Best beach holidays in India and the world

With 13 coastal states, India has some of the best beaches in the world. (Representational image: Leo Rivas via Unsplash)

In Baz Luhrman’s unforgettable words: If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it / The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists / Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable / Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now…

Gather all your fashionable totes and sunglasses, beach flip-flops and swimwear. A bottle of water and a spot under the sun where gentle breezes from the sea help turn the pages of that murder mystery or a romance that you want to read (no Proust on the beach… The ocean in front of you is deep enough).

Let’s follow the sun and plan your next twelve beach vacations that will leave you in a blissful state the year through

Japan: Shirahama Beach (Wakayama prefecture)

Everyone loves Tokyo and you go to Osaka for the food (Fugu fish and the Okonomiyaki!). This beach is located in the same Kansai region. People often get confused because there are many beaches by the same name. This beach is at the stunningly beautiful white sandy bay with few people even in the summers. People in Japan have been taught to not swim if there are no life-guards, so you’ll see very few people actually venture out into the sea.

New Zealand: 90 Mile Beach, Mosquito Bay

You want stunning and breathtakingly different? The little beaches in New Zealand are in the guide books. But this beach - rather unimaginatively named for what it is: a ninety mile long beach that seems to touch infinity. Buses drive on the beach but as they say, there are far more sheep than people there, you will love the peace and quiet. And yes, the awesomeness of the endless beach. Oh yes, at night you will see a different set of stars (the Southern Cross makes for a stunning first sight)... A drive holiday in New Zealand will be the best vacation you will ever take. But for a truly extraordinary sight get to the South Island and go to Mosquito bay and watch the breathtaking bioluminescent waters…

Australia: Misery beach and Whitehaven Beach

Although Sydney’s Bondi beach has so many beach perfect bodies, you will end up stepping into a pub that serves the gigantic beer battered, deep fried onion flowers rather than compete, if you wish to get your feet wet in the prettiest sand on one of Australia’s best beaches (more than 11,000 beaches), you’ll have to go to Whitsundays Island and step onto the Whitehaven beach. The water is so clear, you can go snorkelling here and enjoy stunning sunsets. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the peace and the beauty of a beach called Misery (located in Western Australia, this beach holds cultural significance to the peoples of the First Nation).

Bali: Pemuteran and Blue Point

The island paradise called Bali attracts surfers as much as beaches in Australia do. The crowds are colourful and noisy. Kuta and Nusa Dua beaches have so much family fun to offer you would have an unforgettable holiday. But should you wish to get away from the surfers, then head to Blue Point beach, and yes the most picturesque Pemuteran beach. Pemuteran offers you one of the best scuba diving (If you don’t know how to swim, then join that PADI Discover Scuba training program in the Andamans. Scroll below for that destination)

Vietnam: HaLong Bay and Con Dao

If you can tear yourself away from Pho and iced Ca Phe Nau (I have forgiven the idea of condensed milk because this coffee is so good!) in Saigon, book yourself on that lazy cruise on a traditional Junk boat with the prettiest bedrooms and great food. Your eyes will be exhausted at all the beauty around you. They even let you step off into a little boat and take you around in the caves. Away from this UNESCO designated treasure, you can enjoy the Sun, the surf and the beaches of Con Dao islands.

India: Radhnagar at The Andamans

With 13 coastal states, India has some of the best beach experiences. But The Andamans are no ordinary vacay spot. Apart from the historical importance, the islands offer some of the most dazzling ocean views. Plus, you can learn to scuba dive and add one more accomplishment to your cap. Learning to dive will introduce you to so many wonders beneath the seas (and that includes thrilling boat trips that will teach you how to swim with the sharks). And then I will direct you to the fragile coral reefs…I would be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible Half Moon beach in our own backyard in Karnataka. Perhaps it was the sea, or perhaps it was the fluffiest idli I have ever eaten but the beach help yours truly rack up great memories.

Africa: Mnemba and Fregate

With utter humility to Nature’s bounty bestowed upon an entire continent, do I dare to mention only two beaches from the approximately 30,500 kms coastline? But after documenting the big five in Nature parks at Masai Mara and other reserves head over Mnemba beach (Tanzanian island) for the whitest sands you will ever see and swim with the dolphins. Just a fleeting tiny touch from these friendly creatures will thrill you like nothing else. But if you wish for the most romantic getaway, then head on to the Seychelles Islands and when you reach those beautiful beach riddled islands, lose your heart to Fregate beach.

