Why is North Cyprus the Perfect Travel Destination? I have been a diplomat for most of my life. I have traveled to a lot of countries in my career. There is no such thing as a perfect destination. Especially if you have not been to a destination before. If you want the most summer vacation for your money, I will book a trip to North Cyprus. It is not that busy, hotels are not booked. And life is a little slower on island time. I have been to North Cyprus many times. Most as a vacationer to the North side, and some trips were work related to the South side.
Cost being the highest consideration – I usually book a trip a season away from when I want to travel. This should reduce the cost. So, if I am planning a trip in March, I am looking for a good fare in the wintertime. I just returned from a trip to Cyprus for two weeks in March 2025. I found that British Air had the best airfare at that time a little under $500.00 round trip. I left the dates flexible, which also helps when asking for time off if you are working. If you are retired, go for the cheapest airfare as you are much more flexible and can get better airfare.
I am retired and on a fixed income, so I try and defer costs as much as possible, or do not like to pay a lot in a lump sum. So, I found my airfare, then found a “fly now, pay later” Affirm is the company that I financed the trip with. It had 6 months with 0% apr so pay your ticket off within the six months. The good thing about this is that you can pay your $500.00 airfare over six payments. That is a $83.33 payment a month. The great thing is that you do not have to put this on your credit card. And no big up front purchase.
Hotel should be your next big purchase. There are some things to consider here. If you want a spotless modern hotel in Cyprus. You can find them easily as there are many on the Kyrenia coast or compounds. My favorite thing to do as a kid was going to Acapulco Beach. But now there are many, most with casinos in the hotel, beaches, and things to do outside. These hotels can get you to the tourist spots or arrange transportation for you.
I stayed at my go-to hotel as I think it is the best value for money. Ask for room 228 or the Kiraz room. It has a huge balcony which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. I like to sit and watch the sun go down with an Efes beer in the summer. The Dome Hotel provides a good room, at a good rate. I think it was $120 a night and it includes a big free breakfast. It is close to the Harbor and Kyrenia Castle. So, plenty of food and sightseeing within walking distance. There is a statue of Ataturk near the seawall. On Fridays, there is a colors ceremony of soldiers and band parading the street.
I used Agoda in the past to book. Do not do it. I ended up having Agoda booked two rooms which I was responsible for paying for. They are horrible. If you want to book the Dome Hotel, please use their WhatsApp account. +905428775922. They are pretty responsive.
Food is pretty cheap in North Cyprus. Breakfast if you are at the Dome is free so fill up there and get a light lunch. Most restaurants will serve soup and salad, which is what I like for lunch. This should cost $10. Dinner should be a little more expensive, up to $30 with some wine.
Cost breakdown:
Flight – $500.00
Hotel – 10 days $1200.00
Food – 10 days high and $400 (depending on what you are eating)
Total cost for 10 days $2100
Top Hidden Gems to Explore in Cyprus Top Hidden Gems to Explore in Cyprus to me this is a personal preference. To me my gems to explore in Cyprus would be under water. I love sea life. I think I was a fish in prior life, but I love the oceans and seas. To have the opportunity to explore them for me is the ultimate experience. At the top of my list of things to do in Cyprus is to scuba dive. I am a Master Diver with over a 100 diverse dives around the world. If my travels take me to a place that is warm and wet, I’m going down! I will explain in some technical and non-technical ways so that the people reading that have not been scuba diving before understanding and the ones that are certified can hopefully take something away from this posting as well.
Let us start off with the easiest. The Kyrenia castle. It is at the end of Kyrenia Harbor. You can tour the inside, and it has some exhibits as well as a cafe to get something to eat and drink. In the summer, please keep a bottle of water on you at all times.
If you would like to see other historical places, there is Bellapais Abbey, which is on the mountain (it is behind the castle in the pic above). There is a steak restaurant next door, Kybele Restaurant, which is incredibly good. You can take a taxi there or I think if you call, they will pick you up. Last time I was at the steak restaurant there was a wedding in the Abbey. So, I guess you can have a ceremony or party there if you want. One of my favorite things to do on my visit to Cyprus is to meet my cousin Engin and her children Ladin and Oben for dinner at Kybele Restaurant, or a beer at the Harbor or some kebob at Niazi’s Restaurant.
