Latchi

Fishing harbour west of Polis with the island's most serious five-star, boat trips to the Blue Lagoon and grilled fish by the quay

Latchi — Latsi on some road signs — is a working fishing shelter three kilometres west of Polis, and it does two things extremely well: it grills fish, and it launches boats. The harbour is small enough to walk end to end in four minutes, ringed by a dozen tavernas whose freezers you can, and should, inspect before ordering. Behind them the coast road runs west towards the Baths of Aphrodite with the Akamas ridge rising green-grey ahead, and this is the stretch where the serious hotels sit, including the Anassa, which for two decades has been the benchmark for luxury on this island.

At nine in the evening the harbour is lit, busy and adult. Families eat late, the boat skippers drink at the far end near the fuel pump, and the noise level tops out at conversation. There is no club, no promoter with a clipboard, no karaoke. A whole grilled sea bass with village salad, dips and half a litre of wine lands at €30 to €40 a head; a plate of grilled octopus alone is €16 to €19. If you want the cheaper version, drive the ten minutes to Polis and eat inland.

The sea here is the reason to book. Latchi beach runs east from the harbour as coarse sand and fine shingle, clean and steeply-ish shelving, with water that stays blue rather than turning milky in wind. West of the harbour the shore breaks into small stony coves and then into the Akamas proper. Every third boat in the marina sells the same day trip — Blue Lagoon, sea caves, swim stops — for €25 to €45 depending on whether lunch is included. Take the small boats, not the big double-decker with the sound system.

Book Latchi if you want a five-star with the sea in front of it and empty limestone headlands behind, and if you are happy to drive to reach anything urban. Skip it if you have teenagers who need nightlife, or if a €200-plus January rate for the flagship hotels feels absurd for a place where half the restaurants shut in winter. From November to March this is a very quiet corner of Cyprus indeed, and that is precisely why some people come.

Where to stay in Latchi

There are really two Latchis. The coast road running west from the harbour towards the Baths of Aphrodite holds the big-ticket rooms — sea-view suites, spa, private beach — where January starts around €180 and August comfortably passes €400 for the front-facing rooms. The second cluster is the low-rise apartment blocks and small hotels set back behind the harbour and along the Polis road, where €70 to €110 buys a large balcony and a kitchen in shoulder season. Ask specifically for a room facing northwest: that is the sunset over the Akamas and it is the whole point. Avoid units directly above the harbour tavernas if you eat early and sleep early, since chairs are stacked around midnight, and avoid the rear-facing blocks on the Polis road, which get scooter noise and no view for barely less money.

The essentials

Harbour to Baths of Aphrodite (3 km)

Leave the harbour by the western arm, past the fuel pump and the last taverna, then follow the shoreline path and coast road west. You pass the small stony coves used by the dive schools, the last of the low-rise hotels, and a run of open scrub where the Akamas begins. The road ends at the Baths of Aphrodite car park; climb the short paved path to the grotto and spring, then take the terrace above it for the bay view.

Getting there & around

From Paphos Airport allow 55 minutes by car — A6 west, then B7 and E709 through Stroumbi to Polis, then the coast road west for three kilometres. A taxi runs €70 to €90. On public transport, take the shuttle into Paphos, board route 645 at Karavella station for the hour-long run to Polis, then the local 622, which shuttles between Polis, Latchi and the Baths of Aphrodite through the day in summer and only a handful of times in winter. Within Latchi you walk everywhere; the harbour to the far end of the beach is fifteen minutes. Harbour parking is free but fills by 9.30am on summer boat days.