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This tiny cove west of Agia Napa manages to avoid the worst of the summer crowds. There’s a small sandy beach guarded by a little white chapel.

Handy for the sights of central Larnaka, Finikoudes, with its palm-lined pedestrian esplanade, is the ideal place for a cooling swim after a morning’s shopping and sightseeing. Very clean for a city beach, it has Blue Flag status and a rank of sunloungers and umbrellas.

Pine woods cover the steep slopes behind this minute cove, hemmed in by craggy headlands. It is easiest to get to by boat, and it’s a popular stop on day-trips from Protaras and Agia Napa, with good visibility for snorkelling.

Kryo Nero, past Agia Napa’s eastern outskirts, marks the end of the long sandy stretch that begins at Limnaki. A little further along the coast are the spectacular sea caves (Thalassines Spilies), where waves have carved grottoes and arches out of the limestone cliffs.

Only a handful of adventurers and those in the know make it to this sandy stretch of coast, so if you want to escape the crowds, this is one to head for.

Mackenzie (sometimes spelt Makenzy) Beach reportedly owes its name to a Scots caterer who set up a restaurant-bar here just after World War II. Whatever the origins, this is urban Larnaka’s handy beach getaway, much favoured by local families for its grey but clean sand and shallow waters. Lifeguards keep an eye on things, and date palms line the esplanade behind.

Makronissos’s sandy hinter-land is perfect for cross-country quad-biking. You can rent bikes at the beach (see Makronissos Beach).

Here the water is beautiful, and the soft white sand is clean and plentiful (see Protaras).