A Year of the World's Best Beaches
September 6, 2020 2:18 PM Subscribe
CNN collects together 52 of the world's best beaches and the best time to visit, one for every week of the year. Surprisingly free of ads.
Phew, the beach I go to in the Algarve didn't make the list. A better-kept secret than the one they chose, thank fuck.
posted by chavenet at 2:45 PM on September 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 2:45 PM on September 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
There are no PEI beaches include - nor Caribou Island, NS (across the strait from the south side of PEI). No Cavendish beach, no North Rustico beach (just like Cavendish, but much less crowded on a nice day). I mean, I didn't expect recommendations for any Canadian beaches in the northern hemisphere winter, but we do have nice beaches!
We also have Wasaga Beach, the longest freshwater beach in the world.
posted by jb at 3:10 PM on September 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
We also have Wasaga Beach, the longest freshwater beach in the world.
posted by jb at 3:10 PM on September 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
July should be PEI. They even rhyme, and the beaches are much nicer than Lake Tahoe.
posted by jb at 3:12 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by jb at 3:12 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Dungeness? I'm generally of the opinion that it's not a beach if its made of pebbles. But I'm not convinced being a few hundred metres from an active and ageing nuclear reactor and its partially decommissioned antecedent does much to push it up the UK beach charts.
We did a beach tour of the Lofotens a few years back. There are some stunning beaches on a sunlit day, even if its still a bit nippy. Its better than Dungeness for sure but I'm not totally convinced the one they pick is the best.
posted by biffa at 3:19 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
We did a beach tour of the Lofotens a few years back. There are some stunning beaches on a sunlit day, even if its still a bit nippy. Its better than Dungeness for sure but I'm not totally convinced the one they pick is the best.
posted by biffa at 3:19 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Just realised Dungeness is recommended for January. Well that's going to be a totally miserable experience for some unfortunate.
posted by biffa at 3:37 PM on September 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by biffa at 3:37 PM on September 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
None in Canada? I guess they think they are all frozen? But they got that one in Greenland? I guess its good in any case... more for us. Beach loving misanthropes of Ontario (who likely feel traumatized by the merest thought of sitting cheek by jowl with other humans at Wasaga Beach like me) - check out the little provincial parks on the Lake Erie coastline. In a normal year they sometimes feel utterly abandoned and it's like you have your own private beach. After a nice day at the beach, go and get yourself a nice perch supper before you head back home.
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:55 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:55 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Siorarsuit Beach, Greenland. Best time to visit: January.
Oh really? Well, it probably wouldn’t be very crowded then at least.
posted by bumpkin at 4:57 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh really? Well, it probably wouldn’t be very crowded then at least.
posted by bumpkin at 4:57 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
They seem to have only ocean beaches, no lake beaches at all, well so much the worse for them and I'll keep enjoying my fresh water where I can get it. (really the best swimming spots are along rivers but those wouldn't withstand the crowds that come with magazine-feature recognition).
posted by Daily Alice at 5:05 PM on September 6, 2020
posted by Daily Alice at 5:05 PM on September 6, 2020
glad to see my favorite, clearwater beach, fl, didn’t make it on the list. ever since it was declared the best beach in americait’s been overrun by german dudes in banana hammocks and the rest of the worst beach goers (unlike its serene emptiness of my childhood). hooray for being knocked off the list and maybe quieting down a bit
posted by dis_integration at 6:08 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 6:08 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
I still can't believe that Bondi is the lazy pundit's representative for Australian beaches. For starters it's in Sydney, strike one. Sydney does not have good coast line. The southern half of Sydney's coast line is literally cliffs with small pockets of beaches and the northern side is only marginally better. Bondi for instance is barely half a mile long. Manly is an order of magnitude better beach. It's much less crowded because there aren't a billion tourists trying to jam into that little half mile stretch. Better beach, better surf all round.
If you go to Western Australia you can walk from Cottesloe to Trigg and its 8 miles of uninterrupted Indian Ocean lapping on to white sand. If you're staying in Perth's CBD you can hop on the train to Freo and in under half an hour be at Cottesloe. Spend all day just on the beach, walk up to Scarborough if you want, and take bus 400 back to the city from Scarborough or just catch the train home from Cottesloe. You don't have to go there though, wherever you're staying the Swan Coastal Plain basically turns Perth's entire coast line into one interrupted beach punctuated only by the occasional marinas and harbors.
Plus if you take a day trip down south you can hit Prevelly Park which is some of the best surf in the southern hemisphere. Plus, since it's Margaret River, it's not crowded af like trying to surf on the east coast where all the tourists are.
It's so disappointing that these types of pundits consistently fall into the lazy trap of just going for stereotypical places. But I suppose that's a product of the time. You don't need to visit these places, experience them, talk to locals, find out what's special about all of them. Knowledge? Who the fuck needs knowledge when I have Wikipedia? Nah, just pick the one that has the most hoodies at the airport gift shop and you're bonza, right?
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 6:46 PM on September 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
If you go to Western Australia you can walk from Cottesloe to Trigg and its 8 miles of uninterrupted Indian Ocean lapping on to white sand. If you're staying in Perth's CBD you can hop on the train to Freo and in under half an hour be at Cottesloe. Spend all day just on the beach, walk up to Scarborough if you want, and take bus 400 back to the city from Scarborough or just catch the train home from Cottesloe. You don't have to go there though, wherever you're staying the Swan Coastal Plain basically turns Perth's entire coast line into one interrupted beach punctuated only by the occasional marinas and harbors.
Plus if you take a day trip down south you can hit Prevelly Park which is some of the best surf in the southern hemisphere. Plus, since it's Margaret River, it's not crowded af like trying to surf on the east coast where all the tourists are.
