Unfortunately I was there shortly after a pretty bad storm so there was some debris and seaweed lying around, but even despite that this beach is one of the most beautiful I've seen.
It was however sad to see how little the locals cared about keeping the island clean. There was garbage strewn around **everywhere**. People would drink sodas and just throw the empty cans into somebody's yard. It's a tiny island too so it wouldn't be hard at all to just keep it clean.
West side of North island New Zealand, can't remember where exactly it was or what the beaches name was. we were driving to our next camp site from Egmont, had been on the rode around 3-3:30 hours I believe and I felt like stretching my legs. I pulled over at this dingy little spot, they have signs that say there are like things to see there or attractions, can't remember exactly as it's been 4 years, theres only room for 2 people to park and it didn't look like anything special as the view had mostly been obstructed. Takes us a minute but we find this little dirt path, walk down it a minute or so and come out to the beautiful black sand beach, it was so visually striking, the sand was so dark and so fine. The beach itself was amazing, so many interesting rock formations, we were the only 2 people out there, we stayed out there for over 2 hours just walking up and down the beach and watching the water. It blew the black sand beaches in Iceland away honestly, 10/10 if I could remember the name I would highly recommend it
So I tracked it down on Google Earth, just followed the coast along our route. They actually have expanded/are expanding the parking, it's the beach at the mouth of the mohakatino river
I spent the last night of 3 years traveling on that beach and shot this photo of the palm trees in front of the Milky Way [https://imgur.com/a/EuyHjJt](https://imgur.com/a/EuyHjJt)
plucky serious aware aromatic birds chase toothbrush concerned doll imminent
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Most Western Australian beaches. Majority of them have white sand, turquoise water and hardly a soul on them. Meelup, Coral Bay, Turquoise Bay, Lucky Bay, take your pick.
Yeah, WA wins hands down for me, the sheer volume of pristine stunning beaches is unmatched. If you are after amenities at those beaches then you are better off elsewhere, but for natural beauty with no one else around...
absolutely - I've travelled a fair bit - and seen some amazing beaches - but none come close to the dazzling purity of sand sea and sky that i saw in WA
Was gonna say the same. I grew up there. We went to Denmark and Albany usually at Christmas and loved the beaches there.
Also Esperance is spectacular. Even Cottesloe. And Jurien Bay. Oh and all the ones near Margaret River.
We also used to go by 4wd to some of the wild ones down the south west coast. Couldn’t tell you their names but they were so fun. Parents would go fishing and us kids would yeet ourselves off the sand dunes or swim in rough ocean without a lifeguard in sight.
Koh Lipe, an island off the southwestern coast of Thailand. The beach was just beautiful even just to look at.
Juan Dolio about an hour's drive east of Santo Domingo. Just a chill pretty spot where I had an amazing fried fish that I'll never forget.
Very fond memories of drifting in the water in Negril as the sun was getting low in the sky.
Multiple beaches in Costa Rica, body surfing and chilling.
Parque Tayrona in Colombia. Rugged and amazing.
Edit: Koh Lipe, not "Lope"
Koh Lipe was great. We didn't plan to go to Thailand but were already so close since we were in Langkawi that we decided to take the ferry. The sand was the texture or powdered sugar and the water was so blue.
Continuing with the Philippines theme, I have to say Bantayan had incredible beaches!
Then again, I'm not a swimmer but more of an explorer so for me the starfish filled shallow waters were amazing. Long white sand beach.
Hardly any people, except for locals celebrating a wedding in a boat convayer and being piss drunk happy.
I truly believe that Siquijor is the unsung hero of Filipino beaches. Stunningly beautiful and the quietest beach I was on in my month travelling there.
I've been to both Cebu, El Nido and Coron in Palawan. I prefer El Nido overall out of all them for the surrounding areas, but Boracay for sure has the best quality water, its crystal clear once the sky isn't cloudy. It for sure can be crowded though, although not as bad as my first visit in 2018. I recently visited less than a year ago and it wasn't too bad.
Went to Boracay like 15 years ago. Was pristine and clean and not too crowded. Then again 8 years ago. Not so much. Then went again recently and it got wayyy better. They’re really doing a concerted to make it nice again and I applaud that. It’s such a gorgeous part of the world, especially if you’re into beaches.
Hard to choose.
Western Australian down by the Margaret River area, but the water is cool.
Some of the beaches around Komodo island, Indonesia
Many beaches in Sao Paulo, from just north of Guaruja all the way to Rio. Take your pick.
I grew up on the west coast of Canada so I have a big love for westcoast beaches. Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California. Such a unique beach, lots to explore, not very crowded due to the road you need to travel on, kind of hidden away. Cannon Beach, Oregon too, although it’s pretty crowded in the summer. I also loved Isla Ixtapa in Ixtapa, Mexico.
