“Unless you arrive by yacht, it will take a 90 minutes drive from the nearest decent hotels in Famagusta or Kyrenia (see more here) to get to the Karpaz Gate Marina. But whichever way you come it’s a rather lovely drive along winding coastal and hill roads where cars are few and the scenery in overdrive. There’s not much in the Karpaz except the dusty little villages, the jagged coastline and the wild donkeys, so it’s almost impossible to get lost.
Karpaz At the Northern Rugged Tip of Cyprus
Karpaz Gate Marina, an Oasis in he Rugged Countryside…….
Famous For The Wild Donkeys……..
These Are Out For a Night on The Town!
Parking on the cliff edge just off the road, you will be met by a golf cart to drive you down to the Club, the Marina or the restaurant/bar, else you can choose to drive down to the marina itself to park behind the restaurant. Once at the resort, you can choose to relax by the pool, venture into the warm sea, or sample the restaurant and bar. You can also do some serious envy-wallowing looking out at the luxury yachts moored while you sip the cocktails.
The Karpaz Gate Marina is a new venture, and they’ve made an effort to make it as inclusive as possible with accessible toilets and showers and no pesky steps. The marina boardwalk itself is also free of steps, so even access to the boats is pretty easy. (Its likely that the actual yachts are a lot less accessible of course…..). This excellent property, with its up-market ambitions and desire to attract an international clientele, stands out in the Karpaz area which is more usually known for its friendly, but definitely one-star, ambiance.
The Marina From Above
The Promenade at The Karpaz Gate Marina – Looks Like Great Walking & Wheeling Surfaces.
Hemingway’s Bar Restaurant
The food is simple, more European/Mediterranean than Cypriot, nicely presented, and the bar is modern, cool and airy. The loo in the bar isn’t viable for wheelchair users, but there’s a perfectly good one round the back a short wheel away.
Karpaz Gate Award Winning Marina
Flat Access & Paving to Wood Surfaces at the Club & Bar/Restaurant
The Disabled Toilet is OK With Just 2 Grab Rails
The Shower Maybe Less So As No Grab Rails But Room for a Wheelchair
The staff are all picked from the local villages, closely managed by Operations Manager, Oykun, who is clearly determined to deliver a polished product for all customers. What this venture really needs to make it properly viable to the non-yachting public is accomodation…and that’s due in 2018. It’s worth it for a day trip, but will be so much more attractive when the matching accommodation lets you wake up to that beautiful view.
Yes, I liked the Karpaz Gate Marina a lot. It’s calm and quiet, smart, intelligently designed, accessible and well run. In years to come the Karpaz will be more developed, but for now, this this Marina is a unique little gem on the sleepiest of coastlines in the Eastern Mediterranean.”