Hestia Group News

The Paphos region in the west of cyprus is a popular year-round destination for holidaymakers and permanent residents alike. Its healthy ‘micro climate’ makes it an ideal location to enjoy the best of what cyprus has to offer.

Just twenty five minutes from Paphos International Airport,  the ‘old town’ area has a selection of shops, banks, bars and restaurants – extending towards the palm tree lined promenade of Kato Paphos which hugs the edge of the Mediterranean and the historic fort at the mouth of the picturesque harbour.

The attraction of the wider area is much more than this traditional tourist ‘hotspot’ – you only have to travel about 12kms west of Paphos to the Coral Bay area to discover a landscape and coastline of increasing contrasts and stark beauty.

Coral Bay, with its horse-shoe shaped sandy beach, is a delightful resort renowned for its superb sandy beaches and calm shallow waters. Away from this idyllic setting, the coastline is dotted with strange rock formations and Sea Caves steeped with folklore. In common with much of the Paphos region, this was once a rural and barren land which has changed dramatically during recent years.

The Sea Caves area is situated north and is only a five minute drive from the restaurants and bars of the centre of Coral Bay. It is one of the finest residential areas on the island offering some of the most exclusive villas in cyprus but still retaining its ‘natural’ beauty and privacy. This is hardly surprising considering the breathtaking rugged coastline dotted with ancient smugglers caves and small sandy coves with crystal clear Mediterranean waters that lie close by. The name is derived from the stunning geological formations which have appeared across the centuries caused by the sea gouging out the limestone cliffs.

Just to the west of Sea Caves along the coastline is the small picture-postcard fishing harbour of St George (Agios Georgious) with its beautiful church and sand and shingle beach. This is a perfect spot for snorkeling and scuba Diving or topping up your tan. Agios Georgious was formerly the important settlement of  ‘Drepanum’ in Roman times. Today it has some of the best fish restaurants in the island, serving fish brought in by the local fishermen on a daily basis.

Important Roman and Christian archaeological sites also lie just inland from here including a complex of rock-cut tombs that go un-noticed by most visitors.

As the coastline of cyprus is protected and there are no private beaches, you are free to walk along the coastline and enjoy the landscape and breathtaking views. Right on your doorstep is the Akamas Peninsula, totally unspoilt, beautiful scenery, somewhere to escape to for peace & quiet. Just off the coast is the ‘Sacred Island’ of Yerosissos which plays a great part in many photos of the spectacular sunsets!

The whole area invites exploration – and not just of the typical, tourist type trail of looking at ancient monuments and relics in museums. The history of cyprus as an island is unapologetically linked to its maritime and Mediterranean heritage. So a good place to start the voyage of fresh discovery is the sea itself. Diving and snorkelling is the key to unlocking the adventure. If you’re not experienced, expert help is available from the professional organisers of Diving and kayaking trips who operate in the area. They can guide you through the essentials to ensure both your safety as well as your enjoyment of the experience.

Starting from the shallows, you can work your way through sand dunes and channels. Ancient terracotta pots lie everywhere!

The classic Sea Caves tour is very popular. After driving a short distance to a secluded natural bay, you go through some of the ‘basics for beginners ’. This is to ensure that everybody can control their boat safely whilst having fun - so the routine is to put you through a series of ‘fun’ games and challenges to test your boat control and eagerness to get wet!  The tour can then begin.

Leaving the bay, you head along the rocky coast to an area of amazing limestone erosion that has formed stacks and arches; you paddle through and it’s here that you can try your luck in the  ‘Washing Machine’ a deceptive rotational current that will have you pointing every direction but forwards!

From here you paddle on to the Sea Caves - an impressive series of wet caves an average of 30 meters long - and paddle inside these to explore their physical features which give the caves their names, so you can visit ‘Jonah’, ‘Purple Haze’, ‘Standing Room Only’ and ‘The Big One’, to name a few. Note that these caves are only accessible by kayak so being part of an organised group is absolutely essential, besides which you will have them all to yourself! 

The crystal blue sea and the peculiar rock formations are unique to the area – and this is truly a meeting with nature in its most raw and spectacular form. In past times some of the caves have been inhabited by Monk Seals - and some still are.

So, on a routine visit to Paphos, you can enjoy what ‘mainstream’ cyprus has to offer the tourist – plus a whole lot more besides if you take a relatively small step off the beaten track. Simply scratch beneath the surface of modernity and let your senses touch the fabric of antiquity, preserved so dutifully by nature and protected from the ravages of human intervention by an uncompromising land and seascape.

Hestia Holidays have a superb property available for renting right in the heart of the Sea Caves Area, click on the word ‘Sea Caves’ anywhere in this article to see more details.