The world’s ten best beaches for luxury travel
I found this news from the internet.. seem nice and informative therefore I would like to share in this site. Btw, it is not just Malaysia as a destination, but some other nice place too…
From the wild white sands of Noordhoek to the people watcher’s paradise of St Tropez, our Ultratravel top 10 covers all bases.
Anse Victorin, Seychelles: The sand is white, soft and so fine that it squeaks when you step on it Photo: Getty Images1 Pink Sands, Harbour Island, Bahamas
Most regular visitors to the Bahamas declare Pink Sands one of their favourite beaches – and our panel of Ultratravel writers and experts voted it the best in the world. The attraction, says Nina Buesing, who photographed wild horses there, is not just its colour – a soft pink that turns salmon in the setting sun, due to the thousands of shells that have been pounded into fine sand. You can also walk for miles without bumping into anyone.
Other bonuses are the water quality (“pristine, like Evian, albeit saltier,” according to Buesing), the gently sloping beach, safe snorkelling and sheltered swimming – plus the two “chic shack” hotels (one by Barbara Hulanicki , founder of Biba; and The Landing, tastefully designed by India Hicks) that pull in A-list celebrities by the boatload.
The Landing (00 242 333 2707, www.harbourisland.com ) is offering rooms from £125; Pink Sands (00 242 333 2030, www.pinksandsresort.com) has rooms from £302, based on two people sharing.
2 Anse Victorin, Fregate Island, Seychelles
The sand is white, soft and so fine that it squeaks when you step on it; the colour of the sea shimmers from aquamarine to diamond, then sinks into a deep inkiness with pockets of turquoise in which to snorkel; and the gently sloping forest behind is alive with tropical birds, including the rare Seychelles black paradise flycatcher.
Best of all, some of the most beautiful boulders on earth are scattered across the dazzling white sand: huge orbs of pink granite, framed by lush palms and tropical skies. This place is almost kitsch in its perfection, and well worth the walk through the forest from the luxury of Fregate’s 16 private villas.
Fregate Island Private (00 49 6102 50 13 21, www.fregate.com); from £950 per person per night.
3 Pampelonne, St Tropez, France
Not much has changed since the days of Colette, the French novelist who rubbed shoulders here with Matisse and the Prince of Wales. “Two hundred luxury cars driving toward the port at five in the afternoon,” she wrote in Prisons et Paradis (1932 ). “Cocktails, champagne on the yachts in the harbour…”
While still oozing sophistication, Pampelonne attracts more flash cash than blue-blooded royalty. Bill Gates anchors his superyacht offshore, while P Diddy and Beyoncé pop corks among bejewelled friends lunching at Le Club 55 . Women in crystal-studded thongs and Gucci flip-flops parade the shores. The sand is clean, the sea is blue – but Pampelonne is more about the scene, and being seen, than it is about scenery.
Hotel Byblos (00 33 4 94 56 68 00, www.byblos.com); rates from £250 per person.
4 Noordhoek, Cape Town, South Africa
This isn’t a swimming beach – the Atlantic here is strong and cold, with monster waves – but it is one of the most magnificent stretches of white powder sand on which to ride horses. There are more than four miles of the stuff, punctuated only by dunes and pieces of driftwood.
The Imhoff Equestrian Centre (www.horseriding.co.za ) leads two-hour rides twice a day on the beach, on which you might pass a couple of dog-walkers or hikers. For the most part, though, the sands are empty – providing perfect galloping conditions.
The most stylish place to ease aching muscles is the newly renovated Hout Bay Manor hotel, decorated with bundles of panache by the local interior design company Cécile & Boyd’s.
Hout Bay Manor (00 27 21 790 0116, www.houtbaymanor.com); rooms from £120.