It's so disappointing that these types of pundits consistently fall into the lazy trap of just going for stereotypical places. But I suppose that's a product of the time. You don't need to visit these places, experience them, talk to locals, find out what's special about all of them. Knowledge? Who the fuck needs knowledge when I have Wikipedia? Nah, just pick the one that has the most hoodies at the airport gift shop and you're bonza, right?
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 6:46 PM on September 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
Also did not include Long Beach, Tofino, BC. Kind of surprising to me.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:57 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Meatbomb at 6:57 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Was that ever wonderful, no images of Morro Bay, kind of a chilly beach, but great none the less.
posted by Oyéah at 6:59 PM on September 6, 2020
posted by Oyéah at 6:59 PM on September 6, 2020
Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda is stunning. It's recommended on this map in June, but if you go in January you can stay at a 4 star hotel for like $130 / night, and the island is quiet. My first and only time seeing actual like, picture perfect white sand / emerald water beach. Incredibly beautiful.
posted by lazaruslong at 8:10 PM on September 6, 2020
posted by lazaruslong at 8:10 PM on September 6, 2020
I've been to many, many beaches in Canada. If any would be on this list it would be Long Beach, or really any between Tofino and Ucluelet. The west coast of Vancouver Island is beyond spectacular.
posted by bonehead at 8:27 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 8:27 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm also surprised to see no Korean ones on the list either. There are some beautiful beaches in SK.
posted by bonehead at 8:29 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bonehead at 8:29 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
MetaFilter: Equal parts outrage and relief that their favorite beach didn't make the list.
posted by hydra77 at 9:59 PM on September 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 9:59 PM on September 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
Another Australian chipping in with "Lazy and crappy" choices. There are hundreds of beaches up the east coast of Australia better than Bondi, let alone around the entire coastline.
posted by greenhornet at 2:42 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by greenhornet at 2:42 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Benone strand in Northern Ireland recommended for November? It's a lovely beach, but unless you want to enjoy it from inside your car with a thermos and the heating, may I recommend May-August instead? (And bring the thermos anyway just to make sure)
posted by knapah at 2:51 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by knapah at 2:51 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Can we please stop talking about Tofino, Uclulet, and western Vancouver Island? Really, nothing to see there, just your typical coast, not really worth the effort getting there. You can especially not mention Long Beach and the Broken Group Islands. Most people who go get eaten by a grizzlies or orcas, so best to stay away, really.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 4:31 AM on September 7, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 4:31 AM on September 7, 2020 [7 favorites]
Lake beaches aren't real beaches. Sorry. If you told me you were taking me to the beach and took me to the lake that's like telling me you have cake and bringing out cheesecake: a lie that misses the entire point.
Source: Born by one beach and raised in Surf City USA.
posted by dame at 4:37 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Source: Born by one beach and raised in Surf City USA.
posted by dame at 4:37 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Great Lakes beaches are pretty fine. They're not surfing beaches, but for most other purposes they do the job.
posted by bonehead at 4:42 AM on September 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 4:42 AM on September 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
The posted article does include Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, which is quite lovely.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 5:00 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 5:00 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Mod note: A few deleted. Let's keep this thread focused on the topic of best beaches and the CNN list.
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 7:44 AM on September 7, 2020
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 7:44 AM on September 7, 2020
glad to see my favorite, clearwater beach, fl, didn’t make it on the list. ever since it was declared the best beach in americait’s been overrun by german dudes in banana hammocks and the rest of the worst beach goers (unlike its serene emptiness of my childhood). hooray for being knocked off the list and maybe quieting down a bit
Good point. I was half-expecting to see one or two favorite Florida beaches (having grown up there and been to so many of them), but all of them are missing. South Beach is okay, I guess, but not something I'd call one of the world's best. However, I'm definitely fine with the tourists continuing to go there rather than beaches I actually like.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:58 AM on September 7, 2020
Good point. I was half-expecting to see one or two favorite Florida beaches (having grown up there and been to so many of them), but all of them are missing. South Beach is okay, I guess, but not something I'd call one of the world's best. However, I'm definitely fine with the tourists continuing to go there rather than beaches I actually like.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:58 AM on September 7, 2020
Phew, the beach I go to in the Algarve didn't make the list. A better-kept secret than the one they chose, thank fuck.
chavenet, there are no best-kept-secret beaches in the Algarve. Though if I am wrong about this, you know where the mefi mail is.
posted by vacapinta at 12:04 PM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
chavenet, there are no best-kept-secret beaches in the Algarve. Though if I am wrong about this, you know where the mefi mail is.
posted by vacapinta at 12:04 PM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
this list is trash. no bahamas, no florida gulf coast, no lake erie or great lakes, no canada, 1 in all of south america (its a continent ya know!)
I SAID GOOD DAY SIR.
posted by chasles at 12:15 PM on September 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
I SAID GOOD DAY SIR.
posted by chasles at 12:15 PM on September 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
No Welsh beaches, no Northumbrian beaches, no Canadian beaches, no beaches in Western Australia?
I have to agree about lake beaches though. I was paddling at Sauble Beach Ontario with my toddler, and a family of ducks swam past. Too close to “duck pond” for me.
posted by tinkletown at 12:04 AM on September 8, 2020
I have to agree about lake beaches though. I was paddling at Sauble Beach Ontario with my toddler, and a family of ducks swam past. Too close to “duck pond” for me.
posted by tinkletown at 12:04 AM on September 8, 2020
MetaFilter: overrun by german dudes in banana hammocks
posted by kirkaracha at 11:00 AM on September 8, 2020
posted by kirkaracha at 11:00 AM on September 8, 2020
« Older Live weather satellite images in near real-time | Jetpack Mystery Near LAX Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
For shame, CNN.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 2:20 PM on September 6, 2020