Whether you’re after sunbathing on white sand or snorkelling around coral reefs, you’ll know where to book your next hotel with this guide to the world’s top 10 beach destinations.Brightly colored angelfish swim amid the limestone rocks framing Bermuda’s Horseshoe Bay. Explore shipwrecks and submerged caves before resting on the bay’s beach, a semi-circle of white sand against the turquoise Atlantic.
Horseshoe Bay, Horseshoe Road, Off South Road, Southampton Parish, WK 01, Bermuda
See all hotels in Bermuda
Sand dunes separate the world-famous Old Course and its 18th-century clubhouse from the water. A steep footpath leads visitors from the ruins of St Andrews Castle to the peaceful beaches lining the Eden estuary.
West Sands Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9XL, Scotland
See all hotels in in St Andrews
Sunbathers, joggers and caipirinha mixers juggle for space on Rio de Janeiro’s beach. Watch the spectacle walking the promenade: the South Atlantic glisters on one side, while the tree-covered Morro do Leme mountain rises on the other.
Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, 22021-000, Brazil
See all hotels in Rio de Janeiro
Bondi Beach epitomises Sydney’s easy-going lifestyle. Professional and amateur surfers share the vibrant Pacific stretch, located a few kilometres east of the city’s central business district. Board rental is available and teachers are at hand.
Bondi Beach, Sydney, NSW 2026, Australia
See all hotels in Sydney
Dotted with colorful lifeguard towers, Miami’s South Beach lures city sunbathers and boogie boarders to its sprawling sandy shores. Turn around for Ocean Drive’s eccentric parade of classic cars and would-be fashion queens.
Miami Beach, FL 33139, USA
See all hotels in Miami
Stretching from Cape Point to Cape Hangklip, South Africa’s False Bay is dotted with small villages and beaches. Dip into the Indian Ocean on Muizenberg beach, before hiking to the sleepy fishing village of Fish Hoek.
False Bay, South Africa
See all hotels in Muizenberg
Carved into the bottom of a cliff on Kauai island, Hanalei Bay is a pristine semi-circle of white sand. Set to the backdrop of rolling green mountains dotted with waterfalls, the small beach gives way to a deep blue Pacific.
Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii, USA
See all hotels in Hanalei
High-speed Jet Skis take visitors across Acapulco’s bay, while cruise ships anchor for the city’s famous high-cliff divers. Afterwards, take your towel to the family-friendly Puerto Marques Beach, a little further from the Mexican city’s busy centre.
Acapulco, Mexico
See all hotels in Acapulco
Glamour-loving Cannes has some of the Mediterranean’s best beaches. Visitors can pick between exclusive stretches lining the Boulevard de la Croisette, or head for the free Plages du Midi, stretching west of the Vieux Port.
Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, 06400, France
See all hotels in Cannes
Its soft White Beach has put Boracay on the map. Located on the northern end of the Philippines peninsula, the tiny island is surrounded by an azure-colored Pacific that is best viewed from underneath a palm tree, cocktail in hand.
Boracay Island, Philippines
See all hotels in Boracay
