The steep dirt road has never been surfaced - as if on purpose to keep Myrtiotissa as untouched as possible. But this doesn't dis­courage the dozens of faithful devotees of this beautiful beach, who make their way down the bumpy road by car (10 minutes) or on foot (30 minutes), in the sun. The crystal clear water, the greenery, the sheer rocks around the beach and in the sea, com­bine to give it a wild, virgin beauty. The nud­ists who used to dominate the place now tend to gravitate to the left-hand end of the beach. The current population is more var­ied: islanders, foreign fans of alternative tourism, gays, naturalists, adventure-seekers The bottom drops away sharply here, and you have to be careful of the currents. A lit­tle to the north of the beach is the (16th century) monastery of the Virgin of Myrtiotissa, from which the place takes its name. There is a little taverna near the monastery, and two or three makeshift snack bars on the beach that rent out reclin­ers and sell pareos, chilled beer and deli­cious sandwiches fragrant with fresh oregano from the mountain. (20 km from Corfu town).