From Ierapetra, take the coastal road heading east. It passes a longish stretch of unremarkable textile beach before climbing and veering a hundred metres or so inland. The space between the road and the low coastal cliffs becomes nondescript scrubby waste ground.

Pull off onto one of the dirt tracks. (There was a Nissan roadside billboard my contributor used as a landmark on repeat visits.) Park near the cliff edge and peer down to get your bearings.

It's really one long beach, punctuated by cliff-falls to form little bays. If you don't like what you see, drive a couple of hundred metres further and try again.

A couple of naturists were already down there at the spot my contributors fancied, so the area obviously has a small reputation. Another day, textiles were at the same spot - so my contributors just hopped along to the next bay. Word reaches me that some concrete steps have been built for ease of access. Before that you had to scramble down the sandstone cliffs to the beach, which is medium-brown sand, pebbles, larger rocks and boulders.

Quite clean, too, unlike the cliff-top area! No amenities of course, so bring your own refreshments. The cliff face and rock outcrops are riddled with caves and niches, where the kids had a whale of a time exploring and playing hide-and-seek. It's a shallow beach, and hence quite safe for non-swimmers and younger children. Access to the water can be a bit difficult because of submerged rocks. The enclosedness makes it easy to keep kids within range. The beach was observed by local men standing at the top of the cliff a couple of times, but there was never any hassle. Not an absolutely perfect area, but plenty good enough.