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
64 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
(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.
Spring 2012
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
Spring 2012
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
tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
65