M&S Nicosia - Help Please

[waddo]

The time has come - after 7 years - to renew the old underwear, don't laugh it has finally worn out and all the reserve stocks have been used up. Wife now in a panic as needs new holderuppers etc and I need some more ankle length underpants with the solid rubber buttons!!!

Only M&S will do I am told so we have to make the trudge across at Metahan and seek out the holy grail of underwired gadgets.

Please, can anyone give me simple directions on how to get there?????????

[JoandJelly]

Sorry cannot help with M&S directions however I will say that in my recent experience Debenhams is far superior in quality to Marks these days for ladies' undergarments.

[waddo]

Many thanks, I have just been told (the boss has to have the last word) that Freyer(?) bra's have always fitted her best!!! I understand these are actually at Debenhams as well - funny old thing. Is that the one down the end of Ledra street? For me, any old underpants work so long as they fit in most places - lol.

[Deniz1]

Yes it is.

[crofter]

FREYA EVEN!

[waddo]

FREYA!! Look, give me a break here, we've only been married 30 years, still lots to learn yet!! The learning to cook course was 15 years long, then there was the "How to hold an iron" and that difficult "This is the switch for the Hoover", its a lot to take in you know!!

I've even been told that if I can't crack window cleaning in the next 10 years I am out the door - its a hard life...........

Looks like we will be doing a walk across to find the mythical place where the perfect bra lives, can't wait (McDonalds is over there).

Thanks people.

[paddywack]

C`mon Mick you`re having a larf

[sophie]

Check that the Debenhams in Ledra Street is still open because it is due for closure sometime this year. Perhaps you could give them a ring first. We've used Skype before to contact them and it worked OK.

[waddo]

Everyone needs a larf every now and then - ok, so it did not take me 15 years for the cooking - lol. But this search for the perfect fit bra is a serious thing in this house! For me the underpants in China Bazzar do the job but I will just go with the flow anyway. Will have a wander over to Debs and Hams this week - any excuse to get a big mac down my neck is good for me - and see if it is still there. There is always the other Debs in the Mall closest to Metahan (and if you go early you can get the Big Breakfast at the Mac down the road - or so I am told!!) so that will be the next port of call.

Thanks all for the help - the search continues..................

[scubadubaqueen]

Directions:
Cross Metahan then turn right at main road
Follow straight to traffic lights coke factory turn right
At roundabout take 2nd left i.e., straight up hill as if going to troudos
After a mile or so, you will see large church on left, turn left just after sign posted Larnaca
Keep going straight on this road for few miles, over roundabouts and past Jumbo on left
Then when you see a green/yellow building on right turn left at those lights (it is a main junction)
Keep going a couple of miles and you will eventually come to M&S Strovoulos on your left, which is the largest one in Cyprus and on several floors!
If you reach MacDonald's on right you have gone a few hundred yards too far.

I do know a much shorter route, BUT you would get lost, and way too many one way streets!

Good luck with your underwear.

[dekski1]

Underwear trip! Walk across the Border at Ledra St crossing. Go to the end of the street and then go through the public building grounds right in front of you at the end of the street. There is a temporary footbridge at the back of the building that crosses the ravine and lets you cross the main road via a black + white crossing. You'll easily follow the wee 'bra' private looking road for a few minutes and without 'panting' at the end of it you will see M&S across Makarious Av. It's not too far and walkable from the Border quite easily.

[scubadubaqueen]

The one close to Ledra is tiny with not much selection at all! That is why I gave directions to the large Strovoulos M&S where the Cyprus H/O also situated. Close by there is also an M&S Home store. On the roof of the main shop there is also a cafe just like in UK, with extensive views to the North!

[waddo]

Many thanks people, planning trips for next week both walking and driving so the end may be in sight at last. Much better than flying back to UK just to buy underwear (nothing else apart from a good Chinese meal to bother going for), the boss also wants to look in Debs & Hams so as that is on the walking route as well it looks like we have all things covered. You'd think that after being here 7 years without leaving the Island once we would know where these places are - then again, we have still to go to Famagusta, I kid you not!!!!

Taking life slowly!!

[stellasstar1]

Why not just buy on-line, it's much easier.

[waddo]

stellasstar1 - Great idea if you have not changed shape/size in the last 7 years - HOWEVER - some people actually grow/shrink in the heat, so when you get your 36D and find out you are now a 34G, because the International sizes have changed, you are stuck with at least one double barreled catapult that is no use for its prime purpose! I have been through all of this and shopping on line for underwear - so I am told - is not an option until at least one new (correct size) item has been bought and tried locally.

But, the idea is sound I give you that.

[carrierbag]

The green and yellow building on the right (mentioned above) is the old Orphanides supermarket.

There is limited parking (parking meters but cheap) outside M&S ...about 10 max but there is a car park behind it I believe which you access by turning left at the traffic lights (the right) just before M&S. I went yesterday and was lucky enough to get a space out the front.

[ozankoys]

I don't think anyone has mentioned that the prices in M&S & Debenhams are around 30% higher than the UK price.

[BOERBOEL]

Unfortunately, M&S don't deliver to Turkey so I usually send a long list to which ever visitor is coming here first

[waddo]

Trip No 1 - Results!!!

Parked just before the petrol station on the left just before you get to Kyrenia Gate (Cos its free) and walked down through town and across Ledra St. Spotted the replacement sandals (Merrels) that I have been looking all over the North for - next trip - dropped into MacD's for a quick burger lunch - bonus, they do Breakfasts and the magic egg MacMuffins now as well!!!

Wandered into Debs & Hams and took the moving stairs up to the land of upper decker flopper stoppers - hundreds of them and they are all on 30% off at the moment which actually makes them less than the cost of them in the UK - plus you don't have to pay the £250.00 air fare to get there.

Two hours later I had bought two pairs of sloggi briefs (cheaper than UK) for me, two packs of liquorice allsorts (that I can't get here) and a big tub of crystalised ginger - from the food hall downstairs - and wanderd back up to the land of BRA!!!

30 minutes more of playing solitaire on the mobile phone and the verdict was in!!! The boss walked out of Debenhams with two new Bra's and three pairs of womens sloggi's for 60 euros. Now back at home and did the price check with the UK stores - strange thing there, everything we bought in Debenhams was either the same price or cheaper than UK, probably because UK stores are having a 20% off sale and the Cyprus stores are having a 30% off sale.

Anyway, with true Yorkshire accounting in play - we saved 30 euros by not driving across and £250.00 by not flying, so we are now going to try a trip to the Paralimini M&S (curses, 30 euros for insurance) and see what they have and at what price.

As a first trip it was a 70% success on the underwear, a 100% success on the sweets and we had fun doing it.

More later.

[peri]

Waddo I love your sense of humour & being married to a Yorkshireman I understand where you're coming from as I have been known to say to a Scottish male friend of ours a Yorkshireman makes a Scotsman look generous