TravelGuides

(TGA) - Hello I am looking for some general advice. I have been to Southern Cyprus, I remember years ago there was I believe some problems if you have the other cyprus stamped in your passport and wanted to visit Northern Cyprus, is that still the case?
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Flights to Northern Cyprus, are they direct from London Gatwick (I was looking at Cyprus Paradise holidays), or do you have to fly via Turkey?
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Hotels - I have looked at the reviews of hotels that interest me, but if I say what my main requirements are perhaps anyone who has been to any hotels there can suggest which hotel(s) might be better suited for my requirements.
both my mother and i have mobility problems, neither in a wheelchair. would prefer hotel that has indoor pool, jacuzzi (free to guests), live entertainment, shows, or music. comfortable and high seats in reception or public areas, so many hotels nowadays have such low seats and not easy to get up from (my mother has other health issues besides mobility). rooms that are large enough for twin beds to be moved away from each other, ie space between them, Hotel surroundings quiet
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Is it best to stay in Kyrenia or Famagusta. We won't be hirig a car, but like to be close to things like the centre, so we can walk, sit, walk, etc, - we are limited to the amount of walking that we can do, so are there plenty of places to sit and rest
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food wise - i do not eat meat, but i eat fish, salads, etc, is the food usually quite international or more problematic for non meat eaters
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some reviews ihave read where there is stray cats and a lot of dogs barking, are there are lot of stray animals out there? are they a problem?
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thanks
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Hi, lots of questions that I will try to answer in the same order.
Firstly, there is definitely no problem if you have a TRNC stamp in your passport when visiting either Southern Cyprus or indeed Greece. They do not stamp your passport in the South so there are no problems on that score. If you feel very strongly about it you can fill in a visa slip at Ercan airport. This is then stamped "in" and "out" and can be discarded afterwards.
Flights to NC are direct but not non-stop. What this basically means is that you fly via Turkey but do not have to get off the plane (unless you fly with Turkish Airlines). Time on the tarmac is usually around 45 minutes for re-fuelling and for passengers to get off and on. You can fly from the major London airports to NC although Gatwick flights are mainly in the Summer. The most frequent flights are from Stansted with both Cyprus Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines flying here every day.
With regard to hotels, I believe the Dome Hotel in the centre of Kyrenia might be suitable for your needs. It is right in the heart of the main tourist area with lovely sea views and you would be able to easily walk into the old Harbour where you will find plenty of restaurants and bars. The only thing missing is an indoor pool although they have a fitness centre with sauna. To be honest I'm not sure of any hotels that have indoor pools. Looking at the Dome website (http://www.dome-cyprus.com/default.asp) and from what I can remember, they have suitable seating in the lobby area. They also have a lift to the upper floors. When I stayed at the Dome we had a twin room which was quite large and I would think you could easily move beds away from each other. As it is in the main town it would be preferable for you to have a sea view room so that you are away from the road (although it is not that noisy).
My preference would be for Kyrenia as it has a number of hotels in the main town area. Walking from the Dome is mainly flat and there are seats along the sea wall area to the harbour.
You will not have a problem with finding fish as most restaurants will serve this. The Dome serves food on a buffet basis and it is pretty good in my opinion. They also have music or entertainment every evening which is geared towards an older clientele.
There are stray cats and dogs in most resorts although you will not see many dogs in the centre of Kyrenia. At most you will see what I call harbour cats the majority of which appear to be very well fed and don't cause too many problems.
I hope the above is of help and feel free to ask any other questions or let me know what hotels you have been looking at and I will try and advise.
Jo
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Hi, Just one point to add, I don,t know where you live, but I live in Devon and instead of travelling to London I get a flight from a regional airport to Larnaca, then all hotels will arrange for a taxi transfer to the North for about £100 return. The driver attends to passport control and the stamp is on a separate slip of paper placed in your passport.
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Do be aware there has been a lot of controversy lately (rightly or wrongly) based on the result of the Orams case in the north. Solicitor acting for the Greek Cypriot who claimed his land back from the Orams is threatening to sue visitors past and present using The Dome hotel for trespass!! May be a lot of "hot air" but perhaps it may be wise to google the Orams case and just read up on it.
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What a load of garbage! Should give the judge a laugh though before he/she throws the idiot out and/or gives them 30 days in jail to think again before wasting court time.
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I couldn't agree more but it is a sad fact this lawyer is going to have a go. Pathetic really - time this division was sorted out. Talks are starting but I'm not holding my breath
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Hi and thanks for everyone's advice.
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I am truly amazed! The Katsellis family, legal owners of the Dome Hotel, were forcibly evicted from their property in 1974 by the Turkish occupation army and have every right to seek retributions from those using their property without their consent.
You may choose to stay in the occupied area in Northern Cyprus, but when you do so, you must remember that most likely the legal owner is a Greek Cypriot who has every right to defend his property rights.
Not only the polititians but also we, the citizens of the world, must do our best to stop this injustice.
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I think there is something in that Kath ,the cypriots have been warning people for many years not to buy in the north or famagusta unless you have title deeds available. I believe aslo that more Cypriots should follow the path of the katesellis family and recover losses from houses and land taken from them by force from the turks,this is why I would never go to the north on holiday ,if tourists stopped keeping the turks they would have to get out and go home, leaving the north to the rightfull owners.Julie
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No mention of properties of North Cypriots confiscated by South? Rather an unbalanced arguement. The solution if it comes should be fair, not just to please Athens.
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There was a very interesting article in the Daily Express last week regarding property purchase generally in Cyprus. In a nutshell however it was considered anyone thinking of buying property in the north would have to have left their brains on the plane. I do feel for people who own property without title deeds - they won't even be able to give them away. New property is being offered for sale at 30,000 euro cash only. Anyway this is slightly off topic, personally I just wish the whole mess could be sorted out and the island become one again but as I've said before I'm not holding my breath.
I believe the north is very beautiful, I haven't been but that is purely my own decision and I don't think we should dictate whether it is right or wrong. Each to his own.
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