Discover the world's top 30 island beaches

Cook Islands
One Foot Island, Aitutaki
This tiny uninhabited mote is one of the most photographed islets in the South Pacific, no doubt because it is everybody’s idea of what their island would look like if they were Robinson Crusoe — white sand, bending palm trees, azure water. Wow Factor: The wide lagoon is so shallow you can walk to the next island at low tide. Best Bed: The two-year-old, eight-bungalow Etu Moana is right on the beach (682-31458; etumoana.com; doubles, $313–$350). Fair Warning: Too many day-trippers.

Fiji
Vatulele Island
From the moment you step barefoot out of the seaplane and wade ashore, you have no desire to wear shoes again until someone makes you get back on the plane — the half-mile stretch of sand is that soft. Wow Factor: With the resort’s sunset-facing bures strung along the beach, there’s just one reason to wander away from the tide line: the excellent wine list. Best Bed: The bures are well spaced: Nos. 1 through 9 flank the Main Bure; 10 through 17 are a secluded walk away (679-672-0300; vatulele.com; doubles, $1,386, all-inclusive).
Bonus: Vatulele is a real Fijian island, with four villages and coconut and taro farming.

Germany
Sylt, Schleswig-Holstein
This quaint island resort has no fewer than 20 miles of sand dunes and its very own style of beach furniture, a three-seater basket that serves both as a windbreak and a territorial marker. Wow Factor: Nudism is ubiquitous, particularly with the middle-aged liberal intelligentsia. Best Bed: Kampen is the most attractive tourist village, with easy access to beach and golf from the Rungholt Hotel (49-4651-4480; hotel-rungholt.de; doubles, $318–$380).
Fair Warning: The North Sea is predictably chilly at 54 degrees latitude, but the trade-off is long hours of summer sunshine.

Greece
Porto Katsiki, Lefkas
Little known even to Greeks, this ranks as one of the most perfect beaches in Europe — island or continent. Wow Factor: Contained between two huge precipices of white, gold, and red limestone, the beach is a feast of contrasting textures. The central section is of the finest white pebbles, perfect for sunbathing, while huge rounded boulders provide shade. The sea here is a color found nowhere else — a solid turquoise that might have been poured directly from a can of paint. Best Bed: No standouts. Stay in the nearby fishing village of Vassiliki or in Nidri, on the other side of the island.
Fair Warning: Not easy to get to. Come by boat from Vassiliki or by rental car, driving through a forest of pine trees (lefkada.gr).

Indonesia
Nusa Dua, Bali
When the Indonesians were looking for an ideal stretch of sand on which to build an enclave of upscale beach hotels, they chose Nusa Dua, in the southern part of the island, not far from the airport. Wow Factor: The sand is white, the water is blue, and the hawkers remain notably absent. Best Bed: Plenty. An exception to the massive scale of most of the hotels is the 35-suite Amanusa, sitting tranquilly on a hillside above the beach (65-6887-3337; amanresorts.com; doubles, $700–$1,500).

Italy
Lido, Venice
The ultimate in seaside swank. The Lido was made forever famous by Thomas Mann’s novella “Death in Venice” and Visconti’s lush movie of the story. There are two enormous public beaches at each end of the island. Wow Factor: In September, it hosts the prestigious Venice Film Festival, first held in 1932, where film stars arrive elegantly by boat or private plane. Best Bed: Two pricey, grande dame hotels — the Westin Excelsior (39-041-526-0201; starwoodhotels.com; doubles, $1,130–$1,290) and the Hotel des Bains (39-041-526-5921; starwoodhotels.com; doubles, $940–$1,180) — boast what is probably the world’s most expensive beach huts, which Venetians lease by the season for $10,000 (weekly and daily rates are also available). Next-Best Bed: The charming Albergo Quattro Fontane is more reasonable, and it has a good restaurant (39-041-526-0227; albergoquattrofontane.com; doubles, $584).

Jamaica
7-Mile Beach, Negril
There’s a reason — besides the glorious sunsets — that this seven-mile stretch on the west coast is a perennial favorite. Wow Factor: Just the right mix of white sand, tranquil water, and enough beach life to keep you from getting bored after the first few hours of bliss. One-Love Factor: Visitors most easily mix with locals at Alfred's, a beachy restaurant and bar with live reggae Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays (alfreds.com). Best Bed: If you are here to stay on the beach, Couples Swept Away is on a good section (954-416-1280; couples.com; doubles, $565–$769, all-inclusive).

Maldives
Cocoa Island
It’s hard to go wrong in the Maldives, which has eighty-seven one-resort islands on its atolls, all with worthy beaches. Wow Factor: Tiny Cocoa Island is virtually all beach, all of it white sand, complemented by palms and a lagoon of tranquil sky-blue water. Best Bed: Cocoa Island resort has diving, small-boat sailing, and a spa (960-664-1818; cocoaisland.como.bz; suites, $590–$805).
Bonus: If that’s too much activity for you, they’ll drop you off on your own private beach, where you can remain blissfully isolated for as long as the sunscreen holds out.

Philippines
White Beach, Boracay
This three-mile stretch of sand has the color and consistency of baby powder, and is one of the world’s classic beaches on which to mix with locals. Wow Factor: From one end to the other, there’s a frenzy of life: hotels, bars, dive operators, windsurfing schools, massage stations, hair braiders, and scam artists of every description. Best Bed: The Boracay Regency fronts the beach and is in the middle of the action (63-36-288-6111; boracayregency.com; doubles, $124–$216).
Fair Warning: From Manila, you fly to Caticlan; from there, it’s a half-hour boat ride right onto the beach. Note, too, that the community has issues — overdevelopment, erosion, pollution.

St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Petit St. Vincent
A two-mile-long idyllic beach almost completely encircles this islet near Union Island. Wow Factor: PSV has sand so cushy that guests risk sinking up to their piña coladas. Best Bed: The 113-acre island’s only occupant is the Petit St. Vincent Resort, whose 22 cottages are just secluded enough — some beachside, some cliffside — to make this one of the most romantic spots on the planet, as well as one of the most private. No phone, TV, A/C, or room key (945-963-7401; psvresort.com; doubles, $605).

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