A leading wellness brand has partnered up with a holiday rental giant to reveal the best beaches around the world for an intimate getaway…

We do our best to stay across the world’s ‘best of’ travel destinations — just check out our guides on the world’s most disappointing destinations as well as its most dangerous a prime examples. However, one such list that we didn’t expect to see sliding across our desk today was the official global rankings for the world’s “sexiest” beach. As well as revealing the big hitters, we’ll also explain the criteria for deciding this undeniably complex category…

Lovehoney, the world-renowned sexual wellness destination, teamed up with holiday rental giant HomeToGo to reveal this top-100 list of the sexiest beaches and offer some red-hot tips on how to get the most intimacy out of your upcoming travel plans. While we won’t be delving too deep into that latter part, you can find out more by following the links. Without further ado, let’s get into the beaches themselves…

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How Were The Rankings Assembled?

A list of the world’s white, gold, pink, and red-sand beaches was collated, with six specific data points researched in order to create a top 100 list. The six data points were as follows: the search volume for holiday rental stays surrounding each beach, the popularity of each destination amongst couples, the average temperature, the picturesqueness of each destination’s sunset views, the number of romantic restaurants within 15 minutes of each beach, and the status of LGBTQIA+ rights and acceptance within each country.

After obtaining the raw data, each data point was assigned a representative numerical value between 5 and 10, with 5 representing the lowest data point and 10 representing the highest data point. The hypothetical “perfect score” would be 60 out of 60. The index features destinations from more than 30 countries across six different continents, taking into consideration scores for eight distinct categories to unveil the world’s ultimate beach for steamy stays.  

The Hotspots

Aussies will be pleased to hear that the land down under somewhat dominated the top half of the table: at #55 was Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay, known for the whitest sand you’ll ever see. At #53 was Wineglass Bay Beach, Tasmania, an iconic crescent shape that’s a feast for the eyes. At #48 was Eagle Bay Beach, WA. boasting pristine waters perfect for a cheeky dip. #28 was Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island, where apparently seclusion meets scenic splendour. One spot below was Whitehaven Beach, famous for its dazzlingly white and silky fine sand, a beach lover’s dream.

However, the coveted top spot went to Cable Beach, Kimberley, scoring an impressive 53.2 out of a possible 60 points. According to the judges, “the beach earned particularly high marks for its seclusion, sun-kissed setting, and stunning sunsets”. Across the way, Kiwi neighbours nabbed spot #60, with Piha Beach in Auckland.

Other worldwide highlights include more exotic spots like Baia do Sancho, Brazil (3rd), Playa Varadero, Cuba (5th) and Agonda Beach, India (6th). For any Aussies enjoying Euro Summer, you might also benefit from scoping out Spiaggia di Maria Pia, Italy (2nd), Playa de Ses Illetes, Spain (4th), or Praia do Camilo, Portugal (8th).

A surprisingly strong contender turned out to be the UK, renowned for its shingle shores and inclement weather… Cornwall’s Carbis Bay leads the UK’s charge at 38th, while Scotland boasts the most top 100 beaches of any single nation in the UK, including Langamull Beach (Isle of Mull, 72nd), Berneray West Beach (Outer Hebrides, 73rd), Balnakeil Beach (Highlands, 82nd), and Luskentyre Beach (Isle of Harris, 92nd).

As a proud Brit, while I’m impressed with the UK’s rankings, I can’t see many Aussies giving up the white sands of WA for the Scottish highlands anytime soon… can you?