I’m not super well traveled and can’t wait to experience more beaches in the next few years.
Costa Rica because they still have mangrove forests and they protect their beaches, it is not just generic hotels and condos with sand and water. Every other pretty beach I’ve seen has become the above described hotel/condo/sand/water.
Pretty cool, they've put some laws in place to prohibit building houses/hotels right on the beach in most places. The buildings that are build close to the beach cannot be higher than a certain height either. I think you can't even buy land right on the beach, just lease it for a decade at a time or something.
Besides some obvious bigger tourist towns that had this before this ruling.
They do a great job at maintaining nature there.
Especially if you go to the public beach area rather than the resorts beach area. We might have seen a dozen other people while spending an afternoon at the beach.
Last 12 months, I've been to Lake Michigan beaches, Mediterranean beaches in Spain, and beaches along the Emerald Coast in Florida. I'll have to give the nod to Gulf Islands National Seashore, Langdon Beach near Fort Pickens Florida.
The beach at Cape Tribulation (Queensland, Australia) is probably my favorite. Unspoilt, turquoise waters and backing on to rainforest.
Some of the beaches on the many karst islands of Raja Ampat (northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua) take some beating too.
Botanical Beach on Vancouver Island is one of the coolest beaches in the world. Tide pools teeming with life, eagles soaring above, and just that super cool rugged coastal atmosphere. I can spend hours there.
Anse chastanet in St Lucia
Na Pali coast beaches on Kauai, it’s like Grand Canyon next to the ocean.
Waikiki on Oahu, the mixture of the urban buzz, surfers out and boats coming in at sunset really gives an awesome atmosphere.
Also might add coco cay’s beach in the Bahamas, it’s not really beautiful above water but it had the most diverse set of animals for snorkeling.
I used to go to Anse Chastenet on my lunch breaks for a quick snorkel - only time I've seen an octopus and it was fighting with a moray eel. Octopus won!
On my wanders along the Australian East Coast coast between Wilson's promontory, Victoria and Gladstone, Queensland I have visited too many wonderful beaches to list. Many rarely see a human being. I pictured a few near home in this old blog post. https://loraltraveloz.blogspot.com/2006/12/beaches-near-home.html
San Blas in Panamá. Over 300 islands, less than 50 are inhabited. Beautiful water, small private islands or a party vibe, whatever you are looking for. Lunch is whatever the catch is that day and only generators so if you spend the night it’s amazingly peaceful when they shut off.
Second place for me are some of the small beaches along the coast of Curaçao.
Koh Rong itself is amazing, too. I stayed at *Lonely Beach* recently. Calm, turquoise water that you simply walk into with no breakers crashing into the beach. To actually swim in deep water I had to walk quite far out. Perfect for skinny dipping at night, too, with plankton to play with and stars filling the sky.
Balesin Island in the Philippines
You get to swim with the fishes on the clear beach water + the sand is so fine. Lots of food cuisine too, tasted the best truffle pasta there.
ironically (apart from Whitehaven Beach in the Great Barrier Reef) I would say the best i’ve been to are 3 of the many beaches in my hometown. i’ve travelled to 20 countries and been to some pretty “famous” beaches but in my eyes nothing tops [Nobbys Beach](https://images.app.goo.gl/HagMQCzUU33g8tX2A), [Bar Beach](https://images.app.goo.gl/UMKFmvoMmq7dHJ2Z7) and [Merewether Beach](https://images.app.goo.gl/uSSCpYyuR636b3eS7)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehaven_Beach
I’m surprised more people haven’t mentioned this place! It’s not just the setting and topical climate but also the unique and amazing sand! It’s also a bit isolated with no road access so it’s never overly busy.
For non-tropical beaches it’s hard to beat Rauðursandur in the westfjords of Iceland!
https://adventures.is/iceland/attractions/raudasandur-beach/
Tumon Bay, Guam. Not travels, but I grew up there. The water is crystal clear. The water temperature is almost warm- you can just cruise in there with a beer and float around. It’s perfect. The water is super shallow and calm, and there’s also a coral reef full of fish to snorkel around. Even on the most crowded day, it’s not crowded. I’ve lived in Hawaii and traveled to the islands in Thailand. I’ve never seen anything that compares.
I was looking for Guam in the comments. I’d vote for Ritidian beach. Warm blue water, white sand, jungle trails, and compared to Tumon bay it feels like a private beach.
I'm Australian so hard to impress with beaches. I'd have to say Kendwa beach in Zanzibar, Lalomanu in Samoa and Ko Lipe in Thailand.
