Sea N Lake View Hotel Apartments

Built with local architecture and colours, Sea N Lake View Hotel Apartments brings a small-country feel to the edge of Larnaka. It is a family-run aparthotel rather than a polished resort machine: useful if you prefer a proper living space, a kitchen and a café-bar where local residents also come for a beer and the sport on television.

The mood is comfortable and relaxed, with balconies, an outdoor pool and a sun-lounger terrace giving you somewhere to land at the end of the day. You can keep things simple in your apartment, eat at the restaurant or head towards the beach bars around Mackenzie. There is enough here for a practical diving base, with the added benefit that Larnaka is close enough for a change of scene.

You are in Larnaka, Cyprus, on Makenzie Hill and close to the sea. Mackenzie Beach is about 0.3 miles away, while Finikoudes Beach is around 1.4 miles away on foot. Faros Beach is also part of the local beach circuit, with a beach bar and water sports.

Larnaka city centre is around 20 minutes away on foot. The medieval castle, Saint Lazarus Square, the Byzantine Museum of Saint Lazarus and the Finikoudes Promenade are all within the wider town area, so you can turn a non-diving afternoon into a walk with something to look at besides your gear bag. Larnaca Salt Lake is about 0.9 miles away, and the airport is only 0.6 miles from the apartments.

The sensible choice here is an apartment rather than a conventional hotel room. You get a living area with seating, a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, stovetop, toaster, kettle and kitchenware, plus a dining table. That gives you somewhere to prepare a quick meal, keep drinks cold and avoid making every hungry return from the water depend on restaurant timings.

The one-bedroom apartments suit couples particularly well, while the larger family layouts give a group more room to spread out. The quadruple option uses two single beds and two sofa beds, which is practical rather than romantic; four adults can fit, but nobody should expect a suite with room for interpretive dance. Family rooms and interconnecting rooms are available, and children of any age are welcome.

Balconies, private entrances and views towards the pool, sea or inner courtyard vary by unit. Some rooms have air conditioning, and a fan is also available; air conditioning may carry an additional charge. Soundproofing, tiled or marble floors, wardrobes, a drying rack and a private bathroom cover the useful basics, while Wi-Fi is free in public areas.

The restaurant works across regional and international cooking, so you can eat on site without being pushed into a single style of menu. Breakfast, snacks and full meals are available, although no fixed board formula or breakfast timetable is given here. In other words, the arrangement suits a flexible day better than a regimented all-inclusive routine.

There is one bar: the café-bar. It serves beer and other refreshing drinks, has billiards and shows SKY and ESPN sports by satellite. It is popular with local residents, which is generally more useful than a decorative cocktail list when you want a straightforward drink and a match after diving.

Your apartment kitchen gives you a second option for breakfast or a late snack, with a fridge, microwave, stovetop, toaster, kettle and dining table. Caffe Nero is about 0.3 miles away, while Blue Martini and XS Day & Night Club are each roughly 0.4 miles away if the evening calls for something beyond the hotel bar.

The large outdoor pool and sun-lounger terrace are the main place to stretch out when the day's diving is done. You can cool off without walking back to the beach, then settle outside with a drink or retreat to the balcony. There is no need to dress the moment you leave the water; this is an aparthotel built around an easy, unhurried routine.

For a little movement that does not require a timetable, you have table tennis and a games room, with billiards also available at the bar. Jet skiing is available locally as a water-based alternative to diving, while Larnaka itself supplies the more civilised option of a walk towards the castle, Saint Lazarus Square or the Finikoudes Promenade.

The apartments also work for mixed-interest trips. One person can take the pool, another can head towards Mackenzie Beach, and nobody needs to organise an expedition merely to find coffee or a cold drink. Private parking is available on site for those using a car.

Larnaca International Airport is about 0.6 miles away, around five minutes by car, and the hotel is less than 5 km from the airport. A transfer from the airport can be arranged with the hotel in private or shared form; reserve it directly with the property. The bus station is about 1.5 miles away, and the city centre is around 20 minutes on foot.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 23:30, and you need to tell the property your expected arrival time in advance. Check-out is from 08:00 to 11:30. Luggage storage is available, and free private parking on site does not require a reservation.

Cash is accepted for payment. Smoking is not allowed, and parties or events are not permitted. Cots and extra beds can be requested, with availability depending on the accommodation selected. A lift serves the building, while upper floors may also be reached by stairs; some units are on the ground floor and wheelchair-accessible.