Australia is rich with many beautiful beaches; however the beach of Whitehaven on Whitsunday Island, Queensland stands out from the rest as being one of the most heavenly beaches in the world, and is recognised globally as being the best beach in Australia. Whitehaven Beach is renowned for its pearly white sands, which has been formed over many years from the coral pieces of the Great Barrier Reef. Its bright white colour is due to its high silica content, which is believed to be around 98%.
The Seychelles is considered by many as being one of the most romantic destinations in the world, and can truly be considered as a paradise. The same can be said about its beaches, especially the Anse Source d’Argent, which has been voted on several occasions as the best beach in the world. The Anse Source d’Argent can be found on the principal island of La Digue and is made of a series of small pink crescent sand beaches, which are separated by weather shaped granite boulders.
Harbour Island is home to the best beaches in the Bahamas, most notably Pink Sands Beach. At over three miles long, Pink Sands Beach is a composition of tiny rocks, coral, broken shells and calcium from certain marine life. The famous pink colouring originates from microscopic marine creatures known as Foraminifera. These creatures have bright pink or red shells and usually live on the sea bed or under coral reefs, they are then knocked free by waves and fish allowing them to be washed ashore giving the sand that distinct pink colour.
Hawaii, just like Australia, has an impressive collection of beaches available, however there is one beach that is considered by many as the best beach in Hawaii, whether its for swimming, sunbathing or simply for its beauty. At around a mile long, Lanikai Beach truly lives up to its Hawaiian meaning of heavenly sea with its warm turquoise waters, gentle pleasant winds and powdered-sugar sands. This picture perfect beach is not only the sun seekers paradise, but the water sport enthusiasts too. With popular activities such as windsurfing, outrigger canoeing, surfing, sailing and kayaking, Lanikai Beach is perfect for those looking for some action on the water coupled with a fantastic backdrop.
If you’re looking for the perfect beach while on your Things to do in Limassol, Cyprus
Friday, March 18th, 2011
Located on the south of the island, conveniently between Paphos and Larnaca airports, Limassol is home to some of the best beaches in the Mediterranean, along with museums, galleries, a water park, shops, restaurants and even castles as the island celebrates its own rich history; making it an ideal location for all kinds of travellers.
Instead of wandering round aimlessly looking for the first ‘British’ pub you see, why not make a list of things you want to see or do before you go, and head down to the pool and enjoy a cool drink in the sun, and make a plan of action about where you’re going to head first?
If you’re after ideas of things to do, hopefully our guide to what is on offer in Limassol below will inspire you:
- Lemosos Castle - one of the most popular tourist attractions in Limassol, the castle is said to be the place where Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria in 1191. It is now a museum dedicated to armoury and weapons from the battles that have taken place in Cyprus over the years. Located just outside Limassol, the castle should definitely be on your to do list.
- Kolossi Medieval Castle is a 13th century structure in Kolossi village, once home to the production of the Island’s main export; sugar. It was originally built in 1210….
- Limassol Archaeological Museum opened in 1948, and is home to antiques from archaeological digs from all over the island, with items from the 9000BC right through to the late Roman times.
- Municipal folk art museum – housing artefacts from the 19th century through to the present day, including tapestries, paintings, clothing and small items of furniture, the folk art museum won the Europa Nostra award in 1989.
- Fasouri Watermania Park – open from April to October, the water park has over 30 different slides and rides, including kamikaze slides, racing slides, wave pools and a lazy river course.
- Galatex beach centre – the central hub for cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs in Limassol. In the daytime, it is fairly quiet, however at night when all the revellers come out; expect bright lights and loud music from the various different clubs.
- Limassol municipal garden & zoo – home to many different species of plants, flowers and even palm trees, the municipal gardens also have a dinosaur park and a zoo to keep families and children entertained. The zoo has over 300 animals including tigers, lions, panthers, bears, monkeys, deer and many different birds.
- The annual wine festival – every year over 100,000 people visit the municipal gardens to attend the Wine Festival of Cyprus to celebrate the history of wine production on the island, with food, drink, music and dancing.
- Scuba diving – there are many scuba diving centres offering courses around the shoreline of Limassol, with some great sights on show, such as the Pharses II wreck and the M/Y Diana yacht wreck, although you’ll need a scuba diving certification from one of the local centres before you can explore the waters yourself.
If you don’t fancy sightseeing, there are many beaches in Limassol where you can just have a lazy day and sit in the sun for an hour or two, such as Pissouri Bay beach, Melanda beach, Lady’s mile beach, Kourion beach, Governor’s beach, and probably the most famous beach on the island; Aphrodite’s beach – said to be the birthplace of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Water sports are on offer at most of the beaches, with banana boats, jet skis and windsurfing available.
If you’re wondering what the weather will be like in Limassol, Cyprus enjoys a hot Mediterranean climate where you can expect temperatures to top 30°C in the summer months, so just remember to take your sun cream with you!
Finally, while you’re in Cyprus, you have to have at least one local meal, so try Meze; almost like a Cypriot/Greek version of Tapas with many small dishes including
- Olives
- Tsakistes with garlic and herbs
- Taramosalata
- Talattouri
- Octopus
- Prawns
- Yoghurt
- Artichoke salad
- Hummus
- Aubergines
- Koft
- Spicy lamb or beef
There will be other dishes on a Meze menu, including vegetarian meals to ensure that no one is left out when it comes to sampling the local food.
This guest post was supplied by the team at travelsupermarket.com, a comparison website which specialises in offering cheap holidays to Cyprus.
