Blazer Residence

If you prefer a proper base in town to a sealed-off resort, Blazer Residence puts you in the middle of Larnaka with the useful bits close at hand. This is an aparthotel built around self-catering apartments, so you can keep things simple: come back, shower, put the kettle on and decide whether dinner needs any more planning than a short walk.

The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly rather than formal. Air conditioning, balconies, free WiFi and lifts to the upper floors make the practical side straightforward, while soundproofing in the rooms gives you a better chance of a quiet night in the centre. An English-speaking hotel team is joined by colleagues who speak Greek, Latvian, Romanian and Russian.

The address is 1 Armenian Church Street, in the centre of Larnaka, Cyprus. Finikoudes Beach is about 0.25 miles away on foot, with the Finikoudes promenade around 0.2 miles from the residence. That puts the sandy waterfront within an easy walk, not in the category of places described as 'nearby' only because they are in the same city.

Europe Square is about 0.2 miles away, while Saint Lazarus Square and the Byzantine Museum of Saint Lazarus are roughly 0.4 miles away. Larnaca Medieval Castle is also around 0.4 miles away. For a change of scenery, Larnaca Salt Lake is about 2.7 miles away, and the bus station is around 0.2 miles from the property.

Larnaca International Airport is about 2.1 miles away by road. Mackenzie Beach is around 1.7 miles away by car, and Voroklini Beach is about 3.9 miles away. The surrounding streets bring shops, coffee shops, bars and restaurants into your orbit, with the seafront doing most of the evening heavy lifting.

The apartments make sense when you want more control over the day than a standard hotel room allows. Kitchens include a refrigerator, microwave and electric kettle, which means cold water, a quick snack or a quiet breakfast are all possible without waiting for a restaurant to open. There is also a sofa and desk, so the room can cope with more than sleeping and storing a suitcase.

For two divers, a one-bedroom apartment keeps the arrangement compact. The larger two- and three-bedroom apartments are the sensible choice for families or groups who want separate sleeping spaces and a little room to spread out. The Family Suite combines two single beds with a king-size bed, while family rooms are available for groups travelling together.

Every apartment has air conditioning, a private bathroom, towels, toiletries and a hairdryer. A balcony and city view give you somewhere to sit with a drink, and the soundproofing is useful when the building is surrounded by the ordinary noise of a working town. Daily housekeeping keeps the routine manageable; laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are also available.

This is a self-catering stay, with the kitchen doing the early-morning and late-return jobs that a diver appreciates. A refrigerator handles chilled drinks, the microwave deals with something quick, and the kettle is there when coffee matters more than ceremony. Breakfast is therefore yours to organise rather than a fixed part of the hotel routine.

For meals out, the city centre gives you plenty of choice within walking distance. Harry's Inn Guesthouse is around 450 feet away, Cava Spiritology about 800 feet away, and Gloria Jean's Coffees at Foinikoudes roughly 950 feet away. The seafront adds the wider run of restaurants and bars along Finikoudes promenade.

In other words, you can eat in, eat out or split the difference. That flexibility suits a dive day better than a rigid dining timetable: a proper meal when you want one, and a fridge-and-kettle solution when you do not.

The easiest non-diving plan starts at the waterfront. Finikoudes Beach and its palm-lined promenade are close enough for a swim, a stroll or an unambitious hour watching the town go by. Mackenzie Beach is another option, around 1.7 miles away by car, if you want to move beyond the central seafront.

Larnaka also rewards a little walking between meals. Saint Lazarus Square, the Byzantine Museum of Saint Lazarus and Larnaca Medieval Castle are all within roughly half a mile, while Europe Square is even closer. Larnaca Salt Lake, about 2.7 miles away by car, offers a different landscape from the beach and city centre.

Back at the apartment, the balcony gives you a place to sit without having to make another decision. The television, WiFi and air conditioning cover the less ambitious part of the evening. After a day in the water, that may be exactly the programme.

Larnaca International Airport is about 2.1 miles away by road, and the residence offers a shuttle service that you can arrange with the property. Car hire is also available. A 24-hour front desk, luggage storage and a lift make arrivals and departures easier to manage, especially when flights and dive schedules refuse to cooperate.

Check-in is handled from the afternoon, with arrivals possible until 05:00 the following morning; give the residence your expected arrival time. Check-out is by 11:00. You will need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and card payments are accepted rather than cash.

The apartments are non-smoking, and quiet hours run from 23:00 to 06:00. Children of all ages are welcome, with cots and extra beds available for the relevant room option. The property accepts no pets and does not accommodate parties or similar events.