That’s a pretty heady designation, right?
To be named as one of the three world’s best beaches, a beach must have a truckload of selling points going for it.
The Top 3 World’s Best Beaches
Let’s see which beaches made our top cut:
Grand Anse on La Digue Island, Republic of Seychelles
Too many travellers’ sites to ignore have identified the best beach on earth as the Grand Anse on La Digue Island, one of 115 islands comprising the French Republique of Seychelles.
It’s located at the north end of the Indian Ocean, just south of the equator and east of Zanzibar.
The history of this small country goes back to the sixteenth century, when pirates most likely used it as a stopping place between Asia and Africa.
How their breath must have been taken away by the sheer beauty of this place! The waters shimmer in all shades of blue. The sands are tinged to a pale pink, and the rocks rising up along the back of the coast are black. With the deep green palm trees and the cloudless skies, it’s a vision that you don’t forget once you’ve seen it.
Some people say the nearby Anse Source D’argent and the Anse Coco are even more beautiful, but the waters are not safe for swimmers all year long.
The few people who wished they had gone elsewhere had complaints such as too much sun or they didn’t like the local restaurant.
However, you can enjoy the water, lay back on the beach, and if you get tired of the sun (for some reason!) you’ll find plenty of shops to keep you busy.
Cable Beach, Broome, the Kimberley, Western Australia
In the northwest corner of Australia, in Broome, you’ll find a 22 kilometre (14 mile) stretch of pristine white sands known as Cable Beach.
The turquoise colours that the lap the shores of these clean, warm beaches come from the waters of the Indian Ocean. This is a place that combines the absolute beauty of nature and the warm rays of the sun with a diverse choice of activities and plenty of friendliness from native and local people who welcome all visitors.
It was almost 1700 when British explorer William Dampier first set foot on these lands. Dampier actually chose Roebuck Bay, across the peninsula from Cable Beach, as the site for pearl farming; you can buy the lustrous silver pearls harvested in this area in shops along the beach. The place takes its name for the telegraph cable laid along a section of beach and connecting this region to the rest of the world.
The tides come in unexpectedly high, as much as nine metres. You can ride a camel along Cable Beach during the pre-sunrise hours or just before the sun sets below the horizon for the night.
There is nothing quite like resting along the beach, camel at the ready, a warm breeze playing through your hair, with your favourite beverage at hand. Besides the camel rides, you can hire four-wheel drive tours throughout the area or catch salmon or barramundi right off the beach. You can opt for land-based fishing or schedule a charter.
You’ll have your choice of accommodations along the wide expanse of Cable Beach—anything from first-class hotels that offer private villas or family accommodations, caravan parks, and even a section of the beach designated for nude sunbathing with a singles hotel. Cable Beach truly offers a little bit of everything.
Lanikai Beach, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii
This beach runs just a half-mile, but it has been consistently named among the best beaches in the world.
Travellers complain that it’s a little difficult to find it and it’s even more troublesome to actually find a parking space, but the view, once you get there, is well worth it.
People were populating this island of Hawaii as long ago as 500 A.D. It got its name from two lagoons sending out currents into the bay.
The area wasn’t considered important until the 1500s, and it became the dwelling place for Oahu’s kings. When Captain James Cook discovered this island and the other Hawaiian Islands, it was already crowded. Today you’ll find the area to be more residential than commercial, although there is a condensed shopping area not far from the beach.
The beach itself has sand as white and fine as sugar.
The waters of the Pacific are clear and blue, deepening as you gaze out at the horizon, and they remain calm enough for swimmers and kayakers alike.
Going out in the water you’re likely to see turtles or other benign sea creatures swimming by.
The biggest complaint about Lanikai Beach is that much of Hawaii is filled with tourists and cement parking lots. While this half-mile of beach is perfect heaven, if you want to avoid civilization, you should probably choose another beach.
If you’d like to commune with nature and then return to all the creature comforts your heart desires, then this is your place.