Choosing a North Cyprus Hotel

So, you’ve chosen north Cyprus as your ideal holiday destination, but now comes the really difficult part – choosing the best out of the many north Cyprus hotels! The job is made so much more difficult, because almost certainly the reasons you chose the country also make it far more difficult to choose the place to stay. The main joy of Northern Cyprus is its relative lack of tourist development, especially compared with other Mediterranean destinations. However, the downside of this is that information is harder to come by and online reviews are infrequent. Especially when a hotel has only a handful of reviews, it is easy either for someone with an axe to grind, or someone with commercial interests, to effectively sabotage the results and generally, unless you can be absolutely certain of impartial advice, the general suggestion is to ignore reviews until at the very least, ten have been posted.

As in every holiday resort or country, hotels in Northern Cyprus come in all shapes and sizes. From the massive, corporate-style luxury properties, to the family-run lodging, you will find everything represented here. Having travelled extensively, these days I know I’m not alone in finding that the smaller places are generally the best. To be blunt, a decade or so back, we all used to go to luxury hotels to experience things we couldn’t get at home: wide-screen TV, TV in the bedroom, mini-bars and all life’s little luxuries. These days, we probably leave behind at least as much luxury in our homes as we are likely to experience on holiday. Obviously, this leaves out some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, but these are few and far between – and probably out of the price range of the vast majority of us. No, what I (and in my experience, most other people) look for on holiday is a place that’s attractive, luxurious and clean – without going over the top. A place where the service is impeccable, but unobtrusive and where the staff know more about the area that I already do. A place where the views are wonderful and the food is good.

When it comes to the big hotels, as long as you don’t look outside the grounds, your really could be anywhere in the world. Dubai feels like Cyprus. Paris feels like New York. So above all, I look for a place that feels totally different from being at home and totally different from anywhere else.

Now, of course by the very nature of the word, it’s extremely difficult to find hotels that are unique! But Northern Cyprus does at least give you a head start. The history and economics of the island would fill twenty or more articles, and this is no place for political discussion. However, the vagaries of the tax system and government grants, have made it easier (though not easy) for smaller holiday properties to become established. Frequently family owned and operated, these ‘hotels’ are often extremely basic, comprising a handful of villa-style apartments grouped around a small swimming pool, usually with a bar and restaurant. In fact, many of these properties came into existence as a bar and gradually added a few places to sleep! The very best of these have grown up to become far, far more than this though – offering small, but luxurious rooms, fabulous settings and truly haute cuisine menus.

Most of the very best small north Cyprus hotels get most of their trade by word of mouth and many are booked up, sometimes years in advance. To find the very best, you will have to do your own homework, but here are a few tips! Look for properties that have only between fifteen and forty rooms, but with room facilities you would expect to see in larger establishments. Look for village or countryside locations. Preferably, look for a spot in the hills or mountains, as these are likely to offer the best views. Look for somewhere without unnecessary facilities (I leave that up to you to define!), but with a reasonable size pool and a restaurant. Again, preferably a small restaurant. And lastly, if there are enough reviews, take these as fact, but if there aren’t, ignore them!

So, with a little luck you may find space at the sort of place you’ve always dreamed of staying. And if you really enjoy it, the most sensible advice of all is to book well in advance for your next visit!