Hotel of ghosts

Not far from where I live in Alsancak there’s a public beach which is among the finest in North Cyprus.

It’s small but perfectly formed - and pretty much deserted at this time of year, even though it is still balmy enough to sunbathe on the sands or swim in a Mediterranean that has retained much of its temperature from the scorching summer months.

Until a few years ago it was maintained as a private beach for holidaymakers staying at the Mare Monte Hotel, which has since closed but can still be accessed from steps leading up from the beach.

Until 1974 it was owned and staffed by the Greek Cypriots who populated Kyrenia (now Girne), Karavas (now Alsancak) and Lapithos (now Lapta).



The beach in the early 70s, under Greek Cypriot ownership



Following the bloody events in July of that year it was seized by Turkish troops who landed at nearby Pentemili (now called Five Mile Beach), became a temporary command post and prison and was eventually handed over to the Turkish Cypriots and reopened.

Since it closed in 2007, however, it has fallen into a state of disrepair and to tour the grounds as they stand now is an eerie experience.



Fighting back bracken, it is possible to get a close-up look at chalets, changing rooms and an outdoor disco arena that all now lie abandoned.

In May 2008, the Istanbul-based owners of the site, Net Holding, who also run the nearby Merit Crystal Cove Hotel, announced after buying the Mare Monte they would redevelop it as a 300-room five star facility with an accompanying shopping centre, cinema and marina.

Earlier this year, the proposed development, according to its owners, had grown in size and would now feature 800 rooms, a golf course and vineyards.

At the moment though, as you can see from the photos, there’s not much sign of any of that happening in the very near future.

It’s a recurring theme in North Cyprus: developers will talk big about what they plan to do with a site, but it can take years before building work begins, if it does at all.

The Mare Monte could well yet be transformed into the magnificent complex its owners have promised.

But until that happens it stands as a ghostly reminder of this small island’s remarkable history having been

owned and run at different times by two distinct kinds of people.