Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/3015976/5-worlds-best-beaches-your-next-sun-soaked-getaway
Style/ Leisure

5 of the world’s best beaches for your next sun-soaked getaway

Unspoilt white sands and crystal clear waters await at our pick of renowned holiday destinations on the coast of Brazil, Aruba, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Spain and Cuba

Brazil’s Baia do Sancho, in Fernando de Noronha – which forms part of the Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park – is regarded as one of the world’s best beaches.

Summer is finally here for many people and everyone is planning their great escape. For most city dwellers, it is the time to hit the beach, take a swim or laze the day away over a book and cool drink.

Deciding what to do can be relatively easy, but, where in the world should you go? That can be more difficult to decide.

If you are not sure which destinations are worth your time, fear not. Check out our round-up of five of the world’s best beaches.

Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Fancy life on a beach in isolation? Well, now you can enjoy just that, although it will involve a small fee.

Brazil’s Baia do Sancho – consistently voted the world’s best beach – is considered a paradise on Earth.

As it forms part of the Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park, it will cost you US$55 to enter.

However, you will be given a 10-day pass, which will allow you (and only 449 others) the chance to enjoy the beach and its forests in peace.

There’s really not much more you could ask for thanks to its brilliant clear waters, soft white sand beaches and a pristine marine sanctuary (dolphins included), surrounded by cliffs teeming with exotic wildlife. You can bake in the sun, dive or take a hike.

The park’s infrastructure has been kept to a minimum, to ensure it remains unspoilt. There are only two routes that lead down to the beach – either by boat or a set of steep stairs that goes down a cliff. It might be tough, but it will be worth it.

Tip: as it is a year-round destination, save your trip for January to July, when it is the turtle-spawning season and the beach is off-limits between 6pm and 6am.

Eagle Beach, Aruba

Eagle Beach is the Caribbean island of Aruba’s most photographed beach.
Eagle Beach is the Caribbean island of Aruba’s most photographed beach.

Eagle Beach – the most photographed beach on the Dutch island of Aruba, in the southern Caribbean Sea – is loved by locals, tourists and sea turtles.

Visit the beach for the sunsets or come purely for the gentle waves – the water is crystal clear and excellent for a swim or bodysurfing.







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Aruban sunsets

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If you keen on photography, look out for the iconic fofoti tree. You will not find it anywhere other than Aruba and, once spotted, you will soon find yourself under its shade alongside the island’s many sea turtles.

Tip: if you are into big music festivals, the Aruba Summer Music Festival is coming very soon – on June 28 and 29.

The event, staged at the Harbour Square Arena, features award-winning musicians and local DJs.

Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

Grace Bay offers a spectacular, 19km-long stretch of white sand on the island of Providenciales
Grace Bay offers a spectacular, 19km-long stretch of white sand on the island of Providenciales

Welcome to one of the most beautiful beaches on Providenciales, an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas.

Grace Bay, which is home to one of the world’s most stunning shorelines and some of the most luxurious resorts in the region, provides a perfect year-round private island getaway.

Its long stretch of beach – roughly 19km (12 miles) long – can be almost deserted on some days.







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@potcakeplacek9rescue, I love u

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On the days when you want some activities to keep you busy, you can kayak in the mangroves, swim with sea turtles or take a homeless, potcake rescue dog to the beach.

Tip: the free weekly festival of crafts, reggae and food, Island Fish Fry, takes place each Thursday evening at Bight Park, just off the beach at Grace Bay.

Think Jamaican jerk chicken, macaroni and cheese and surprise, surprise, fried fish.

La Concha Beach, San Sebastian, Spain

La Concha Beach is located beside the Spanish city of San Sebastian, which has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any other place in the world.
La Concha Beach is located beside the Spanish city of San Sebastian, which has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any other place in the world.

If food is your focus during any holiday, then San Sebastian, in Spain, is the place to visit.

This small Basque city with renowned Belle Époque architecture has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any other place in the world, including Azrak and Kokotxa.

You can enjoy superb food right next to the picturesque La Concha beach, which is often referred to as the most beautiful beach in Europe.

The bay is surrounded by mountains, which means it is perfectly protected against strong winds and big waves.

You can while your days away sunbathing, paddling or swimming, but keep your eyes peeled for the stunning Santa Clara Island that is right on the horizon.

Tip: take a day trip to Santa Clara, a tiny island located in the middle of Concha Bay.

You can take a kayak out there or make a swim for it, as it is only about 406 metres (1,300 feet) away. It is best visited at low tide, when the beach is not fully submerged by the sea.

You should also visit La Concha during the summer, when there will lifeguards, showers – and paella – sold on the terrace.

Varadero Beach, Varadero, Cuba

Varadero Beach, in Mantanzas, Cuba, which is one of the Caribbean’s best beaches.
Varadero Beach, in Mantanzas, Cuba, which is one of the Caribbean’s best beaches.

Located in the Cuban province of Matanzas, Varadero is a long, thin slice of paradise, off northern Santa Marta – the location of all the hotels in Varadero.

Accompanied by a necklace of small keys – sandy, low-level islands on coral reefs – it is one of the Caribbean’s best beaches.

Stay in the west if you want to holiday among the locals and get lost at sea, diving and kitesurfing. Or you can head to the east and rub shoulders with other wealthy tourists on their all-inclusive resort packages.

Tip: there is plenty to do here. Apart from the beach, there are restaurants, museums, a golf course and the Delfinario, a natural pool for dolphins.

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This article originally appeared on Robb Report Singapore .