Top secret beaches

Europe
Mochlos Beach
Mochlos, Crete
From Mochlos, a fishing village in northeastern Crete, you can almost throw a stone to tiny Mochlos island just offshore (many people swim to it for fun). Mochlos the village has a small, quiet beach, as does Mochlos the island — and even better, the island is literally a mound of ruins, including Minoan, Hellenistic and Byzantine remains.

Lavezzi Isles
Corsica
When visiting Bonifacio, on Corsica’s most southerly point, consider taking a day trip to the Lavezzi Isles, part of the Corsica Regional Nature Park. Boat tours are offered from the city’s marina. The marine park designation has kept these rocky islands and their many beaches undeveloped. Explore when you get there to choose the one that best suits your mood.

South Pacific
Fayaque Beach
Ouvea, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
A 20-mile stretch of palm-tree-studded sand can be found on the southeast coast of Ouvea island, 60 miles northeast of New Caledonia (which is east of Australia). A favorite of locals, the beach shares its name with the island’s main village.

Tereia Beach
Maupiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia
Maupiti, in the western Society Islands, could be a mini Bora-Bora, complete with serene lagoon and the towering peak of Mt. Hotu Paraoa, whose steep slopes drop straight down to the sea. Sitting on white-sand Tereia, located on the west coast, you’ll be sandwiched between these natural assets.

Fai Fai Beach
Guam
Channel you inner Crusoe and escape to Fai Fai Beach on Guam’s northwest coast. To get there, start at the slightly more popular Gun Beach and then walk across a cliff-side wooden walkway overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Once there, find shade under coconut trees or snorkel to see starfish and sea cucumbers.

Virgin Cove
Upolu, Samoa Islands
Just beyond Saanapu Village, on the south coast of Upolu, there’s a hidden cove where the rainforest meets the shore. Spend your days at the beach and your nights there, as well, at the Virgin Cove Resort, a collection of simple, open-air beach-side fales (traditional Samoan huts).

Hawaii
Makalawena Beach
Big Island
Between mile markers 88 and 89 on Highway 19 on the Big Island’s west coast, there lies an access road that will lead you to Makalawena, an often-deserted trio of crescent-shaped bays separated by black lava and white coral rocks. The salt-and-pepper-speckled sand comes from black and white coral bits, and the ocean here is calm.

Secret Beach
Kauai
We’re spilling the secret about this beach just past Kilauea on Kauai’s North Shore. Take the Kahili Road half a mile west of Kilauea and turn right on the first dirt road which ends at a parking area. A 10-minute hike down a rocky, brush-lined trail deposits you on its golden sand. Skip swimming (the surf is rough) and opt instead for a picnic lunch in view of the Kilauea Lighthouse, the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands.

Polihua Beach
Lanai
It’s not hard to find a secluded beach on Lanai, but Polihua, on the island’s northwest coast, is one of the most stunning. Once an abundant nesting site for honu (green sea turtles), Polihua is reachable only by 4WD through an ironwood forest and is not recommended for swimming, but you’ll want to walk the beach and look for the decorative Japanese glass fishing-net floats that sometimes wash ashore.

Papohaku Beach
Molokai
Hawaii’s largest white-sand beach, Papohaku stretches for three uninterrupted miles down Molokai’s west coast. It’s not uncommon early in the day to have an entire section all to yourself. Its beauty creates a fitting place for Molokai Ka Hula Piko, the island’s largest cultural festival, which celebrates the art of hula.

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