rated the Altinkaya Holiday Village as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Altinkaya belies its offical two-star, tourist-board rating, and I reckon will richly deserve the extra star it aspires to this year.
It is situated on the road out of Kyrenia that leads to the lovely Bellapais, with little around it apart from a souvenir shop, a petrol station and, very handily, a well-stocked Lemar supermarket.
The Altinkaya complex is split both sides of the road - the main hotel area, a few studios overlooking the pool and six terraced villas on the right going out of town, and further villas about 50 yards up the road, left, in a complex that also included the main restaurant.
I arrived at reception in the early hours of the morning, after the maiden AtlasJet flight from Stansted to Ercan via Istanbul touched down in North Cyprus almost two hours late.
It was not the start to the holiday I had hoped for, but the gloom lightened when the young man at reception offered to open the bar to allow myself and others on the same plane to partake of a much-needed refreshment.
The ice-cool Efes hit the spot, and soon the memory of the tardy arrival was behind me.
On handed my room key 519, and noticing there was no lift, I feared a long climb to my accommodation, but two floors later I was there, and far from disappointed by my two-star abode for the next week.
The twin-bedded room was well appointed, with air conditioning (never needed it on), TV (never needed it on) a "pay" fridge (often needed it opened), satellite TV, telephone, tea/coffee maker, hairdryer, safety deposit box and a good-sized balcony.
So no worries then as I hit the hay belatedly for the first time. Dawn (well, maybe a bit later) revealed that my room was south-facing (morning sun), with a nice view of the sea.
The pool area below me sparkled in the sun, and the hotel gardens appeared well kept, with many flowers in bloom. I was positively blooming, too, by this stage!
Once I had established where breakfast was being served, a two-minute walk took me there. The repast was no more, nor less, than expected, this being my third visit to the north of the island.
Orange/lemon juice, cereal, scrambled egg, hash browns (of a sort), fresh fruit, coffee, tea...you don't need chapter and verse. But it was a decent enough choice to get the day under way.
Although I had been "upgraded" to full board over my stay, I only ate there at night twice, opting instead to sample the burgeoning choice of restaurants in Kyrenia itself. Both meals were perfectly adequate - although Gordon Ramsay no doubt would have had a bone to pick with the chef. No matter, they did for me.
The Altinkaya hotel bar was the hub late at night, given that the "bright lights " of the village were a 20-minute walk away, and it was a pleasure to be served there by the cheery staff.
I know there are lots of moans about hotel drinks tariff, but I did not think that paying four Turkish lira (less than £2) for an ice-cold, half-litre bottle of Efes was over the top.
Brandy sours figured prominently over the holiday, too, and, again, were well-priced, and, equally important, quite delicious.
I never looked in on the studios near the pool, but got the impression that they were very much the basic accommodation on offer.
A couple who arrived when I did spent a single night in one before upgrading to a nearby villa. Perhaps that tells its own tale.
Overall, and given Altinkaya's rating, I was very happy with what was on offer. All the staff appeared a happy-go-lucky lot, always a bonus, and nothing was too much trouble for them.
Everyone spoke good English, while Englishwoman Sandra, who appeared in charge, was a mine of good information for all who sought it.
Given that Altinkaya is a mile or so away from the "biz", those with mobility problems might want to think twice about staying there.
But the walk into Kyrenia is flat all the way, until you hit the headland before the harbour, so no real hardship for those who enjoy a bit of exercise on holiday.
Jewels of the World representative Fikret Yeterli was an occasional visitor to the complex, but not one of the hard-sell brigade. I had hired a car for my stay, and knew my way about the island, so did not take him up on any offers. Those who did appeared delighted on their return from various outings - especially the trip to the Karapaz peninsular.
Altinkaya is owned by a family who own a highly-regarded fish restaurant of the same name on the way to Lapta. It was being upgraded when I was there, so I did not get the chance to discover if it might be the best "plaice" in town. Maybe next time.
Altinkaya surprised me. I expected little and got a lot. Usually works out the other way on holiday, doesn't it?
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Sunny Says there
are 248 visitors online
ms z agdelen from london travelled to Altinkaya Holiday Village with
pegasus airlines
on a family holiday.