Writing this article while beads of sweat are running down my cheeks helps (I think) to convey the blue freshness that we sometimes crave at this time of the year. And it is that around the world, the ocean manifests itself in many different ways when kissing the coast: through epic cliffs in Galicia, dressed in wetlands in the Bay of Bengal or through natural pools in the south of Sri Lanka.
However, few of us can resist the charm of a superlative blue beach. Although there are many factors that make up the most coveted color of summer, the following beaches meet the conditions that promise paradise: shallow waters, incidence of the sun and little pollution. From Cuba to Mallorca, we dive into an (almost) eternal blue.
One plane after another lands in the north of Cuba, hotels are everywhere and a mini bottle of Pringles can cost you 10 euros. Yes, many of us know about the tourist topics that the Cuban town of Varadero encompasses, but when it comes to talking about its beaches, what beaches! In this Caribbean Eden, the waters are so clear that you can see your feet – and even be left alone with a starfish – and spread out your towel in a blanket of sand that looks like sugar. If you are looking for equally blue but more relaxed places in Cuba, there is nothing better than succumbing to its keys, including Cayo Coco or, my favorite, Cayo Santa María.
Between the Caribbean and our Mediterranean there is a secret dotted line. And it is not always necessary to take a transatlantic flight when here we have pristine paradises of a unique blue. For example, the blue Ses Illetes, that 450-meter stretch of sand that divides the sea in two to offer us fairytale beaches in Formentera. The 60,000 travelers who voted this beach the best in Spain in a recent Lonely Planet poll couldn’t be wrong.
There are very blue beaches and, sometimes, also very pink. This is the two-tone combination that dominates Elafonisi, a popular beach north of the Greek island of Crete where pink sand accentuates the blues of the Mediterranean. The origin of this millennial pink color in Elafonisi and other beaches around the world – for example, also in Bermuda – lies in the presence of a compound eroded on the seabed called calcium carbonate that, when mixed with native algae, turns the sand bubblegum pink.
Talking about the bluest cove in the Maldives would be the closest thing to a utopia, especially when the Indian Ocean here is a beach in itself and the choice of the resort, the key factor to enjoy the ultimate oasis. Although there are specific beaches on atolls of a more local nature such as Bandos Beach -a 20-minute boat ride from Male, the capital- or the manta ray-dotted waters of Baa Atoll, the winning horse will always be the accommodation. As options, we suggest Baros Maldives, a great luxury resort overlooking a lagoon where you can bathe among sea turtles.
The urban beaches of Cartagena de Indias aren’t the prettiest I’ve seen, but that perception changes as you head down Colombia’s Caribbean coast and into the Barú peninsula. The prelude to the archipelago of the Rosario Islands -ideal for diving and even visiting one of Pablo Escobar’s old private islands- invites you to take a break on Playa Blanca, with its turquoise waters and few bathers as sunset approaches. A unique refuge where the fishermen’s boats make room for the visitor and the beach bars form colored stilt houses.
From the Bazaruto archipelago, in Mozambique; to the iconic Seychelles, the African continent boasts a collection of fascinating beaches. However, one of the most special is found to the north of the main island of Zanzibar, where the absence of tides allows you to take a dip in the turquoise of Nungwi Beach. A local micro-universe dotted with boats, wandering turtles and women waiting on the shore for the day’s catch while Maasai children play in a tropical and eternal summer.
The sky here may be “white” but the blue of this beach in the Whitsunday archipelago, north-east Queensland, looks like something out of the best wallpaper. A spectacle of nature that you can visit through the different day trips that depart from Airlie Beach. A dip, manta rays around the boat, the sky and the sea that seem to merge here. By the time you reach the golden sands, you understand why for many this is the most beautiful beach in all of Australia.
With more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines hides blue jewels that shine in the most unexpected corners. For example, on the island of Entatula, belonging to the famous El Nido and one of those paradisiacal corners where the waters seem to make love with the palm trees. In between, different palm-roofed beach bars are scattered as nature murmurs a swollen song of tropical bird sounds.
Mexico has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world: from the enigmatic Playa Escondida and the hippie paradises of Mazunte, in Oaxaca -both on the Pacific coast- to a Caribbean that glitters through Tulum, the place-to-be of the Riviera Maya or, a little further north, the laid-back island of Holbox. Except on those days when the cyclones of this area of ??America make bathing difficult, the chilliest island in the Yucatan peninsula is a sand snake that plunges into the sea to offer pictures of endless blue between sea turtles, flamingos and pelicans (and micheladas).
Although there are hundreds of archipelagos in the world where we can bathe in turquoise waters -hello, Bora Bora-, we could not forget about Thailand. The ancient Siam displays an endless number of beaches, among which icons such as Koh Lipe stand out, in the south of the country and located in the Tarutao National Marine Park, where you can do island hopping among 50 virgin islands. The blue of Koh Lipe is a balm that encourages you to put on your snorkel goggles on beaches like Pattaya, which you can access by boat.
