100 World Best Beaches by Forbs and Onarchitects

The World's Best Beaches by Forbs and Onarchitects

Although the Whitsunday Islands have some of the best diving and snorkeling in Australia, our vote goes to Bondi Beach because of the "sea-and-be-scene" atmosphere.

Catalina Island, located off the coast of California, boasts 48 miles of coastline as well as a lost-in-time quality.

Fijians are legendary for their friendliness as well as natural beauty, and Fiji features white-sand beaches, lagoons, palm trees and world-class scuba diving.

When thinking of the Greek islands, most people think of the twin dens of debauchery, Mykonos and Santorini. For a different type of Greek beauty, try Corfu.

Dhermi - Albanian Beach

Beaches in Albania - Dhermi, Vlora, Durres, Saranda, Himare

Finding a secluded, private beach in the Caribbean is getting harder and harder, as resorts are gobbling up all the best property. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which include Mustique and Petit Martinique, are not nearly as built-up as surrounding islands.

The island of Kauai is known as the Garden Isle for its lush tropical beauty. Hawaii's least developed island is crisscrossed with rivers, swamps, ginger blossoms and banana trees.

The Canary Islands, just off the African coast but technically a part of Spain, have long been a favorite haunt of sun-seeking Europeans.

The tiny Maldives are just 1.7 times the size of Washington, D.C., and most of the land is barely 1 meter above sea level. The archipelago consists of 1,190 coral islands, and only 200 are inhabited.

While Mexico boasts plenty of fine beaches, some of the best are found along the Caribbean coast.

Part of South Beach's appeal is the throngs of beautiful people and the wild nightlife (as well as minuscule bikinis). But party people aside, it's simply a terrific beach.

Much of the southern shore of Long Island is in fact one continuous stretch of beach.

With their dramatic rock formations, the beaches of La Digue Island frequently top magazines' lists for being among the best in the world, but it's hard to go wrong with any of the beaches in the Seychelles.

The Phi Phi Islands in Thailand have an almost ridiculous beauty. When the producers of the Leonardo DiCaprio film The Beach sought the perfect beach for filming, they chose the Phi Phi Islands.