Coral Bay is the beach the Paphos area is proudest of, and for once the reputation is deserved. A sheltered horseshoe of golden sand between two limestone headlands, shallow and calm, Blue Flag water, everything a family day needs within fifty metres of the towel. In July it is heaving, and it earns the crowds honestly.
But treating Coral Bay as the destination is like reading only the first page. The bay belongs to Peyia, a municipality that spills down the hillside above, and Peyia's real gift is what happens as you head north, where the coast gets steadily wilder until civilisation gives up altogether.
The wild bit
First come the sea caves at Cape Drepanum, a run of white cliffs the sea has carved into arches and hollows, at their best in late light when the rock glows. Then Agios Georgios, a genuinely tiny working harbour below a church, with the mosaic floors of an early Christian basilica alongside and fish tavernas overlooking Yeronisos island. And then the road ends. Past Agios Georgios you are into the Akamas: rough tracks, empty pebble coves, and eventually Lara Bay, the great undeveloped arc of sand where green and loggerhead turtles nest every summer. No bars, no sunbeds, just cages protecting the nests. You need a 4x4, a boat trip or determined legs to get there, which is exactly why it survives.
Inland, Avakas Gorge cuts into the hills on Peyia's doorstep: a slot canyon where 30 metre walls narrow until they nearly touch overhead. The walk in along the streambed is one of the best short hikes in Cyprus. Proper shoes, plenty of water, and give it a miss after heavy rain.
Up the hill for dinner
Peyia village itself, up the slope from the coast, keeps an old stone core around its church square and its famous fountains, celebrated in Cypriot folk song. The move is simple: beach or gorge by day, then dinner up in the village with the entire coastline glittering below, or fish at the harbour at Agios Georgios as the sun drops behind Yeronisos.
That is the Peyia formula, and it is hard to beat on this island: one of the best organised beaches in Cyprus and some of its last genuinely wild coastline, ten minutes apart. Do the famous bit in the morning. Save the wild bit for the afternoon. Stay for the sunset, which out here is never optional.
