Best Beaches in the World
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Information and pictures of the world's best beaches:Criteria: weather, water, sand,
facilities, access, visitor numbers.
Asia Pacific Caribbean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Mediterranean Red Sea UK USA Diving
Ko Phi Phi beach in Thailand. AsiaPhilippines Thailand Malaysia Vietnam India Bali Singapore India Goa
Bora Bora island in the South Pacific. PacificSouth Pacific Tahiti Moorea Bora Bora Rarotonga Fiji Australia New Zealand South Africa Hawaii California Costa Rica Mexico
Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman island in the central Caribbean. CaribbeanBest Caribbean budget islands Caribbean information Cuba Maya Riviera Dominican Republic Jamaica Puerto Rico Aruba Bonaire Curaçao Barbados Tobago Grand Cayman Cheap Caribbean Beach Hotels
Miami beach, Florida, USA Atlantic OceanBrazil Canary Islands USA east coast USA beaches see below
A very comfortable Zanzi-bar, Tanzania. Indian OceanMauritius Seychelles Maldives Islands South Africa Zanzibar
Super Paradise Beach on Mykonos island, Greece.
Mediterranean (or thereabouts!)Spain Balearic Islands (Majorca etc) France Corsica Biarritz Nice Cannes Côte d'Azur Greece beaches guide Greece beaches photos Turkey beaches photos Turkey beaches guide
A Whale Shark in Egypt's Red Sea. Red Sea
Brighton beach, England, UK. UKBritain/UK Bournemouth Brighton Dorset Cornwall
Hawaii body boarding, USA.
USA or nearbyHawaii beach photos Hawaii beaches information California East Florida Florida West Coast Florida Keys Mexico
Maldives diving. DivingMaldives Florida Caribbean Tobago Bonaire Grand Cayman
Check the best months on the world's beachesJanuary February March April May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec
Water quality Jellyfish Dangerous Rips Sunbathing Mosquitoes
Bugbog Pages
Wet seasons, particularly in the tropics: cheaper yes, but they do stuff beach holidays up! Many tour operators and even guide books are pretty casual about recommending best beaches in any season, reasoning that during the rainy season it only pours down for a short time. This is true, but unfortunately there are other side effects to wet season weather that can change a great beach holiday into a dismal waste of time and money. e.g. * High winds can make seas choppy, inter-island travel and fishing trips unpleasant, snorkelling waters murky with drifting sand and windsurfing or sailing impractical for all except pros. Even swimming becomes an exercise in battling muddy blue waves rather than floating tranquilly in clear turquoise waters. Furthermore, flotsam, jetsam and seaweed blown onto shores makes even the best beaches look grubby and unattractive. * Constant clouds ruin the sunny seaside ambience, sunbathing possibilities shrink and photos look dull and dreary. * High humidity creates an uncomfortably damp environment in rooms that are not well air-conditioned. * Stagnant pools of water create the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, though high winds may prevent them from flying. * Not often but occasionally it will rain for several days at a time, and then your beach paradise is really down the tubes and your bed, book or a bar are the only solution. So, the moral is to check the best/worst seasons before you book your expensive trip and pay attention to the information! Whether you buy the guide book first, check the Best Beaches calendar recommendations on the Bug's Destination Finder, don't risk the rainy season unless you have no choice!
A Parrot Fish nibbling tropical coral. Little known fact - fine white powder sand in the tropics is mostly composed of fish poo with a pinch of decayed sea critters. This is due to coral reef-grazing fish, in particular Parrot Fish (photo above) scraping and biting off chunks of coral in search of algae and coral polyps. The fish excrete the inedible coral skeleton as fine white grains which then wash up on the beach for visitors to play in. Nice! Beaches outside the tropics usually have coarser yellow sand which is formed from rock or sea-shell degradation over millennia, or black sand which is often ancient volcanic remains. These kind of sands retain the sun's heat so can be tough to walk over in bare feet whereas the coral poo variety remains cool even under intense sunlight. No sh*t!
Swimsuits: Kid's swimwear in seriously sunny environments should be be UV protected to UPF50 standards, whether suits, shorts or shirts, as well as sunscreen on other exposed parts. The early years are when children's skin is most vulnerable and may trigger problems later in life. But don't go mad, some sunshine is good for the body which needs the Vitamin D for solid bones and healthy growth. More.
Multiple white foam rips on a Mexican Pacific beach.
Dangerous sea currents, otherwise known as rips A couple of years ago three parents drowned in a whirlpool off Tonel beach
on Portugal's Atlantic coast. Monster waves are clearly visible but powerful rips that cycle wave water back to the ocean are equally dangerous, can easily take swimmers out with them and are invisible to the inexperienced eye. Resistance is futile. Parents should exercise caution on unfamiliar beaches. Beaches that
are monitored by life guards around the world generally flag safe
areas to swim - which may be narrow and crowded - as opposed to
surf zones which can seem attractively uncrowded but conceal dangerous
rips. What to do if caught in a rip DO NOT PANIC. Desperate and exhausting thrashing is the killer as rips don't usually drag swimmers under, even the whirlpool version, just away from the beach. If you fight the current you will tire rapidly and may lose the ability to keep your head up. Rips do not flow indefinitely, they lose power within 5-40
metres though this may seem a long way when you're trapped there,
but just go with the flow. When the drag loosens, swim a few metres
parallel to the beach i.e. perpendicular/away from the rip and then a safe return
will be relatively easy.
Gay beaches Europe: Spain. Sitges, on the coast just south of bouncing Barcelona, is a busy little area that's been gay for many years. Playa de la Bassa Rodona is one gay drop zone though it's shared with the straight community. Nudists are better off at Playa del Muerto (playing dead?) or Playa de las Balmins. Greece's Mykonos island is another superb, well-known gay holiday destination and the lovely Super Paradise beach is where to hang out, even if it is a bit remote and stony, while Elia further along the coast is positively awash with gays. Personal transport is useful, whether cars or scooters though little ferry boats make runs from main towns - but not much past sunset. France. Nice, on the Côte d'Azur is apparently the country's second LGBT destination after Paris, though it's a city visibly busy with regular tourists but also hosting some lively LGBT clubs and bars. Nice is large but attractive with pleasant shopping areas in both new and old towns, plenty of magnificent eating spots and of course the superb Promenade des Anglais lined with pebble beaches. Coco and Castel beaches are the best known gay strips.
Hazards on and around the world's beaches Mosquitoes Shark Attacks Jellyfish Any comments or suggestions?
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