CyprusVista

If you’re a UK holiday-maker looking for a Mediterranean break this year, and you need to keep costs down, North Cyprus is the place for you!

The UK Times Money section recently tipped the Turkish Lira as one of the top five currencies that are a ‘good buy’ at present - and North Cyprus uses the Turkish Lira, not the Euro.

What’s more, prices in North Cyprus are up to a third cheaper than their equivalents in the south, so almost everything you buy costs you less, from a beer to a bus ride. Hotel rates are exceedingly reasonable, and many hotels offer half board as standard, saving you the cost of lunch as well!

North Cyprus has some of the best beaches on the island, where you can relax on golden sands lapped by the warm Mediterranean Sea. Not that you have to sacrifice your creature comforts to find them either; hotels such as the Acapulco Resort Hotel have their own beaches right next to the hotel itself. Just stroll down to the sands, and snooze away the morning on a sun lounger, shaded by a parasol, before indulging in a midday beer or snack. As a hotel guest, you won’t have to pay a beach entry charge either - perfect!

For the best value meals in North Cyprus, you cannot beat a meze. This tasty mix of dishes is a cross between a buffet and Spnaish tapas, and twice as filling when served with a Turkish Cypriot favourite, a kebab! Actually, it’s often more like three or four kebabs, grilled to perfection over a charcoal fire and served piping hot when it’s ready to eat, and not a moment before. Niazi’s Restaurant in Kyrenia have been serving this ‘full kebab’ menu in Cyprus since 1974, and it’s always packed with locals and tourists enjoying sish and doner kebabs.

Beer lovers will also love North Cyprus, and not just because of the low prices. Efes beer is the 8th best selling beer in Europe, and it’s easy to taste why! This golden Pilsner-type beer is smooth and refreshing, and at only 5% alcohol, it’s an ideal cool drink for a hot summer’s day in Cyprus.

So, why not make your money go further this summer - in North Cyprus.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Flying into south Cyprus for your summer holidays will soon be a much more pleasant experience, when the shiny new terminal at Paphos airport is completed later this year.

Paphos airport known locally as Pafos International Airport has long been a favourite with tourists and residents alike for its compact size and easy access to western Cyprus. One of the great pleasures of arriving at Paphos is stepping out of the plane to see the sunshine glinting on the sea beyond, and knowing your luggage and hire car are just a short walk away.

However, departures from Paphos airport are not always so pleasant. The popularity of the airport at Paphos has meant that it has long outgrown its limited check-in facilities, with long queues often snaking out into the sunshine of the arrivals car park!

However, the new owners of the airport, Hermes Airports Ltd, are constructing a new terminal that should make ‘change-over day misery’ a thing of the past. The new 20,000sqm terminal will boast 24 check-in desks, 3 baggage reclaim carousels, and 800 car parking spaces, a massive improvement on the space in the existing crowded car park.

In anticipation of the new facilities, Paphos airport has recently attracted extra flights from established airlines, such as the new British Airways daily flights from Gatwick, which start on 1 July.  So, it will be even easier to fly to Cyprus for a week’s holiday or even a short winter break.

Last year, over 7 million passengers flew into south Cyprus’ two airports, with over 5.2 million of them arriving at Larnanca airport. The new terminal at Paphos Airport will boost its share of this impressive tourist traffic. To give the project an official seal of approval, and no doubt a reminder of deadlines, the Republic of Cyprus Minister of Communications and Works, Mr Nicos Nicolaides, visited Paphos airport this month. In March, Mr Nicos also visited the site of the new terminal at Larnaca airport, due to open on 11 November 2009.

Popularity: 88% [?]

Many visitors to Cyprus will have heard of the Green Line, the border between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and North Cyprus. Yet they may not be aware that the UN buffer zone established either side of this line has become a wildlife haven for some very rare Cyprus animals and plants.

Protected on either side by border guards, to most locals and tourists the buffer zone is simply ‘no man’s land’, but it is very definitely not ‘no wildlife land’. The buffer zone divides the island and covers almost 3% of its land mass, and in some places is up to four miles wide.

According to a group of scientists studying the biodiversity of the UN-maintained buffer zone, this ribbon of undisturbed and undeveloped land has become a refuge for many endemic species. The Cyprus mouflon, a species of wild sheep and the largest wild mammal on the island, has taken over the abandoned villages and fields for themselves. Only 3000 mouflon still survive in Cyprus, so any refuge for these shy and elusive animals is welcomed.

For the first time in 30 years, a team of scientists from both sides of the border will be cooperating to map and examine both the wildlife and environmental impact of this unique space. The team hope to discover undisturbed areas where other endangered species have found a niche, such as the Cyprus tulip, the Kotchyi’s orchid and the fresh water terrapin. Initial observations have already shown that the birds such as the stone curlew depend on the buffer zone as their natural habitat beyond it is developed for housing.

The scientists are also looking to the future, to a time when the political reasons for the buffer zone may pass. If so, this special environment may be at risk, so part of their task is to suggest future uses to protect it for future generations. One idea is a peace park, and if the success of this north/south scientific project team alone is a guide to future cooperation, that park may become a reality sooner than many dare hope.

Meanwhile, the  mouflon will graze safe from developers, hunters and habitat erosion, seen only by patrolling UN troops and the occasional farmer.

On your holiday in south Cyprus, you can cross the border into North Cyprus at various points along the border, including the recently reopened crossing at Ledra Street in Nicosia. Mouflons do live in the Troodos Mountains, but you’ll need to be very still and very quiet to see them. The best time to see Cyprus’ wild flowers is in early spring, where the mountainsides are covered in colour and brimming with butterflies.

Popularity: 80% [?]