As money was a little tight following Euro rate drop etc etce etc we decided to hold off on the Air con and have a holiday out there in the summer before deciding on the necessity, particularly as we would rather not get Aircon wrong by 'going cheap'.
Following two weeks in Aug decision made ...........as we are not renting out and we are only using as a holiday home for two or three weeks at a time in the summer months, bog standard fans to provide a breeze in the bedrooms at night were sufficient, certainly for now. If our usage changes or we decide to rent out then the priority may change.
If we had money burning a hole in our pockets and we'd done the pergola, and built in under the stairs and put shutters on the lounge doors etc etc then Air con would be the next luxury item on the list.
Our priority has changed from Air con to a decent canopy over the pergola as it was far more uncomfortable eating lunch in the sun whlst struggling witha parasol that simply was no match for even the slightest breeze (cheap cantilever parasol!) rather than having british summer temperatutres in the bedroom at night!
For those unsure about fitting Aircon it may be sensible to hold off, try out a visit in the summer and then decide whether the paying out for a decent system is good value for money for you.
Brett