10 of the best n exotic beaches
n Dreamy: Dinarobin Beach with Le Morne behind
Beachcomber Tours
10 of the best n exotic beaches
Stay: Funway Holidays offers five nights staying at the Ohana East on Oahu and five nights at the Aston Islander on the Beach, on Kauai, from £2,999. The price includes return international flights, inter-island flights and is on a room-only basis. www.funwayholidays.co.uk
n America's Best Beach winner Kailua Beach, on Oahu, Hawaii
10 of the b
1. Dinarobin Beach, Le Morne, Mauritius The wow factor: This crescent-shaped, white-sand beach is situated on the most scenically-beautiful shoreline of Mauritius, with the spectacular Le Morne mountain rising dramatically behind it. The beach is fronted by a tranquil aquamarine lagoon created by the coral reef that fringes most of the tropical Indian Ocean island and makes for safe bathing. It is part of the all-suite Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa which offers four restaurants, a spa and an 18-hole golf course shared with the neighbouring Paradis resort. Did you know? Le Morne mountain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its cultural history. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, runaway slaves escaping from the island’s sugar plantations used to hide there, protected by the mountain’s isolation and its sheer, wooded cliffs. Le Morne became a symbol of the slaves’ fight for freedom and a focal point to commemorate the abolition of slavery. Stay: Beachcomber Tours offers accommodation in a junior suite at the five-star Dinarobin hotel
est: exotic beache s
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(www.dinarobin-hotel.com) for seven nights from £1,920 per person, sharing on a half-board basis. Price includes international flights and private hotel transfers. www.beachcombertours.co.uk
2. Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA The wow factor: A half-mile stretch of soft, white sand lapped by turquoise water and fanned by gentle breezes, Kailua Beach lies at the heart of a public park 30 minutes from Honolulu on Oahu’s Windward Coast. It is a previous winner of the prestigious America’s Best Beach title by Dr Beach, aka Dr Stephen Leatherman, the country’s leading authority on beach quality. Kailua is a water sports hub and you can rent kayaks, windsurfers and body boards. Kailua Town has a laidback feel with lots of restaurants and shops, while Kalua Beach Park has picnic benches and large, grassy areas which are perfect for an al fresco lunch by the ocean. Did you know? Dr Beach has named 12 Hawaii beaches as America’s Best since he began picking his annual award winners in 1991 – twice as many as the next highest-ranked state, Florida.
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island, in the Maldives
4. Eagle Beach, Aruba The wow factor: Close to Aruba’s westernmost tip, Eagle Beach gets rave reviews and it is easy to understand why. Gnarled, windswept divi-divi trees provide Universal Resorts welcome shade over powder-fine, white sands which, together with adjacent Palm Beach, form a pristine, seven-mile strip that has just been voted the second best beach destination in the world by users of travel review website TripAdvisor. The clear, calm Caribbean waters are perfect for swimming and snorkelling, while there’s a plethora of water sports and activities for beachgoers as well. Behind both beaches are a number of four and five-star hotels. Did you know? Tap water is safe to drink in Aruba; it has been distilled by the world’s second-largest saltwater desalination plant, as a by-product of oil refining at the huge WEB plant on the south-west coast. Stay: Thomson Holidays has a seven-night package, including direct flights, hotel transfers and breakfast, staying at the five-star Westin Resort Aruba on Palm Beach from £1,026 per person, based on a May 5 departure. A seven-night Kuoni package at the adults-only Bucuti Beach Resort on Eagle Beach costs from £1,583 per person, with flights, transfers and breakfast, departing on May 8. www.thomson.co.uk, www.kuoni.co.uk
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Universal Resorts
Looking to find that perfect desert island beach for your next holiday? We’ve scoured the world and found 10 that will take some beating
n Coral sands on Velassaru
n Divi-divi trees on Aruba's Eagle Beach
Aruba Tourism Authority
Beach belles
The wow factor: Velassaru is a 21-acre coral island of glorious white sand, coconut groves and a luxury resort set like a gleaming pearl in a crystal-clear, turquoise lagoon in the Maldives’ South Male Atoll. The island is a sophisticated, five-star resort comprising over-water bungalows and villas, with others dotted among the trees. It has two bars and five restaurants as well as offering private dining including on a deserted sandbank reached by traditional sailing boat. When not relaxing on the beach, you can enjoy water sports including diving and windsurfing, go big game fishing or try traditional fishing methods and visit locals on nearby islands. Did you know? The Maldives comprises almost 1,200 islands in 26 coral atolls in the Indian Ocean. The nation’s 350,000 population inhabits just 200 islands and there are 99 resort islands. Stay: Seven nights with breakfast staying in a deluxe bungalow on Velassaru (www.velassaru.com) start at £1,249 per person for departures between May 3 and June 21, saving up to £513 per couple, with Kuoni. That includes return Sri n A dhoni on Lankan Airlines flights and transthe beach, Maldives fers. www.kuoni.co.uk
Hawaii Tourism Authority/Tor Johnson
3.Velassaru, Maldives
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10 of the best n exotic beaches
n Bottom Bay is on the quiet
Barbados Tourism Authority
south-east coast of Barbados
5. Bottom Bay, Barbados n Indigo Bay on Rani Resorts
Bazaruto Island
venture in for a dip, however; the waves on this coast create rip currents. But it is great for surfing. Did you know? Barbados has 60 beaches dotted all around the island and encompassing 70 square miles of sands. All Barbados beaches are open to the public. Stay: DialAFlight is offering 30% off a seven-night stay at the adults-only Almond Beach Club in Barbados this summer, with prices from £1,299 per person – saving up to £315 per person. Valid for departures from June 25-30 and August 14-31, it includes accommodation on an all-inclusive basis in a standard room and return Virgin Atlantic flights. www.dialaflight.com
