Porto Limnionas — the rock inlet at midday

Porto Limnionas is not a beach. It is a narrow inlet on the wild west coast below Agios Leon, where the sea pushes in between limestone walls and the only place to sit is the rock itself, cut into natural terraces and worn smooth. There is a taverna on the cliff above, a set of steps down, and water so clear that a swimmer casts a shadow on the bottom.

What this gives a photographer is graphic simplicity: white-grey rock, deep green-blue water and vertical walls, with no sand, no sunbeds and nothing built in the frame below the taverna. Couples work well on the terraces above the water and on the small rock platform at the mouth; the wall on the far side gives depth to a wide shot.

The timing is genuinely unusual. The inlet is narrow and deep, so early and late in the day the cliffs shade the water and the colour goes flat — this is one of the few places on the island that wants the sun high. Between roughly eleven and three the light reaches the bottom, the water turns luminous, and the rock is bright enough to fill shadows on faces. Take the harsh hour that ruins every other location and spend it here.

Practical: the steps down are steep and the rock is slippery where the sea has been over it, so grip soles matter more than they look like they should. Parking is on the cliff above and gets full in season. This is the exposed west coast — when a swell is running the inlet churns and swimming is out, which is worth checking before building an afternoon around it.