We have just returned from spending 6 days at the Altinkaya. We were in the hotel where the room was very nice and clean and had a fridge and tea/coffee making facilities which we found very useful after a day's sight seeing.

The staff were absolutely superb - friendly and polite at all times - and went out of their way to help.

Unfortunately we found the food to be sadly lacking in quality, quantity and choice. Breakfast consisted of the same every day - a choice of cornflakes, tired looking fruit/salad, tinned spam, rubbery eggs, mushrooms, cocktail frankfurters and toast. The evening meal was very basic. Salad or soup for starter and no choice for main course. One night we had meatballs (more like 3 small spicy meat patties) which were still raw in the middle. Another night it was 5 chicken cubes on a skewer. Every meal was served with chips and rice.

The best night food wise was the New Year Gala dinner. This was an excellent night with suberb entertainment and typical Turkish fare throughout the night. (We did have to pay a hefty supplement for this though!)

The other major disappointment was the lack of facilities as described both in brochures and on the hotel's website. We were expecting an indoor pool, fitness room and sauna and had packed our gym kits and swimming cossies. When we asked where the pool/sauna/gym were we greeted with "What Indoor pool? We haven't had that for years!" When we pointed out that the website describes how relaxing the pool and sauna are we were told that the website "is very out of date"!!

All in all we had a very relaxing break away from the cold damp weather of England. We hired a car to get around to other parts of TRNC and found some lovely fish restaraunts and cafes serving amazing food at reasonable prices so were able to make up for the evening meal by eating well at lunchtimes.

The Altinkaya has been around a bit now and doesn't match the plush new hotels in terms of facilities and grandeur. But there is something about the place that turns Victor Meldrews into happy, friendly people and with the excellent staff, it is a place that people return to year after year. It is our 3rd visit.

Staying at the new main building is slightly more expensive than the bungalows but worth it: the bungalows are looking a bit tired these days. Rooms are fairly basic but very clean and well positioned. The pool is excellent - size wise and cleanliness. Meals are very good value - eg fresh bream for 14 lire (£6). The location of the hotel is also good being a mile or so from Kyrenia and Bellapais, although a good restaurant or bar within easy walking distance would be a boon.

The hotel scores highest through its staff. They are so genuinely friendly and helpful that they really make the holiday.

Booking direct and travelling from Larnaca (The hotel will arrange a taxi) is a lot cheaper than holiday operators, and is more direct.

We stayed at the Altinkaya Residence which is on the other side of the road to the Hotel, So it was much quieter than the main hotel.The mini villa's are very pleasant, coffee and tea making facilities and a fridge were provided. The bedroom is on a gallery. nice and clean and the beds were comfy. Maid srevice was daily clean towels and a general tidy.
Pool area was very clean, there were enough sunbeds for when we were there but not sure about when they are at full capacity.
The staff were friendly and helpful although we didnt spend any time at the main hotel. If you like your breakfast though, forget it. There was hardly any selection, Just 1 cereal, unlucky if you dont like cornflakes. 1 type of cheese and yoghurt, eggs were not cooked on demand so after being sat in the hotplate they resembled rubber balls this also includes the omelettes. After a couple of days this become very boring. The serving area also was not very spacious so everyone was falling over themselves.
Quite a few local restaurants do 'full english' but be warned they are not that close. Evening meals set menu, boring , never ate there.
Lemar sumermarket is not that far away you are able to take food to the villas but not to the hotel, also they charge a lot for water so buy it locally should cost about 1-2 ytl.
They do have a courtesy bus into Girne but it is not very frequent.
there is no bus service on the road that runs outside Altinkaya, Pick them up from central bus station in Girne.you need to have a car to get about. or a good set of legs.
Overal we had a really nice holiday, ideal for a chill out and rest, I would recommend it and we will certainly go back there

After arriving late at night after a endless journey via turkey, surely direct flights must come soon, we were greeted by a member of staff who welcomed us and took our luggage. we were in a hotel room which was more than adequate . We arrived down in the bar in need of a cold beer (Efes) we were given a few snacks which went down really well, When we woke in the morning we were greeted with a beautiful view of the pool the sun was shining, what more could you want in March.
The breakfast is in the bar area of the hotel, the food is not bad mind you after a couple of days it gets a bit boring but it is always hot and fresh. We were booked for half board but with so many restaurants nearby it was too tempting not to eat out, also not too expensive either.
The hotel itself is just lovely, if you want to sit on the leather sofas and watch tv or read you can, or sit around the pool area and people watch. The local area has changed since my last visit 2 years ago, there is now a nice pastry shop opposite, and down the road a new bar/club has opened up the area certainly is looking up,
The reason for our visit was to buy a property which we were lucky enough to do so, so when we are holidaying here we will still visit Altinkaya to have a beer and a chat overall it is a good clean welcoming place, you can do lots or just chill it really is all you need.