North Cyprus: The beautiful Mediterranean Island that time forgot [OPINION]

NATURAL WONDERS
Take the bumpy pass through the Kyrenia mountain range, known as the Five Finger Mountains thanks to their spectacular pointy peaks.

Stop and you’ll spot huge black hares, soaring Bonelli’s eagles, Cyprus warblers or any of the other 280 bird species which live here.

The bird to spot is the fabulously flamboyant hoopoe, with its zebra-print tail and outrageous orange and black-tipped crown.

And a trip to the north would not be complete without a stakeout to watch huge loggerhead turtles lay their eggs on Aligadi beach.



Females typically visit in May and late June to August. Blinking baby turtles scramble from their eggs to make moonlit sprints to the sea.

As a child, my mother would insist on driving from our home in Kibris to the top of the helterskelter roads in her roofless, yellow Mini Moke. These days, I prefer to go by foot

ESSENTIAL WALKS
Also in the Kyrenia range is St Hilarion castle, the island’s best-kept Crusader bastion.


As a child, my mother would insist on driving from our home in Kibris to the top of the helterskelter roads in her roofless, yellow Mini Moke. These days, I prefer to go by foot.

It’s not an easy climb to the top rampart, all 400 steep steps, but it’s worth it for views at the Queen’s Window, a stone archway that was once the bedroom of Queen Eleanor of Aragon.


DINING OUT
The whitewashed mountain village of Karmi is home to the Levant restaurant which has sweeping views of the castle.

Highlights include slow-cooked lamb shank and mussels sautéed in the local tipple, raki. Don’t leave without trying the signature dessert Mediterranean parfait: ice-cream with crushed sesame seed biscuits, tahini paste and local honey.

For a night of glitz and glamour, the fi ve star Rocks Hotel & Casino is the place to push the boat out.

At Kyrenia’s beautiful horseshoe harbour, La Habanera restaurant, with its art deco interior, has a resident pianist and serves fi ne pasta and some local specialities.


THE BEACHES
The Karpaz Peninsula in the north east boasts miles of golden sands and plenty of old monuments too. If you’re lucky, you may spot the wild donkeys that roam here.

Cypriots believe it to be the birthplace of the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite.

The best family-friendly beach is Glapsides where water is shallow.

The restaurant on the beach is the place to be in summer with hosted beach parties. You can also pitch a tent or rent a pedalo or kayak.

HISTORICAL SITES
Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Ottomans have left their mark on the landscape, architecture, culture and cuisine. Check the incredibly preserved ruins and mosaics at Salamis and imagine you are a Roman going to market.

Head towards the island’s dividing United Nations Green Line, and stand on the thick Venetian walls surrounding the fortified, sealed-off ghost town section of the city of Famagusta.

Kyrenia Castle houses the world’s oldest shipwreck, a tiny wine and olive trading boat that went down outside the harbour around 300BC. Kyrenia is a must-see, too, for its tiny, pretty, bustling port filled with fine fi sh restaurants.

WHERE TO STAY
Denizkizi resort has two hotels, The Royal and my favourite, the original Denizkizi, with its fine seaside position overlooking manicured gardens that seem to slope into the sea.

There are 56 rooms and a private beach with a fabulous seaside restaurant.

Sister hotel the Royal has fantastic facilities including a freshwater pool with a waterfall and a fitness centre that guests from either hotel can use.

Sitting in a lush valley, Bellapais Gardens is the closest North Cyprus gets to a boutique hotel and is the island’s most charming place to stay. There are bungalow-style studio bedrooms in this former monastery’s immaculate grounds.

The pool is set in the heart of what once was a vegetable and fruit garden, tended by Norbertine monks. You can swim gazing up towards the striking stone arches of Bellapais Abbey on the hill above.

*Written by Anonymous