Northern Cyprus - a beautiful secret revealed
We stayed at the 5 star Mercure Hotel & Wellness in Kyrenia on the northern coast for 4 nights – it has one of the best swimming pools I’ve come across and it was such a shame we didn’t have much spare time to make full use of it (one good reason I want to return!) – and we packed a lot of hotel visits and sightseeing into our itinerary. We visited castles, museums, mosques, ancient sites, and beaches, and took in trips to Nicosia (the only remaining divided capital in the world) and Famagusta.
Northern Cyprus is a fabulous uncrowded, uncommercialised destination, full of character and history, and friendly people. There is a touch of the exotic mingling with its natural beauty and wildlife, with opportunities to go hiking, cycling, birdwatching, and – from May – nesting turtles which start to hatch in July. Add to this the good variety of quality hotels, casinos, spas, clean beaches, golf and diving, and there really is something for everyone here.
The highlights of my trip (and all good reasons to return!) were:
* Bellapais Abbey, a beautiful 12th century Gothic monastery close to Kyrenia;
* Having a nightcap at Kyrenia harbour at one of its many pavement cafes – you can even try a traditional hubble bubble pipe here;
* Lunch in Nicosia at the Buyuk Han, a charming 16th century courtyard, a former inn, made up of craft shops and the Sedirhan Café;
* The wonderful meze dinner starters (the local equivalent of tapas) available almost everywhere;
* The Roman ruins at Salamis near Famagusta;
* Petek Patisserie in Famagusta – rightly famous as a “cake heaven” (Note to self: make sure I leave more than an hour between lunch and Petek’s next time!);
* The stunning views from the hillsides over the northern coast, and the amazing sunsets.
* As a cat lover I was amazed at how many cats were roaming around, even in the hotel grounds – happily they all appeared very healthy and friendly, otherwise my suitcase would have been overflowing with poor little rescued moggies!
* And, last but not least, the weather – 25 degrees and clear blue skies in early November – was simply fantastic.
One area we didn’t have time to visit was the Karpas peninsula with its many deserted beaches, and where wild donkeys roam – another good reason to return!
We flew direct to Larnaca in the south with British Airways, the transfer time to Kyrenia was a smooth 1.5 hours and the border crossing was hassle-free, driving is on the left-hand side, and the sockets are British 3-pin, so it all felt very civilised - and the currency is the Turkish Lira so no expensive Euros!
All in all ten out of ten!
