Charms of resting in the North Cyprus: Hotel Kaya Artemis

For our station for resting in North Cyprus we chose hotel Kaya Artemis. After long and not attractive road from airport to this hotel for me first impression was like I came in paradise. We stayed there 8 days, and we spent beautiful time. Of course like any place Kaya Artemis had negative points, but that points didn’t make us unhappy in general.

So, I will try step by step to describe that place:

·                    decor of buildings. I tried to find in Internet information about architect of this hotel but I couldn’t. I think with buildings worked Italian experts: it seems like you back in few centuries before, and came in the wonderful antique city. Besides, the main building of this hotel is a copy one of the seven miracles in the world: temple of Artemis;

·                    nature. Here possible to see many exotic trees, shrubs with beautiful flowers. Staff of the hotel care about nature there very much: grass always trimmed (but I never heard any voice of this process), plants all time watered. Maybe because of beautiful nature, or because of attractive style of this hotel many tourists come here for excursion. It would be the most logical version for their visit. But I never saw they took pictures near the fountain, or statues. But all time I saw how that tourist ran with happy eyes in the dining room of hotel and took pictures there! For each person different values, but what can I say – the food in the Kaya Artemis really beautiful;

·                    food. When I remember about our breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Cyprus I can’t keep my smile. Kaya Artemis invites their holidaymakers to have a repast not in the dining room, but in the restaurant, with beautiful open area near the seaside.

Of course possible was to sit inside, and we did this when it rained. Food was different almost every day, choice was very big: different kinds of bread, olives, meat (chicken, beef, and lamb), eggs, vegetables (baked, stewed), fish, salads, fruits, dried fruits, sausages, liver. On the 5^th day I complained my turkish friend about soup, which I thought didn’t cook there. But I was wrong: in the afternoon they proposed 2 kinds of soups. For desert: coffee, tea, with different cakes, croissants. If people wanted to drink fresh, they should have paid 7$ per 1 glass. In one day cookers made fish-dinner, with many kinds of sea products: calamaries, mussels, shrimps, few kinds of fish. The star of that evening was “Catfish in a fur coat’’.

I liked very much national dish of Cyprus: Hellim (fried cheese). It’s very oily but very tasty. At least I wouldn’t like to back in that hotel because I got some weight in 8 days which I spent there, and it’s logical: just I finished lunch, I was starting to think about what will be in the dinner. Even I didn’t want to eat nothing I came in the dining room and lost control from the delicious smell;

·                    alcoholic beverages. In the restaurant of Kaya Artemis alcohol beverages started to propose from lunch time. But as I saw people which rested there were not active drunker. Choice was limited: beer (Efes), wine (white, red), raki (Turkish vodka), gin. I didn’t like their raki, because of effect to the next day. Gin they brought with tonic in the glass. Very strong cocktail, but possible to ask barman put there less gin, more tonic. I liked waiter’s service: they reacted on the order quick; almost all were kind, and positive. We often asked to take pictures with us, and they did very nice photos.

I don’t suggest drinking alcoholic beverages, which in the room. Its crazy expensive and I can’t understand why. Even cola, and ice tea there not cheap. We took water from restaurant (it was free) to our room;

·                    beach. Beach rest in the Cyprus, near the wonderful Mediterranean sea…When I remember this I want to cry: 6 days from 8 which we spent on Cyprus was raining all time. When we came to the beach in sunny day I was wonder from color in water: turquoise, like many touristic agencies show on the pictures for luring clients. Now I am sure – they don’t lie about this point. It was clear water, and cold. But people didn’t care, even children swam. Kaya Artemis has their own beach which they clean every day. There were sunbeds with mattresses, umbrellas, towels free. For that people, who don’t want to swim in the sea hotel offers few kinds of swimming-pools: open area, and inside of building. Everywhere water clean and warm;

·                    entertainment. In the day, when the weather was good we spent our time in waterpark. There were about 4 kinds of hills, 1 of them very extreme.

 For kids there also waterpark with small hills.

When it rained we were usually inside the main building of hotel. There was a center with sauna, steam room, Turkish bath, swimming pool, gym. It was all for free. That people which wanted to have a massage, should have paid about 100$ per 1 session. This moment made me wonder: I think if administration of this hotel would make fewer prices, there would be many desirous. Because still we were in that hotel I saw just 1 man, which came to massage.

At least I can tell to use service of hotel, which is not free expensive. For example Internet. In our room it wasn’t free. If we wanted to use WI-FI free we must have gone to the main building of the hotel. It was not comfortable, special when I needed Internet very much, and outside was raining.

Gambling people, which had enough money, could spend their time in the casino in the evening. There is dress-code for entry.

About disco special story: they had big open area with cool sound, comfortable sofas, tables. Everything was organized for disco, even they made party 1 time…. But just for staff. They didn’t admit holidaymakers on that party. In that days, when the weather was nice (it was week-end by the way) they didn’t open disco. In every evening, when we came to restaurant for dinner there was some girl, which works in this hotel. She asked us about our wishes and observations. We asked her about disco, she couldn’t give us adequate answer why it didn’t work. But she promised to help us. And of course she didn’t;

·                    our room and price. We had everything for comfortable rest: big bed, sofa, fridge, split system, balcony. We had some problems with safe – it didn’t close. But my friend called in the receptions, and they sent a worker, which fixed it. In the bathroom were 2 big bottles of soap, gel for the shower, shampoo, and hair conditioner. I didn’t like soap, because it made my skin very dry and I all time scratched. But I liked hair conditioner: hair is perfect after that.

Cleaning was not good: we asked staff 2 times to clean our room, but they came after 2 days.

We paid for 1 day staying about 200$ for 2 person;

·                    animation. Kaya Artemis has so many abilities for making nice animations, but I didn’t see anything special. I think the main problem in animator: positive but very lazy man. One time we participated in lottery (Bingo), and we won. Our prize was money (25 turkish liras, which we spent to the ticket), temporary tattoo, special CD. Money is good, but not such small. Tattoo…in my opinion for kids, special music I can find in Internet. So I asked animator to present me instead of all this Thai massage. He couldn’t arrange, because as he explained administration of hotel didn’t allow, I was sure he didn’t try even. My friend went to the reception and asked to help him with that. And they helped: in 30 minutes I was relaxing from Thai massage, which made one girl from Indonesia. That massage took about 1 hour, and I was very relaxed after. From some staff of the hotel I heard that animations starts in summer, but I think if hotel has animator, animations must be.

In the end of my story I want to add that Kaya Artemis would be good choice for honeymoon, for rest with children. I didn’t see all hotels in North Cyprus, but I am sure Kaya Artemis one of the most attractive place in the island. Of course there some limitations, like lazy staff and expensive service, but who can show me any ideal place in this world?