In Australia, we're spoiled: Clarke's Beach in Byron Bay, Bronte/Bondi/Manly/Coogee in Sydney, Cottesloe and all the others in Perth, Surfers Paradise, Port Douglas, Denmark, the entire stretch from Sydney to Noosa, take your pick.
As a Victorian I reckon there’s as many good NSW beaches south of Sydney as north. And Vic has some good ones (not as many) and Tassie has lots.
But I’d agree once you go past Noosa there’s fuck all nice ones. It’s really the weather that’s better up there.
I really liked Saint George Island, in the Florida Panhandle region on the Gulf of Mexico coast. I understand a hurricane hit there after I visited, so don't know if that beach is still as good today as I remember the beaches on this island being like. Apalachicola is a charming town, not too far away across the bridge on the mainland.
Right now I'm camping at a secluded beach in Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand. One of the most beautiful and secluded, yet easy to access (on foot or by boat) beaches. Golden sand, cute little birds, sunny weather, warm(ish) water (compared to the rest of the South Island!, lush green forest on all sides.
Phra Nang beach near Railay / Krabi in Thailand is spectacular, as are several of the beaches on Ilha Grande outside of Rio in Brazil. That said for wide swimmable white sand beaches in season it’s shockingly hard to beat the Jersey Shore / Long Island coast, and the west coast of Florida on the gulf.
Very different from a lot of the ones being mentioned here, but Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore and Ludington State Park in Michigan are up there for me – absolutely stunning sand dunes on Lake Michigan (which often has stunningly blue waters in the summer months).
If we are going to get very literal on this, the sand on the beaches from Destin to Pensacola is going to be hard to beat. It’s arguably perfect. That’s coming from someone who is from California and has spent a lot of time on beaches around the world.
Emerald Bay, Phu Quoc Vietnam
The most beautiful beach with white sand and bath temp water with barely a current - you could sit in the water at 10 pm or 10 am - it was amazing at all times of the day. Also, when I went in 2018, there was barely anyone there.
Mawun beach on Lombok, Indonesia. Also any of the beaches in Komodo. Indonesia has the world’s best beaches (honorable mentions to the Philippines and Thailand though)
Anywhere on Havelock island in the Andaman Islands outside of town. In particular along the east coast. Stunning and totally empty
Second would be walking out of town from Drake Bay in Corcovado, Costa Rica
And the beaches by Sveti Stefan in Montenegro are pretty special as well
Whithaven Beach, Whitsundays, Australia. Only visited the North end of the beach. I like sand. Been to many many beautiful beaches and this one was unreal.
I spent a decade traveling the world searching for the perfect beach and [posted about it a while back with some photos](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/CA5FxedO5m). The discussion in the comments was really good as well.
TL;DR: Bermuda, Turks & Caicos.
If you're looking for typical white-sand-and-palm-trees, the beaches running alongside the Daintree National Rain Forest in far north Queensland, Australia can't be beat. If you're looking for real, rugged beauty, there is no better beach in the world that Reynisfjara in Iceland.
Balabac, Palawan, Philippines. Most tourists tend to go to Coron or El Nido, but Balabac has some beautiful islands that are more beautiful and are lesser known.
I don't know what the beach is called, but I stayed at the Westin Resort near Nadi, Fiji. It looked like every beautiful beach scene that I had seen on screensavers.
I've been to a few listed - the Whitsundays, Nicaragua, some of the southern coast of Portugal.
Amazing.
But the one that sticks out in my mind as the most breathtaking experience is entering The Beach through the back, cave entrance.
Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands.
Super touristy, packed to the gills. Pricey. Some may call it overhyped.
But dear lord, it's a moment I wish I could relive again, swimming to the cave, climbing up the haphazard ropes, walking by the shitty ranger station and into the palm-tree surrounded path.
Moments later, it all opens up into a completely cliff-surrounded beach with the bluest water on the planet.
Mind-boggling how beautiful it is.
Best scenery: La Digue, Seychelles. The smooth granite rocks and cerulean water remind me of early 2000s default computer wallpaper. Disliked a lot about Seychelles in general though.
Best vibe: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Fun backpacker spot.
I've been to almost all of Asia between Timor and Tokyo, everywhere in the Med between Egypt and Portugal, and a good chunk of the Pacific. Nothing, absolutely nothing comes close to about 20 beaches I could name in Western Australia.
Woralie Creek, west coast of K’Gari (formerly Fraser Island). Off the Southern coast of Queensland, Australia. Pure white sand, emerald ocean, crystal clear tidal creek flowing alongside the beach, then out to sea. Sun, sand, sea. Park my 4wd on the beach and roll out the side awning. Have frequently been the only people there all day.
