‘Beaches’ is the second category to be released in Tripadvisor’s 2023 Travelers’ Choice Awards, following ‘Destinations’ in January. Incidentally, India’s Radhanagar Beach retained its title as the No. 1 beach in Asia for the second consecutive year. Here are some of the winners from the list
Radhanagar Beach, India
Radhanagar Beach, also known as Number 7 Beach, is one of the most popular beaches on Havelock Island, officially known as Swaraj Dweep, in Ritchie’s Archipelago in the Andaman Islands. The beach bagged the prestigious ‘blue flag’ certification in 2020. The ‘blue flag’ certification is a globally recognised eco-label accorded by the Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark based on 33 stringent criteria under four major heads—environmental education and information, bathing water quality, environment management and conservation, and safety and services at the beaches. Dotted with palm trees, the beach offers tourists a tranquil ambiance to relax and unwind amidst nature. About 10 minutes’ walk from Radhanagar Beach is Neil’s Cove—a pristine lagoon.
Benaulim Beach, India
Less than 2 km south of Colva is the more tranquil beach of Benaulim, one of the few places in Goa where one can glimpse handicrafts typical to this area. The best of the traditional rosewood furniture is made here. Also, mythically Benaulim is famous as the place where the legendary Parashuram’s arrow landed by which Goa was created. Among the more attractive aspects of Benaulim is that it is still rather undiscovered by domestic tourists even though it is a fishing beach. It gets fairly crowded in the evenings and on weekends with local visitors who get off buses about a kilometre away and pour onto the beach. The Church of St John the Baptist is situated on a hill beyond the village and worth a visit.
Kelingking Beach, Indonesia
Kelingking Beach is located in Bunga Mekar village, on the southwestern coast of Nusa Penida, in Indonesia. It’s pretty close to numerous other interesting tourist attractions. With white soft sands stretching along the coast, surrounded by pristine blue sea as well as other-worldly rock formations ornamented with greeneries, Kelingking was crowned as the ‘most Instagrammable beach’ in 2021 by Money.co.uk. There’s a nearby viewpoint called Cap de T-Rex where you can witness some unique landscapes. From this viewpoint, you can see that the huge cliff that takes up most of Kelingking Beach resembles the shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex or T-Rex with its jaws open.
Yonaha Maehama Beach, Japan
The relatively little-known island of Miyakojima in Okinawa is home to Yonaha Maehama Beach, a pristine 7-km stretch of shoreline ranked among the best sandy beaches in Japan. Among the things that you can’t miss here are world-class snorkeling and scuba diving in turquoise waters and unrivalled sunsets. The beach is most popular from spring through autumn and is the main attraction on Miyako Island. The beach hosts the swimming section of an annual ‘Strongman’ triathlon at the end of April. This picture-postcard beach has sun parasols and deck chairs available to idle the day away and plan your ongoing journeys in Okinawa. There are also jet skis and banana boats to rent, and showers and toilet facilities nearby.
Mirissa Beach, Sri Lanka
Mirissa is the new Trincomalee, with the whales, the gentle giants of the ocean and the dolphins parading their presence in the deep seas. Fringing two sandy bays separated by a rock island reachable at low tide, Mirissa feels hidden away compared to Sri Lanka’s other busier resort towns. While the quiet sands are sprinkled with bars and surf rentals, it’s Mirissa’s May-to-November whale-watching boat trips that steal the show.
Nai Harn Beach, Thailand
Nai Han, more commonly spelled and pronounced, Nai Harn, is a village and a beach of the same name at the southernmost tip of Phuket, near Phromthep Cape. The northeastern bit of Nai Han is Ao Sen. Some 18 km from Phuket town, south of Kata Noi and north of Phromthep Cape, Nai Harn borders the most gorgeous lagoon on the island.
The middle of the beach is dominated by the Nai Han monastery, which has prevented excessive development and is the reason that the beach is generally less crowded than other spots on the southern part of the island.