5 Wineglass Bay, Tasmania, Australia
There are only two ways of getting to this beach in the Freycinet National Park : by boat and on foot – and the foot option isn’t easy. The trek there and back, through the towering Hazard Mountains, can take three hours – with a steep 40-minute climb. It is worth it, however, for the pure sand, the warm, sheltered, pale sapphire water and the birdlife – ranging from white-bellied sea eagles to New Holland honeyeaters.
Camper & Nicholsons (020 7009 1950 , www.cnconnect.com) hires out the 112ft charter yacht VvS1, sleeping eight, from £40,000 a week.
6 Vixen Point, Prickly Pear Island, BVI
Ask serious yachties where in the Caribbean they would like to moor for a day, and they will often say Prickly Pear Island – declared a National Park in 1988. The sand is pale, the natural woodland acts as a windbreak, there are no rip currents, and the gently sloping sand allows bathers to immerse themselves in the sea slowly. Vixen Point is close to Necker, Branson’s island hideaway – the ideal base for a day trip here, if money is no object.
Necker Island (0800 716 919, www.neckerisland.com) costs £24,000 per night for up to 26 guests.
7 Mnemba Island, Tanzania, East Africa
Of all the small islands to stay on, Mnemba is one of the most romantic. It is tiny, taking half an hour to walk around, but it has everything: coral gardens on one side, crashing waves on the other and creamy white sand the consistency of flour. Because the interior is pine forest, you are serenaded by the cooing of doves as soon as you walk off the beach where turtles also come to nest. The only inhabitants are the staff of Mnemba Island Lodge, plus the 20 or so guests.
Mnemba Island Lodge (020 8133 1592 , www.ccafrica.com); from £380 per person, all inclusive.
8 Gardner Bay, Isla Espanola, Galapagos Islands
The only way to access this mile-and-a-quarter of white sand is with a National Parks ranger – and for good reason. The shoreline is home to sea lions, marine iguanas, turtles, pelicans, boobies and 10,000 pairs of waved albatrosses that nest on the island between April and November.
Visitors are allowed to snorkel and swim by day – briefly – before decamping to M/Y Grace, the yacht given by Aristotle Onassis to Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier as a wedding present. It now cruises the Galapagos with up to 20 guests.
Cazenove + Loyd (020 7384 2332, www.cazloyd.com) offers seven nights on board M/Y Grace as part of a 10-day holiday in Ecuador and the Galapagos. Prices start at £3,265 per person, based on two sharing and including flights.
9 Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, South America
Set in a marine reserve 200 miles off the mainland, this island has a strict eco-policy: only a few hundred visitors are allowed each day. Its beaches are lively near the small villages, empty in the surrounding nature reserves. There is an extinct volcano, with cliffs plunging to the sea and sea pools formed from its craters.
The long white beaches are surrounded by waters thronging with barracudas, rays, giant turtles, 14 species of shark and pods of up to 600 dolphins. This is the place for fabulous beach walks – particularly from Praia do Cachorro to Sueste (where footballers and surfers hang out at sunset, caipirinhas in hand) and along the sands of Praia do Leão, where turtles nest.
The charming Pousada Maravilha, with eight rooms looking out to sea, has 40 staff – so you are guaranteed to be looked after.
Dehouche (0871 720 4779, www.dehouche.com) can reserve rooms at Maravilha for £500 a night.
10 Emerald Bay, Pangkor Laut, Malaysia
This island, three miles off the west coast of Malaysia, has pale aqua waters, fine golden sand and emerald-green rainforest rising behind the bay. Its 300 acres are privately owned, so the place is not overrun with tourists – and a real effort has been made at conservation.
The marine reserve nearby supports 3,000 types of sea creature, from hammerhead sharks and stingrays to parrotfish and clownfish, plus 500 species of coral. A bonus is the popular Chapman’s beach bar, for refreshing long drinks such as passionfruit smoothies and fresh coconut juice.
Pangkor Laut Resort (00800 9899 9999 , www.pangkorlautresort.com); room rates start at £163, based on two people sharing.
If you happen to have extra budget, do check out the place… the news is from telegraph.co.uk.
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