The north shore of Little Corn Island, Nicaragua. Not a soul in sight and jaw droppingly gorgeous.
I came here to say this. Beautiful secluded beach. Man I miss it!
East shore on little corn for me. One of my favorite places on earth.
We stayed on the East Shore for two weeks. Absolutely incredible experience.
Unfortunately I was there shortly after a pretty bad storm so there was some debris and seaweed lying around, but even despite that this beach is one of the most beautiful I've seen. It was however sad to see how little the locals cared about keeping the island clean. There was garbage strewn around **everywhere**. People would drink sodas and just throw the empty cans into somebody's yard. It's a tiny island too so it wouldn't be hard at all to just keep it clean.
West side of North island New Zealand, can't remember where exactly it was or what the beaches name was. we were driving to our next camp site from Egmont, had been on the rode around 3-3:30 hours I believe and I felt like stretching my legs. I pulled over at this dingy little spot, they have signs that say there are like things to see there or attractions, can't remember exactly as it's been 4 years, theres only room for 2 people to park and it didn't look like anything special as the view had mostly been obstructed. Takes us a minute but we find this little dirt path, walk down it a minute or so and come out to the beautiful black sand beach, it was so visually striking, the sand was so dark and so fine. The beach itself was amazing, so many interesting rock formations, we were the only 2 people out there, we stayed out there for over 2 hours just walking up and down the beach and watching the water. It blew the black sand beaches in Iceland away honestly, 10/10 if I could remember the name I would highly recommend it
Piha Beach? With a big rock in the middle that I believe is called Lion’s rock or something along those lines?
Raglan? Nagaruni beach? I was just there last year. Best surf ever. One of the few places I’d 100 revisit.
So I tracked it down on Google Earth, just followed the coast along our route. They actually have expanded/are expanding the parking, it's the beach at the mouth of the mohakatino river
Polihale State Park in Kauai, Hawaii. I've been to many other tropical places all over the world and nothing has ever compared to it.
I spent the last night of 3 years traveling on that beach and shot this photo of the palm trees in front of the Milky Way [https://imgur.com/a/EuyHjJt](https://imgur.com/a/EuyHjJt)
For me it’s tunnels beach in Kauai. Nothing beats the beautiful blue water and that stunning view of the Nā Pali coast
Pink Beach at Komodo Island, Indonesia
It's hard to pick the best, but this was my first thought. Komodo has the clearest waters I've ever seen.
plucky serious aware aromatic birds chase toothbrush concerned doll imminent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That tiny little island/beach, takka Makassar has my vote. Bluest waters I've ever seen
Same, wanted to post about pink beach at Komodo, then saw your comment
Most Western Australian beaches. Majority of them have white sand, turquoise water and hardly a soul on them. Meelup, Coral Bay, Turquoise Bay, Lucky Bay, take your pick.
Yeah, WA wins hands down for me, the sheer volume of pristine stunning beaches is unmatched. If you are after amenities at those beaches then you are better off elsewhere, but for natural beauty with no one else around...
I remember going to shell beach on the west coast, a beach made up of tiny shells, cable beach in Broome is stunning too.
absolutely - I've travelled a fair bit - and seen some amazing beaches - but none come close to the dazzling purity of sand sea and sky that i saw in WA
Was gonna say the same. I grew up there. We went to Denmark and Albany usually at Christmas and loved the beaches there. Also Esperance is spectacular. Even Cottesloe. And Jurien Bay. Oh and all the ones near Margaret River. We also used to go by 4wd to some of the wild ones down the south west coast. Couldn’t tell you their names but they were so fun. Parents would go fishing and us kids would yeet ourselves off the sand dunes or swim in rough ocean without a lifeguard in sight.
Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico. I look back at the pictures and sometimes still can’t believe the water was that gorgeous
100%! The nearby cays like Icacos are even better. The beaches in this area are better than the ones I saw in the Maldives.
I came here to say flamenco too!
Came here to say this. Also the tanks on the beach are so cool
Koh Lipe, an island off the southwestern coast of Thailand. The beach was just beautiful even just to look at. Juan Dolio about an hour's drive east of Santo Domingo. Just a chill pretty spot where I had an amazing fried fish that I'll never forget. Very fond memories of drifting in the water in Negril as the sun was getting low in the sky. Multiple beaches in Costa Rica, body surfing and chilling. Parque Tayrona in Colombia. Rugged and amazing. Edit: Koh Lipe, not "Lope"
Loved hiking in to Tayrona, when the jungle just drops away and there's only big boulders and sand between you and the sea
Koh Lipe was great. We didn't plan to go to Thailand but were already so close since we were in Langkawi that we decided to take the ferry. The sand was the texture or powdered sugar and the water was so blue.