Europe’s Best: Tenerife on the Spanish Canary Islands and the French Riviera’s Paloma Plage

Sorry Europe, you have gorgeous beaches (you will struggle to park your car in the summer), but if you’re looking for warm waters are best in the French Riviera and on the sigh-inducing little paradise called the Canary Islands (they belong to Spain). Paloma Plage (beach) is located on St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (remember old Hollywood? Stars would often show up in this part of the Riviera) but you’d have to wear proper footwear on this pebbly sandy beach. If you wish to savour food at Michelin star restaurants Le Cap or La Table du Royal your holiday will become complete.

Tenerife on the Canary island has the most incredible beaches, but your nose will lead you to great paella and yes, butter garlic prawns (the Indian family that owns restaurants there will treat you to the best tres leches to keep their name a secret).

Politically Incorrect Beaches: Sindalah and Khalaktyresky beaches

If you are politically motivated to not spend your money in countries that are in opposition to your views, then skip these two destinations. Sindalah islands are a part of the NEOM region of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Swimming with the giant turtles is a sense of such great joy, topped only by the fact that Shah Rukh Khan’s film Dunki is being shot there. Apologies for the fangirl line, but the waters of the oceans will destress you like nothing ever.

Khalaktyresky beach is unique because you would be walking on black volcanic sands (30 kms of it!). Incredible is the only word that springs in your head as you forget all else. You will remember your geography teacher when you realise that you are in the Kamchatka peninsula region, the only catch is going to Russia involves a lot of paperwork and travelling with organised tours.

The Northern Cold Beaches: Dunbar in Scotland, Paradisbukta in Oslo

There’s no beach as such in this quaint little coastal town in North Scotland (50 miles from Edinburgh), but you will fall in love with this town as I did, because from this coast (this town gets more Sun than any other town in all of Scotland) you can watch the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis and the sea is stunning when the sky is all lit up. There’s a lighthouse near Barns Ness which offers you a strange kind of assurance. If you’re in Oslo, Norway, and tired of walking about in the city, head to Paradisbukta (Paradise Bay). I just stared at the cold sun and the sky and the sea seemed to say, ‘Hold on to the warm thoughts’... And I did, until the sky suddenly lit up with a show better than any Hollywood multi million dollar production. And the sea reflected them in quiet appreciation. The Scottish call them Na Fir Chlis (the nimble men), the Orkney and Shetland island folk call them the Mirri Dancers and the Norwegians Nordlys, it is something you must see at least once in your lifetime.

USA: The Big Island in Hawaii, the remote American Samoa and Miami

Culturally two totally different coastlines in the US offer very varied beach holidays. I could go on and on about the Garnet beach in Oregon (it’s cold and windy there, but you can find garnets on the beach). But the unforgettable ones are in Hawaii. The Hapuna Beach State Park on the big island in Hawaii has the most spectacular stretches of beach. Some four thousand miles from Hawaii are the American Samoa islands. You will never see such clear waters anywhere else. Perfect for staring at the perfect corals, all kinds of fish and yes, gorgeous beaches. The pictures you will take will be magical. The homestays at this rarely visited state park will make you wish you could stay there forever. And yes, if you want the Americans on the beach holiday experience: watching beach-perfect bodies (mostly rollerblading or driving the fanciest top down cars), dancing at the salsa clubs and watching the rich and the famous, head out to Miami (Venice beach and South Beach)...

South America: The best beaches in the world.

South America deserves its own lifetime to experience its beaches. You cannot just say I have visited Rio de Janeiro, or that you dreamt of doing Samba on the beach, or that you sunbathed with a free-roaming iguana on the beach. There are secret coves and peninsulas to die for, and even though my heart lies with the Andes mountains, I will tell you about the most beautiful island off the coast of the Americas: Aruba. Take a cruise to see the sunset over all these little islands of the Sun. Drink mysteriously heady drinks from a hollowed out pineapple and pray for a life of lotus eating…