If you are staying at the Radisson Beach Resort Larnaca, Mer Bleue is your nearest fish tavern. We are a family run restaurant on the Oroklini seafront, about 200 metres from the hotel and a few minutes on foot. This is the morning we would plan for a guest who wants to see more of Oroklini than the pool, and it ends at our tables.
About the hotel
The Radisson Beach Resort is Radisson's first resort in Cyprus. It has 202 rooms and suites over Larnaca Bay, a spa with a heated indoor pool, and its own restaurants and bars. It stands on the Dhekelia road in Oroklini, the coast road that runs east from Larnaca, on the same short stretch of coast as Mer Bleue.
First light: flamingos at Oroklini Lake
Oroklini Lake lies about a kilometre inland from the hotel, south of Voroklini village. Cross the Dhekelia road and allow around twenty minutes on foot. The wetland covers 38 hectares and belongs to the Natura 2000 network, and birdwatchers have recorded around two hundred species there. From about November to March flamingos wade in the shallows. In spring, stilts on long pink legs raise their chicks on the small islands.
Go early, when the birds are busy and the air is still cool. A hide on the south side faces the islands, and a platform by the information kiosk on the north side looks over the rest of the lake. Stay behind the screens and keep dogs on a lead. Our guide to flamingos in Larnaca has more on when they come.
Mid morning: a swim back on the coast
The bay faces east, so by the time you walk back the sun is well up over the water. The sea off Oroklini stays shallow and calm a long way out, and it averages about 26°C in October and 23°C in November, so a swim before lunch works well into autumn. Our guide to the Larnaca sea temperature has the numbers month by month.
If you skipped breakfast for the birds, our kitchen opens at 9:00, and coffee on the terrace counts as part of the plan.
Lunch a few minutes from the hotel
Walk over as you are, still sandy, and take a table a few steps from the sea. A grilled sea bream is about 19 euro and grilled octopus 24. Tables of two or more can share the fish meze at 33 euro a head, about eleven plates that arrive one after another. Children can have calamari rings or chicken strips at 7 euro. The menu lists everything, and for a group it is worth booking a table.
An evening out without a taxi
If you want one dinner away from the hotel during your stay, you do not need a car. Mer Bleue is a few minutes on foot, the kitchen serves until 22:00 and we stay open until 23:00. The bay faces east, so on full moon nights the moon rises out of the sea straight in front of the terrace.
Questions people ask
Is there a restaurant near the Radisson Beach Resort Larnaca?
Yes. Mer Bleue, a family run fish tavern on the Oroklini seafront, is about 200 metres from the hotel, a few minutes on foot. It is open every day from 9:00 to 23:00.
How far is Oroklini Lake from the Radisson Beach Resort?
About a kilometre inland, south of Voroklini village. Allow around twenty minutes on foot. Flamingos visit from about November to March.
Can you swim at Oroklini in October and November?
Yes. The sea off Larnaca averages about 25.6°C in October and 22.9°C in November, and the water at Oroklini is shallow and calm.
How far is the Radisson Beach Resort from Larnaca town and the airport?
The hotel is on the Dhekelia road in Oroklini, 10 to 20 minutes by car from Larnaca town and the airport, depending on traffic.
Is Mer Bleue part of the Radisson Beach Resort?
No. Mer Bleue is an independent, family run restaurant that has been on the Oroklini seafront since 2004. Everyone is welcome, and you do not need to be a hotel guest.
Staying at another hotel on the coast road? See how far each Dhekelia road hotel is from us.
Planning the rest of your stay? Read our Oroklini Beach guide or see the terrace in the gallery.