EBU Kyrenia Cyprus Congress

01 February 2023

8 days from £875pp

Join the English Bridge Union for a wonderful week in gorgeous Kyrenia, and enjoy the superb facilities, excellent service, and superb value of our ultra-all-inclusive package at the five-star Merit Park Hotel.

Seven nights at the highly rated five-star Merit Park Hotel
Incredible ultra-all-inclusive value and quality
Superb seafront location
Excellent bridge facilities
Two fantastic excursions included
Green and Blue pointed event

EBU Overseas Congress

We are pleased to be working in partnership with the EBU to provide carefully selected accommodation for their UK and overseas congresses. All overseas congresses have an exclusive Green and Blue pointed bridge programme, which can be booked directly with the EBU, once your accommodation is booked with First for Bridge. Please book via your EBU account, or call 01296 317203 to pay your Bridge fee and add participation in this Bridge programme to your package. For 2023 departures the EBU fee is NOW INCLUDED in the holiday cost. You no longer need to make a separate payment to the EBU for the Bridge services. The EBU will contact you to collect your entry details.

Description
What's Included
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Travel Options
Dates & Prices

Join First for Bridge and the English Bridge Union for a fantastic week in picturesque Northern Cyprus. Whilst in Kyrenia, explore the magnificent harbour and beautiful architecture with winding backstreets full of surprises.
The five-star Merit Park Hotel is the venue for the EBU Kyrenia Cyprus Congress. It is beautifully situated overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Kervansaray on the outskirts of Kyrenia. The bridge congress will be held in the impressive Bellapais Meeting Hall, and in between sessions you can enjoy the excellent facilities this impressive hotel has to offer or take one of the frequent local buses into the historic harbourside town to explore. Relax on the private beach area, walk through the beautiful gardens and around the coastline where there are plenty of seating areas where you can enjoy the views across the sea and mountains, or sip a cocktail by the outdoor pool.

We also include two fascinating excursions in our package:
Experience a full-day tour of Kyrenia and its surrounding area where we visit St. Hilarion Castle, which inspired Walt Disney in the creation of the famous Snow White castle. The next stop is Abbey De La Bellepaix, a romantic abbey which is truly a stunning piece of Gothic architecture.
Our second half-day excursion takes us across the border point into Nicosia – the only divided capital in Europe. Our walking tour takes us from the old Girne city gate, past the Venetian Column and to the Selimiye Mosque. There will be time to shop in old Caravserai which is brimming with arts and craft shops and markets filled with spices, Turkish delights, lace, and other traditional souvenirs.

Eight days of ultra-all-inclusive accommodation at the five-star Merit Park Hotel
Ultra-all-inclusive board includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon patisseries and hot, soft, locally produced and some international alcoholic drinks
Participation of a full bridge programme of the EBU with Green and Blue points awarded
EBU Bridge fee INCLUDED in the package
Two excursions – Full day excursion of Girne and half day Nicosia tour
Free Wi-Fi
Return airport transfers*
Porterage
Drinks reception sponsored by First for Bridge

*Flights are available from London Heathrow and Gatwick into Larnaca airport and we include airport transfers for these flights on our specific arrival and departures days. Transfer time is approx. 1 hour 15 mins. There are also regional flights from Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh into Paphos and we provide transfers for these flights on our specific arrival and departure days. Transfer time is approx. 2 hours and 15 mins.

Chris and Linda Benneworth

Linda and Chris have been married since 1971, having met while they were teaching at the same high school.

Following successful careers in education they retired in the late nineties, when they started directing together, working at first in local and more recently in overseas congresses. They ran the North Eastern Bridge Association Congress for a number of years in Otterburn, Consett and Gateshead, an event with a deserved reputation for friendliness. Since 2019, they have worked as hosts and director at EBU overseas congresses in Athens, Sicily and Rome. They even play together occasionally to ensure there are full tables. Chris is an EBU national director who also teaches others the art of directing and Linda is a qualified County director.

They both believe that bridge is a great game which is meant to be enjoyed; a holiday is the perfect way of doing that.

Christine MacFarlane

Christine has been on the EBU panel since 2010 and has assisted with running many congresses over the years; more recently concentrating on the Really Easy and Progressive events to encourage newer players to play competitively. She runs her own Bridge club in Bath and has been teaching Bridge there since 2007. She has introduced many players to this wonderful game. She has experience of running Bridge holidays and working on cruise ships as the Bridge Instructor/Director. She believes Bridge should be both sociable and challenging.

Christine is originally from New Zealand but now lives in Somerset with her husband Stewart. When not directing or teaching Bridge, their new hobby (since lockdown) is exploring the old railway lines of Somerset.

Ro Kaye

I cannot wait to get back to bridge holidays, particularly in the sunshine!

I enjoy bridge, but also meeting new people and encouraging them to appreciate the highs and lows of this intriguing game. I have been busy in lockdown when, as chairman of Cheltenham Bridge Club, we set up on-line sessions to keep the membership in touch with each other. I was one of the founder members of the Wessex Youth Bridge Weekend held for youngsters of any ability to come and learn how to play. I have also really loved hosting First for Bridge Holidays in recent years.

Meet us at the airport overseas

Picture of - Meet us at the airport overseas

Our 'meet us at the airport' option allows you to book your own transport independently and choose one of the many flights available from several UK airports.

Transfers will be included on our specific arrival and departure dates. If you choose to arrive or depart on a different day, there may be an additional supplement charged to cover your transfer costs.

Dates: 01 February 2023
Duration: 8 days / 7 nights

Prices:

Holiday prices are per person and exclude flights and INCLUDE EBU Bridge Fee

Twin/double room to share: £875
Double sole occupancy: £1075
Deposit: £175
Private transfers outside our arrival/departure dates: £95 per vehicle for up to 6 persons
Pre-post extra nights: £75 per night in double/twin
Pre-post extra nights sole occupancy: £95 per night in double/twin

Special offer:
Reduction for non-bridge players: £155

Overview

The Merit Park Hotel has a delightful buffet restaurant with terraces overlooking the pool and gardens. The elegant, spacious lounges make ideal locations to relax and enjoy the sea views and luxurious surroundings whilst indulging in the excellent ultra-all-inclusive board this hotel offers. There is a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, plus an indoor heated pool, sauna, steam room and Turkish bath, spa and wellness centre.