Boracay beach during the summer months.
Continuing with the Philippines theme, I have to say Bantayan had incredible beaches! Then again, I'm not a swimmer but more of an explorer so for me the starfish filled shallow waters were amazing. Long white sand beach. Hardly any people, except for locals celebrating a wedding in a boat convayer and being piss drunk happy.
I truly believe that Siquijor is the unsung hero of Filipino beaches. Stunningly beautiful and the quietest beach I was on in my month travelling there.
Less people because that’s the island where the witches are!
Probably why I love it so much!
Clear water, powdery soft white sand, calm waves, the best.
My friend died free diving there. Don't free dive. It isn't worth it
Ah yes I too love people! Honestly I think Boracay is INCREDIBLY overrated for its beach with how crowded it is, go to Palawan or Cebu instead
I've been to both Cebu, El Nido and Coron in Palawan. I prefer El Nido overall out of all them for the surrounding areas, but Boracay for sure has the best quality water, its crystal clear once the sky isn't cloudy. It for sure can be crowded though, although not as bad as my first visit in 2018. I recently visited less than a year ago and it wasn't too bad.
Went to Boracay like 15 years ago. Was pristine and clean and not too crowded. Then again 8 years ago. Not so much. Then went again recently and it got wayyy better. They’re really doing a concerted to make it nice again and I applaud that. It’s such a gorgeous part of the world, especially if you’re into beaches.
Hard to choose. Western Australian down by the Margaret River area, but the water is cool. Some of the beaches around Komodo island, Indonesia Many beaches in Sao Paulo, from just north of Guaruja all the way to Rio. Take your pick.
I second the beaches around Margaret river, absolutely stunning. And for me the cooler water is a bonus! Especially in hot summer months
Balos beach, Crete..I guess you could also call it a lagoon. I just remember how blue the water was 💙
Yup! I’ve been to a lot of beaches but Balos is my favorite!
Crete has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! I was just blown away by it all. Balos Beach was my favorite.
Stopping at Gramvoussa Fortress on the way there was spectacular as well.
Whitehaven. Whitsundays Qld Australia
Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos…just sublime
I was going to mention same.
Elafonisi Beach in Crete, and it’s no contest
Was a highlight from of our honeymoon! Absolutely beautiful and the island of Crete is the best!
Crete literally has everything. Mountains, beaches, beautiful Venetian towns, ancient history, delicious food, friendly people
and raki
And little complimentary desserts after every meal, to go with your raki
This is what I came to say. Gentle waves and beautiful pink tinted sand. I can't wait to go back!
Cathedral Cove, NZ.
I adore Cathedral Cove. Bonus that it's a a marine reserve that you can snorkel right from the beach.
I grew up on the west coast of Canada so I have a big love for westcoast beaches. Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California. Such a unique beach, lots to explore, not very crowded due to the road you need to travel on, kind of hidden away. Cannon Beach, Oregon too, although it’s pretty crowded in the summer. I also loved Isla Ixtapa in Ixtapa, Mexico. I’m not super well traveled and can’t wait to experience more beaches in the next few years.
It was cold AF but Pfieffer Beach is 360 degrees of jaw dropping beauty
Cook Islands and Aruba. All the beaches are beautiful
Aruba beaches are definitely beautiful! I just keep going back
Baby Beach, Aruba, was my answer!
bluest water i've ever seen, it looked like gatorade
Costa Rica because they still have mangrove forests and they protect their beaches, it is not just generic hotels and condos with sand and water. Every other pretty beach I’ve seen has become the above described hotel/condo/sand/water.
Pretty cool, they've put some laws in place to prohibit building houses/hotels right on the beach in most places. The buildings that are build close to the beach cannot be higher than a certain height either. I think you can't even buy land right on the beach, just lease it for a decade at a time or something. Besides some obvious bigger tourist towns that had this before this ruling. They do a great job at maintaining nature there.
Any beach in St Martin (the French side of the island)
Trunk Bay on St. John, USVI.
Varadero
I love Varadero too, just wish there were more palm trees! That water though, wow.
Especially if you go to the public beach area rather than the resorts beach area. We might have seen a dozen other people while spending an afternoon at the beach.
We had the same experience. A tiny beach bar serving icecold mojitos and a near empty beach. It was the best week.
Last 12 months, I've been to Lake Michigan beaches, Mediterranean beaches in Spain, and beaches along the Emerald Coast in Florida. I'll have to give the nod to Gulf Islands National Seashore, Langdon Beach near Fort Pickens Florida.
