Last year, I talked about Concierge.com’s sexiest beaches for 2007. I also split that into two posts, here is the second part of that 2007 sexy beach list.
This year Concierge listed 17 beaches that they think are the sexiest beaches in the world. I know that there are going to be different opinions on this, so let me know what you think in the comments.
Here are the first 10.
Ka?, Turkey
Do you daydream of the old world Mediterranean? The ancient architecture, the sagas of wars over beautiful women, the…togas? Look and you’ll find it in southwest Turkey, rife with historic seaside towns and Roman ruins along the sea. Imagine the private recreations: “You, Venus; me, Adonis.”
A crumbling amphitheater, tombs, a Roman temple, and, yes, one helluva nice beach. Archeologists have made a rich historical find at Patara, not far from the town of Ka?. The other upshot, other than being able to explore the ruins on your own, is that the beautiful, 10-mile-long Patara Beach is protected from development.
Privacy rating: 3 out of 10. This part of the world has been well populated for many thousands of years.
With a vista toward the Greek island of Meis, the hillside Villa Hotel Tamara has three terraced platforms, two of which have pools (one filled with saltwater). The third terrace is almost level with the sea, so you can dive right in. Suites have French doors that open onto glass-enclosed balconies and hot tubs.
Villa Hotel Tamara
Tel: 90 242 836 2112
Doubles from $154
Malibu, California
Why Malibu, you ask? Angelina Jolie, Cindy Crawford, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Pamela Anderson…in swimsuits. [Like I really care what they think.]
If Malibu’s beaches were supermodels, Zuma would be Cheryl Tiegs: blond, well-proportioned, and friendly. It’s open to the public, and there’s parking too. (Head to the volleyball courts for great, um, people-watching.) For the more attitudinal side of Malibu, look to the Naomi Campbell-esque Carbon Beach (a.k.a. Millionaire’s), which is great to look at but can be vicious to outsiders (think security guards, “No Trespassing” signs, and lawsuits).
Privacy rating: Zuma Beach: 2. Millionaire’s Beach, that nearly inaccessible bit of sand and rock fronted by a $20-million mansion: 9.8.
Position yourself on the same beach as the stars’ homes. The Malibu Beach Inn is owned by movie mogul David Geffen, and your very private balcony will look onto Millionaire’s Beach itself. Plus, it’s only a short walk to David’s own house for Saturday night drinks…your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to secure an invite.
Malibu Beach Inn
Tel: 800 462 5428 (toll-free)
Tel: 310 456 6444
Doubles from $325
Geoffrey’s Malibu
Tel: 310 457 1519
Paros, Greece
There’s just something about the Greek Islands that encourages exuberant behavior. This outcropping of sand and craggy rocks in the Cyclades, 13 miles long and 10 wide, is giving Mykonos a run for its ouzo-fueled reputation, and attracts a heady mix of sun-loving Europeans and on-the-make locals.
Kolymbithres Beach, pictured, is dominated by curiously shaped rocks rising out of the aquamarine Aegean. Perhaps they were shaped by centuries of gentle winds—or maybe it’s the friction from all the scantily clad bodies sunbathing on top of them.
Since you’ll be spending the day sleeping at Kolymbithres and the nights in Naousa, stay at Astir of Paros. This 57 room hotel is built in traditional style and sits in tropical gardens on Kolymbithres, a five-minute drive to town. And if you’re in a hurry to arrive on Paros from the mainland, take advantage of its private helicopter pad.
Astir of Paros
Tel: 30 22840 51976
Doubles from $378
Loreto, Mexico
Mexico has long been a haven for Americans looking to to escape—from posses on horseback, from unpaid taxes, from the FBI, angry exes, or even oneself. But in Spring Break towns like Cancún, that mystique is as dead as Raymond Chandler. Not so in Baja’s Loreto, 700 miles south of San Diego. It’s still the kind of place where you might meet a mysterious brunette at a beachside watering hole who’s happy to share her tequila—but not her last name.
