The hidden European beach with sea turtles and the most sunlight hours in autumn – and it’s just a few hours from the UK

AUTUMN is just around the corner, but there are still places where holidaymakers can find plenty of sunshine in Europe.

One of those is Cyprus, which is both the sunniest and warmest country in the continent to visit in October.

It has more hours of sunlight and warmer average temperatures than anywhere else, making it the perfect spot for an autumn sun getaway.

In fact, its autumn months are still on average better than the UK's summer, according to , who said: "The sunniest tourist destination in Europe in October is Cyprus with 9 hours of average daily sunshine.

"The warmest place in mainland Europe in October is Cyprus (26C) followed by Malta (25C), Dalyan (25C) in southern Turkey and the Greek island of Kos (25C)."

Despite it being a popular holiday destination, there are still plenty of places to find solitude in the sun, including Zapolo Beach, which is one of the best hidden beaches in the country.

Cypriot holiday specialists listed it as the best spot to sunbathe in peace, praising it for its clear waters, fine sand and natural sunbeds.

They wrote: "Zapalo Bay is propably the most spectacular beach in the Limassol District. It is a large bay which combines steep cliffs, fine brown sand, white rocks and crystal-clear deep-blue waters. 

"The west side of the bay has beautiful fine brown sand, shallow waters, making it ideal for relaxation. The large cape protects this part of the bay from winds, resulting in completely calm seas. The feeling is magical.

"Large flat rocks make great 'orthopaedic' sunbeds to lie on."

One person who agreed was Tiktoker Cypriot Smurf () who described it as the best beach in the country.

In he showed his reaction upon first arriving at the bay, simply saying: "That is beautiful."

After walking down the cliffside to the sandy shore, he added: "It was all rocks and now it's beautiful sand.

"I think, the best beach I've ever been to in Cyprus.

"There's only, like, literally a couple of people here and there's no one else over there. All you can hear is the birds."

The beach is a well kept secret, with only seven people reviewing it on TripAdvisor - most of whom gave it the full five stars.

One visitor said they had the beach all to themselves, apart from some nesting turtles.

They said: "Arrive for sundown and enjoy the whole beach to yourself with turtle nests around."