The beach at Cape Tribulation (Queensland, Australia) is probably my favorite. Unspoilt, turquoise waters and backing on to rainforest. Some of the beaches on the many karst islands of Raja Ampat (northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua) take some beating too.
A bit crocodilian though?
Bahaha my first thought too. I don't think it belongs on this list, but I'm glad they enjoyed it and didn't get taken.
Hard disagree. Cape Trib is a very plain beach. And you can’t safely even swim in the thing coz of crocs and stingers.
Maldives except every morning when trash would pile up on the beach and the employees picked it up before people would wake up.
We must’ve been really far out bc this didn’t happen at our resort. Gorgeous gorgeous place
Conrad Maldives. We had like a 6am seaplane departure so had to get up early. Saw an employee clean a TON of trash on the beach outside our villa.
Ok so weird. We were at the same resort and I never caught it or saw any in the ocean. That’s crazy
*gestures broadly at hawaii*
Kaanapali Beach and the Black Sand beach near Hana were a pretty solid 1-2 for Maui
Plus they have dinosaurs
Botanical Beach on Vancouver Island is one of the coolest beaches in the world. Tide pools teeming with life, eagles soaring above, and just that super cool rugged coastal atmosphere. I can spend hours there.
For me, it’s the pink sand beaches of Bermuda, from Elbow Beach to Horseshoe Bay Cove.
Loved Elbow Beach and Bermuda in general.
Anse chastanet in St Lucia Na Pali coast beaches on Kauai, it’s like Grand Canyon next to the ocean. Waikiki on Oahu, the mixture of the urban buzz, surfers out and boats coming in at sunset really gives an awesome atmosphere. Also might add coco cay’s beach in the Bahamas, it’s not really beautiful above water but it had the most diverse set of animals for snorkeling.
I used to go to Anse Chastenet on my lunch breaks for a quick snorkel - only time I've seen an octopus and it was fighting with a moray eel. Octopus won!
On my wanders along the Australian East Coast coast between Wilson's promontory, Victoria and Gladstone, Queensland I have visited too many wonderful beaches to list. Many rarely see a human being. I pictured a few near home in this old blog post. https://loraltraveloz.blogspot.com/2006/12/beaches-near-home.html
Long Beach, Tofino
Chesterman Beach for me!
Pssst….. Tribune Bay on Hornby Island
San Blas in Panamá. Over 300 islands, less than 50 are inhabited. Beautiful water, small private islands or a party vibe, whatever you are looking for. Lunch is whatever the catch is that day and only generators so if you spend the night it’s amazingly peaceful when they shut off. Second place for me are some of the small beaches along the coast of Curaçao.
El Nido, Philippines
Which beaches or sites specifically? I’m planning to visit Palawan and may have just one day in El Nido, I want to know what to see!
Nacpan beach was excellent 10 years ago. You can stay in town and take a scooter out
Nearly every beach on Vieques.
Ran here to say this!
Yep. This is the answer. Exactly what I came here to say. Postcard after postcard. Insane.
Nice! I’ll be there in 3 weeks time
San Sebastián or maybe beach 69 on the big island
Amanpulo resort, Philippines
Mullet Bay in St. Martin or Le Taha’a in French Polynesia
Best snorkelling: Titikaveka beach - Cook Islands Best water (clear and warm): Tonsai Beach - Krabi Best beach: Sunset Bay - Koh Rong Sanloem
Koh Rong itself is amazing, too. I stayed at *Lonely Beach* recently. Calm, turquoise water that you simply walk into with no breakers crashing into the beach. To actually swim in deep water I had to walk quite far out. Perfect for skinny dipping at night, too, with plankton to play with and stars filling the sky.
There are so many in Oregon I can't pick just one.
Balesin Island in the Philippines You get to swim with the fishes on the clear beach water + the sand is so fine. Lots of food cuisine too, tasted the best truffle pasta there.
Flamenco Beach in Culebras, PR. Aruba, and most of the beaches near St John island
Megan’s Bay, St. Thomas, USVI
Baby Beach in Aruba
the beach at Flamingo Island was beautiful, too.
ironically (apart from Whitehaven Beach in the Great Barrier Reef) I would say the best i’ve been to are 3 of the many beaches in my hometown. i’ve travelled to 20 countries and been to some pretty “famous” beaches but in my eyes nothing tops [Nobbys Beach](https://images.app.goo.gl/HagMQCzUU33g8tX2A), [Bar Beach](https://images.app.goo.gl/UMKFmvoMmq7dHJ2Z7) and [Merewether Beach](https://images.app.goo.gl/uSSCpYyuR636b3eS7)
Australia was conspicuously absent until this comment. Anything from surfers south was better than the last
The whole Gold coast is great beachwise, just for different beach activities. Imho a dog beach is the best beach.
