Children, I’ve found heaven...
WHEN I was a child, a happy ho l iday depended on the size of the swimming pool and availability of ice cream. In contrast, today’s youngsters seem to require far more organised entertainment to keep them amused for a whole fortnight.
As the success of the annual getaway can be judged by the number and scale of children’s tantrums, it obviously pays to choose a resort packed with family-friendly features.
The numerous pools at the huge Elexus Hotel & Resort & Spa, a 30- minute drive from Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus, are lined with sun- sleepy adults, alll relaxed and smiley, while a selection of wonderful amusements keep their offspring occupied.
The sparkly Elexus is one of the latest hotels to open here, and it’s already a favourite holiday spot for Turks and Russians. It also has a massive conference centre and, in common with a number of new properties here, a casino, but all that’s in a separate building.
The main resort has its own Aquapark full of slides and pools, a mini-village kids’ club with separate rooms according to age, two massive pools and a couple of supplementary ones, masses of sunloungers and acres of space.
For grown- ups, there’s a nice spa and watersports on offer at extra cost, and an alfresco nightclub. Babysitting is available if you want to strut your stuff. Other evening entertainment was in short supply though.
There’s a handful of restaurants, but you have to pay extra to eat in the speciality ones even if you book the Ultra Extended Full Board option – we never managed to pin down exactly what this meant, but all consumed our body weight in ice cream and soft drinks without extra charge.
The drawbacks? The Elexus is a very big hotel catering for many guests, so buffet meals can turn ii nto a bun fight, but the food is tasty enough. I f ound the constant music annoying, but others lapped it up. And it’s weird sharing space with convention delegates in suits.
The resort undoubtedly calls itself five-star based on the number of the facilities, but if it is quieter luxury you’re after, Northern Cyprus can provide it these days. Should you find yourself surrounded by whining children – other people’s, of course – hire a car ( pacificrentals.com) and head for the beach at Karpaz Bay, or go to the wonderful Karpaz Gate Marina for the day. For a few pounds you can spend the day by the small but exclusive pool and enjoy really nice food, cocktails and solitude.
If you need a different ambience altogether from the Elexus, head for the lovely Korineum Golf & Beach Resort, which has classy rooms, golf galore, excellent food and, yes, even ice cream.