Clubber's Guide to Northern Cyprus

As an avid Niteclub goer and fan of all things techno, of course, the first thing I did upon arriving in Northern Cyprus was to check out the local niteclub scene. I had some assistance in this venture from all the great guys and beautiful girls at Acapulco Casino where I am working for a short period of time. Special shout outs go to Kivanc (the number one guy to know in Cyprus), Aykut (Keep smiling buddy), Ismail (If you see a camera in the Casino, WAVE because he's probably watching you!), Senol (Way to go Sparky!), and the bevy of gorgeous girls including (but not limited to) Suzan (The smiling face of PR at the casino), Hatice {pronounced R-T-J} and Canan {pronounced Jana} (both whom will distract you with their beauty while you lose thousands to them at Blackjack) and Arzum (Be careful, even though she's waving and smiling at you, it doesn't mean that her BIG Turkish boyfriend likes you!!) .

WARNING

Cypriate (and Turkish) girls on the whole are a very beautiful lot, but they often have invisible boy friends. Be VERY careful, because unless you are with a bunch of well know locals (Thanks guys) the bouncers will ALWAYS take the side of the locals over what you say. For instance last night at JJ's the bouncers laid a British guy out cold on the concrete for a good 5 minutes. I'm not even sure exactly what he did! I have it on good authority that the insides of Turkish gaols suck! especialy as people seem to have a nasty habit of suiciding inside them, ala South Africa a few years ago...

Mare Monte 2000

Description: This is THE place to go to in Northern Cyprus, and is located close to Lapta. There is a good proportion of Brits and German's and even the odd Aussie to be found inside. It is a large open air amphitheatre cut into the side of a cliff with 3 bars scattered at different levels, and a dancefloor in the middle, with a nice view of the Ocean. Be wary of the Tequila "Shots", as they involve a large plastic cup containing approximately 3.5-4 standard shots with Salt around the rim. They are good value at 6 Million TL a hit, but don't expect to walk after having a few, and certainly, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you decide to go and chat to Turkish girls afterwards!!!! *grin*

Cover Charge: 5,000,000 Lira (Approx US$4 which includes a free beer on Wed and Fri)
Open: 10pm - 3:30am Wed, Fri, Sat (Don't bother getting there before 11:30pm)
Music Styles: House, Hard House, and Techno (Collectively called Underground over here), Garage, Comercial Pop, and Turkish Dance.
Dress Code: Liberal (Locals will not get in unless they have are girl with them. Sometimes this rule applies to tourists also).
Age Group: 13-50!!!!

Merit Disco

Description: Located 2min from Mare Monte this is slightly classier, with a large video screen (That seems to have no relationship with the Music. It was playing a Janet Jackson Video when I was there) and has a wider selection of imported alcohol. It is less popular than Mare Monte, but still a good turnout.

Cover Charge: N/A
Open: 10pm - 3:30am Wed, Fri, Sat
Music Styles: House, Hard House, and Techno (Collectively called Underground over here), Garage, Comercial Pop, and Turkish Dance.
Dress Code: Slightly upmarket but Tourists shouldn't have a problem regardless.
Age Group: 17-30

Night Park (JJ's)

Description: Located 2min from the centre of Girne this is a very nice, classy club with a large indoor Dance floor, and two outdoor bars with plentiful outdoor seating. I was there on the second night it was open, and have again many times since. It is less popular than Mare Monte, but still a reasonable turnout, and shows alot of promise for the future. Be careful of the bouncers, they are vicious!
Note: This club does pickup around 2am. (Don't bother getting there before 1am unless you just want to chill.)

Cover Charge: N/A
Open: 11pm - 7am 7 Days
Music Styles: House, Hard House, and Techno (Collectively called Underground over here), Garage, Comercial Pop, and Turkish Dance.
Dress Code: Slightly upmarket but Tourists shouldn't have a problem regardless.
Age Group: 14-40

Babylon (Deep Bar)

Description: Located in the centre of Girne's Harbourside this is a club I have very little recollection of as I seem to have ended up there several times at approximately 5am after drinking way too much Raki and/or Tequila shots. (For the uninitiated, Raki is similar to Ouzo, except it seems to contain more Sulphuric Acid and Metho. Possibly I'm wrong about the Metho, because it doesn't taste as upmarket as that.)