North Cyprus for Couples: Honeymoons, Anniversaries and Quiet Weeks

North Cyprus is not an obvious honeymoon destination, which is exactly the argument for it. There is no strip, no crowd and no queue for a table. What there is: empty beaches, a Gothic abbey on a hillside, a harbour built by Venetians, and prices that let a week stretch further than it would in Greece or Italy.

Which property suits two people

Resist the temptation to book big. A one or two-bedroom villa with its own terrace, a private pool and a view earns its money far better than a large house with rooms you never open. The things that matter for a week for two:

• A private pool, not a communal one — the difference between swimming whenever you like and sharing with a complex.
• A terrace facing the right way. West-facing gets sunset over the sea; south-facing gets sun all day and is punishing in August.
• Somewhere shaded to eat outside. A pergola or covered terrace is what turns dinner at home into the best night of the week.
• Quiet. Ask what is next door — a villa on its own lane is a different week from one in the middle of a complex.

Our villa checklist covers the rest, and the sea view collection is the obvious place to start.

The best months for two

May, June, September and October. Warm sea, comfortable evenings, restaurants with tables free and rates below the August peak. July and August work if you want heat and a pool day, but the island is at its busiest and you will plan around the middle of the day. Our month-by-month guide has the detail.

A week that is not just the pool

• Bellapais Abbey at golden hour — a ruined Gothic abbey above Kyrenia, with a coffee under the Tree of Idleness afterwards. In summer there are evening concerts in the refectory.
• Kyrenia harbour after sunset — walk the full curve before choosing where to eat.
• St Hilarion at opening time, before the heat and the coaches.
• A boat trip from the harbour with swimming stops.
• Alagadi at dusk in nesting season — turtle hatchlings running for the sea is not a thing you forget.
• The Karpaz, if you want a day where you see almost nobody. See our Karpaz guide.

Eating

Do the harbour once. Then eat in the villages — the tavernas above Kyrenia and around Esentepe serve better meze at half the price, usually in a courtyard. Order meze and stop ordering; it keeps arriving.

Practical things to sort before you fly

• Tell us it is a honeymoon or an anniversary when you book — we can have the house ready accordingly.
• Book the transfer; it is included, and arriving late at night to a waiting driver is worth more than it sounds.
• Hire a car for at least part of the week. Sunset at Alagadi is not on a bus route.
• Check your travel insurance names North Cyprus — some policies exclude it. Our safety and insurance guide explains.

Tell us your dates and what kind of week you want and we will shortlist two or three properties rather than send you a catalogue — here.