If you’re looking for some rest and relaxation, a bit of pampering and some activities to keep your children occupied – and this applies to all those holidaying or living in North Cyprus – there are now a number of beach clubs that can cater for all your whims!
If you like to be sociable and want to become part of the social beach scene then there are great facilities available at some great venues! In this article we will detail the main beach clubs for you, giving their locations and what they can offer their guests. We have been quite selective as there are not many true beach clubs on offer, but the ones that are good deserve recognition!
Escape Beach Club
Located on the east coast around 5km from Kyrenia, Escape Beach Club is possibly the most popular beach club in North Cyprus. You can’t miss it as it’s located next to the large ‘five finger’ monument dedicated to the Turkish Army landing day in 1974. Having been around for the last 10 years, Escape has undergone a number of refurbishments, the most recently of which was in 2008 when the club’s disco moved closer to the 5 Mile restaurant which is next door to the beach club.
During the daytime Escape is full of life in the summer months, and it’s popular for families with children because of its soft sandy beach and shallow waters. Chill out areas with beanbags, plenty of beach sunloungers, a top class restaurant and bar facilities make for a very relaxing day, with a waiter drinks service on hand so you don’t have to lift a finger or move a muscle if you don’t want to!
Children will be kept occupied as there are lots of water activities at Escape; the water sports available include jet-skis, inflatable banana rides, canoes or pedal boats which are all obviously well supervised. Additionally, diving in North Cyprus is really popular so you can try your hand at diving with a team on hand to assist you and provide the necessary equipment and expertise.
Night-time at Escape sees the beach club turn into a ‘club’ club! It’s professionally run and has the benefit of drawing international DJs who often fly in for a night to perform their magic on the decks. It’s a really popular venue, not only with tourists but also local youngsters too who all party well into the small hours. This obviously has the knock on effects on the neighbouring residential population, but plans are in place to install more soundproofing in the near future.
The beach at Escape is also very popular with older generations too, and in the early hours of the summer months you will see many older people coming from Lefkoşa each morning to have a swift swim before anyone else arrives!
You can find out more about Escape via their website www.escapebeachclub.com or by phoning +90 (0)392 821 8330, and at the time of writing the entrance fee for the beach facilities was 10ytl.
Vogue Beach Club
Completed in 2005, Vogue is a few miles east of Kyrenia on the way to Alagadi Beach. It’s located just after the Acapulco hotel complex, and is a great location given that there is nothing else of this kind in the area.
You can class Vogue as being sophisticated and offering relaxed luxury because besides the immaculate beach there is a large pool and a massive Jacuzzi situated up high to give the best views down across the rest of the complex. You will find sun loungers and umbrellas everywhere on the beach, deck areas and gardens, and you can find a peaceful spot at any time of day. There is full waiter service constantly at your beck and call, and the prices are very reasonable considering the wealth of luxury you’re basking in!
Vogue Beach Club is situated around a wide cove, and the bay in which you can swim, snorkel, dive and float about is sheltered from the open sea by stunning cliffs on the right, and by a man made promenade on the left. For this reason it’s also a great place for children, but maybe not very loud ones given the serenity of Vogue!
Water sports are available too, and they have an on site diving instructor who can take you on a trial dive, you can take a snorkel and explore the little rocky outcrops in the surrounding bay, or partake in a few of the more racier water sports such as inflatable banana riding or jet skiing.
The club has its own restaurant which seems to appeal to everyone’s tastes – there’s a kids menu, a vegetarian selection, salads, sandwiches, kebabs and pizzas, and all the food is homemade on the premises and surprisingly good value.
At night Vogue is home to beach discos and party nights, where the noise levels should not really disturb too many people as it’s not a particularly residential area.
Vogue Beach Club can be contact for further information on +90 (0)533 863 4191.
Sunset Beach Club
This beach club, located in Lapta, is a children’s paradise! Little ones can play all day and really tire themselves out on a variety of exciting apparatus like the water trampolines and playground. There are both fresh water and salt water pools too, and a nice sandy beach ideal for children.