Even on the edge of town, the Sea of Cortez is a magical thing, soft and azure one moment, sparkly neon green the next. But to truly experience the isolation and grandeur of this as yet unadulterated area of Baja, hire a boat or pilot a kayak to Danzante, one of the small desert islands in the 800-square-mile Loreto Bay National Marine Park.
Privacy rating: 9.7. The waters are calm, the locals aren’t nosy, and a kayak will take you to many a dead-quiet cove.
Since you’re hiding out, best not stay in town. Rather, book an off-the-radar bolthole like Danzante Eco Resort, 25 miles south of Loreto. The nine simple rooms have views to Danzante Island and even free kayaks to get you there. And since there are no phones or Internet, nobody from the outside world will be able to track you down.
Danzante
Tel: 408 354 0042
Doubles from $360, including meals
Pemba Island, Tanzania
There are places to get away, and there are faraway places. Take Pemba Island: You’ll know you’re off the tourist route when you finally reach Zanzibar, in East Africa—and you’ve got another flight to go. When you and your lover fantasize about chucking it all (the jobs, the stress, the kids…) and living off the grid in a remote land, this Spice Island is the place you’re dreaming of.
They simply call them the sandbanks: the beaches that are reborn when the iridescent waters slide back with the tide. These strings of white-sand pathways make for ideal strolls or launching points for snorkeling.
Privacy rating: 3, on the island itself. (You don’t want to scandalize the locals.) Charter your property’s traditional dhow to whisk you to uninhabited Misali Island to achieve the perfect 10.
Tourist infrastructure is scant, so the Brit-owned Fundu Lagoon (pictured) comes as a bit of a shock. The infinity pool is the tip-off to the luxury on offer here, as are the thatched superior suites that sit on the beach and come with two private terraces and a plunge pool.
Fundu Lagoon
Tel: 255 76 35 92 820
Doubles from $740, including dhow sunset cruise and all food and drink
Providencia
The Caribbean islands sprinkled off the coast of Nicaragua offer a tantalizing cultural brew—one part Afro-Caribbean, with two jiggers of Latin America. Providencia, under Colombian jurisdiction, is a back-to-basics paradise where beach shacks hum with both reggae and salsa, beers are cheaper than bottled water, and there’s nothing to do but back-float in calm, sun-dappled waters.
Only three miles long and two miles wide, Providencia won’t take long to explore, but once you hit the khaki crescent of Playa Manzanillo, with palm trees hanging over the water, it’s unlikely you’ll want to go any further.
Privacy rating: 4. There are no T-shirt shops on the beach, but there will be a number of locals enjoying the surf as much as you are. And they like to visit.
Long sunny days, the slow pace, and cheap lobster dinners are more than a match for more typical luxury. The 35-room Sol Caribe Providencia sits on a quiet bay and has its own restaurant, bar, and swimming pool. By the end of the first day, you’ll be on a first-name basis with all the ladies manning that restaurant and bar.
Sol Caribe Providencia
Tel: 57 851 48036
Doubles from $135, including breakfast and lunch or dinner daily
Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Looking for heat, you say? Well, this is a volcanic island, after all, and despite Lanzarote’s location 100 miles off the coast of Africa, it’s Spanish (and the locals are, well, passionate). Much of the interior is made up of jagged lava fields, and the black sand beach pictured here is called El Golfo.
If quiet splendor (and skin) is your thing, head south: Caleta del Congrio is a remote beach at the island’s southern tip where fair young things are known to shed all their clothes. Choices abound, though: The island is ringed by some 90 white-, golden-, and black-sand beaches.
Privacy rating: 8.7. We already said it: 90 beaches.
The influx of budget vacationers hurts the lodging around the island, but the Hesperia Lanzarote, which has sister hotels in Madrid and Bilbao, gets it right. Located in Puerto Calero, it has 46 suites and 289 standard rooms; four swimming pools; comfortable cabanas on the water; and a good, clean design that plays up the Mediterranean influence.
