try james villas there good priced and nice

You are right, alot of villas tend to be a distance away from the main resorts but I've been to Lanzarote on villa holidays and Puerto del Carmen sounds like the sort of place you'd like.

We were usually up a steep hill from the main street of the resort but it wasn't far to walk down for the evening and if we didn't fancy the walk back up (depends how far up the hill and how fit you are) there are loads of taxi's zipping around and they're inexpensive.

I agree James villas are ok or you could look at the private rental sites like owners direct, holiday rentals or holiday lettings or try the private rentals forum on this site.

The advantage of renting privately is that you'll deal with the owner or someone who knows the property really well and can answer all your questions so you can make sure that it's just what you want.

thanks for that Jan ..going to do some research on lanzarote

Plenty villas in Cyprus which don't need a car - for example in Coral Bay, and in Protaras. I have used holiday-rentals in the past, and stayed in villas in both resorts. Nice and easy without a car.