Situated in the centre of Famagusta and within a 5-10 minute walk to the historic Famagusta walled city, Famagusta Port and the beach of Palm Beach, Portofino Hotel continues to welcome domestic and foreign customers with its superior quality of service. Portofino Hotel, a family-run business, expanded its service to 52 rooms in 2000, starting in 1992 with 18 rooms.

Ahmet and Aygül Benzincioğlu brothers operate the Portofino Hotel, which has four seasons of intense customer potential, as usual.

Portofino is a city in Italy

One of the operators of Portofino Hotel, Aygül Benzincioğlu spoke to our newspaper, NORTH CYPRUS UK, and he said that his father Devrim Benzincioğlu initiates their hotel, back in 1992.

Aygul Benzincioğlu stated that his father named the hotel after ‘Portofino’ which is a port city in Italy, and Portofino Hotel is serving its guests with this name as a very nice hotel since then.

Pointing out that the hotel is in the centre of Famagusta, which is the port city of northern Cyprus, the location of the hotel carries the characteristic of being a place where natural beauty combines with historical richness, Benzincioğlu proudly stated that the Hotel had been renovated in 2000 and expanded its services starting from 18 rooms to 52 rooms and 150 beds.

Aygül Benzincioğlu stated that there are 16 rooms of 40 square meters in size, unlike standard hotel rooms, while swimming pools with a unique view on the terrace of the hotel are 15 meters long, 5 meters wide and 1 meter 40 centimetres deep. Benzincioğlu stated that they can also provide sauna service on request at their hotels.

Due to the fact that they are running a family business, Aygül Benzincioğlu has noted that they are hesitating to enter the Casino business. They stated that especially in some of the hotels in the Kyrenia Region, the rooms are free of charge to the casino guests.

Describing that the advantage of Portofino Hotel is that it is a city hotel, it is surrounded by historical riches and the harbour and it is only a 10 minute walk to the beach of Palm Beach, Benzincioğlu said that the Salamis Ruins and the Karpaz Region are easily accessible from the hotels.

High potential in winter  

While Aygül Benzincioğlu stated that there are very good potentials in winter months, he expressed that almost all agents from Famagusta hosted the customers in their hotel and they have welcomed many customers from Turkey and the UK in the best way. Benzincioğlu explained that wedding ceremonies, engagement ceremonies, special meals, meetings and conferences are being held in their hotel.

Portofino Hotel manager Aygül Benzincioğlu; "Though our business is on its way, it is not like the old days. The Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) has increased its dormitory capacity. It also uses these dormitories as a motel. As an operator I do not find it right. Families who come to their children are staying in these dormitories. This problem must be solved in order for our work to be better. I want tour operators to give more support to Famagusta. Some tour operators are encouraging customers who want to come to Famagusta to go to Girne. This is not the right approach, "he said.

Once their guest stays at their at their hotels, Benzincioglu stated, they would not choose any other place then Portofino Hotel, which is also the biggest indication of the qualities of their service.

Aygül Benzincioğlu also pointed out to Turkish Cypriots from abroad that Portofino Hotel will always be their choice of Portofino Hotel, once they have tried it, they will not want to stay in another hotel.