For some reason, however, I've never felt especially intrigued by the place, and it was only when I finally found time to pay the island a visit one overcast weekend, recently, that I discovered the island is actually extremely beautiful. It seems --iao Liuqiu has an identity problem: If the tourist literature and the several articles I've read on the island are to be believed, its most impressive sights are the shapely and unusual (but quite small) Vase Rock, a lollipop-shaped stack of dead coral rising out of the sea just offshore, and the beautiful surrounding ocean, which glows a rich deep blue in fine weather, but was a rather subdued greenish color on the cloudy day we arrived.

Arriving on one of the fairly frequent yachts (leaving every hour or two) from the little port of Donggang (東港), thirty kilometers south of Kaohsiung, first impressions are quite unimpressive. The yacht docks at the island's main village, Baisha (白沙) an unremarkable collection of shops, motorcycle rental places and eateries gathered around the jetty and boat arrival hall. However, get yourself a pair of wheels (there's no need for scooter licenses and other such irritating formalities here!), and in no time at all you'll be zipping along the coastal road out of town, heading counter-clockwise towards Beautiful Lady Cave (美人洞), and beginning to appreciate just what a wonderful escape --iu Liuqiu is.

For a start, the number of cars on the island can be counted on one hand, and apart from other scooters, it's highly unusual to see any form of motor vehicle aside from the little bus service which occasionally shuttles those visitors and locals unfortunate enough to be scooter-less around the island.

The quiet, car-free lanes of --iu Liuqiu are a marvelously refreshing change from the crazy roads of mainland Taiwan, but surely the island's greatest draw is its extraordinary, yet largely unsung scenery. One of Taiwan's few landscapes built up completely from coral, the island has a slightly exotic, tropical feel, which so far hasn't been spoilt by excessive commercialization. For an excellent introduction, take a look at the area known as Beautiful Lady Cave.

Far from being a single, rather insignificant hole in the rock, as most photos of the place seem to imply, Beautiful Lady Cave is the name given to an extensive wonderland of tunnels, overhangs, weird formations, tiny springs of fresh water and deep, narrow gorges carved by the elements into a stretch of coral cliffs a couple of kilometers along the coast from Baisha. It's well worth paying the entrance fee (a combined ticket also valid for the other sights around the island), because there's plenty on the two main paths (one on either side of the road) through the strange landscape to keep a curious explorer happily occupied for an hour or two, and tons of photo opportunities.

Beautiful Lady Cave is just one of a number of fascinating areas of coral formations dotted around the coast. After a thorough exploration, jump back on the bike and head for the Mountain Pig Gully (山豬溝), a secret and complicated maze of craggy little coral-walled gorges, clefts and densely forested slopes.

A network of paved paths passes through some of the most interesting formations, but get off the path at least once, to discover some impressive side gullies such as 'A Slither of Sky' where the tall, overhanging walls of the narrow gorge almost meet high above, all but blocking out the sky.

A succession of similarly striking formations can be found at the Black Ghost Cave (烏鬼洞), although the main sight here, the eponymous cave, is a long, uncomfortable and very tight squeeze, best left to the kids.

A kilometer or so further, the coast road rounds the southernmost point of the island, and, turning north up the opposite side of the island, follows the wildest and least populated coastline on the island. Here the road lies below the cliffs, right on the foreshore. Look for the Kuanyin Head Rock, which is quite small and inconspicuous, but really does deserve its name, once discovered.

In another couple of kilometers (and only twelve kilometers after leaving Baisha at the start of the trip around the island), the road comes full circle, and you're back where you started. The entire journey could easily be completed in thirty minutes or so, but this wonderful little island is the perfect place to throw away the tourist brochure and explore, so allow at least a full day. There's a lot to discover!