Troy L. Snyder and his new bride soaked up this scene at Trunk Bay Beach in Virgin Islands National Park on their honeymoon last summer. Imagine yourself on the beach ...
Courtesy Troy L. Snyder
Roatan, Honduras —
Now take a dip in this placid water. "This is my wife of 25 years enjoying our day! Everyone I showed this to thought she was in a swimming pool and not the ocean," said Brian Crews. The Caribbean Sea at West Bay Beach in Roatan, Honduras, was really that clear.
Courtesy Brian Crews
Oahu, Hawaii —
No fair. Sarah Lopez lives a "30-second bicycle ride" from Sunset Beach on the north shore of Oahu. She shot this photo in October. "It shows how magical and breathtaking Hawaii is during sunsets. It was also the beginning of the first big winter swell of the season, and so the waves were rising steadily that evening."
Courtesy Sarah Lopez
Sapi Island, Malaysia —
This little guy has the right idea. Last year, Joyce Xu visited Malaysia's Sapi Island, where she encountered the most beautiful beach she had ever seen.
Courtesy Joyce Xu
Destin, Florida —
Care to lounge? Tracy Bond took this photo at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Destin. "Each sunrise or sunset is unique and beautiful."
Courtesy Tracy Bond
La Jolla, California —
Lee Gunderson of Calgary, Alberta, stumbled onto the beach at La Jolla Cove in California by accident while hiking the cliffs doing bird photography. He called it a "kid heaven" where "local families come from all around to picnic, swim and enjoy the abundant wildlife."
Courtesy Lee Gunderson
Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands —
Travel writer Karen Elowitt was living on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, last year and took a day trip to several of the smaller British Virgin Islands. Her group stopped at Jost Van Dyke's White Bay Beach and hung out at the Soggy Dollar Bar, "so named because you have to swim from your boat to the beach." Rough life.
Courtesy Karen Elowitt
Zanzibar, Tanzania —
Tour guide Scott Isom shot this photo on Menai Bay, on the southern end of Zanzibar's Unguja Island, during a day-long Indian Ocean safari that included snorkeling, swimming in a mangrove lagoon, spotting dolphins and a seafood barbecue lunch.
Courtesy Scott Isom
Harbour Island, Bahamas —
"So pristine and untouched ... absolutely mesmerizing!" Pankaj Purohit said of his visit to Pink Sand Beach on Harbour Island in the Bahamas.
Courtesy Pankaj Purohit
Heron Island, Australia —
Heron Island along the southern Great Barrier Reef was the highlight of Andy Hamilton's 11-week trip through Australia. "No TV, Internet, phones or roads," he said. Just "lots of spectacular tropical fish and an unspoiled beach."
Courtesy Andy Hamilton
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil —
Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance "adds a beautiful backdrop for laying out on the sand and enjoying the Brazil sunshine" at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, said Keith Johnson, who visited in May.
Courtesy Keith Johnson
Frenchman's Cove, Jamaica —
Have a beverage with your beach. Rick Lindo grew up in Jamaica and visits often. "I try to take my family to different parts of the island so they can get the full experience of Jamaica and realize it's not just a tourist destination."
Courtesy Rick Lindo
Tortola, British Virgin Islands —
To Kirk Ross, the perfect beach is "in a cove with the land rising up behind the beach creating a 'theater effect' to start, some nice surf to play in, not too many people, but some. ... I like to have about 400 square feet all to myself (and my wife). There needs to be some good food available on the beach, and of course some good drinks." Smuggler's Cove on Tortola has all those things, he says.
Courtesy Kirk Ross
Pensacola Beach, Florida —
Michelle Sweeney says a storm had passed through the day she arrived at Pensacola Beach, Florida, in November, and the sand was covered in seashells. She spent hours finding treasures to add to her collection.
Courtesy Michelle Sweeney
Sanibel Island, Florida —
Sweeney has lived in Florida for most of her life, "but somehow I had never been to Sanibel Island, which is famous for its seashells." She finally made it there for Thanksgiving and is planning another trip in May.
Courtesy Michelle Sweeney
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands —
Travel agent Mackenzie Melfa took this shot of the view of Boiler Bay from St. Croix's Point Udall. "The colors on the east side of St. Croix are amazing. The blues and greens are so vibrant!"
Courtesy Mackenzie Melfa
Cancun, Mexico —
Matt Swinden captured turtle tracks in the sand at sunrise on a Cancun beach.
Courtesy Matt Swinden
Ko Phi Phi Le, Thailand —
Keith Johnson says Maya Bay, on Ko Phi Phi Le island in Thailand, "is by far the most beautiful place I have ever been in my travels." The popular diving spot was also the prime filming location for the 2000 movie "The Beach."
Courtesy Keith Johnson
Krabi, Thailand —
Keith Johnson shot this sunset from Ao Nang Beach right after he returned from a longtail boat excursion.
Courtesy Keith Johnson
Tulum, Mexico —
Keith Johnson spent a day in 2012 exploring the Mayan ruins at Tulum and the beach below.
Click the double arrow to see more photos.
Courtesy Keith Johnson
Lombok, Indonesia —
"Lombok may be under its rival Bali's shadow when you talk tourism," said Pramod Kanakath, a teacher and travel writer in Indonesia. "However, its pristine beaches on many locations, including on the Gili Islands, make it a great option for holidaying." This shot was taken on Kuta Beach.
Courtesy Pramod Kanakath
Bora Bora —
Bora Bora is known for luxury, "but what many do not know is that Bora Bora is incredibly rustic amongst the glitz and the glamor," wrote Sara Quigley, who honeymooned there last year.
Courtesy Sara Quigley
Terre-de-Haut, Guadeloupe —
Terre-de-Haut in the Iles des Saintes archipelago of Guadeloupe was a stop on a seven-island cruise that Doug Bardwell took in 2011, and "this quickly became my favorite beach. ... It was a heavenly, peaceful beach on a most charming, small island."
Courtesy Doug Bardwell
Anclote Key, Florida —
And here we have all the trappings of a normal day at the beach. It still looks pretty great to us. Anclote Key sits off the Gulf Coast of Florida near Tarpon Springs and boasts "clean white sand, aqua colored crystal clear water, lots of seabirds and shells to collect," as Caroline Newby reported.
Courtesy Caroline Newby
One Foot Island, Aitutaki —
Melanie Mattila visited One Foot Island in Aitutaki in October 2013. Aitutaki is one of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. She says she enjoyed the tranquility of the beach the most.
Courtesy Melanie Mattila
Isabela Island, Galapagos —
Freya Renders vacationed on Isabela Island in May 2013. It's the largest island in the Galapagos. Venturing to the Galapagos Islands was on her bucket list, and an additional highlight was seeing all the wildlife there, like these two sea lions basking on the beach.
Courtesy Freya Renders
Dana Point, California —
Travel blogger Frederick Sherman captured this shot of the Orange County coastline in Dana Point, California, in October 2013. "I travel around the world and still find the coast of Southern California has some of the most stunning vistas anywhere," he said.
Courtesy Frederick Sherman
Praslin, Seychelles —
While living in the United Arab Emirates, Jessica Elder and her husband were able to travel to some exotic locations. She took this photo in Praslin, the second largest island in the Seychelles, in April 2013. "This beach is not one you'll find in a guidebook, and I am not even sure it has a name," she said.
Courtesy Jessica Elder
La Jolla, California —
Meredith Burrus photographed the pastel colored sky over the calm waters of La Jolla, California, in February 2014. She says this spot is off the beaten path. "Only a few people seem to know about this place and I'm always able to capture amazing sunsets here no matter what time of year it is," she said.
