Noah's Ark Deluxe Hotel & Spa (Bafra)

Do not let yourself get carried away with "Let's go to Noah's Ark in Bafra" between early November and early April - because in that period "Noah's Ark Deluxe Hotel & Spa" pulls the shutters down completely and goes into hibernation. What catches people out most are the "winter" and "spring" concept headings on the hotel's website; you naively assume the property is open all year, when those names only describe seasonal packages. This enormous "616-room Ultra All-Inclusive" resort in Iskele's vast Bafra Tourism Area is one of the biggest in the region, but if you miss that calendar you stay at home. Without further ado, let us walk you step by step through the road, the beach, the rooms and the evening entertainment...

65 Kilometres from Ercan to Bafra

When you land at Ercan Airport and turn the wheel east, at the end of that 65-kilometre road the huge ship-shaped building suddenly appears in front of you on the Bafra shore, and the moment you see that view you say "I'm in the right place". Interestingly, coming from the Famagusta side is also around 35-40 kilometres, so whether you arrive straight off the plane or set out from Famagusta, your journey time comes to roughly the same thing.

Behind this giant property, whose foundations were laid in 2007 and which opened its doors in June 2011, is the signature of Eksen Proje ve İnşaat. With a budget of roughly 120 million dollars for its time, this was an investment made as a genuine show of strength. The land, too, is tied to a full 49-year concession, which is easy to say; in other words the operator has made a plan of almost half a century on this coast.

We are talking about a huge site of 165,000 square metres in total. Part of it went to the giant building, but the rest is fitted out with pools and gardens... The property is so vast that, going by our observations, walking from one end to the other is practically a small hiking trail... So when choosing a room, asking "Which block is closer to the pool?" is a genuine lifesaver, otherwise your feet may be aching by the first day of the holiday, don't say we didn't warn you...

Is the Beach Really 1,300 Metres?

The beach belongs to the hotel and can stretch for roughly 1,300 metres in the direction of the Karpaz coast, a length that largely removes the early-morning rush to grab a sunbed. The figure does vary between sources, and some pages give 1,600 metres. Which one is correct? Since three separate sources agree on 1,300 metres, that is the measurement we refer to here.

Walking inland from where the beach ends, the pool side begins. You come across an indoor pool open all year, an outdoor pool operating between April and October, and a separate children's pool. The aquapark is a section independent of these, with the children's and adults' sides separated from each other, and it is counted among the largest aquaparks on the island. The thing to watch out for is, again, the calendar. The outdoor pool's season runs in line with the hotel's general opening schedule. If you are coming at the beginning of April or the end of October, ask before booking whether the aquapark is operating that week.

Four Tiers of 616 Rooms

The hotel has 616 rooms, and the bed count in the official register is 1,232. That means two beds per room, so the layout is set up for two-person stays rather than large families. At Noah's Ark Deluxe there are four categories: Deluxe 1 and 2 in the main building, the Holiday Village rooms and the suite tier. Deluxe rooms are divided into Sea View and Partial Sea View; the latter is suitable for disabled access, while the former has a double bed and a balcony, with the view looking directly out to sea. On the Holiday Village side the view turns to the garden and those rooms are non-smoking, while the size stays at around forty square metres in both. The hotel does not publish the suite size; you find out that figure when booking. Once the room tier is settled, two practical lines remain: check-in is at 14.00, check-out at 12.00, and guests arriving early mostly spend the hours in between on the beach. The nightly rate varies by date and room type; in searches at the beginning of September 2026 a band of roughly "16,000" to "21,000 TL" was showing, but the current offer needs to be obtained from the hotel or an agency.

An Evening from Alabora to Fener Bar

When you move on to the evening side, four restaurants catch your eye on the official list: Flora, Fora Plaj Snack, Alabora A la Carte and Fora Plaj Ocakbaşı. When it comes to the number of bars, though, the picture changes and the figure jumps to a full eleven; with Noah's Ark Café, English Pub, Pool Bar, Fener Disco Bar and Aqua Bar, the options come thick and fast.

Fener Disco Bar in particular, inspired by the lighthouse tower on the shore, is a rather nice touch for carrying that ship theme into the nightlife. Most of these venues are included in the "Ultra All-Inclusive" package, but if there is any extra charge it is worth clarifying at the time of booking; for the à la carte restaurants you have to reserve a table in advance anyway. Since the hotel does not publish the opening hours one by one on its website, you can only put together the daily plan once you arrive at the property and get the brochures in your hands, so you have to go with the flow a little. Fortunately, for a giant 616-room property, four restaurants and eleven bars manage, more or less, to disperse those dreaded evening queues, so you are not fainting from hunger in the dinner line.

From the Spa Appointment to the Casino Door

The "Karina Spa & Wellness" section offers massage, a Turkish bath, sauna, steam room and body treatments, and the fitness centre and the beachside spa area are gathered under the same roof. Since massage works by appointment, finding a slot on the same day becomes difficult in a busy week, so it is worth booking on the day you arrive. The children's side of Noah's Ark Deluxe runs separately: the "Karakaçan Mini Club" has indoor and outdoor play areas, a children's pool and an animation programme that runs all day, with face painting, treasure hunts and a kitchen workshop on the programme, and the age range is reported as 4 to 12. Within the same grounds there are four meeting halls named Genesis, Nisir, Ağrı and Zagros; the names come from legend and the total capacity exceeds two thousand delegates, so the property works for congress groups as well as summer guests. The casino is in a separate section; the gaming tables are outside the Ultra All-Inclusive package, and guests under 25 and those residing or studying in North Cyprus are not admitted to this section. All of these sections depend on a single condition: the property being open on that date. On a date falling between November and April the hotel is out of action; the season row in the table is enough to check.

Families with children can see our water park hotels in North Cyprus article, the Bafra strip is covered in our guide to Bafra casinos, and seasonal rates are in the North Cyprus hotel prices article.