Thursday, April 12, 2012

Nice Sandy Beaches - the hidden gems?

Hello everyone!





Having read the many topics regarding Paphos, we are so looking forward to our holiday for a fortnight, starting on Sunday 6th July.





Cyprus sounds wonderful. Perhaps someone could let us know where the lovely and quiet sandy beaches are in the area, as we are %26#39;forty somethings%26#39; and now child free? We are hiring a car for a fortnight, although not 4 wheel drive, but we have generally found the best beaches abroad tend to be where the locals go - the hidden gems!





Perhaps some of you could recommend some good restaurants (not too expensive) as we are self catering.





We love to have a good look round an island on holiday. We have read the reviews regarding water shortages and long queues at the airport, so we are prepared. Lets hope our Apartment (Damon Apts) is good and our flights (Thomas Cook) are reliable.



We have also read that its hot hot hot ~ well here in Aberystwyth today its heavy showers and sunshine so we say bring it on!!





The sun protection lotion is packed, and the parasol wrapped so we are prepared and very much looking forward to the clear blue sea of Cyprus.





Many thanks indeed



K %26amp; A






















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Hi, The last time I went to Cyprus, Ayia Napa was an up an coming resort so my memory is rather faded. I have heard that Coral Bay is good and also those further up the coast to the north west from Paphos. However be careful when driving as some of the more remote roads are said to be full of big pot holes and damage to the underside of the car/Tyres etc, can be expensive on excesses when you take the hire car back. Also, these are nature reserves so be careful of the turtles etc.



Temperatures are forcast for 30C next week so you will be able to enjoy the beaches and the nice breezes. If you do find any Kiosks selling drinks etc, they will be pricey so take some drinks in a cool bag just to make sure you can remain there as long as you want.



Have a great hoiday and as I%26#39;m going there at the end of July, let me know what good beaches you found when you get back. Also please report on the local restaurants and those off the beaten track if you find any good ones.




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Wonderful ~ many thanks for the advice and we will try to avoid the roads unsuitable for driving on (dust tracks etc) It would be disappointing to have to pay more for insurance etc if we hit pot holes.





Yes we had heard the smaller shops are more expensive for water etc and we will probably try to buy from the supermarkets and store in the fridge etc. The cool bag is an excellent idea (to add to my packing list)





We will let you know how we get on exploring the many beaches. Coral Bay sounds a must!








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I take it you are in the Paphos area so the obvious one is Coral Bay as already mentioned but further North is Lara Bay which is where the turtles are and if you carry on to Polis Latchi Argaka and Pomos there are some lovely bays and much quieter. The eastern coast is more known for its beaches such as Fig Tree Bay. The sea is so beautiful and clear in Cyprus you will have a lovely time, if you stay away from the touristy areas and visit the villages etc you will have a taste of the real Cyprus. Have a gr8 holiday.




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Coral Bay is a bit busy and not really a hidden gem anymore, but a nice sandy beach netherless.





There is a nice beach if you head out towards Latchi and up towards the Baths of Aphrodite. It is fine shingle but it makes a change from sand and you often see the greek ladies there in their black dresses paddling at the water%26#39;s edge!!





If you head Limassol way ladies mile is a must. It is on the outskirts of Limassol by the Akrotiri Salt Flats. The road to it however is rather rough but we have never damaged the car when we have taken it there. Best to go there in the morning as by the afternoon an ferocious off shore breeze can get up and you get sandblasted!!! Lovely sandy beach though with shallow water for quite a way out so ideal for swimming.





On the way back from Limassol there is a village called Pissouri and this has a nice shingle beach with a taverna on it.





All of these are worth a visit, especially if you have a car. Incidently, about the car you can buy extra insurance to protect you if you damage a tyre etc. I%26#39;ve just done my booking on line and this protection for 19 days car hire was about £38....I didn%26#39;t think that was too bad....might be worth considering as some on the roads aren%26#39;t great!!




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Paphos is not known for its beaches so we try and get somewhere with a decent pool as well. There is Coral Bay of course - but if you want something smaller there is a small beach area where you can swim in a nice bay -as you head to Coral Bay there is the Atlantica Golden Beach hotel. Just before it is a sign for the Vardas Taverna. Turn down this drive and if you eat/drink at the Vardas you can use their sun beds and walk down to the little strip of beach for a swim. Its sandy and safe. Gets popular at weekends so perhaps go early on a weekday.



If you go to Polis -head for the campsite- its signposted -there is a sandy beach there and you can park under the pine trees. Latchi beach is a bit stoney but once you get in the water its great swimming- we always take jelly shoes !



In the other direction is Curium beach- we have only been once and the wind blew us off- should be fine in July though !



The roads are excellent,motorways good, just stick to the speed limits, watch out for high kerb edges (seen a couple of exhausts ripped off !).




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we,ve been to coral bay last year in october, and its a nice beach,nothing fantastic though. it was quite crowded when we wer there and there was a extremely irratating group pf posing young cypriots, that played beach ball right in front of us, trying to impress a girl that was 16.one of the greeks look over thiry,it really got on my nerves as the ball was always being knocked all over, nocking my kids sandcastles over, and as i remeber there is only one place to eat on the beach, but you can hire pedalos etc




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Curium beach is one of the nicest in Cyprus. Cypriots genrally just go to the beach to swim and as Cyprus is surrounded by sea they tend to go anywear.



As for irritating posing Cypriots, please remember it is our country, but you are more than welcome if you are well behaved.




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Thank you so much every one for your superb top tips. I do find this site to be so interesting to read and its very informative for everything you want to know too. Its a definite must for anyone planning a holiday to find out the good and perhaps sometimes the bad of places to see etc.



So now we have Lara Bay to add to our list. It’s interesting that the turtles lay their eggs in this area as I recall a beach in Zante was the same. We were told time and again of seeing the turtles in the sea, waiting to come in at night to lay their eggs but I must have been the only one not to see one!! Fingers x this time then.



Polis Latchi and Pomas sound lovely bays too and you are right in saying to escape the touristy areas you really get a feel of a country. Why bother to travel to these places if you don%26#39;t at least explore a bit we say.



We have heard of the Baths of Aphrodite and about %26quot;the rock%26quot;. Perhaps a few swimming laps around that might take years off us ~ can but hope! So we must add the ladies mile near Limassol but be careful with the car too..got it. Yes we booked our car online too and we have to collect it from downtown Paphos on Monday. We have no idea where that is in relation to the Damon Hotel though.



We will try Curium beach and let you know about the wind. There is nothing worse than being blasted with sand ~ hurts too! We will keep an eye open for the high kerbs too with the roads ~ another excellent tip.



I have just laughed at %26quot;DurhamHazey%26quot; comment about Coral Bay and young Cypriots playing beach ball etc. We have suffered exactly the same experience in the past, which is very irritating indeed and we ended up moving. It’s not quite as bad as last years experience mind, as we were happily sat on the beach and suddenly a herd of bulls appeared from no where. It’s known as clearing a beach rather quickly!! It was not in Cyprus though.



Well thank you again to all of you ~ keep the comments coming. It’s much appreciated. The suitcase is packed and we are ready for the off on Sunday.




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We are now back from Paphos.



the best beach is definately Coral Bay for the sand. We visited many others but all were either shingle or grit.



If you want recommondations for restaurants we suggest Chloe%26#39;s chinese (Harbour area) and Adelaida (opposite Alexander the Great Hotel)



Cheers...




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