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Hotel Class: 
3.5 Stars - 1 Review and 112 Opinions
Crusader Road, Bellapais, North Cyprus, Kyrenia, Cyprus
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113 Opinions
TheWanderingCamel
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The owners of the Bellapais Gardens must have had me in mind when they built their hotel - everything about it was my idea of hotel heaven.
Setting - a garden full of fruit (oranges, almonds, grape vines), trees and flowers set on a steep hillside right beside the beautiful abbey ruins of Bellapais. The building housing reception, restaurant and guest lounge is at the top of the garden, the swimming pool at the bottom with guest accommodation nestled into the garden in between.
Small - just 17 rooms, housed in seperate little two-storied cottages, each cottage with a bedroom and balcony upstairs and a sitting room, bathroom and small terrace downstairs. The rooms were comfortably furnished and simply stylish, the newly renovated bathrooms spotless, the maid service smiling, quiet and efficient. Television, free wi-fi, tea and coffee making facilities were all in place to complete the amenities of the rooms. A designated car parking space by the cottage was handy for making a quick dash on a rainy return from sightseeing and for loading luggage on the day we left.
Service - friendly helpfulness personified. A family-run operation - one brother, Erkan, at the front of house; the other, Selim, the chef; all the staff genuinely involved in making their guest's stay as enjoyable as it could possibly be.
Spectacular - the only word to describe the view from the restaurant - the narrow coastal plain, the city of Kyrenia and the sea spread out before us, sparkling in morning sunshine, glittering with lights from sunset on.
Unique Quality: Signed-up members of the Slow Food Movement, the Bellapais Gardens delivers a whole package of what the movement is all about - "basic needs that never change - the need to be seen and appreciated! It is the need to belong. The need for nearness and care, and for a little love!"( Professor Guttorm Fløistad)
We're not great believers in eating in the hotel we're staying at but, after choosing to eat in house as a first night convenience, we ate there every night of our stay - the food was that good. A log fire, comfortable chairs and sofas and a well stocked library of books about Cyprus in the guest lounge saw us staying on after dinner, sometimes talking to a fellow guest , sometimes simply enjoying a last glass of wine in quiet comfort - the local red wine recommended by Calo, the maitre d', was excellent .
Breakfast offered a variety of dishes cooked to order and a simple buffet - fruit, delicious local yoghurt and honey, cereal, juice, breads and pastries - all served up with that spectacular view.
Our cottage, Number 7, was about half-way down the garden - the path a fairly steep slope. I have to say, the walk up to the restaurant from the lower cottages could prove arduous, especially in summer's heat although the paths to the lower cottages and the pool are levelled and stepped.
And then there's those views - not only from the restaurant but from every window and doorway of the cottages, views of Kyrenia and the sea, the mountains behind, the steep ravine beside the hotel and, rising vertically abovethe swimming pool, the abbey - stunning!
Hotel Bellapais Gardens Photo: Welcome!
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The Bellapais Gardens Hotel Restaurant is situated immediately beneath the walls of Bellapais Abbey and has a stunning view down to the coast. We experienced superb food and excellent service on the two evenings that we went there.
Located in one of most beautiful places in the whole Cyprus, Bellapais Gardens restaurant offers excellent food matching its breathtaking scenery.
It is situated on a cliff overlooking Kyrenia district. There is also a good view of the Bellapais Monastery.
We were also quite happy with the service of the waitstaff.
Personally I loved the area by the fireplace where you could enjoy an aperitif, or coffee & desert after your meal. Pepper Steak, Steak with Mushrooms and the House Special all seemed to be prepared with care, and tasted delicious...
We stayed at the summer house of a friend near Kyrenia. So we had our breakfasts in different places, usually on the road with some local pastries. This was our second “proper” breakfast. I use this word, “proper”, just to explain the situation because I do not prefer one to another. Yet eating Cyprus’ halloumi at the breakfast is bliss.
We came to Bellapais early in the morning. The monastery was not opened yet. So we had a breakfast here. Our table had a great vista of Kyrenia. We had some cheese, omelet, marmalades, olives and lots of tea. It was boosting.
Breakfast wasn’t so special but the place was nice. It is actually a boutique hotel and its restaurant seems very good. I sat in the lobby for a while. There was a fireplace and a rich selection of wines there. You can stop by for a drink here.
After all these times, when I think about Cyprus and close my eyes, I see Bellapaix Monastery. It is one of the most impressive buildings in the island. Cyprus was fully green in the season we’ve visited there, and the picturesque ruins were shockingly beautiful.
We came here early in the morning and had a breakfast first in Bellapais Gardens. Then we visited the monastery. Its location is breathtaking: Built by a cliff and looking over to Kyrenia. The village is above the monastery. Climbing its roads takes an effort but it is worth that.
Bellapais Monastery sometimes called Bellapais Abbey. A theory about the name that it comes from French “Abbaye de la paix” which means “Monastery of peace”.
Monastery has been founded during Lusignan rule, around 1200, by Augustinian monks. Its courtyard reminded me the monasteries in the computer game Diablo (note to myself: start it again with rouge or sorcerer). The building we see today dates back to 1260-1280 and the refectory has been built in 1359.
The monastery had an important relic, a fragment of true cross. Pilgrims visited the monastery often, until the day that monastery’s treasury was plundered.
Building was given to Orthodox Church by Ottoman Empire in 1570. Stones of monastery had been used in building around. British Army used the great hall as military hospital. The ruins were repaired in 1912 by George Jeffery, Curator of the Ancient Monuments of Cyprus.
There is a strange tree between the monastery and the café. Do not miss it. It is half orange and half lemon.
A classical music festival is being held in this monastery in May and June.
Bellapais Gardens Restaurant
Detail
Wooden supports in the chapel
End of the road
Signed-up members of the Slow Food Movement, the Bellapais Gardens delivers a whole package of what the movement is all about - "basic needs that never change - the need to be seen and appreciated! It is the need to belong. The need for nearness and care, and for a little love!"( Professor Guttorm Fløistad)
We're not great believers in eating in the hotel we're staying at but, after choosing to eat in house as a first night convenience, we ate there every night of our stay - the food was that good. A log fire, comfortable chairs and sofas and a well stocked library of books about Cyprus in the guest lounge saw us staying on after dinner, sometimes talking to a fellow guest , sometimes simply enjoying a last glass of wine in quiet comfort - the local red wine recommended by Calo, the maitre d', was excellent .
Breakfast offered a variety of dishes cooked to order and a simple buffet - fruit, delicious local yoghurt and honey, cereal, juice, breads and pastries - all served up with that spectacular view.
Our cottage, Number 7, was about half-way down the garden - the path a fairly steep slope. I have to say, the walk up to the restaurant from the lower cottages could prove arduous, especially in summer's heat although the paths to the lower cottages and the pool are levelled and stepped.
And then there's those views - not only from the restaurant but from every window and doorway of the cottages, views of Kyrenia and the sea, the mountains behind, the steep ravine beside the hotel and, rising vertically abovethe swimming pool, the abbey - stunning!
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Address: Crusader Road, Bellapais, North Cyprus, Kyrenia, Cyprus
