This Beach Was Named the Most 'Paradise-like' in the World—and It Has Golden Sands and Turquoise Water

Why waste a vacation day by going to a merely okay beach when you could plot out a trip to the most “paradise-like” beach on the planet?

This summer, the family travel specialists at the tourism company Kuoni released a list of the 20 most “paradise-like” beaches in the world, highlighting all the dreamiest places you can spend your days in the sun. They determined the rankings by first creating a seed list of more than 180 globally recognized beaches, which was put together using internal travel expertise and recommendations from leading travel publications. 

The team then analyzed each destination’s percentage of positive traveler reviews on popular review platforms, specifically looking for the word ‘paradise’ in the title or content of the review. After doing all that digging, they named Port Olry Beach in the South Pacific island country of Vanuatu as the No. 1 most paradise-like in the world. 

“Found among the islands of Vanuatu, Port Olry Beach takes top spot as the world’s most paradise-like beach thanks to its divine combo of natural tropical scenery, convenient facilities, and lack of crowds,” the team said in its findings. “Found on the east coast of Espiritu Santo, Port Olry Beach has all the classic ingredients of heaven on earth; emerald-green foliage hugging golden sands and shimmering turquoise waters.”

And truly, review after review on sites like Tripadvisor say it’s the real deal. 

“If spending time in Santo Vanuatu, do yourself a favour and make the time to visit Port Olry,” one reviewer noted. “It is an absolutely amazing beach with a couple of small restaurants for a drink or a meal. It is paradise, and that is the only way to describe Port Olry.”

However, it’s not the only paradise-like beach in the game. 

The remote Bazaruto Archipelago National Park in Mozambique came in second thanks to its own powder-soft white dunes and crystalline waters. The team noted in the findings that it’s also a spectacular place for wildlife spotting, adding, “Flamingos, dolphin sightings, and even a dugong population are just some of the examples of extraordinary tropical animals that live here.”

One more must-visit beach on the list is One Foot Island in the Cook Islands, which came in at No. 3. The researchers called it a “postcard-perfect lagoon,” and noted that travelers who reviewed the beach often call out how “private the beach feels—and many express their joy at the island’s unique footprint passport stamp.” 

Marco Rocha, family travel expert at Kuoni, explained that while “paradise” may mean something different to everyone, the team found common themes like wildlife, convenient facilities, and “a sense of privacy and ‘being alone.'” And that certainly sounds like paradise to us.