A Guide of North Cyprus
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KYRENIA
On the north coast, Kyrenia is framed by the Five Finger mountain range and the crusader castle. Its fishing harbour is charming; you’ll have to battle the urge to surrender each day to brandy sours in one of the harbour side bistros.
For the ultimate view of Kyrenia (and arguably its best cocktails), try the rooftop pool and garden of the recently opened Colony hotel in the centre of town.
In the late afternoon — only mad dogs venture out at midday — wander around the narrow, cobbled alleys behind the harbour for shops selling wooden crafts and art at good prices.
Lawrence Durrell fans should take a 10-minute drive to the sleepy village of Bellapais, star of Bitter Lemons of Cyprus. If you can draw yourself away from the Tree of Idleness, it is worth exploring the remains of the gothic abbey, which hosts regular classical concerts in its illuminated ruins
(see www.cyprustoday.net for listings).
Further out into the mountains west of Kyrenia lies Lapta, where waterfalls shoot down to irrigate the olive groves.
Where to stay: the best beaches in the Kyrenia region are the Escape and the Denizkizi, which both offer scuba- diving. Stay at the stylish Denizkizi Hotel, and enjoy the Sunday tradition of lamb cooked in a well.
Or, to get away from it all, book into the Bellapais Monastery Village, four miles from the nearest beach. This peaceful hideaway has 16 rooms and some small villas, set around lush gardens and a pool.
Further up the mountain is the Hilarion Village which has eight simply furnished villas (from £25 a night) and a pool.
Where to eat: the Brasserie (815 9481) is set in the former summer residence of Archbishop Makarios, above Kyrenia’s castle. Outside, its biscuit-coloured stone walls are weathered, but inside, the wood-panelled bar and dining rooms are elegant — it’s a place to dress up for. Cyprus is all about views, and you’ll get a great one here if you bag a table on the stone-arched terrace. Great steaks cost about £9.
On Thursdays, the Jasmine Court Hotel serves up an extravaganza of 300
Turkish dishes to the sound of folk singers in its courtyard above the sea.
And the Ani Fish Kebab Restaurant (824 4355), in Catalkoy, is fantastic and ridiculously cheap.
For breakfast, pop into the Courtyard (815 3343), where the owner, Mo, serves delicious scrambled eggs and home-made lemon curd.
Further information: call the North Cyprus Tourism Centre on 020 7631 1930 or visit www.gonorthcyprus.com
The secret is out - at least some of it
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Bob Kenyon
A Scottish Tourist
An early walk round Girne harbour, with the soft April sunshine edging over Five Finger Mountain sparkling on the blue green waters, confirms that this is the jewel of the Mediterranean.
It is day one of a week-long film shoot to reveal the secrets of North Cyprus to television viewers in Scotland. There are now weekly flights from Glasgow to the island. Everyone in the crew was enchanted by the harbour ringed with restaurants, the boats gently rocking at their moorings, as they climbed the steps to Girne Castle. The castle houses the best museum in the north, including the oldest shipwreck in the world, which is 2,300 years old. We took a boat of a newer variety from the harbour to obtain a different perspective of the island. From the sea you view the impressive dimensions of Girne Castle guarding the mouth of the harbour.
Bellapais, with its impressive Abbey, lies a few miles out of Girne (just £4 in a taxi) and is well worth a visit. Walk through the sun-dappled cloisters and sense the peace and tranquility of this ancient monastery. A few miles along the coast is Alagadi Beach -unspoiled golden sands fringed by wild flowers with clear waters to wash only your footsteps away.
This was not a trip for lazing around and certainly the visit to craggy hill-top St Hilarion Castle will sweep away the morning cobwebs. Again, it is a short bus or taxi trip out of Girne. The castle is said to be the model for the castle in Disney's Snow White movie. It is certainly a castle of fairytale proportions that lives up to the hype -and there are some fabulous views from the ramparts.
Lefkosa (Nicosia) is the largest town in North Cyprus, but it still seems as if there is plenty of space to wander about the streets and explore. A must is the covered market next to the Selimiye Mosque. Here you can buy anything from backgammon sets to bananas, but one of the top buys is the delicious Turkish Delight. Another great shopping venue is the newly renovated Buyuk Han (The Great Inn). Craft shops and wine bars now occupy the quarters that used to house travellers and their horses.
If you visit just one place then make sure it is the ancient Roman City of Salamis. It is incredible to walk along the mosaic floor of the ancient gymnasium surrounded by colonnades with the plunge pools at either end or to sit in an amphitheatre that once seated audiences of 5,000 people. If you are travelling by car get down to the sea and the Roman bathhouse down there.
The baths are not operating but the sea and silver sand do look inviting.
The walled city of Gazimagusa (Famagusta) is ideal for a half-day visit.
Wander through the squares with their churches and towers and wonder at the magnificence of LaIa Mustapha Pasa Mosque - once St Nicholas Cathedral. For an authentic meal of Cyprus kebab (kleftico) try the Agora Kebab House just inside the city walls at the Sea Gate. One old man turned up at lunch and asked for one great meal before it was time to die - literally food to die for!
The modern roads are quiet and drivers are courteous. Hire a car for around El 5 per day and take the opportunity to drop into little fishing ports like Bogaz and watch the local fleet empty their nets of May fish. Perhaps the best part about driving about is being able to stop at a road side stall and have a glass of orange juice freshly pressed before driving on and stopping to stand and stare in wonder at the carpet of red, yellow, purple flowers.
The flowers are a great attraction with organized walks looking for orchids, and with 1200 species of flowers there is plenty to see.
Eating out is very inexpensive; a meal for two with wine and drinks will only cost around £20.
We stayed at the Dome Hotel, which is situated in a prime location in the centre of Girne.
These are just some of the attractions that make North Cyprus a holiday location that will warrant another visit. The secret may be out but we will keep some of it to ourselves.
