Top 10 Beaches in the World….

best-beaches-in-the-world/”>http://trifter.com/practical-travel/top-10-best-beaches-in-the-world/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXouGTFpZP0

Chris’ Top Ten 17/SEP/2009
Top 10 Beaches

In a career which has included several of the biggest vacation companies in the world, Chris has travelled to over 150 countries. In his Top Ten Favourite Places he selects his personal best destinations in a range of categories. This week he picks his favourite “Beaches”.

I tend to be maniacally active on my travels, but every once in a while even I get seduced by dazzling-white powdery sands lapped by rhythmic turquoise wavelets…. Rio and Provo, Tahiti and Thailand: these are among my top Ten.

1. Seychelles
Like sparkling emeralds on blue velvet, these lush granite mountains in the Indian Ocean each have their own set of dramatic beaches, often backed with lush palms and studded with huge rounded granite boulders. I have spent time on four: Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and tiny Frégate, and each is idyllic.

2.

Chris on Clearwater Beach, Florida
St.Petersburg/Clearwater, Florida
This part of Florida’s Gulf Coast regularly picks up the awards for the Best Beach in the U.S. and with good reason. There are a whole string of white sand beaches that range from crowded to deserted, and from adjacent to resorts to a ferry ride away. My favourites are Fort De Soto, Caladesi and Clearwater.

3.

Grace Bay Beach, Provo,Turks and Caicos
Provo, Turks and Caicos
Grace Bay Beach on the island of Providenciales – or Provo to its many devotees – is 20 kilometers of beautiful, fine white sand edging spectacular clear, turquoise water and pristine coral reefs. I had a nose-to-beak encounter with Jo-Jo, the wild but friendly dolphin, off this beach.

4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Possibly the most famous beach in the world, Copacabana does not disappoint. These golden sands in the glamorous south zone of Rio de Janeiro offer surfing, swimming and diving plus sand volleyball or a barefoot soccer game…and of course: beautiful people watching, my favourite sport!

5. Pembrokeshire, Wales
The Pembrokeshire Coastal Path in southwest Wales links many wonderful beaches, but my favourite is Marloes Sands, a truly impressive and expansive beach with amazing rock formations. And that’s the secret of Pembrokeshire’s coast: the unending mix of broad beaches, rugged cliffs, islands and sea stacks.

6.

Wineglass Bay, Tasmania
Wineglass Bay, Tasmania
This is a stunning beach located in Freycinet National Park, on the east coast of Tasmania. I hiked to a viewpoint high above to marvel at the most perfect curve of the whitest sand imaginable, fringed by azure water and lush green forest.

7. French Polynesia
So difficult to choose between the famed black volcanic sand at Mahina Beach on Tahiti and the coral sand of Temae Beach on Moorea, but ultimately my vote goes to any of the numerous tiny, powder-beached ‘motus’ that dot the tropical lagoons of many islands in this part of the Pacific Ocean.

8.

Gambia
The Gambia
I spent my honeymoon on the palm-shaded beaches of this tiny West African river nation, where long strands of dazzling sands shimmer in the tropical heat and then glow as the sun sets over the Atlantic Ocean. Look up this country in an atlas and then plan a visit.

9. Thailand Beaches
The islands (100’s) and coastlines (it has 3) of Thailand boast so many beautiful beaches that you can find whatever your heart desires: solitude, glitz, soft adventure, culture, coral reefs and dramatic landscapes. One tip: choose the timing of your beach destination in Thailand carefully as the rainy season differs on each coast.

10.

Antigua
A small Caribbean island but one that fits an amazing 365 beaches into its crinkled coastline – one for each day of the year…so you can find the perfect one for you. Try Hawksbill. I haven’t seen them all yet, but I’m working on it!