Caesar Resort & SPA

The hardest part will be leaving after two fantastic weeks and going back to work in the UK. I came from the hectic pace of daily life there, and finding this calm, patient place was a lovely surprise. It felt like stepping into another dimension, and almost like a dream unfolding in front of me. People of different ages, nationalities, and religions live and work peacefully side by side here. Russians and Ukrainians cooperate in friendship, while Israeli-Jewish and Iranian-Muslim guests did yoga peacefully near me, an Italian Roman Catholic. With what’s happening in the world right now, I can’t imagine a more peaceful, respectful, kind, and safe place for an unforgettable, top-class holiday. This is a place for people who value diversity and a calm atmosphere. I met one of the friendliest owners I’ve ever known and a cosmopolitan management team. Jacob, the billionaire owner of the Caesar resorse, gave me a cuddle each morning. We both love Judo and Jujitsu, and we’re both champions, though there was more to our connection than that. Every staff member I met showed kindness. Elena, the Russian woman who looks after the Wellness centre and 'Mia Bella' Italian Restaurant, also provided top customer service at the Caesar Beach. Ksenia, Jacob’s Ukrainian right hand for the past decade, showed me around after I asked about properties available to buy and their terms and conditions. It brought John Lennon's words from The Beatles to mind: “I am a dreamer, dreaming of world peace. But I am not the only one. I hope one day you will join us, and the world will be as one.”

The administration is flexible and accommodating, which is the project's one advantage. Otherwise, this investment doesn't seem profitable: people see it as a student dormitory, and nobody wants to pay rent there. It used to look like an attractive investment, but now the restaurant and shop prices are outrageous, and the quality falls well short of European standards. They want a Dubai lifestyle, but aren't managing it. All the spaces look alike, as if AI designed them. To top it off, tenants, guests, and even relatives who aren't immediate family face huge surcharges to use the complex's amenities, despite the owner already paying £90 a month for access and upkeep. That's sheer audacity. This is the cheapest and least profitable project in all of Northern Cyprus.

The indoor pool is really nice, and we got bracelets so we could use it. I only wish it were bigger. The buildings seem to have good sound insulation since I heard nothing at night. The restaurant plays loud music every evening, but only until around 10 p.m. Getting around was the main drawback: there’s no shuttle to famagusto on Sundays. Mc Kenzie Beach is about a 20-minute walk away and very beautiful. It was 32 C, but with the wind at 15km/hr we still felt cold.

The apartment itself was clean and nice, with a beautiful view, a comfortable bed, good sound insulation, and helpful, very nice receptionists. But the listing says 5-star hotel, and I didn’t realize it was actually an Airbnb. The spa and gym aren’t in the hotel either. They’re in a nearby building in the middle of a residential neighborhood, and the shared spa gets overcrowded with all kinds of people. The sauna can smell of twenty different kinds of sweat. That’s down to the people using it, not the residence, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a 5-star experience. There were no slippers or cotton pads, and no daily cleaning. Maybe that’s available if you ask, but at a real hotel it would happen by default. None of that has to do with the Airbnb itself, but keep it in mind if you’re expecting a hotel stay. The building is nice, though.