I thank you for your reservation for our Betlapais houses and am very pleased to hear from a writers' group going to the village that so inspired both Lawrence and Gerald Durrell in the 1950's.

I confirm receipt of the deposit of £300 for the three houses and confirm that there are seven bedrooms and six bathrooms throughout the property and thus it is ideal for your group of 8 with six single room requirements.

The balance of the whole resort reservation is £700 and not due until the end of February 2008.

In late March you can expect spring flowers coldish nights and warm days but both the sea and The pool will be only for the brave. The views both of the coastline and the mountains are inspirational. There is plenty of firewood for log fires in the evening in the lounges of each of the houses if the temperature is that low. Having said that my family had a "swim every day policy" during my 1960s childhood in the village. Deirdre Guthrie, my neighbour for nearly a half century lives next door at Gardens of Irini and was with her parents in the village in the late 1950s and knew Lawrence Durrel and we both remember a number of the villagers in Bitter Lemons. In short it is a great place to write.

Each property has two bedrooms and two bathrooms being a large double bedded room and a twin bedded room and spectacular views from virtually all the windows down over the floodlit Bellapais Abbey to the coast. The Mountain villa also has 360 degree views including mountain views and there is direct access up the Kyrenia mountains behind the house. The Riverside cottage views are down the valley to the sea as it is slightly lower down the hill and thus more accessible but both involve a number of steps so are not really suitable for people with disabilities. There are lots of steps particularly around the pool terrace which is shared between the three houses. Mountain Villa has a slightly higher specification and a roof terrace BBQ area with the "best views on the island" whereas Riverside has a lovely cool covered back colonial terrace and a small traditional "over the street" balcony.

The property is in The upper part of the old village close to Durrell House and Gardens of Irini and within easy walking distance of the Abbey and shops and restaurants. A car, preferably a 4WD Suzuki Jeep, is best advised for access (getting all The bags up) and for seeing the best of the north coast. Only such a jeep can drive direct to the top houses but other two wheel drive cars can be parked nearby about 100 yards, and 20 steps, below Riverside Cottage. You don't really need a car most of the time and you can easily arrange taxi arrival meeting at both Ercan and Larnaca plus occasional car or taxi hire within The village.

The next most important thing is to organise some flights. Stansted to Ercan with Cyprus Turkish Airways or BA from Heathrow to Larnaca work well for regular flights from the London area. Any problems let us know.

Yours sincerely

David Gardiner's Home Page