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North Cyprus Educational Trip May 2011

I was recently lucky enough to win a place on a familiarisation trip to North Cyprus. I’ve visited Cyprus several times and also had many trips to Turkey so was intrigued to visit North Cyprus to see how it differs or compares.

I met the group I was travelling with at Stansted airport which I found to be much easier to get to by train from York than I had imagined. It also was a reasonable train fare too using an air/rail ticket package. After all the introductions we checked in; we had been given fast track airport service and also had space booked in the No.1 executive lounge which was a lovely start to the trip and gave us a little time for a natter.

The flight was with Turkish low cost carrier Fly Pegasus who was very prompt and I found the seats to be quite roomy, although drinks and meals were quite highly priced. The flights to Ercan in North Cyprus all include a short touchdown in Turkey, so we were on the ground in Izmir for 45 minutes. An alternative option is to fly to Larnaca and transfer across the border.

After a short transfer we arrived at the hotel Pia Bella in Kyrenia for some snacks and a sleep. The rooms were traditionally decorated but the standard rooms in the first block overlooked a road so definitely worth upgrading to a superior or deluxe in the quieter buildings.

The next morning after a lovely buffet breakfast with local and international food options we set off on visits to some of the hotels.

The Colony
I found this property to be a lovely 5 star hotel with a fabulous rooftop pool and amazing views.
It is in a good location, just a short walk from the harbour and castle in Kyrenia. It also has a wonderful quirky restaurant across the road called The House that has interesting décor, including floating beds in private dining areas. The rooms were classically decorated in subtle colours causing this to be overall, a stylish and elegant property.

The Savoy Ottoman
Another 5 star property with the emphasis on decadent bling, it’s clear that no cash was spared on the gold leaf detailing! The decor is inspired by Ottoman opulence, which leads to some interesting suites that had Jacuzzis or saunas and one even had its own rooftop pool. Standard rooms had lots of cushions in rich colours, a real sense of luxury. It is definitely in a good location in the heart of Kyrenia.

The Rocks Hotel & Casino
A 5 star hotel nestled by the water’s edge just along from the harbour, it couldn’t be in a better location. It has a newly built pool and lido that overlooks the sea with fabulous looking patisserie too. Again the rooms were elegant and stylish and there were excellent spa and gym facilities too.

Following the hotel inspections we had time to visit the traditional harbour in Kyrenia with its wealth of traditional restaurants and Turkish Gulet boats and we explored the castle and the shipwreck museum – plenty of interesting things to do! To satisfy out appetites we were then served lunch at the Bellapais Monastery Village. This hotel was built on the hillside and is an adult only property. It is a small friendly hotel with some lovely villas in the grounds and serves as a good base to sightsee from with a relaxing atmosphere.

After this we visited the Abbey of Bellapais with our wonderful guide Gizer who gave us a fascinating insight into the lives of the Monks. The village is very traditional and a lovely place to spend a few hours wandering and soaking in the local atmosphere.

The Bellapais Gardens 4 star
This small hotel was one of my favourites; it is a very unique family run property with the most wonderful villas in pretty and well-tended gardens. It is certainly a hotel for people who love gormet dining! The owner greeted us with freshly squeezed lemonade, from home grown lemons in the lovely characterful bar/restaurant. The views from the villas were spectacular, sprawling across to the sea and right next to the Abbey - truly breath taking.

The Merit Crystal Cove 5 star
The next day we visited the only all-inclusive hotel on our itinerary. Generally I’m not a fan of all inclusive hotels, however this looked lovely. A modern property with a lovely relaxing spa with a modern décor in which I could have quite happily spent a few hours being pampered in! It had a wonderful couples massage area and tempting spa baths making it difficult to say no to! The restaurant had a lovely breakfast buffet that had a fabulous array of food to suit any palette. This hotel also has its own private beach which is a bonus as the pool area could possibly get crowded in high season.

Onur Hotel 3 star
The Onur Hotel was another small family run hotel complete with its own Museum! It has nice rooms and a very friendly atmosphere, making it popular with groups of walkers. We had a lovely indoor pool, which looked very inviting as well as the usual outdoor pool. It also had a small spa area too with Balinese masseurs.

Nicosia was a fascinating city and quite thought provoking when you see the Green Line! I was astounded by the amount of cars parked near the border as many Turkish Cypriots travel over the border each day now to work in Cyprus. Nicosia is the only Capital city that is split by two countries. It is quite possible to travel across the border quickly and easily, as long as you have your passport.
Unfortunately the weather wasn’t favourable to us for our afternoon in Nicosia. We had a lunch at the Kervanserey of traditional Turkish food and sheltered from the unusual thunderstorm that raged outside.

The Oscar Resort 4*
This was another one of my favourite properties. A larger hotel this lovely family friendly accommodation is very reasonably priced with excellent facilities and a new spa. It is perfect for couples, families and people wanting a good location in Kyrenia. The pool areas were fabulous with slides, wave pools and even bumper boats. The hotel has its own private man made beach too!
It has a good range of room types including some great 2 bedroomed family rooms - a rarity!

Cratos Premium Hotel
In the evening we had dinner with the North Cyprus Tourism Minister and the Turkish Ambassador at the brand New 5 star deluxe Cratos Premium hotel. This is a fantastic addition to the hotel Portfolio in North Cyprus and rivals 5 star deluxe properties anywhere in the world. It is a large very modern resort and is popular with Turkish visitors at weekends that come to try their luck in the casino. We saw some beautiful bedrooms complete with in room Jacuzzis - all very modern and contemporary.

We ate at the buffet restaurant and were very impressed with the wide choice and very high standard; definitely not your usual hotel buffet selection and our hosts were charming too!

On our last day we headed to Famagusta. First we stopped at the beautiful Korineum Golf and Country club - a David Hemstock designed 18 hole golf course with a gorgeous hotel attached. We had a guided tour of the course on golf buggies while they explained to us about the green fees, which we thought were very reasonable. Admittedly this was something I really hadn’t expected to find in Northern Cyprus!

As we headed into Famagusta our guide Gizer explained the Cyprus situation very fairly. We got to walk alongside the ghost town of Famagusta along the beach, which was sad but amazing at the same time. Afterwards we headed to St Nicholas Cathedral now a Mosque for a look around and had time to fit in a quick theatrically produced ice cream at the Petek Patisserie.

Salamis Bay Conti hotel
We spent our last night at the Salamis Bay Conti hotel. A large international 4 * hotel set on a beautiful beach. The hotel is in quite an isolated location with a good range of facilities - perfect for a peaceful break with everything you need, all in one place. Dinner was spent opposite St Nicholas Cathedral eating Turkish Cypriot Meze with an amazing view in the company of all my fabulous new friends.

North Cyprus has much to offer. It is less developed than the South and has a nice Turkish feel, which is very friendly and laid back. Much more relaxed than some of the Turkish resorts I have visited. Overall the place reminded me of holiday resorts 20 years ago but with modern facilities. I’m sure I will be back for a longer stay!