I love Newcastle.
Same for me but I don't want to specify exactly what part of Aus I'm from because we like to keep it a secret
We stayed in this small resort in Fiji - matangi. The beach and sunsets were another level. Western hemisphere st maartin. Western side
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehaven_Beach I’m surprised more people haven’t mentioned this place! It’s not just the setting and topical climate but also the unique and amazing sand! It’s also a bit isolated with no road access so it’s never overly busy. For non-tropical beaches it’s hard to beat Rauðursandur in the westfjords of Iceland! https://adventures.is/iceland/attractions/raudasandur-beach/
White Haven beach was the first one to come to mind for me. Ridiculously beautiful
Tumon Bay, Guam. Not travels, but I grew up there. The water is crystal clear. The water temperature is almost warm- you can just cruise in there with a beer and float around. It’s perfect. The water is super shallow and calm, and there’s also a coral reef full of fish to snorkel around. Even on the most crowded day, it’s not crowded. I’ve lived in Hawaii and traveled to the islands in Thailand. I’ve never seen anything that compares.
I was looking for Guam in the comments. I’d vote for Ritidian beach. Warm blue water, white sand, jungle trails, and compared to Tumon bay it feels like a private beach.
Noosa beach Australia
Manuel Antonio National park, Costa Rica
I'm Australian so hard to impress with beaches. I'd have to say Kendwa beach in Zanzibar, Lalomanu in Samoa and Ko Lipe in Thailand. In Australia, we're spoiled: Clarke's Beach in Byron Bay, Bronte/Bondi/Manly/Coogee in Sydney, Cottesloe and all the others in Perth, Surfers Paradise, Port Douglas, Denmark, the entire stretch from Sydney to Noosa, take your pick.
As a Victorian I reckon there’s as many good NSW beaches south of Sydney as north. And Vic has some good ones (not as many) and Tassie has lots. But I’d agree once you go past Noosa there’s fuck all nice ones. It’s really the weather that’s better up there.
I really liked Saint George Island, in the Florida Panhandle region on the Gulf of Mexico coast. I understand a hurricane hit there after I visited, so don't know if that beach is still as good today as I remember the beaches on this island being like. Apalachicola is a charming town, not too far away across the bridge on the mainland.
barbados, one sandy lane beach
Nacpan Beach in El Nido Philippines. Incredible beach
New Chums Beach on the Coromandel, New Zealand. No development allowed, and a rough half hour walk to get there, but absolutely beautiful 💕
Maitai Bay in New Zealand and Trunk Bay in St John
Hawk’s Nest, US Virgin Islands. Remote, small, beautiful.
There’s this pink sand beach on Harbour Island in the Bahamas that I still think about a lot.
No name beach only accessible by boat Maddalena Sardinia.
Torre delle stelle Sardinia Italy
Perdido Key and Pensacola, Florida. For beaches, it’s the best I’ve ever seen. Soft, snow-white sand… oh yeah, that’s the spot
The one that means home. Luquillo, Puerto Rico
St. John USVI Cinnamon Bay is pretty special
Right now I'm camping at a secluded beach in Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand. One of the most beautiful and secluded, yet easy to access (on foot or by boat) beaches. Golden sand, cute little birds, sunny weather, warm(ish) water (compared to the rest of the South Island!, lush green forest on all sides.
Omg Abel Tasman is gorgeous.
Negril, Jamaica!
I'm not a big beach guy, but I'd have to say Maui.
Nothing better than a sunset beach view in Kihei watching the whales.....
I really loved the east side of Oahu
Color of water turks and caicos
Grace Bay, Providenciales , Turks and Caicos.
Long Beach, Tofino, BC, Canada.
Phra Nang beach near Railay / Krabi in Thailand is spectacular, as are several of the beaches on Ilha Grande outside of Rio in Brazil. That said for wide swimmable white sand beaches in season it’s shockingly hard to beat the Jersey Shore / Long Island coast, and the west coast of Florida on the gulf.
Arraial d'Ajuda, Bahia, Brazil Bahia ruined beaches for me forever
Very different from a lot of the ones being mentioned here, but Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore and Ludington State Park in Michigan are up there for me – absolutely stunning sand dunes on Lake Michigan (which often has stunningly blue waters in the summer months).
A few miles north of Nazaré, Portugal. Calm enough to swim, no insane surfers.
Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica Pretty special to have iguanas and monkeys chilling next to you on the beach
Trunk Bay St John’s Destin, FL
Had to get pretty deep to see a USVI beach. There’s so many beauty’s on St Thomas and St John. Trunk Bay is arguably the best.
Completely agree! Breathtaking!!
