I’ve been to thousands of beaches in my life (probably). I’ve culled a few of my favorite underrated beach destinations for you so you can branch out from Florida and Hawaii.
Madagascar
Madagascar is known for many things and beaches get swept under the rug because of the rainforest, lemurs, and wild animals only living on this island. (Totally fair). But when I arrived at the various beaches on the Madagascar coastline, I was shocked! The sand was incredible. The water was swimmable and amazing. And there were so few crowds. We nearly had every beach to ourselves. I can’t say enough about the beaches here. If you travel to Madagascar you get the best of all kinds of travel worlds. There’s incredible wildlife, diverse terrain, outdoorsy activities, and the people are incredible and kind. So go trek through the jungle, hang out with some lemurs, and stay at some of the magical beaches! Have no idea how to start planning a trip to Madagascar?? I get it! Check out my trip designing services and let’s have a chat!
Maldives
Ok, so this one might not be that under the radar. However, when you think of Maldives, don’t you imagine over-water bungalows? Not beaches? Well the great news is that since most of us can’t afford the over-water bungalows, there are other places to stay in Maldives. We stayed on the island of Maafushi for a normal hotel price right outside of a beach. The beaches are a little tricky in Maldives because it’s a 100% Muslim country so you have to make sure the beach you’re going to allows bikinis. They’re pretty clearly marked. And the beaches for tourists are filled with super soft sand, lots of shady palm trees, and warm dreamy water.
Don’t think you can afford to travel to Maldives? Think again! I did a week long trip for less than 2K. There are often flight deals to Maldives around $660 round trip. Then you can stay in a really nice hotel for less than $100/night. The food is often provided by the hotel and there are a few inexpensive restaurants about the island. Activities are affordable or you can just beach it up and snorkel! Need help planning?
Costa Rica
This one is semi-biased because I just returned from my first trip to Costa Rica. I wasn’t expecting to love the beaches as much as I did! I think of Costa Rica and think rainforest, and I sorta think of surfing, but I didn’t realize the type of beaches and what they offer. On my favorite beach day, we stayed at a kitschy hotel called Pipe House where you sleep quite literally in a pipe. It was about 34 steps to the nearest beach which was basically secluded. I saw a group of 4 from our hotel in the morning, and only a few passers by the day before. Down the coast is a bigger town called Tamarindo, which had way more people. Playa Grande where we were had incredible water where I felt safe to play for hours. It had untouched sand with thousands of shells. And it was everything you dream about a secluded beach being.
Zanzibar
I haven’t been to Zanzibar since 2014, but it remains one of my top 10 places. I know I got sunburnt to heck but the friendly people and great atmosphere made these beaches memorable. There’s also a place you can swim with sea turtles that I’ll never regret. Zanzibar has loads to offer culturally on the Stone Town side, but make sure you cover those shoulders. And if tourism hasn’t changed too much, I remember the activities (boat tours, snorkeling, etc) being very affordable. Want to go to Zanzibar? Let me help!
Hope you enjoyed this small group of my favorite beaches in the world! Where would you choose?
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