Pital

The seaside town of Byron Bay may have started as a bohemian enclave but has since grown to become one of Australia’s prime addresses—Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, and Zac Efron all own houses here. And while any stretch of Bryon’s coastline is pretty, the ultimate spot is Wategoes Beach, a sheltered beach lined with screwpine trees and offering up calm swimming conditions. The beach is also home to a popular walk that leads up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse, a particularly scenic spot to be at during sunset.

Glowering below the rocks of Iceland’s western fjords is the moody Rauðasandur Beach, distinguished by its copper-red sands, a result of billions of pulverized scallop shells. Reached by winding gravel road, this is edged by formidable mountains and dramatic cliffs. But you’re unlikely to see another human here—only a tenth of Iceland’s visitors ever make it as far as the Westfjords.

Wedged between two vivid emerald slabs of green pasture, Breckon is somewhat sheltered from the south-westerly winds that roll through these lands. That said, you’ll want to manifest pretty balmy temperatures to brave the often icy waters. It’s a beautiful spot with clear waters and perfectly powdery sands, but all is not as it seems on a clear summer’s day. Many boats have met their end along these shores—learn all about the treacherous sea at the local museum in Burravoe, which details harrowing accounts and displays fascinating artifacts that have washed up over the years.

More of an unpolished gem than a screensaver beach, the wind-pummeled Ocracoke on the Outer Banks of North Carolina has been described as one of the wildest in the US. Once the temporary home of Blackbeard the pirate and his fellow buccaneers, it rocks some seriously big surfing waves in the late summer, while more tranquil waters earlier in the year (plus changing facilities and ample parking) are ideal for salt-water-seeking families.

It’s not quite so hidden any more, but this beach still makes its mark as one of the world’s best. Palawan is filled with pristinely beautiful spots but Hidden Beach—surrounded by imposing limestone cliffs and with startlingly bone-white sand—is separated from the turquoise ocean by a small keyhole-like opening, through which visitors must climb in order to access the lagoon. El Nido hotels honor the beauty of the landscape with bungalows placed right on the water.

The surrounding flower meadows erupt into bloom in June and its enormous uninterrupted stretches of sand are a playground for kite-buggy enthusiasts. The 19th-century country house Lews Castle allows travelers to live out a part of Uig's storied history.

Its sieved-flour sand and crystalline waters remain pristine, while the nearby reefs offer some of the finest diving in the Caribbean. Warm, calm waters make the beach ideal for paddlers and swimmers, while wildlife-lovers should keep their eyes peeled for iguanas and giant sea turtles. Shade can be hard to come by though, and naturists head to the east end of the beach—so stay west if you prefer to keep things covered up.

With ghost-white sand, black lava rock, and gaggles of marine iguanas, Tortuga Bay is an almost surreal place. It’s two miles out of the main town of Puerto Ayora, and the hike can be hot and sticky, but once there, allow yourself to be distracted by sharks patrolling the shallows, apple-red crabs scuttling across the sands, and the swoop of blue-footed bo***es coming into land, then cool off with a spot of breaststroke among the mangroves.

Possibly one of the most photogenic places in the world, Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue is the original Bounty advert beach, cloaked in pure white sand and strewn with hefty granite boulders. It is not, by any stretch, deserted, but visit in the early morning and you’ll get there before the daytrippers from Mahé and Praslin. For your own pocket of paradise, walk southwards through the shallows past the first set of boulders. The bay opens up for added breathing space.

Set on the edge of the Namib-Naukluft National Park—the oldest desert on the planet—and a 15-minute drive from seaside hub Walvis Bay. The primeval Dolfynstrand is not a soft-waves-and-sand-between-your-toes sort of place—instead there are eerie shipwrecks strewn on the sand and a stinking, snoozing seal colony up the coast. But given its remote location in one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries, any beachcombers are unlikely to have to jostle for space.