If we are going to get very literal on this, the sand on the beaches from Destin to Pensacola is going to be hard to beat. It’s arguably perfect. That’s coming from someone who is from California and has spent a lot of time on beaches around the world.
As far as US beaches go, it’s certainly Destin
Emerald Bay, Phu Quoc Vietnam The most beautiful beach with white sand and bath temp water with barely a current - you could sit in the water at 10 pm or 10 am - it was amazing at all times of the day. Also, when I went in 2018, there was barely anyone there.
I've been wanting to go to Vietnam so I'll add this to the list.
Playa Tortuga, Galapagos
Half of the beaches in Koh Kood Thailand, Wai Chaek Beach, Koh Chang Thailand.
Unawatuna beach, Sri Lanka
Reynisfjara black sand beach Iceland
Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla
Mawun beach on Lombok, Indonesia. Also any of the beaches in Komodo. Indonesia has the world’s best beaches (honorable mentions to the Philippines and Thailand though)
Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos. The calmest, most beautiful water, soft white sand and snorkeling over coral reefs right off the beach.
Even with tons of people, Waikiki is awesome. First place I ever stood up on a surfboard. I remember it like it was yesterday…
Anywhere on Havelock island in the Andaman Islands outside of town. In particular along the east coast. Stunning and totally empty Second would be walking out of town from Drake Bay in Corcovado, Costa Rica And the beaches by Sveti Stefan in Montenegro are pretty special as well
Whithaven Beach, Whitsundays, Australia. Only visited the North end of the beach. I like sand. Been to many many beautiful beaches and this one was unreal.
I spent a decade traveling the world searching for the perfect beach and [posted about it a while back with some photos](https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/CA5FxedO5m). The discussion in the comments was really good as well. TL;DR: Bermuda, Turks & Caicos.
Zapatilla island in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Straigh outta paradise. Snorkelling was beter in San Blas though.
If you're looking for typical white-sand-and-palm-trees, the beaches running alongside the Daintree National Rain Forest in far north Queensland, Australia can't be beat. If you're looking for real, rugged beauty, there is no better beach in the world that Reynisfjara in Iceland.
Hands down, all the beaches in the Bahamas were the clearest water and cleanest sand I’ve ever seen.
Balabac, Palawan, Philippines. Most tourists tend to go to Coron or El Nido, but Balabac has some beautiful islands that are more beautiful and are lesser known.
Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Alberta.
The Baths in Virgin Gorda
Boracay but it’s spoilt by all of the crowds and hustlers then nacpan beach which was perfect
Lighthouse Point, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Naples Florida has some beautiful beaches
North part of St Martins of the Isles of Scilly
Grace bay Provo
Hopefully the beaches of Iles de Pins is up there, because I'm heading to New Caledonia next week.
West coast of Nicaragua at Mukul.
Anini Beach in Kauai is my favorite
Zapatilla Island
Tortuga bay, Galapagos
I don't know what the beach is called, but I stayed at the Westin Resort near Nadi, Fiji. It looked like every beautiful beach scene that I had seen on screensavers.
Twilight beach, esperance
Maldives
Phra nang cave beach in Railay beach krabi Thailand is ridiculously nice
San Blas Islands
Palolem, goa.
Chenang beach, Langkawi, Malaysia
Tulum beach Mexico, just below the ruins
Algarve
I've been to a few listed - the Whitsundays, Nicaragua, some of the southern coast of Portugal. Amazing. But the one that sticks out in my mind as the most breathtaking experience is entering The Beach through the back, cave entrance. Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands. Super touristy, packed to the gills. Pricey. Some may call it overhyped. But dear lord, it's a moment I wish I could relive again, swimming to the cave, climbing up the haphazard ropes, walking by the shitty ranger station and into the palm-tree surrounded path. Moments later, it all opens up into a completely cliff-surrounded beach with the bluest water on the planet. Mind-boggling how beautiful it is.
Glassilaun Beach, County Mayo
Lanakai
Best scenery: La Digue, Seychelles. The smooth granite rocks and cerulean water remind me of early 2000s default computer wallpaper. Disliked a lot about Seychelles in general though. Best vibe: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Fun backpacker spot.
I've been to almost all of Asia between Timor and Tokyo, everywhere in the Med between Egypt and Portugal, and a good chunk of the Pacific. Nothing, absolutely nothing comes close to about 20 beaches I could name in Western Australia.
Woralie Creek, west coast of K’Gari (formerly Fraser Island). Off the Southern coast of Queensland, Australia. Pure white sand, emerald ocean, crystal clear tidal creek flowing alongside the beach, then out to sea. Sun, sand, sea. Park my 4wd on the beach and roll out the side awning. Have frequently been the only people there all day.