Beautiful Beaches In The World

1. Falassarna Beach, Crete, Greece

Best thing about the sand at Falassarna? There's so much of it there's little chance of playing beach-mat overlap with strangers. This slice of coast takes in five consecutive beaches, the middle ones being most popular, the ones on the ends better for solitary sun lovers.

Highlight: On the first Saturday of August, thousands descend for Crete's biggest beach party.

2. Portstewart Strand, Northern Ireland

A beach for walkers and beach athletes. The two miles of Portstewart Strand are exceptionally well maintained, perhaps a little too meticulously, with every activity (swimming, horseback riding, walking, surfing) ascribed a dedicated zone.

Highlights: Dunes, 6,000 years old and 100 feet high, dominate the area and support lots of wildlife.

3. Coffee Bay, Wild Coast, South Africa

With cliffs that plummet and green hills that roll into the turbulent waters of the Indian Ocean, this is one moody beach. Hole In The Wall (five miles up the road from Coffee Bay) is a spectacular rock just out to sea at the mouth of the Mpako River.

Good to know: The best way to see this beautiful stretch of coastline is to walk it.

4. Praia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Often voted Brazil's best beach, Praia do Sancho is a bay on the island of Fernando de Noronha, facing the coast of Brazil rather than out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Highlight:Steep, rocky cliffs covered in vegetation form a backdrop to the clear waters that are accessible only via ladders attached to the cliff face or by boat.

5. Meads Bay, Anguilla

Anguilla beaches don't do average. This speck in the Caribbean was front of the queue when the beach gods were passing out idyllic places to lounge. If you tire of the sugary sands and bathtub-warm water of Meads Bay, one of the island's longest beaches, there are several good restaurants and hotels nearby.

Highlight: Blanchards Beach Shack serves fantastic lobster rolls and a great mango colada.
 

6. Bottom Bay, Barbados

One of the few beautiful beaches in Barbados to have escaped development overkill, Bottom Bay is enclosed by high coral cliffs, making it an almost undiscovered pocket of paradise.

Highlight: Turtles and whales can sometimes be spotted from the tops of the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

7. Paradise Beach, Rab, Croatia

The Croatian island of Rab claims to be the birthplace of modern skinny-dipping.
In 1936, King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson obtained permission from city authorities to bathe naked in the inlet of Kandalora, and people have been doing the same on the island's beaches ever since.
Highlight: The sea remains shallow even half a kilometer out, making it an ideal place for novice swimmers.


8. Byron Bay, AustraliaPubs, cafes and bookshops host buskers, musicians, artists and drift-ins who walk the streets barefoot and bleary eyed. There's a lingering scent of the Flower Power generation, while surfers wait for perfect waves. Highlight: Every year, the Byron Bay Bluesfest attracts some of the biggest names in world music, and with it, thousands of Sydneysiders.

9. Bandon, Oregon, United States

It's got beauty -- the sun sets over the striking rock formations -- it's got good food -- a long growing season and influx of ambitious chefs. It also has a safari game park to the south and spectacular, seaside Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to the north.

Trivia: According to Native American folklore, the unusual formation of Face Rock represents the face of a princess who was drowned by an evil sea spirit.

10. Puka Beach, Boracay, Philippines

Making a respectable claim to its "tropical paradise" reputation, Boracay has powdery beaches, water sports and spas. Puka Beach is named for its Puka shells,meaning the sand here is coarse.

Highlight: Puka is the second-longest beach on Boracay and relatively empty most times,with no resorts and a limited number of restaurants.

11. La Concha, Spain

For a city beach, La Concha is lovely. It comes with a promenade, easy access, great restaurants and other city perks. It also has swimmable water.

Highlight: Tapas. Cafes and restaurants behind the sand offer some of the best small eats on this northern coast.

12. Cape Maclear, Malawi

Cape Maclear sits on the edge of Lake Malawi, a lake so large it feels like an ocean. It is partof a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The beach, something of a hippie hangout, is linked to the town via a single dirt road lined with a handful of hostels and dive shops.

Highlight: Diving, snorkeling, kayaking -- the water is free from brine, and there are no sharks or jellyfish.

13. Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

It can't be easy being a standout beach in a country of awesome beaches, but Unawatuna does it. Hanging off the southern tip of Sri Lanka, it stretches for more than a mile, and is marked by palm trees, thatch huts and a languid pace. Unfortunately, the area was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, and the place hasn't yet returned to its pre-tsunami beauty.

Highlight: The laid-back, young-traveler atmosphere.

14. Flamenco Beach, Puerto Rico

Many of Puerto Rico's beaches suffer from garbage-disposal problems. Not this one (though a rusting tank does make for one eye-catching piece of litter). Flamenco is a natural crescent of unblemished sand, with a camping site behind.

Highlight: A quarter-mile offshore a reef offers great diving and snorkeling sights.

15. Oludeniz Beach, Turkey

The name translates to "Dead Sea," but it's not the one you're thinking of. This beach's sheltered location amid mountain scenery keeps the water calm even during storms; cafes, shops and restaurants provide sustenance.

Highlight: Paragliding tours over wooded areas and mountains.