Alkan Hotel

Kyrenia, Noord Cyprus

time ever in their peaceful haven. Until you set foot out of the door you would never believe the sea front was just across the road! While there are plenty of great places to eat around we cannot fault the superb on-site restaurant for quality and choice. The pool area is an absolute joy, with gorgeous views across the Med. We relaxed here and made use of the free Wi-Fi to keep in touch with the outside world, although not every day, we aren't Internet junkies :) The great local knowledge of the staff is a great help when it comes to planning day trips, and every time we go back we try to visit somewhere new. One old favourite is only 15 minutes up the road, the bustling port of Kyrenia. Lunch and a drink at one of the cafes by the harbour is a must. Another favourite is relaxing on the golden sands of one of the beaches in the areas, or walking in the hills where the only sound is the odd bird. This is why we go late season, so we can enjoy our holiday to the max. Those looking for a hotel full of gleaming glass and no soul won't enjoy it here. Those, like us, who want to be relax somewhere full of charm with excellent hosts should book themselves into the Alkan Village, you won't be disappointed.

and that good air conditioning, a freedom from mosquitoes, and a fridge are essentials, and the Alkan Hotel ticks all the right boxes. The proprietor and staff are friendly and helpful, the restaurant is excellent, as is the swimming pool, and the apartment was cool, simple, clean and comfortable. Traffic noise from the main road was not a problem, and the stunning Alagadi turtle beaches are only 10 minutes drive away, as are mountain walks in the region of the Antiphonitis monastery. The only negative is that the local supermarkets charge tourist prices - but the restaurant prices at the Alkan were competitive, and the food very good. It is a meeting place for ex-pats. As with all the places we stayed, there is a certain laissez faire attitude to maintenance and health and safety - you just have to accept that they do things differently. It's the welcome that counts,the feeling you are among friends.

was the Alkan Holiday village so we thought 'why not?' and gave it a shot. At almost 60, my other half and I spend a lot of time travelling in our golden age, so the hotel industry is one we're pretty familiar with! The Alkan had incredibly good value for money and we initially thought this might mean the standards were lowered, but we couldn't have been more wrong. We were told early on that the place was a family venture, and it was pretty clear that this had a positive influence on the standards of the accommodation and customer service. The staff were great and simply couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful – they even carried our bags up to the room without us asking because my husband had an injured thumb. So the hotel- a lovely lively place with lots going on but certainly suitable for couples, young families or middle aged people like ourselves. You'll be staying right on the seafront and the pool has a great view of the med. If you're that way inclined, you may like to use the complimentary wifi – a little too modern for us as we prefer paper books still! If you're an avid explorer (we certainly are!) you can get out and about to some lovely places from this central base. There's some amazing places to see along the coastline and its great to get out and about rather than just sitting by the pool all day. The staff at the hotel gave us some great tips and we visited Roman ruins, a castle and a beach where turtles choose to lay their precious eggs. One morning we jumped on a bus and visited the town of Kyrenia, which was busy and lively. From there we took a walk and ended up in the hills with incredible views. That night we chose to eat in the hotel rather than head out and the food was delicious. We all know hotel food can get a bit samey but the quality couldn't be faulted at the Alkan Holiday Village.