Has anyone ever been there? I was wondering if anyone knows any "local" classifieds site there for a somewhat mid-long term accommodation (3 months?) without staying in a hotel. Also, does anyone know how difficult is it to obtain a working visa there with a EU passport, and what costs of living for food, bed and transport I can expect?
Will it be warm enough to go swimming there for at least a few weeks during summer?
I used to live there, and would love to go back for a holiday at some point.
One of the interesting things to note is that while it is generally warmer and drier than the UK (Port Stanley is around the same latitude south as London is north, but is partially sheltered by Andes, which strip a lot of the moisture out of the air) the water is much colder, as it comes up from the Antarctic Peninsula.
We used to spend Christmas on Pebble Island, in West Falkland, and we would have a big barbecue on the beach and spend the day sunbathing. We would only ever go in the sea for 30 seconds at a time, though, and would come out blue and shivering.
Cost of many foods can be expensive, although beef, pork, lamb, goose etc can be very cheap as they are abundant.
Transport can vary a lot depending on where you intend to go. Although there are some roads outside Port Stanley, many settlements are accessible only via air, sea or trails across peat bogs.
Accommodation in Stanley includes numerous bed and breakfasts as well as a handful of hotels.
You can have a look at weather conditions for the Falkland Islands on WolframAlpha.
Several homestays are available in the main town of Stanley as well.
Visa requirements will differ depending on what passport you have. However, you can look at this page, which indicates that for a visitor visa at least, for example, New Zealanders don't require a visa to visit :)
For WORKING, however, I have a few sources of information for you:
Employment and taxation page from the Government, including pension schemes and the like.
From the main Falkland Islands Govt page on visas, they indicate that for visas, you should contact as follows:
To apply for a visa to visit the Falkland Islands, please contact the Falkland Islands Government Office in London (+44 20 7222 2542 or Reception@falklands.gov.fk) to request a visa form.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands, the record high temperatures in the summer months are 22 - 24 C. I swam in Bermuda in November, when the average high is 23, but the guidebooks say "only Canadians and Scots" will do so and we had absolutely NO company - the beaches were deserted. The average high in the Falkland summer is more like 13. Couple that with ocean water, sure to be cooler than lakes, and I would guess there is not much swimming to be had.