Hesperia Lanzarote
Tel: 34 828 080 800
Doubles from $194
Oahu, Hawaii
Oahu gets its share of loud shirt–wearing tourists, but it’s surprising how few venture around the entire island, choosing instead to nurse fruity drinks in Waikiki. Which leaves the North Shore and nearby beaches to the hot surfer boys and girls and superfit locals. And you’re free to mix it up with them.
In winter, the North Shore’s Sunset Beach is legendarily sexy—have you ever seen so many hard bodies toting around their surfboards? Great ogling, but you don’t want to get in that pounding surf yourself. A short drive away is Kailua Beach, a sweet arc of sand where the pretty girls and sporty guys from the moneyed enclave of Kailua like to body-board.
Privacy: 2. Sorry, bud, it’s a small island, and the locals have claimed the most secluded bits as their own.
Turtle Bay is right at the North Shore—and after a long evening hanging out at the house where all the surfers live, you won’t want to drive all the way south to one of the big resorts. If possible, book one of the 42 cottages, which have more personality than the 400-plus rooms.
Turtle Bay Resort
Tel: 800 203 3650 (toll-free)
Tel: 808 293 6000
Doubles from $340; cottages from $703
St. Lucia, Caribbean
If curious couples once fantasized about Jamaica—a sensual green-and-blue paradise that’s still close to home—these days St. Lucia has assumed that role. The verdant island has an increasing number of top-tier properties, a host of possible land and water adventures to spice things up, and plenty of sand to roll around in as the surf breaks over your bodies.
The island has archetypal Caribbean beaches such as Reduit—which, while oh so pretty, are sardined with sun-reddened tourists. If lying around doesn’t suit, Cas-en-Bas on the Atlantic coast is more geared towards the adrenaline set, with pursuits such as kiteboarding or racing in the surf on horseback, like the handsome fellow pictured. You can rent horses from the International Riding Stables in nearby Gros Islet (though we’d suggest springing for the saddle rental, too, unlike this guy).
Privacy rating: 6.5. The island keeps getting more popular, so ditch the crowds and slip away to a hidden spot—underneath the waterfall at the Botanical Garden’s mineral baths, for instance.
The newest resort property is Landings St. Lucia, in the north (only 15 minutes or so from Cas-en-Bas). The one- to three-bedroom villas are sparkling new, there’s an 800-foot private beach dotted with pools and hot tubs, and the huge RockResorts spa will get the kinks out.
Landings St. Lucia
Tel: 877 657 7625 (toll-free)
Doubles from $225
International Riding Stables
Tel: 758 452 8139
Perth, Australia
The Aussies may be world-class friendly, but even they get tourist-weary in places like Sydney. To achieve that “I’m an outsider, wanna buy me a drink?” sizzle, it’s hard to beat the west coast, near Perth. The locals pride themselves on being a little wilder, a little more independent, and a lot more entertaining. Challenge a cute one to a drinking contest.
This photo was shot at Mindarie Keys—a perfect spot on the 20-plus miles of Sunset Coast that run north from Perth. Think long washes of bone-white beaches and a clear Indian Ocean that blushes brilliant red at sunset. If you set off from Perth’s busy city center, you’ll be here in less than 30 minutes.
Privacy rating: 7.7. Chances are, new acquaintances will love to show you their favorite swath of solitary sand. If you’re in the mood to duck away on dry land, ask for a tour of nearby Yanchep National Park, famous for some 600 natural caves and colonies of fuzzy-wuzzy koalas.
Perth’s a lovely city, but there’s no reason to listen to the sound of traffic when you wake in the morning. Opt instead for the sound of boats clinking softly together at the Mindarie Marina, which has really nice suites at even nicer rates. Each has a balcony overlooking the water and access to the swimming pool and tennis courts, and—most importantly—the hotel is about a three-minute walk to the beach where this lass was photographed.
Mindarie Marina
Tel: 618 9305 9305
Suites from $140
So there are the first ten beaches, check out the seven remaining sexy beaches.
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Posted by: The Beach Bum
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