The world is full of splendid and exotic beaches. Many of them are located in idyllic, out-of-the-way locations that are best reached by boat, or at least via a long walk through the underbrush. The drawback to these beaches, though, is that the accommodations are usually a basic tent (not the Amanwana Beach Resort's Type of Tent!!!), you have to cook your own food and non-existent nightlight.
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Fortunately, there are plenty of other beaches where you can still spend the whole day working on your tan and swimming in the ocean and the whole night dining on gourmet meals and sleeping between luxurious bedsheets. Better still, these places often offer luxury resorts, expensive real estate, fashionable boutiques, celebrity-packed nightclubs, businesses that can either rent or fix exotic cars, proximity to international airports, golf courses and a yacht club. |
When planning a summer beach holiday, it is important to consider whether the beach will offer the level of luxury that you and the people you are traveling with--expect and demand. However, a "luxurious beach"does not really exist. What makes it luxurious are the amenities and facilities available locally, as well as what are the costs needed to enjoy them.
While most of the beaches on our list are free to enter--or at least have public sections--there is still plenty to pay for. Whether it's several million dollars for a summer house in East Hampton, Long Island, a $5,000 first-class plane ticket on Air France (nyse: AKH - news - people ) to St. Tropez's Plage de Pampelonne via Nice, $500 per night for bed and breakfast at The Four Seasons Resort, Maui on Wailea Beach, a beachside massage at Pink Sands on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, or a pair of Gucci sunglasses for your morning nap on South Beach, a visit to any of our beaches won't come cheap.
- Akyarlar Beach, Bodrum, Turkey
- Bahia Beach, Trancoso, Brazil
- Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Castelo, Albufeira, Portugal
- China Beach, Danang, Vietnam
- Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
- Las Minitas Beach, Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
- Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y., United States
- Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia, Greece
- Nueva Andalucia, Puerto Banus, Spain
- Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island, The Bahamas
- Plage de Pampelonne, St. Tropez, France
- South Beach, Miami, Fla., United States
- St. Restitude, Corsica, France
- Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii, United States