The 10 Best Beaches in the World

There’s still plenty of summer left, and plenty of time to book your luxury villa for a summer break. And what completes the best summer villas? A fantastic beach.

Condé Nast Traveler released their list of the 10 best beaches in the world, here they are.

10 – Anse Lazio, Praslin, Seychelles

Praslin is the second largest of the Seychelles. Tourists have now replaced the pirates and Arab traders who used to moor up here on their Indian Ocean travels.

On the north-west coast, Anse Lazio, is striking from the moment you first see it. It’s the archetypal tropical shoreline, complete with palm trees, strikingly blue waters and white sands, set against dramatic granite boulder coastline.

Lonely Planet love this place too, naming it one of the best in the whole island chain, and the Seychelles aren’t short of fine stretches of sand.

9 – Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

With its perfect lagoon, Bora Bora attracts thousands of luxury travelers keen to join the fewer than 9000 lucky people who call the island home.

Matira has a world-wide reputation. It’s a mile long, with smooth sands dazzling in the tropical sun, and that magical emerald water, all enclosed safely within the island’s reef and with dense tropical foliage at the top of the sands. Snorkelers and other water sports fans love it, and unlike many of the island’s beaches, it hasn’t been snaffled up for exclusive access from one of the local luxury hotels – paradise for free.

8 – Waipio Valley Beach, Big Island, Hawaii

There’s something very special about a beach that’s isolated, that you perhaps have to struggle to get to.

If one beach on the planet can make a difficult journey worthwhile, it’s Waipio, with its black sand backing onto spectacular cliff faces with verdant rainforest at their tops. Spectacular waterfalls to the south can be reached with a bit more trekking.

Whatever your own spiritual beliefs, it’s easy to see why this place, which still takes the breath no matter how many times you encounter it, is considered sacred by islanders.

7 – Honopu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

Film scouts know a good looking location when they see one, and Honopu Beach, has featured in several Hollywood blockbusters including “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and, of course, “King Kong”.

The name “Cathedral Beach” gives you some idea of what to expect at this place of natural wonder. Like Waipio it is a spiritual site for islanders, and like Waipio it is hard to get to. You’ll need a boat or a strong swimming stroke to reach this place that cannot be accessed from the land. Should you get stranded, you could survive on the tropical fruit that grows in the spectacular rainforest behind the shore. You’d die happy in any case.

6 – Honokalani Beach, Wai’anapanapa State Park, Maui, Hawaii

Easier to access than the previous beaches on Hawaii, you’ll find parking and picnic facilities at Honokalani Beach. Don’t let that fool you that this is nature tamed, this is a truly spectacular natural wonder.

Sadly, swimming here is dangerous, but the black sands, lava formations and caves offer plenty to keep visitors entertained, and a network of hiking paths open up the forests inland.

5 – El Castillo, Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico

The clue’s in the name. If a fantastic beach isn’t enough for you, how about a fantastic beach with the remains of a Mayan city on the cliff tops?

Even without the second most-visited of Mexico’s archaeological sites close at hand, El Castillo would be a gem among Caribbean beaches, with rocky cliffs, clean white sands and pale green waters.

4 – Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia

This is the largest sand island in the world so you’d expect to find a decent beach, but at Fraser Island, the world heritage-listed island off Queensland, you’ll find much more than even that description would suggest.

Spectacular deep-golden sands back on to rocky cliffs. The beach is 75-miles long, and used as a landing strip, but there’s plenty of room for everyone in this surprisingly undiscovered beauty spot. The island’s interior is home to a huge range of Australia’s very special flora and fauna.

3 – Lopes Mendes, Ilha Grande, Brazil

Perhaps we should thank the Brazilian Government for housing a leper colony and a high security prison on this beautiful island off Rio. For a century, Ilha Grande was protected from development and tourism, and today’s visitors are reaping the benefits.

It’s a fantastically well-preserved Atlantic shoreline, complete with white sands and water that you’ll feel compelled to dive into. The island’s interior is similarly wild and undisturbed by the modern world. A place to escape to.

2 – Blinky Beach, Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia

You’ll forgive the name once you’ve seen Blinky Beach.

Bring a board for the full experience. The locals call it “Champagne surf”, and despite its quality it’s relatively easy to find your place on a wave at Blinky.

You can also fish, snorkel and swim here. Or just bring a picnic, lie back on the inviting white sands and stare off into that endless sea. Backed with lovely dunes and cliffs, Blinky Beach deserves to be far better known.

1 – El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

Palawan in the Philippines remains relatively unknown to luxury travelers. Perhaps its untouched nature is one of the attractions that is now changing that.

The deep blue waters of the Pacific are incredible and the perfectly white sands won’t be matched anywhere on the planet. CNN came up with a description that’s hard to top when they praised El Nido’s, “extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem.” A perfect sunset view just adds to the attractions of a place you won’t want to leave.

Want to know the real secret? El Nido may not even be the finest of Palawan’s 50 superb beaches. It’s an island you must visit.

Finest Holidays are luxury holiday specialists with villas, apartments, hotels, yachts and private islands in the world’s finest beach locations. Take a look at our online portfolio, or for more personal advice on finding your paradise this summer, call us now on +34 971 13 15 41