Pitoresk Bungalows Hotel Reviews

The Pitoresk was a mixture of good and bad points. The staff were very friendly, bar prices for drinks and snacks were reasonable, and the rooms were larger than usual. Air conditioning worked, and there was no shortage of hot water. The grounds were attractive, although care was needed with some of the paths.

However, cleaning standards might have been higher, shall we say. The restaurant floor badly needed cleaning, table linen needed changing, and the room cleaners did not exactly exert themselves. To make matters worse, the outdoor eating area was over-run by half a dozen cats expecting to be fed by the residents - unfortunately, some of the female residents of a certain age were only too happy to feed the cats with all sorts of unsuitable tit-bits. Believe me, a cat being sick by your breakfast table at 9 o'clock in the morning is not an attractive sight.

It was a 35 minute walk down to the harbour area in Kyrenia; walking back up was not a pleasure. Fortunately, taxis were plentiful and fairly cheap, costing 6 milion lira from the town back to Pitoresk.

During the time of our stay, the town centre looked as if a bomb had hit it - a couple of streets were virtually impassable because of roadworks. The roadworks had not been completed in a couple of other streets, so care was needed whilst walking along them also. The situation should have improved by the start of the '05 season. The harbour area and the castle are attractive, and some of the adjacent streets have character. The rest of the town is fairly non-descript, apart from the military presence - armed soldiers were on guard in quite unexpected locations. There are plenty of historic sites to visit in the area, though good beaches seemed to be well-hidden. (We only found 3.) Try to ignore the heavy littering on the sides of the roads.

Suggestions for places to eat ? Try the Carob restaurant in the harbour for service, the Fisherman's Inn just off the harbour for large portions of simple food, or the Lusignan Art and Cafe Bar nearby for atmosphere and well-cooked food. Dont expect meals to be very cheap in Kyrenia - budget for around £8 for a starter and a main course.

Our holiday was actually quite relaxing, even though car hire is virtually a 'must' and not particularlly cheap at around £25 per day. We will not be in a hurry to return, as we found it difficult to see just what the area has to offer to beat somewhere like Turkey as a holiday destination.