The Med’s best-kept secret
SERENE North Cyprus is a sundappled home to mountain castles, Gothic abbeys, jasmine-scented old towns and snoozy villages, where older locals while away the hours drinking syrupy coffee in the shade.
Basking in about 340 days of sunshine each year, it’s an enticing destination, while also being ideal for a lazy resort break beside a tranquil beach and turquoise seas.
What’s more, this secret corner of the Med offers the most fantastic value for money, making for affordable luxury. Holiday prices with a specialist company, such as Cyprus Paradise, are low. And eating out won’t make much of a dent in your pocket either.
A glass of wine costs only £2, a beer is £1.50, lunch can be had for £5, and dinner is typically just £10 per head. Car hire is equally astonishing value from just £19 per day.
Hotels with spas offer free access if you are staying there, while treatments start from £20, with further tour operator discounts available.
In this euro-free zone, prices are in Turkish lira, meaning there’s no need to worry about any post-Brexit effects. They won’t rise suddenly, whatever happens in the EU.
No visa is required – and mobile roaming charges aren’t an issue either, as there is free wi-fi in most of the numerous high-quality resort and boutique hotels.
As uncertainty about Brexit continues, the excellent exchange rate works very much in favour of the discerning visitor, making this an ideal time to come and experience all that this welcoming island has to offer.
PERFECT CHOICE FOR SPRING
NORTH Cyprus now provides every modern luxury a visitor could want, plus fun in the sun from watersports to mountain walking. Yet it still retains a slightly time-warped, uncommercialised feel. This beautiful Turkish side of the island is crammed with historic sites and intriguing wildlife. As spring arrives, it’s swathed in flowers, including cyclamen and 30 species of wild orchid, making it a special draw for walkers. Famagusta’s old town resembles an open-air museum with the remains of Venetian palaces, medieval castles and churches. And there’s a swag of sights nearby at ancient Salamis, from an amphitheatre and 4th Century basilica to royal tombs.
Bellapais Abbey was central to Lawrence Durrell’s memoir, Bitter Lemons Of Cyprus, written in the 1950s, and little has changed since then. Its Gothic cloister and vast refectory summon a vibrant picture of medieval monastic life.
It is claimed that Richard the Lionheart spent his honeymoon in Kyrenia, where the crescent-shaped harbour still provides a romantic backdrop for a candlelit meal.
And the rugged Karpas Peninsula is home to adorable wild donkeys and nesting loggerhead turtles, as well as long stretches of unsullied, golden sand.
Meanwhile, you can expect a culinary treat when eating out, with locally caught fish, tender chicken or lamb kebabs often featuring on mouth-watering menus.
Family-run tavernas also dish up a meze-style feast of flavours, where countless small plates – from houmous to tasty meatballs – make an appearance.
With Brexit worries still looming large, North Cyprus is an uncomplicated choice for a sunshine holiday this spring and summer. Escape mass tourism, enjoy affordable luxury, take in countless historic treasures – and benefit from the best value you’ll find anywhere in the Med.