Sirena Bay has been dubbed a hidden gem, known only to locals. Its atmosphere has been called quirky, almost spiritual. We decided to find it to see whether it lived up to the hype.

August has been incredibly hot, with temperatures reaching into the late thirties. For us, any day out has to include water to cool down in. The sea around Protaras and Agia Napa in the south-east is the bluest I’ve seen in Cyprus and we’d been keen to visit that part of the island again. But during August it is incredibly busy, the beaches lined with sunbeds and filled with tourists. I want to visit the famous Nissi Beach, Fig Tree Bay and Konnos Beach, but not at the peak of the holiday season.

Sirena Bay is a few kilometres north of Fig Tree Bay. As a ‘hidden gem’ we’d hoped it had escaped the tourist chaos. We couldn’t find it on any of our maps, but it can be found on Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.  We missed it at first because entry to the bay is at the end of a residential street and there were no signposts. We could see how this place is known only to locals – it’s not somewhere you’d just stumble across. We could also see straight away that ‘hidden gem’ didn’t mean empty gem. The two nearest car parks were heaving and we had to park a five-minute walk away.

Sirena Bay was tiny. In the centre of it was the Sirena Bay Tavern, an outdoor place nestled among the trees that line the bay. Brightly-coloured tables and chairs sat underneath palms and next to ponds. An outside bar pumped out lively music with a latin vibe. The tavern was packed, filled with beautiful, glamorous Cypriot men and women in bikinis and board shorts. But the place didn’t feel pretentious. The atmosphere was utterly, wonderfully bohemian. The people were chilled out and friendly; eating, drinking, playing cards with each other and cooling off with a swim in the bay.

Almost every table had been reserved, but we found a cosy corner filled with pillows under the shade of a gorgeous tree. Prices at the tavern are mid-range – a village salad was €7, a pitta sandwich €6, main courses starting at about €11. There’s an extensive cocktail menu. We had a really nice lunch, chilling out and just enjoying the atmosphere.

After lunch we were desperate to cool down in the sea and found some steps that led from the restaurant to the bay. At first sight, I was a bit disappointed by the bay. It was tiny, busy and filled with sunbeds. After the natural beauty of Lara Bay last week, this bay felt a bit artificial, its sides fortified with giant stones. The sea by the shore was a cloudy green colour, not the azure blue I associated with this part of Cyprus. The sea bed was stony and lined with seaweed.

However, we soon discovered that 50 metres out to sea is a large sandy spit where everyone was swimming. We joined them. The swim was well worth it because the rocks and cloudy sea gave way to a sandy sea bed and crystal clear water. The sea was totally flat and everyone was just relaxing in the warm water, the bay filled with the Latin beats from the tavern. Matt and Goobie loved it. I find stillness and doing nothing hard – playing in the waves at Lara Bay is more my cup of tea. However, the chilled atmosphere eventually worked its magic on me as I floated on the gentle sea and thought about how bloody fortunate I am to live on this island.

We eventually wandered back to the tavern and enjoyed ice creams and cocktails. It was late afternoon and the sun was low in the sky. The music had grown more up-tempo and people were beginning to dance between the multi-coloured tables.  I wanted to join them. If Matt and I had been there on our own, I’d have loved to have stayed into the evening. But it was getting late and Goobie was tired. It was time to go.

Sirena Bay Tavern and Sirena Bay can’t really be separated out. They are an extension of each other and the atmosphere they create does feel special. It is a hidden gem – there wasn’t a single foreign tourist there (apart from us!). I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn’t been as crowded, but I only discovered later that we went during a Cypriot bank holiday weekend – pretty much the busiest time to go.

Sirena Bay’s unique boho vibe will definitely draw us there again – but when it’s quieter.