The wow factor: A hidden gem tucked below coral cliffs, Bottom Bay lies on the Atlantic-facing south-east coast of Barbados away from the hotel and tourist developments facing the Caribbean Sea in the west. Few tourists go there. And with the mesmeric rhythm of the blue-tinged waves, luxuriant vegetation and statuesque palm trees swaying in the warm trade winds, you will want to keep it a secret yourself. Don’t
n Away from it all on Bazaruto Island, Mozambique
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Rani Resorts
6. Bazaruto Island, Mozambique The wow factor: Mozambique, off the coast of Africa, has some of the most stunning and pristine beaches in the world, little developed for tourism. Several are found on Bazaruto Island, one of four unspoilt islands comprising the Bazaruto Archipelago which lies 30km off the Mozambique coast in the Indian Ocean. The luxury Indigo Island Resort and Spa on the island is a luxury tropical island retreat with 30 beach chalets and villas offering a spa, diving and snorkelling, big game fishing and horse rides on the beach. Did you know? The Bazaruto Archipelago is a protected national park that boasts 180 species of birds as well as butterflies, antelope and freshwater crocodiles. Its offshore waters and reefs support a myriad of marine
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10 of the best n exotic beaches
7. Playa Juanillo, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic The wow factor: The Dominican Republic makes up the eastern side of the island of Hispaniola, and its beaches are lauded as some of the best in the world. They don’t come any finer than Playa Juanillo, close to Punta Cana on Dom Rep’s eastern tip. Alluringly-angled palm trees sprout from dazzling white sands gently washed by azure waters in a bay protected from the pounding Atlantic surf by an offshore reef. The beach is close to exclusive golf resorts and communities, with celebrities owning homes including Julio Iglesias. Did you know? The Dominican Republic is very popular with film makers. Scenes from famous movies shot there include the Godfather II, Apocalypse Now, and Rambo II. Stay: Thomas Cook offers seven nights at the all-inclusive Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa from £932 per person, including flights. www.thomascook.com Air Europa (www.aireuropa.com) flights serve Punta Cana via Madrid.
8. Ariara Island, Philippines The wow factor: Created by British couple Charles and Carrie McCulloch, Ariara is a 125-acre private island
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retreat in the Calamian Islands in the Philippines province of Palawan. Just 17 guests are accommodated in eight villas and suites situated on a 600-metre beach on this jungle-swathed island, edged by pristine beaches and surrounded by coral reefs teeming with marine life. All bedrooms have private terraces and gardens. In short, it is a tropical island paradise where you are guaranteed to have the beach to yourself. It offers boating, including unlimited use of Ariara’s 33ft speedboat, a 100ft trimaran and kayaks, diving trips with all equipment, massages and a cinema in the main lodge.
Ariara Island
life including dolphins, dugongs, game fish and turtles. Stay: Five nights at Indigo Bay costs from £2,740 per person with Africa Travel, full-board in a beach chalet on Bazaruto Island, including international and local flights, daily snorkelling trips and five spa treatments. www.africatravel.co.uk
Dominican Republic Tourist Board
n Beach at Punta Cana
Dominican Republic Tourist Board
n Exotic allure at Punta Cana's Playa Juanillo, in the Dominican Republic
n No crowds on the beach at Ariara Island, in the Philippines
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n Pink sands at Warwick South Shore Beach, Bermuda
Do you know of better exotic beaches? Tell us on tlm’s Facebook page: http://bit.ly/tlm_facebook – and see our suggestions for 10 of the rest.
Did you know? Ariara is one of more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines, making it the world’s secondlargest archipelago after Indonesia, which has 18,000. Stay: Original Diving offers seven nights at Ariara Island from £2,100 per person on a fully-inclusive basis, including, activities and international/domestic flights and boat transfers to the island, based on a party of between 15 and 17 guests. Fuel and alcohol are extra. Ariara Island is also featured by Audley Travel. www.originaldiving.com, www.audleytravel.com
pink-sand beaches and Warwick Long Bay Beach is the pick of the lot. Not only is it Bermuda’s longest, stretching half a mile, it is also one of its prettiest and it doesn’t attract the cruise shop hordes as some other beaches do. Exotic grasses and vegetation form a backdrop to the pink sands. The beach is great for snorkelling as there are numerous coves and rock outcrops to explore in the gin-clear Atlantic waters. Did you know? Bermuda is not one landmass but a chain of 181 islands, islets and rocks. Its pink beaches are a combination of crushed coral, calcium carbonate and the shells of tiny, single-celled animals. Stay: Classic Collection Holidays offers seven nights at Elbow Beach, Bermuda, from £2,337 per person this June. The price is based on two sharing on a room-only basis in a premier garden view room and includes return flights and private transfers. www.classic-collection.co.uk
9. Warwick Long Bay Beach, Bermuda The wow factor: Bermuda is famed for its gorgeous n Tanjung Rhu beach, on Langkawi
Tanjung Rhu Resort
10.Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi, Malaysia
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The wow factor: Located in the far north of Malaysia’s Langkawi Island, the resort of Tanjung Rhu is fronted by a 2.5km-wide, sandy beach that looks out on limestone outcrops rising up out of the Andaman Sea and is lined by casuarina trees rather than palms. The resort spans 1,100 acres of rainforest and encompasses mangroves and limestone caves. Did you know? Eagles, which hunt in the mangrove swamps, can be seen on river boat trips. Stay: Best At Travel offers seven nights at Tanjung Rhu from £1,839 per person on an all-inclusive basis and including return flights and airport transfers. It is valid for travel between May 1 and June 15. www.bestattravel.co.uk
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Bermuda Department of Tourism
10 of the best n exotic beaches