Detailed review by Fritzthecat
Fritzthecat(44)
Essex, United Kingdom98%
Kaplica Beach Hotel is located about half an hours drive to the east of Kyrenia, at the entrance to the small village Kaplica (formerly Dhavlos). To miss the hotel, if you are coming from Kyrenia, is nearly impossible. It is not only the first building of the village that you will reach but also located in a beautiful bay and the wall towards the street features some very striking paintings of all sorts of sea creatures. Often there are also some small stands where you can buy hand crafted items and fruit. Approaching the hotel from the Famagusta side of the island you will have to take the mountain road that passes from Kantara and stay on it until you reach the village. In this case the hotel is located at the end of the village.
There is plenty of parking and I'd recommend that you come with your own transport. Although there is a bus running in between the village and Kyrenia, it doesn't run too often and without your own wheels you are pretty much stuck so far out of the city. The entrance to the hotel leads you straight into the restaurant which is located on the first floor; the bedrooms are located on the ground floor at beach level. This might sound strange but it actually makes sense and maybe it is time to mention that, if you are looking for a luxurious holiday accommodation with all the mod-cons, it is better if we turn you around here and now and send you back to Kyrenia.
If you are willing to sacrifice quite a few creature comforts for the sake of a beautiful secluded beach in front of your room, great food and a relaxed atmosphere than you should stay tuned in a little bit longer. And if you are looking for a ridiculously cheap room in a scenery to die for and don't mind if the next nightclub is half an hours drive away than you might have just found what you are looking for.
Each of the rooms can be accessed directly from the beach, there are no interior corridors, and you enter from your private terrace. That might sound grand now but in fact it isn't as the terraces are tiny and offer just enough space for two plastic chairs and a small plastic table. Never mind, the room doesn't offer space for more than two people anyway and if there are more people in your party and you'd like to sit together you can always move the tables and chairs onto the beach in front of you. As you might have guessed by now, the rooms are also anything but not big but offer enough space for a large king size bed, night tables and a small chest of drawers. There are no wardrobes but there is a rail next to the bathroom door where you can hang some clothes and store your luggage underneath. The en-suite features a shower, no cubicle but curtains, toilet and hand basin and a mirror with a small storage area underneath. I didn't check if there are any shaver points when we stayed here but probably not. Plugs for hairdryer or a radio, if you have brought one, can be found in the bedroom. If you are waiting for TV, Internet connection, kettle, fridge etc forget it! You do get a telephone though. There are also neither air conditioning nor fan which would usually be a bit of a problem in an area that gets that hot but as the rooms are located on the ground floor and rather sheltered from the direct sun it wasn't such a big deal. A much bigger problem are the mosquitoes and I'd recommend to bring some sort of repellent with you. They do sell some items like sun cream, shaving foam and shampoo upstairs in the reception/bar but they didn't have anything to get rid of the little monsters when we where there.
The furniture in the room is old but well maintained and decoration wise there are just some pictures at the wall. The view out of your window will more than make up for the lack in decoration as every bedroom overlooks the beach and the sound of the waves will the last thing you hear before you fall asleep and the first thing when you wake up in the morning. Everything was absolutely clean, there were enough towels, and the bed linen was clean and crisp.
The really great thing about this place is that you are literally only five steps away from the beach when you get up in the morning. And this is not just some kind of beach but one of the most beautiful beaches in the northern part of Cyprus. Sheltered by the bay the water is shallow and you need to walk quite a bit until you reach the point until it is actually deep enough to swim. Ideal if you have smaller children. The water is clean and the hotel owners keep the beach clean and well maintained. There are plenty of sun loungers and umbrellas and a beach bar offers small snacks and drinks. We only had drinks at the beach bar as the restaurant offers some of the best fish in the area. The restaurant is just as unpretentious as the rest of the hotel with a large dining room that is furnished with plastic tables and chairs and usually you will find it totally empty. Most people prefer to sit on the large terrace that overlooks the bay. This place is about fish and that's what they make best so I'd give the meat dishes a miss, although they are nice too, and chose something from the catch of the day. If you are worried to stay somewhere that far outside, you can certainly be sure that you won't be starving as the food is absolutely delicious. Breakfast is served on the terrace or in the dining room, whichever you prefer. It's a simple affair, some bread, cheese, cooked meat, tomato, cucumber, olives and preserves, tea or coffee. Nothing spectacular but everything was fresh and the portions were big. The place is family run and everybody was very friendly and chatty.
If you want to go out in the evening you can walk up to the village where you will find another hotel that is a bit bigger and less basic. They feature their own restaurant and offer sometimes entertainment in the evening. I've never been there so can't say anything about food or what the entertainment might be. Apart from that there isn't much to do and you really need to drive all the way to Kyrenia if you are looking for a more vibrant nightlife. You will find the clubs, bars and casinos there but will have to face the journey back to the hotel on the winding and narrow road.
So to whom would I recommend this place? Naturally to everybody who is traveling on a very tight budget as the rooms are around £10 including breakfast. Cyprus is not a very cheap place and it will be hard to find anywhere cheaper. If you are looking for somewhere to get away from it all and don't mind the basic rooms you will be fine here too. Just don't go on a weekend, the place is very popular with locals and many of them arrive Friday night and stay until Sunday. We went on a weekday and practically had the whole hotel and beach for ourselves. Personally I couldn't imagine staying for longer than maximum 3-4 days, we stayed for one night only which was absolutely fine, as there just isn't enough to do around the hotel.
Kaplica Beach8
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