10 Best Beaches in the World!

Hi guys,

Read this update in some magazine somewhere on the 10 best beaches a few years ago. I would like to put the word out there to get you guys to give your input as to what your thoughts are on this because these mags always seem to be biased to beauty over atmosphere!

Will list a few that I really enjoyed (for different reasons) right here and note they are randomly ordered...find it rather hard to call one better than the other!

- Haad Riin (Ko Pha Ngan Thailand), not the nicest/prettiest beach in Thailand, but atmosphere wise goes a long way in my book!
- Byron Bay (Australia) ..... bit of surf, bit of partying...very good
- Coogee!!!! (Sydney Australia) Lived here so am slightly biased towards this beach when comparing to say Bondi...
- Montezuma (Costa Rica), once again, this one is chosen on atmosphere, not the beach itself
-Whitehaven Beach (Whitsundays Australia)....pearly white silica sand! Probably the most beautiful beach!
- Sunset Beach (Oahu Hawaii)... beats Waikiki in my book, but then most beaches on the north shore do
- No name beach (Honiara Solomon Islands), no idea what this place was called but it was a favorite on Sunday afternoons for a barbie and some fishing, snorkelling while I was growing up.
- Santa Monica beach/boulevard... one of the weirdest beaches I have been to with the bball courts, work out area and a lot of 'fake'...

Look forward to getting some new ideas of beaches to visit from your input!

Happy Travels and cheers...

Sam

Ok.. I'll add a few..

- Wilsons Promontory in Victoria (Australia) has a few great beaches, the best one I've been to we had to hike for 2 hours or so to get to it.. but completely deserted of course and very peaceful.. I still consider that the most beautiful beach I've seen, in spite of the fact that it was raining the whole time and we didn't have anywhere dry to eat our lunch!

- Lake Michigan in Michigan, absolutely beautiful and incredibly clear and still water, just don't expect to be able to swim in it, because it was so freakin' cold!!

- don't know if this is one of the best, but certainly the most interesting one I've been to.. Tikopia beach in the Solomon Islands.. the beach that was also the local toilet!! yes, you heard right, no indoor plumbing here people.. it's all done in the ocean, while the crowds watch from the beach! Just hope you don't catch a big wave right after doing your number 2!

I am not an expert on beaches, but I really loved Croatian beaches. I vote especially for island of Brac with its Bol and small beaches on Hvar.

Well, normally people don't talk about beaches in Denmark, but we do have some very extraordinary beaches at the North of Jutland, very loooong, wide beaches, only disadvantage is that you're allowed to drive on the beaches... still..

There are also great beaches on the North coast of Zeeland, Denmark, white, white sand and great water.

Beaches on Koh Samet, Thailand are really great.

A very small beach in Padangbai, Bali will forever be in my memory as one of the very best. In 1996 you had to walk over a small "mountain"/hilltop to even reach the beach. Spent many, many hours there.

Now i know that the weather is completly crap but Inch beach in Co.
Kerry in Ireland is just beautiful. As is Roundstone in Co Galway In
Ireland.

So if your not really looking for sun etc but are in Ireland and want
somewhere beautiful to go to then I would recomend these.

Alli

To me the best beach must have the following:

1- Not a touristic place
2- Pure white sandy beach with not a single tiny rock on it
3- Crytal clear water with a visibility of minimum 50 feet
4- Amazing marine wildlife

I saw many beaches in my life, but my favorite ones:

1- Bequia (a tiny island in the Grenadines)
2- Perhentians islands (island on the North West coast of Malaysia)
3- Barbados

Ian
Marine Biologist

China Beach in Vietnam. Wow. Mountains in the background - sky the other way.
That's all that needs to be said. Also, very few Americans, Germans or Brits... always a plus.

I am currently traveling in brasil and i just went to the most amazong place. It is an island off the north east called Fernanda de Noronha. It is so amazing there.. It just has something magical about it... it has so much marine life! I couldnt believe it.. sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, tropical fish..you name it.. and i swear the visibilty is never ending! There are tons of birds on teh island too. i dont remmeber correctly but in the tropical atlantic it has the most sea birds or something liek that.. This is a tiny little island and definetly contains the best beaches I have seen in Brasil! It is a tourist place..but for Brasilians and is not covored with tacky shops and things like that....it is such a beautiful place! i would still tell poeple to go to Rio to experience copocabana and ipanema but the beaches of fernanda de noronha are much better!!

I haven't been to too many beaches, but the best beach I have been to is in Canada- long beach on Vancouver Island. It is so long that you couldn't possibly call it touristy (some parts are, but easily avoidable)- and I don't remember seeing too many people on it while I was there. Great for collecting shells. There are tons of marine life along the beach- starfish, sand dollars (something it is famous for), seals, anemones, crabs, the usual shellfish, shrimps, gulls, snakes (my Dad and sister watched a snake shed its skin on the craggy cliffs by the ocean at high tide- they brought the skin back to show us), lizzards, etc. Very beautiful- subtropical rainforest behind and beach and ocean stretching for miles in front. The sunsets were incredible, too. One night we collected clams to eat but my parents didn't know how to cook them so they were gross oh well . . .. If you know how to body surf, this would be a great place to do it! But if you're around Vancouver Island, it is a beach I would recommend visiting.

I can concur with Montezuma, Costa Rica.. I just returned from there and am trying to get back in the next week or so. Had to return to the states because of a problem with the banks.

oh yeah, just watch out for manowars! I got one 2 weeks ago, I'd show off the scars if I could.