Service Centre and can deal with most minor difficulties, so please contact her if you need to. She has a small office in Karmi just behind the church. You can phone her on 822 2568 or call in between 10 - 11am any day except Thursday and Sunday.

CAR HIRE

Car hire is certainly recommended, and can be arranged through Anja.  Cars cost about £15 -30 per day in high season, depending on the model, but are cheaper in low season.

I would recommend the comprehensive insurance, which is something like £3 per day extra. You will need a valid British driving licence.

If you prefer to make your own arrangements, you can hire a car over the Internet from Bird, who work from the nearby village of Karaoglanoglu.   Their website is www. birdrentacar.com   You could also try phoning Dervish, our regular mechanic, who also has cars for hire.  His phone number in Kyrenia (from the UK) is 00 90 392 815 4276.

Cars drive on the left, (the same as England), and there is 4 star petrol "Super" or unleaded "Kursunsuz". Traffic regulations are much the same as in England, but it is worth driving with a little more caution and not assuming, for example, that people will give way when you are on a roundabout.

There are regular police speed checks on the open roads, and they are serious about trying to enforce the speed limits. The limit on open roads is usually 80 km per hour, but it varies a lot, and near villages and town it drops to 65 or 50 km.

SHOPS

The nearest supermarkets are Tempo and Lemar in Karaoglanoglu. They accept payment with a Visa card or cash. They are open from about 8 am to 8 pm.

On Wednesday there is a market in Kyrenia near the bus station. It's a good place to fresh fruit and vegetables.

MONEY

There are about 2.5 YTL (new Turkish Lira) lira to the pound. Almost everybody will accept Sterling, and indeed most of the restaurants publish their prices in Sterling or Euros.

You can change sterling, dollars, or ordinary English cheques with a banker's card etc at the main banks or exchange bureau in Kyrenia. Travellers' cheques are sometimes problematic to change.

If you have a VISA card, you can use the cash machines in Kyrenia, which dispense turkish Lira. There is a cash machine at the HSBC half way down the hill in the High Street in Kyrenia.

Click on this logo and todays exchange rate can be seen on the left hand side of the opening page.

TELEPHONES

The phone is fine for incoming calls, calls to local landlines and emergencies. However, you will need your own mobile if you want to make international calls or calls to other mobiles. (see below).

The telephone number of the house, if someone is calling from England is 00 90 392 822 3213. If you want to ring the house from Kyrenia, just dial 822 3213.

MOBILE PHONES

Most standard (but not pre-pay) mobile phones will work in Cyprus. Before you go, check with your mobile service provider that you have a roaming agreement that covers North Cyprus. With some mobile telephone companies, roaming agreements can take several weeks to set up, so it is worth sorting this out in advance.

USEFUL NUMBERS

Emergency and useful numbers (police, dentist, doctors etc) are at the back of the small tourist leaflet in the hall

MEDICAL CARE

Local chemists can dispense medication (including antibiotics) for minor problems, and no prescription is needed. The chemist near the statue by the Dome Hotel is very helpful. There are also several private clinics, and the hospitals in Kyrenia and Nicosia can deal with emergencies.

You are strongly advised to get full medical insurance to cover any stays in hospital.

                                                              INTERNET ACCESS

If you take a laptop, you can use the internet connection at the house as long as the main telephone exchange is working. It is slow, but works for emails. Please contact us for details of the user name, password and ISP phone number.