OK, now on to scuba diving in Cyprus. The gem here is that it is home to the #5 dive wreck in the world. So, if wreck diving is on your bucket list. This is where you want to come. The wreck is actually really close to Larnaca airport. When you fly into Larnaca, your route is normally right over the Zenobia wreck. You might be able to see it if the water is clear enough or look for a large congregation of dive boats dropping off divers. My good friend Cengiz has a dive shop on the North side. He also provides training. My wife got her certification on Alagadi beach as seen in the pic. You can buy the shirt on the dive boat to the Zenobia. https://www.northcyprusscuba.com/
Zenobia is a container ship that sank one evening after the ship was incorrectly weighted and one size was too heavy, and it flipped over basically spilling trucks to the sea floor and the ship to the side of the trucks. The ship starts at about seventy feet and goes down to about 138 feet. You can go onto the ship or there are lifeboats on the exterior that you can examine. The wheelhouse is accessible as well as the trucks. My advice is to make sure you are certified in limited visibility, wreck dives, and deep dives. Cengiz can take care of these certifications for you and make sure you have the tools to be able to enjoy the wreck. Book in advance as the weather may or may not be cooperative.
I want to now discuss dive gear. Early in my career I had the opportunity to have my sister Leyla buy me scuba diving lessons. I fell in love with diving and talked to a diving shop owner about doing some further training. I got more certifications and became a Master Diver in SSI. I went on to become a Dive Con who is a helper underwater to the instructor. Scuba equipment is not cheap. There are things that you can buy at the dollar store or Walmart, and scuba gear is not one of them. Get yourself some quality gear. It is like buying a bowling ball. You will need one for a long time so spend some money and get a good one. I like scuba pro and have always owned scuba pro gear. I trust my life with this equipment. Now if you are buying a shorty or mask or fins. You can get what is comfortable for you. But you need to spend money on your BC (buoyancy compensator), your octopus, and stages. Do not worry about taking gear overseas. Airlines have seen it all. You can always rent a piece of gear if you forget or if you do not want to carry gear.
Unique Cultural Experiences in Cyprus
I have written about Bellapais Abbey which is a 13th century monastery. There is a international music festival and I have found their facebook page in case you want to go get a steak and hear the music. https://www.facebook.com/InternationalNorthCyprusMusicFestival/. Also the Tree of Idleness is there if you want to check that out.
Kyrenia Castle is next to Kyrenia Harbor and was built by the Venetians. It house the shipwreck museum which has a well preserved Roman ship. King Richard the 1st also know as Richard the Lion Heart conquered Cyprus and used it as a stopping spot during the crusades. I look at it from the harbor at night and cannot imagine how many people it took and how long it took to build.
St. Hilarion Castle is atop a mountain when you drive between Nicosia and Kyrenia, you can stop off the main road and drive to the Castle. It caught on fire a few years ago, as wildfire is common in the mountains due to the hot, dry weather.
Salamis Ancient City is also in Cyprus and was the capital as far back as 1100 Before Christ. I have not been there before, but now its on my bucket list.
Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Water Sports and More I have been on the mountain for hiking, and a picnic and had a great time. I again am a big water sports fan and more familiar with the Mediterranean Sea. There are some water parks at some of the hotels and I think there are some private ones. I have seen jet skiing near the harbor. There is snorkeling and spear fishing for grouper and octopus. Scuba diving is popular as well. I have been on a couple of dives to see fish, and some smaller wrecks on the North side as well as Alagadi beach which is the beach where sea turtles lay their eggs in a protected environment. But you can still swim and dive in certain areas.
There are some larger wooden ships that will take you out during the day or during the night for lunch and dinner cruises which are nice. They normally stop a few times for you to jump off the ship and go swimming or they will have a slide and you can slide off the ship into the sea. You can negotiate how much you spend on your cruise with the people in the harbor selling tickets. I recommend bargaining as you can usually get a cruise with food (I think alcohol is extra) around $40. This is for 4 hours, two stops, lunch or dinner. I dont think your gonna find that price anywhere in the US. Its basically a booze cruise.
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