Some of our readers sometimes like to have some inside juice on great places to stay in North Cyprus, and whilst we are in the business of informing, it’s just that from time to time its hard to let go of those things which we wish to keep to ourselves! Balcı Plaza in Yenierenköy is one of those places, but it would be unfair not to tell everyone wouldn’t it! Also Hassan, the proud owner would be upset with us too! Whilst thinking of what to write, thoughts initially came up with great beach, fantastic food and sleeping under a sunshade all day, but we have dug deep to pad it all out for you!
Whilst not exactly in the Karpaz region, it’s on the way and is, most of the time anyway, as quiet and peaceful as the peninsula, but a visit in the week when everyone else is working may be best. To get there it’s very easy and you can take one of two routes. You can either following the coastal road east from Kyrenia through to Kaplıca until the new tarmac road ends and then follow the bumpy track roads right the way to Yenierenköy, or you can take the main road through 
to Lefkoşa and take the Geçitkale road to the coast where you turn right and follow the road through Boğaz, Bafra, Mehmetçik and on to Yenierenköy. Balcı Plaza is located just off the main road to the left and is well signed in advance. It’s now been running for a few years, and attracts repeat guests time and time again, for some very good reasons.
Firstly, it has a wonderful little beach location, a short walk takes you down to a lovely sandy beach set in its own little bay, which is never really busy at all (well at least while we have been there it hasn’t!). It would be hard to drag yourself anywhere else to be honest, but that could just be because we had been dreaming about doing absolutely nothing for a few days and the sea was so inviting. The beach has been set up so that you can help yourself to drinks from the little bar and just pay your tab at the main restaurant later in the day – how trusting of them. There are sun beds and shades made from palm leaves and that’s it, no jet skis or any other noisy water sports, just peace broken by the lapping of waves.
During our stay it was turtle season and Hassan the owner went to great lengths to warn people to look out for tracks and 
to take care in cleaning away their rubbish. If you wanted you could also venture either side of the bay and take a rocky walk to look back along the coast or on up to the peninsula on a clear day. Days were literally spent sunbathing, reading, sleeping and swimming in the crystal shallow waters of the bay. If you chose to, you could also take a break and head back up to the restaurant for a spot of relaxed lunch, which could be anything from fruit to a full on mixed kebab, all washed down with a fresh juice or beer.
The accommodation and pricing comes in two forms – at the time of writing a ground floor apartment which can sleep 2 people is 60Euros a night, whilst the first floor apartments can sleep up to 4 people with 2 bedrooms with 2 singles in each for 90Euros per night. Each unit comes with open plan lounge and kitchen, bathroom/shower room, terrace, satellite TV and prices include breakfast which can be either traditional Cypriot or a fry-up! There is an additional supplement for additional occupants and you can also get discount for longer stays. Hassan is also not averse to guests bringing their pets either (advance 
notice being polite of course and we are talking dogs not donkeys!) We stayed in a first floor apartment which we have to say offered some wonderful sunsets, as well an early evening viewing of the gardener picking stuff from the various veggie patches dotted around, which were hopefully heading for our plates later in the evening!
That brings us to the restaurant and we were so pleased to have been so lazy as to not venture anywhere else during our stay. We had varied dietary requirements, one person being vegetarian and one being a bit picky (there’s always one!), but we were delighted with our meals which were great value for money with around 25TL filling a person up nicely. You could choose from traditional Turkish Cypriot cuisine with light meals of bbq’d fish to kebabs and kleftiko through to steaks and pasta and each one of our group visibly put on weight during our stay! Definitely a great plus to have such a great chef at the helm as people who are not staying at Balcı Plaza will also pop by for an evening meal. 
Hassan likes to stop and have a chin wag too, as does Kadir, the on hand duty manager which does make you feel like an old friend rather than a guest – traditional Turkish Cypriot hospitality at its best!
What else can we tell you about Balcı Plaza? This is a time when quality is most definitely better than quantity, and what else is required for a well priced budget hotel in North Cyprus other than a super beach, great food, fantastic service and a clean and tidy place to rest your head at the end of a tiring day of sunbathing?
You can check out Balcı Plaza inYenierenköy via their website www.balciplaza.com, where you will find rates, information and booking facilities. For more information on North Cyprus Hotels visit our section to find out about other great places to stay in North Cyprus.
