Lithuanians flee to the safe island of the coronavirus: those who know how to negotiate get cheap housing

Modern people are so used to traveling that the 2020 coronavirus quarantine and turmoil can no longer stop them. For more than half a year, many have suffered and limited themselves to traveling through their countries, but the further afield, the more we can see that travelers wake up from their sleep and seek where to escape to rest.

In recent weeks, Cyprus has started to shine like a superstar, promoting itself as an extremely safe place from a terrible disease. The numbers speak volumes: the number of cases has been consistently low for more than a week. “Every day we wake up, review the registered illnesses and pray. It seems that someone is really listening to our prayers, ”sighs Raisa Duko, a Ukrainian who has lived in Limassol for many years.

The woman’s family has three apartments in the resort town that they rent to tourists. Usually from March to October everyone was fully occupied, making a considerable profit, but this year the apartments are empty. Only one more person orders, and these are mostly locals traveling to Cyprus or Greeks who like to chill here. Raisai lacks more Russians, Brits and Germans.

This year I was the first Lithuanian to rent apartments owned by this woman, but not the last. “At the end of September more Lithuanians will arrive and on October 2 there will be Lithuanians again,” says the interlocutor, noting that it was when autumn arrived that her business revived. In fact, it’s not just them, the whole island is feeling the momentum and noticing new trends that make this fall and winter season different from the previous ones. “Cyprus will be a winter holiday island this year, people from all over Europe will come to us to hide from the cold,” says Andreas Constantinou, who rents apartments in Paphos.

With very low rental housing prices, Cypriots are trying to attract tourists in the long term and it seems their plan may be successful. The current situation in many countries also contributes strongly to this. “Since the spring, many people have learned to work remotely, some large companies even encourage them not to go to the office and do everything remotely so that people can work from anywhere on the planet. This is a great advantage for us ”, says the Cypriot businessman.

He realized that many would not even need to take a real vacation. People will continue to work, only from their homes in Hamburg, Warsaw or Vilnius, but from a sunny terrace by the sea in Cyprus. “It is with those people that we focus the most. Everyone wants to have a long-term guest for one, two or even three months, which will ensure our income stability,” says Mr. Andreas, who has worked in the field of tourism for twenty years. He boldly says this season is the worst of all he can remember, but he didn’t panic. “And who should you worry about if you can’t change that? We Cypriots have the saying “go on go”, which means “slowly, slowly” or “quietly calm”. This is great for this situation. Little by little, but the tourists will come back to us ”, the man shared a beautiful Cypriot philosophy.

Lithuanians living on the island noticed that our compatriots travel to Cyprus throughout the year. It doesn’t matter that the summer season is over. Temperatures dropping from 40 to 25 degrees were never an obstacle for us. On the contrary, the number of tourists traveling independently is increasing, many people do not even want heat, people simply flee from the wind and rain in Lithuania. It is therefore no wonder that people from Vilnius, Kaunas and Riga airports have started flying here in droves. There were many of them every September, October, November and December. Only now can it be noticed that there may be more this year. Those who were afraid to vacation during the summer season now relax and buy tickets, reserve accommodation, and even pay an advance advance.

Nobody in any country can say yet what October or November of this year will be like, only many people are speculating that we will have to go through quarantine again, we will all close again. That uncertainty is scary, but it is no longer like March or April, so the daring Lithuanians plan in advance that if they have to self-quarantine, it is where it is hottest, not at home. “It just came to our knowledge then. A Lithuanian couple was on vacation with us and decided not to come home. They continued to rent an apartment and spent that time on the island,” says Ugnė, a local travel consultant who has a lot of communication with the locals. Lithuanian starters.

Lithuanians living in Cyprus warn their compatriots not to choose the same resorts that are popular on the island in summer for the fall and winter seasons. For example, the city of Agia Napa, famous for its noisy nightlife, is full of life during the warm season, the clubs and bars simply do not have capacity for people, but since mid-October everything closes and the resort empties. “It is really easy to find housing there, but it will be inconvenient to live. Just for a shop or a coffee you will have to go to other cities, it can be very annoying,” warns the girl who moved from Vilnius to Cyprus.

Both the Fire and the Cypriots who work with tourism offer long-term vacationers to stay in the largest cities of Cyprus, where life is uninterrupted throughout the year. “Those who want both a civilized environment and a vacation should look for a place to live in Limassol or Paphos. Not only are there restaurants, beauty salons and entertainment venues such as cinemas, but a doctor or mechanic can easily be found” , Cypriots call the benefits of these cities.

It is worth noting that house prices in Cyprus vary greatly depending on the city. Limassol, for example, is one of the most expensive places on the island, there are a number of businesses, many financial companies, so the need for housing is greater. And Paphos is quieter in that sense and therefore cheaper. “The inhabitants of the island like this city more and go on vacation here,” says Lithuanian Ugnė Gudeliauskaitė, who helps our compatriots with rental problems.

There is a new trend this winter: not only individuals, but also hotels are targeting long-term tourists, called winter migrants. Some larger hotels have started offering special packages for those looking to stay a month or more. “Make the hotel your home,” says the ad.

While deep discounts are at the core of these packages, staying in a hotel will still be more expensive than staying in a private apartment or even a villa. Cypriots who rent accommodation on Airbnb through the site tend to discount heavily, dropping more than a hundred euros from the total amount just to attract a guest. So those who know how to negotiate win, and the practice gained in the market will be useful here. If you know how to trade a pound of blouse or strawberries, try the same when looking for a home this winter.