Northern Cyprus holiday accommodation
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
N Cyprus is beginning to address "green" issues. Litter is a big problem and we were involved heavily with an Expat initiative to make people take notice. Whether we had any effect or not it's hard to judge, because as we were getting noticed two of the larger District Authorities started regular big clean up days. In May there are beach cleans organised by the Turtle Watch and the local council which we always support. There's a long way to go but we are still working on trying to put over the fact education is needed and a fine system to go along with the clean-up efforts.
Recycling is very new here and not much gets recycled. Efes brewery have one type of beer bottle that can be returned and we return ours and we encourage guests to do likewise.
Water preservation is all important everywhere but more so here. We chose not to have a swimming pool , we consider it a criminal waste of precious water and unnecessary as there are so many unspoilt beaches nearby. It is our policy to make every attempt to recycle water. We have a small courtyard garden which is watered exclusively by gray water. Guests are encouraged to use washing up water to water the tubs around their terrace.
N Cyprus has a wealth of avifauna, 46 resident species, 27 species of migratory birds nest and breed and there are at least 243 passing or winter visitors. Hisarkoy village is set in an ideal location, high on a ridge which overlooks a migratory path. A keen bird watcher could expect to see, Nightjars, Hoopees, Rollers, Bee-eaters and if they are very lucky Golden Orioles and perhaps one of the 100 pairs of Eleonora's Falcons. In the fields around the village it is possible to see Stone Curlews, Calandra Larks, the Black-Bellied Sand-grouse and Black Francolins. Cyprus has many endemic birds which are not found anywhere else, such as Cyprus Scops Owls , Cyprus Pied Wheatears, Cyprus Coal Tits, Cyprus Short-toed Tree-creepers and the Glaszner's Jays to name a few. In the spring this area is abundant in spring flowers and of particular interest there are wild Orchids and Black Tulips. We are very aware of how fortunate we are to live in an environment that has not been given over to intensive farming. The traditional way of cultivation has not changed much in the last thirty years. Our involvement is in helping to protect and conserve this area by our way of life and by supporting all the agencies who work for conservation. We are involved with the turtle watch program and encourage guests to go to a release if they are here in the season.
The Mediterranean culture is quite different to ours when it comes to animals and wildlife. But we try to impress on those around us of better practices especially when dealing with the more domestic of the animals. We have noticed in the village that children are now taking their dogs out for walks on leads! Perhaps that is because they have seen us doing the same.
Community
We are involved with Mountain Tours as well as our property lets and we always support local businesses for everything we need. We do village days taking people to see all the old trades of the villages. Olive oil pressing, baking, pekmez and cheese making to name a few. This involves people buying produce. We support two local restaurants especially as they provide real value for money and traditional local cuisine.
We have various web pages and have developed some for local businesses. All link together to form a local network.
We have taken over the old school and set up an art club for local and Expat artists alike. It is in it's early stages as we write this but it is another interesting activity for guests to join in with. The idea is to use only old or re-cycled materials and furnishings in this venture. We have life models some weeks and have days out sketching and painting or still life sessions in inclement weather. We hope to have visiting or our more experienced artists give instruction to learners as well.
There are village festivals and parties which we encourage our guests to join us on, if there's one happening when they are here. The Orchid Festival in spring is a very good insight into Cypriot life. A couple in the village do guided Orchid Walks in the spring and we support and help them as well. We can arrange mountain bikes to be at the property at no extra charge, other than the bike rental, for those who want them
We provide short and more gruelling trail maps with notes free of charge to our guests. A lot of these walks start from the property.
The whole experience is to gel with the locals and become a part of the community for the period.
NB We do not except commission from any of our introductions and provide guests with a list of restaurants and beaches which we feel offer value for money and that we ourselves use.
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