Tiny island emerges as top world beach
When you think of beaches, the state of Florida perhaps comes to mind or the South Pacific or the French Riviera. But Providenciales and Cape May, New Jersey?
The tiny island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos has been voted the top beach destination in the world, according to the travel website TripAdvisor.
Myrtle Beach in South Carolina was the only US destination to make the top five. It was followed
by Cape May.
"A number of factors make these beach destinations stand out as wonderful choices," said TripAdvisor spokesman Brooke Ferencsik. "In addition to featuring remarkable stretches of sand, these hotspots offer a wide variety of quality hotels, restaurants and activities to accommodate virtually any vacation budget, and appeal to any traveler type."
Providenciales, which Reuters Life says has experienced a boom in high-end resorts with total visitors tripling since the mid-1990s, was praised for its “pristine white-sand beaches, calm, clear water and a healthy barrier reef appealing to snorkelers and divers.”
Many reviewers called its Grace Bay Beach the world’s best.
Others in the top five were Boracay in the Philippines, Aruba’s Palm/Eagle beach, Negril in Jamaica and Tulum, Mexico.
Despite its glamorous, starry reputation, the French Riviera didn’t even place among Europe’s top 25.
In the South Pacific, often synonymous with exotic beach travel, Bora Bora topped the list.
The top choice in Central and South America was Santa Teresa in Costa Rica, a country that has developed a reputation for eco-travel.
Other highly rated beach destinations included the Maldives, Panama City, Florida, Miami Beach, Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Florida’s Sanibel Island and Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Nearly two-thirds of US respondents said they were planning a beach vacation in 2011, and just over half were opting for a US destination. Another one-quarter were planning to visit the Caribbean or Mexico, according to recent TripAdvisor survey.
By David Wilkening
David
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