Alex and Foluke from Manchester are not alone in wanting to buy somewhere abroad to escape the winter frosts. They decided on Cyprus, thanks to its mild climate but also the rich ancient history of the island.
Falling for Cyprus’s history and sunshine
Foluke, a retired university lecturer, loved the culture and antiquity around Paphos – the former home of the cult of Aphrodite has been inhabited since Neolithic times, and the city’s many historic sites include the UNESCO-listed Archaeological Park with its amphitheatre.
But Alex, an engineer, had never been to the island, so the couple decided to apply to the A Place in the Sun TV programme for some help in finding somewhere for their £60k budget around Paphos in western Cyprus.
Searching with the TV team
The couple flew out with Jean Johansson in April 2023 to look at properties, including options in Peyia, Emba, Polis and Argaka.
They ended up offering just over £64k for a two-bedroom apartment with a large balcony on a development in Argaka, a village on the coast north of Paphos, 7km from Polis.
It’s a peaceful, traditional village known for its sandy beaches – and it would have remained off their radar if it hadn’t been for the TV team, says Foluke.
“We’d have never dreamt of looking in Argaka, but in fact it suits us much better than Paphos, which is congested and we would not have been able to afford. My advice really is to look at the outer villages if you like a place.”
Village charm and affordability
Argaka is 50 minutes to an hour’s drive from downtown Paphos, which suits them fine – it’s closer to the beautiful Akamas Peninsula, which lies west along the coast beyond Polis, a working town with useful amenities.
You can find a one-bedroom apartment in Argaka for around £61,000, or a two-bedroom townhouse for around £85,000–£90,000. Three-bedroom bungalows or villas start at over £300,000.
The buying process – and a few delays
The couple love their new home, but the buying process took around a year, due to the vendors being based in Mauritius.
“We came on two holidays in the meantime, and we got to know the area,” says Foluke. “We were also able to get the keys to the apartment on the second of these holidays so we could measure up.”
They had budgeted for around 10% purchase costs on top of the sale price. “This was about right. We paid £2,000 in land registry fees/tax, and £4,000 in lawyer fees,” says Foluke.
They’ve since furnished it and added air conditioning – at a cost of €3,800 (£3,302).
It costs €50 a month in service charges – there’s a shared swimming pool – and because this is a relatively modest cost, they’ve decided not to rent it out. “It’s our home now and we don’t want anyone else using it.”
Settling into their second home
They visited for a month last winter and will be able to spend three months there when Alex retires shortly.
“Aside from July and August when it gets really roasting, we hope to visit at other times too,” says Alex, who adds that they’ve bought a 20-year-old Citroën as a run-around on the island.
Their neighbours are Cypriot, as it’s not a big tourist village. “We are doing Duolingo so we can speak to the children in Greek,” says Foluke. “They are very welcoming, and have brought us gifts of fruit: guavas, melons, grapefruit.”
They’ve also been welcomed by the local expats of the short mat bowls club near Polis, and the local church community. “We’ve started to be invited to birthday parties and feel already very much at home when we visit,” she adds.
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