World’s Best Beaches May
Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Maya Riviera, Caribbean coast, best beaches May. Photo by Haakon Krohn
Best beaches May, according to climate data
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Fine beaches on both Pacific side such as Cabo San Lucas and Caribbean coasts such as Cancun, should be getting highs of around 82F (28C) and lows of 66F (19C) in May, with occasional showers. However, Mexican sand will experience the joys of Spring Break US college vacation madness during this month, particularly Cabos, Cancun and maybe Acapulco so steer clear of these destinations if fit, drunk, semi-naked teenagers are of no interest.
Red Sea beach resorts around Egypt‘s east coasts and Israel’s Eilat are great-value holiday destinations with endless sun, brilliant coral growth, warm seas and day trips to Luxor for a spot of ancient site-seeing.
The air temperature in this region is about 30°C this month (26°C at night) and water temperature is 24°C with close to zero humidity and no chance of rain.
Malaysia beaches
Pasir Panjang beach, Redang island, Malaysia
– Datai Beach, Langkawi Island. One of the world’s most secluded and picture-perfect hideaways.
– Pantai Teluk Belanga (Emerald Bay), Pangkor Laut. A luxury resort on the brilliant crescent bay of a tiny private island.
– Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort, a secluded, palm-fringed beach, or Kampung Juarafor total serenity. Both on Tioman Island.
– Long Beach, Kecil Island, Perhentian Islands. A popular destination for budget travelers.
– Puraran Beach, Catanduanes Island, one of the Philippines’ major surf venues with with white sand that demands a hug.
– Redang Island, Redang archipelago, with a superb marine park, is excellent for scuba/snorkel addicts.
– Turtle Beach and Golden Beach, Similajau National Park, Sarawak. Well worth the hassle to get there for some of Malaysia’s finest beaches.
Embraces dozens of picturesque beaches and superb, though pricey beach resorts. May is the best low-cost month as mid-December to April is the high season but the weather should remain fine if a little cloudy through May.
Our pick would be Dominican Republic for low cost, massive white powder beaches and abundant things to do.
Alternatively, down in the southern Caribe there’s heavily forested and low-key Tobago encircled by lovely sandy bays, and the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire (mainly for diving and windsurfing) and Curaçao are outside the hurricane belt anyway and deals should be sensational!
Budget Caribbean islands
Australia (North Coast)
Cairns lagoon beach, northeast Australia
– It’s autumn and water is chilly in southern Australia, go north-east or north-west but don’t expect much surf. Beyond Brisbane on the east coast, due to toxic jellies and the odd shark tourists tend to be either dressed in wetsuits or swim in free, attractive, salt-water lagoons. The north-west shores above Perth are home to the amazing Ningaloo Reef and massive stretches of dazzling, people-free sand.
Probably good sunshine around the Med but the sea will still be chilly.
– Many fantastic Greece beaches, see Greece Beach Pictures
– French beaches along the Côte d’Azur are perfect now, uncrowded and keen-to-please, though the sea is cool; St Tropez is reasonably accessible; Cannes is small, sandy and self-important but free beach space is available; Nice‘s huge stony bay, while not comfortable offers great shoreside attractions; Corsica beaches are superb, fly or take the car ferry from Nice.
– Spain’s beaches are perfect now, warm but relatively uncrowded but Spain’s Balearic Islands – especially Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza are less expensive and enjoy the superb Mediterranean climate with plenty of sun, great beaches, superb hiking trails and lively nightlife.
– La Costa Verde, Sardinia island, and Lampedusa Island, Italy beaches. A superb beach and less busy than Costa Smeralda, the island’s best-known area.
– Sidi Abdel Rahman or Marsa Matrouh, Egypt. Long stretches of brilliant white sand beaches along the coast from Alexandria, but lacking in facilities. Egyptians don’t go in for beaches much, they’ve seen enough sand in their lives.
– USA: Florida’s beaches, especially around Miami and the Keys are getting into gear now, tho’ the water is still chilly.
– Many excellent beaches in Portugal, see Portugal Beach Pictures.
– Some great stretches of soft sand in the west coast of France, such as La Rochelle, Arcachon, Biarritz and St Jean de Luz.
– Brazil is blessed with many massive, fine beaches, such as Rio’s magnificent Copacabana – perhaps the world’s best city beach, and life is lively and low cost though the seas are usually rough and cold.
– Spain’s Canary Islands, enjoy endless sunshine and beaches of all types – activities, nudist, family, surfing, wild town sand, back-to-nature coves. The southern sections of islands tend to be the warmest and Fuerteventura and Lanzarote the sunniest. La Palma is the wettest island.
– Muelle Bay, Puerto Galera, Mindoro Island. An ideal place to do island-hopping on to pristine beaches.
– Puraran Beach, Catanduanes Island, one of the Philippines’ major surf venues with appealing white sand.
– Many great Hawaii beaches.
– Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia. One of South Pacific’s most beautiful strands, beginning at the famous resort Hotel Bora Bora.
– Yasawa Islands pictures, Fiji, a group of islands with small sandy beaches and low cost backpacker resorts.
– One Foot Island Beach, islet of Aitutaki Island, the Cook Islands.
– South coast of Ofu Island, American Samoa. A wonderful landscape with very few tourists.
– Lefaga Beaches and Aleipata Beach, Upolu island, Western Samoa. Little known but one of the cutest beaches in the South Pacific.
– Ha’apai Beach, Foa island, Ha’apai islands, Tonga. Low cost with the friendliest locals.
– Mauritius: Flic en Flac, Trou aux Biches and Paradis beach. Less pricey than the Seychelles but excellent beach resorts and more inner-island activities available.
– India: Goa beaches. This is just after the best season but still a good time to be. A tourist magnet but still fun. The least crowded stretches are north of the Chapora River.