After the wildly successful post I wrote over 6 years ago – 10 Reasons why I love the beach life, I am back with another breezy listicle for fellow beach bums.
If you love soaking Vitamin Sea on sprawling white sand stretches lined with palm trees, then read on. Here are my handpicked destinations that are guaranteed to make you wanna pack your bikini and sarong.
8 Spots that will Make you Love the Beach
Even if you are not a big fan of sun, sand, and sea, these 7 beach destinations will surely steal your heart.
Bali
Since I love laying like a crocodile all day on the beach, I enjoy beach destinations with a kick-ass shack culture.
This ensures I can easily hire a sun bead, have cocktails, enjoy excellent seafood all day, take regular dips in the ocean and read a book – Basically, have a relaxing “do-nothing” beach day.
Some good places to enjoy shack culture in Bali are – Seminyak (Double Six side) and Canggu.
Pristine beaches in Bali (minus the shack culture) and are still absolutely stunning and a must visit are – Nyang Nyang, Melasti, Pantai Pandawa and the likes.
Islands near Bali are also definitely worth exploring.
Nusa Penida is my favorite island in Bali for epic views and challenging drives. There are so many unique formations, natural pools, and spectacular landscapes leading to awesome beaches like – Kelingking, Atuh beach, Angel’s billabong and Broken beach.
Apart from the Nusa islands, the other pretty set of islands is the Gili islands consisting of Gili Trawangan (excellent for diving and where I experienced my very first dive), Gili Air and Gili Meno.
Then there is the amazing Lombok – Kuta Lombok and Sengiggi are your two options there.
I have spent several weeks on the shores of Kuta Lombok exploring its spectacular stretches like Seger and Selong Belanak.
With so many amazing islands and beaches, you simply CANNOT go wrong if you choose Bali as your next beach vacay.
Click to read my complete beach guide to Bali – including the beautiful black sand beaches of Bali.
Goa
Goa is surely one of the top beach destinations on my personal handpicked list. It was surely my first love with the beach and ocean.
The first time I ever touched the ocean was in Goa so it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Plus with its close proximity to my hometown, Delhi, it makes for an easy and affordable beach getaway.
Goa is a prime reason why I love the beach life and even as I write this post, I am sitting in my sweet villa in Arambol.
One of my favorite beach in North Goa is – Keri beach as it is still a little secluded and off beat compared to others. Even Manderem, Morjim and Ashvem have stunning white sand stretches.
Bocas Del Toro
Starfish Beach in Bocas Del Toro, Panama was so very special for me, that it makes it to my list of top beach destinations in the world – hand’s down.
I love this beach so much mostly because of one big reason – The ocean bed is sprawling with stunningly beautiful (and innumerable) – Starfish.
The only rules are to ensure you don’t touch or step on one as the ocean floor is not very deep so you need to be careful. Just float/ swim over them and enjoy watching them carefully.
The starfish beach in Bocas is host to an array of other animals and birds as well. We found out that a sloth was walking on the beach just a minute before we arrived – this is one rare sight as sloths are super slow and love to stay hugged around trees for weeks.
Plus you can enjoy delicious Panamanian cuisine whilst there at affordable rates from local beach cafes.
Quintana Roo
Should you head to Tulum or Cancun while you are in Quintana Roo in Mexico? That’s the usual traveler dilemma.
To resolve this, of course I visited both. I vouched to come back to spend more time in Tulum – as I loved the white sand beaches there and enjoyed the vibe fully.
So destination-wise, this Mexican Caribbean stretch boasts of spectacular palm-fringed beaches and gorgeous cenotes.
No wonder it tops my list of beach vacay spots for beach bums. Plus you can stay in one of these stunning ocean facing resorts in Cancun and this is just icing on the cake.
Koh Tao
I have visited Thailand over 15 times – thanks to its close proximity to India and ofcourse the alluring beaches.
Plus back in the day when I was into beach parties, Thailand was my favorite spot for it. For example those insane Full moon parties.
As I grew older, I started enjoying calmer and prettier beaches and party hasn’t been a big criteria in a long time now.
Koh Tao is simply perfect for just that. As a big time diving destination, Koh Tao satiated my appetite for adventure through an array of activities. I tried bouldering in Koh Tao for the very first time as well as wreck dives.
Koh Tao is jam packed with fun activities to try and beaches to explore. Don’t miss out on experiencing the island life in this beautiful Thai island.
Labuan Bajo
Labuan Bajo in Flores, Indonesia, is popular for the Komodo National Park – The only place to see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat.
However, since we are on the top of beaches – Yes even Komodo national park has a lovely stretch of beach but beware as Komodo dragons roam freely on the beach there so it might not be the best spot for getting a tan.
The Pink beach though is another story.
Now that’s the place to be! With soft pinkish corals sprawled across giving it a hue of pink with turquoise waters.
When you are in Labuan Bajo you can try an array of different things – stargazing from a boat, hiking to stunning spots, sunning on beaches, and boat decks – This destination has it all for sun seekers and beach bums.
Quepos
Quepos is the gateway to the renowned Manuel Antonio national park in Costa Rica.
The sprawling palm fringed white sand beach of Manuel Antonio with jungles on one side – is a sight for sore eyes.
For someone like me who absolutely loves jungles, Manuel Antonio beach was one of the best beach vacays.
THIS is the combination of my top 2 favorite interests – Beaches and Jungles. How can anyone go wrong with this combo?
Costa Rica has other epic beaches too and I can’t wait to go back and explore more.
Antalya
Antalya in Turkey is on every traveler’s bucket list. However, a little further from this crowded resort city is the quiet fishing town of – Cirali.
Cirali beach with its star gazing opportunities, boat tours, clear blue green waters with snorkeling opportunities, excellent food, lovely home stays, hikes, cycling routes, Greek ruins, and the flaming rock mountain of Chimaera – is another beach destination with tons to do.
You can easily spend a week here without running out of things to do. Perhaps our favorite stretch of beach in the Mediterranean sea coastline of Turkey.
So there’s no dearth of reasons why I love the beach life but destinations like these make me swoon.
This alongside regular visits to Indian jungles in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger, fueled her zest for adventure, nature and wildlife.
Now she is a renowned travel blogger, outreach expert and has worked with over 500 travel brands in the last 15 years.
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