Cyprus is blessed with extensive beaches with clear blue Mediterranean waters and golden sands. There are beaches to suit every mood and season, from full-on action watersports to quiet, secluded bays. Did you know that Cyprus has the most blue flat beaches per coastline length in the world?

The Paphos region boasts some stunning beaches that are just a short drive from Aphrodite Hills, which we highly recommend that you explore while you’re visiting Cyprus; there’s nothing that says holiday quite like a day in the sunshine by the sea after all! The Paphos coastline is really interesting and varies from pebble beaches, to sandy beaches, to sea caves and then of course there’s the Blue Lagoon, one of our most favourite spots in Cyprus.

* Do NOT forget your suncream
* Purchase a bat and ball: play in the water’s edge to keep cooler
* Be careful where you tread in turtle conservation areas
* Take a cool box: keep your drinks and snacks cool in the heat
* Take a basin: makes washing your feet nice & easy at the end of the day

Aphrodite’s Rock ★★★★★
Location
A good stop off point for a quick dip and an opportunity to test the fable that says if you swim around the rock anti-clockwise at midnight in your birthday suit, you will achieve eternal youth. By day the sights are less concerning and the waters are beautiful and clear, with a magical sense of history – this is where Aphrodite is supposed to have risen from the waves, naked, of course. Snorkelling here is good. Great for: finding true love!

Geroskipou Beach ★★★★★
Location
New breakwaters have improved this beach’s appeal 10-fold, it’s fantastic for swimming and enjoying a day on a sunbed. The waters are really calm here and the beach is a mixture of pebbles and white sand – perfect for building sandcastles with the little ones! The beach is almost half a kilometre long and there are a good few little snack shacks and restaurants along the strip. Cabana is a very popular beach bar here; it has a loud party vibe at the weekends, but is lovely and chilled during the week, offering comfortable sunbeds and delicious snacks. Great for: calm seas

Coralia Beach ★★★★★
Location
Increasingly popular with tourists, but a little quieter than neighbouring Coral Bay Beach (which is also beautiful but does tend to get very busy in peak season). White sands, calm sea and views of the Coral Bay Hotel pier make this the perfect beach to unwind on. Set in a small bay, there are plenty of good snorkelling spots and a couple of nice eateries close by if you fancy a bite to eat. Great for: kids and sand

Akamas Peninsula – Lara Beach ★★★★★
Location
The Akamas National park is well worth checking out if you are into discovering secluded beaches and bays. Lara Beach is a turtle sanctuary Lara Beach is a turtle sanctuary (check out the interesting information shack on the beach itself) and the coast is unspoilt and great for picnics, with the Akamas nature reserve as a picturesque backdrop. A natural and undisturbed world that is best accessed with a 4 x 4. You can combine a trip to Lara Beach with a walk up Avakas Gorge and we also highly recommend The Last Castle (found around half way along the dirt track towards the beach) for some good local cuisine at lunch time. Great for: turtle spotting and rugged beauty

Latchi ★★★★★
Location
Latchi is a gorgeous little fishing village towards the west coast of Cyprus, a little further out in the Paphos region (around an hour’s drive from Aphrodite Hills – it’s a beautiful drive though!). There are some stunning beaches situated along the coast here and the area boasts the beautiful backdrop of the Akamas Peninsula and the coastal hills towards Pyrgos. Fishing, boat trips and sailing are the best in the area from here. Our top three beaches around here would be the Latsi beach, the Asprokremmos Beach (a little further along) and there’s also a really cool little beach hidden beneath the steps down from the restaurant next to Aphrodite Baths. Great for: snorkelling

Sodap Municiple Beach ★★★★★
Location
Paphos itself has some lovely municiple beaches that are located in front of the main hotel strip in Kato Paphos (lower Paphos). If you walk along the coastal path from the harbour towards the hotels then you will have lots of beaches to choose from, all with white sands and sunbeds. Our favourite along here is the Sodap beach which has municipal toilets and showers and access to the lovely Antasia Beach Club from where you can order drinks and food. Great for: touristy vibes