Whilst perhaps not the most luxurious of beach clubs, it does however cater for families superbly, and staff are on hand to supervise the children whilst adults have a well earned break.
The club can also organise fishing and boat trips, and it also runs a water taxi service should you require it! Besides the beach club itself, Sunset can also organise activity days such as quad biking or paint-balling, and they have other less water orientated activities on site with pool tables and board games.
Sunset also has a restaurant with both Turkish and European cuisine and a bar, and it hosts wedding and birthday parties as well as the odd club night too.
Sunset Beach Club can be contacted on +90 (0)533 865 4959.
Camelot Beach Club
Situated in Alsancak you can’t miss the huge road-sign telling you where this one is! Again, Camelot is a very family orientated beach club with plenty for kids to do including scuba diving, inflatable banana rides (everyone seems to do these!), jet skiing or water skiing.
It has a good stretch of very well maintained beach with sun shades and beds, and it is home to the well known Legend Restaurant which offers an extensive menu as well as sumptuous snacks! The club also hosts some great evenings with DJ nights, as well as entertainment evenings such as salsa dancing for example.
Camelot Beach Club can be contacted on +90 (0)392 821 1369.
Mosquito Beach Hotel & Beach Club
Newly refurbished in 2007 and based in Alsancak close to the Merit Crystal Hotel, you will find the oddly named Mosquito Beach Club – it was previously known as the Green Coast Holiday Village.
A lot of effort and attention to detail has been given to the beach club facilities, and the club really offers up a feeling of relaxation and calm with huge billowing sun shades around the pool which has its own swim up bar!
Wandering down to the beach there are ample sunloungers and shades, and again there are various water sports available as well as children’s play area and pool.
At the time of writing we hear that it may now be closed having only been open for two years, but we cannot confirm this.
However if you would like to contact them then try www.mosquitocyprus.com or call +90 (0)392 8211212
Acapulco Beach Club & Resort Hotel
One of the larger beach clubs and resort hotels is the Acapulco which is situated on the far edge of Çatalköy on the Esentepe Road. It has around 1km of long sandy beach and again is an ideal option for families as there is so much for children to get involved with that you won’t have to worry about them getting bored! There are also organised days for kids organised by the hotel’s on site Kids’ Club.
Acapulco also boasts one of the best water parks, a huge outdoor pool with a children’s section, and if you feel a bit nippy you can always pop to the indoor pool! To relax even further you can also use their outdoor Jacuzzi.
All kinds of water activities are available, with the width of the beach there’s plenty of room to get active. You can jet ski, water ski, try your hand at wind surfing, go for a water bicycle ride, get in a canoe and more.
If you still want some more action then there are on site sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts, you can play beach volleyball, table tennis or darts. And when you want to wind down again take a break at the beachside restaurant and poolside bar which can offer various types of snacks, drinks and cocktails.
Acapulco is a firm favourite for families on holiday as well as the locals who like nothing better than to take the family for a day out or evening out for that matter, as there is the odd disco night organised as well!
You can find out more by visiting www.acapulco-cyprus.com or by phoning +90 (0)392 8244110.
Oscar Resort
Although not really a beach club, we do think that the Oscar Resort needs mentioning as it has great facilities for kids, with a wave pool that has bumper boats that you can bounce around in for hours on end (fun for adults too!)
The Oscar Resort also boasts an impressive aqua park with fun slides, three pools and a separate children’s area. Oscars has a man made beach which, although quite small, is adequate for those just wishing to sunbathe or sit out on the jetty all day.
For the more active you can play a game of tennis, table tennis or darts, or be more adventurous and try some water sports. For something more sedate there are some lovely gardens to walk around complete with their own little waterfall. Oscars also runs a little road train service to and from Kyrenia so that you can avoid driving for the day!
For more information on what’s available and the road train service check their website www.oscar-resort.com or call +90 (0)392 81 54 801.
Please note that all of the above charge for the use of their facilities, and you should expect to pay around 10-15ytl per person, but make sure you know what you are getting for your money, as meals and drinks are likely not included, although you may get your first drink for free with the entrance fee.