Woolacombe Beach in Devon has today been named best rated beach in the UK today, while Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos is crowned number one beach in the world in the Travellers’ Choice awards for Beaches, announced by the travel planning and booking site TripAdvisor.
“Golden sands and azure waters may seem a million miles away from a cold February in the UK, but visiting some of the world’s best rated beaches might be more affordable than you’d think,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay, “If you plan ahead now, you can book a hotel at five of the ten winning beaches for less than £200 a night on TripAdvisor.”
Grace Bay in Providenciales, the main island of Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean, takes the title of world’s best rated beach and it’s not difficult to see why. Seven miles in length, this beach has all the marks of a world class beach – turquoise water, powdery snow-white sand and glorious sunshine year-round. The best value time to visit Grace Bay is July, when the average nightly hotel rate on TripAdvisor in 2016 is £323.
The second best rated beach in the world is Baia do Sancho in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil. Travellers visiting this beach in 2016 can currently get the best hotel rates if they book their stay in April, when the average nightly rate on TripAdvisor is £259.
For UK travellers who want to experience a top rated beach that’s a little closer to home (and a little more affordable), the top two beaches in Europe are in Spain and Greece.
Playa de Ses Illetes in Formentera, number one beach in Europe, is a favourite with the rich and famous, who often moor their yachts at the beach to make the most of its crystal clear water and nearby celebrated seafood restaurants. The average nightly hotel rate in Formentera on TripAdvisor is £164 for summer 2016 (June – September).
The second best rated beach in Europe, Elafonissi Beach in Elafonissi, Crete.
UK winners: Woolacombe takes top spot for second year running
Devon’s Woolacombe Beach is named the UK’s best rated beach for the second year in a row. Backed by sandy hills and the Woolacombe Downs, the beach boasts a three-mile long stretch of golden sand and rolling, unbroken surf which makes it the ideal hotspot for surfers. The sheer length of the beach means that there is no shortage of sand to sit down and relax on during the busy summer months.
Second place this year goes to Weymouth Beach in Weymouth, Dorset, followed by St. Brelade's Bay Beach which is located in St. Brelade, one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands.
Cornwall crowned county with most winning beaches
Despite Devon being home to the UK’s number one beach, it was Cornwall that scooped the most number of awards of any county in the UK. Cornwall is home to an impressive seven winning beaches, four of which are in the top ten.
Porthmeor Beach, Porthminster Beach and Porthgwidden Beach, all located in St Ives, take fifth, seventh and 16th place respectively. Newquay’s Fistral Beach and Porth Beach come in sixth and 18th respectively while Perranporth Beach in Perranporth is named eighth best rated in the UK and Crantock Beach in Crantock places 19th.
Elsewhere, Wales is home to four winners this year; Rhossili Bay in Rhossili, Barafundle Beach in Stackpole, Barmouth Beach in Barmouth and Castle Beach in Tenby, which place fourth, 20th, 23rd and 25th respectively.
Travellers’ Choice Beaches award-winners were determined based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor gathered over a 12-month period.
For the complete 2016 Travellers’ Choice Beaches Awards winners and more reviews, opinions and candid traveller photographs, go to http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravellersChoice-Beaches. (Please note this link will be live with 2016 results on Wednesday 17thFebruary).
For those planning a trip to a Travellers’ Choice award-winning beach, TripAdvisor has identified nearby value hotels that will help travellers plan and book their getaway.
Top 10 beaches in the world
1. Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £434
Highly-rated value hotel nearby: Caribbean Paradise Inn – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £177/night
2. Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £275
Highly-rated value property nearby: Pousada Do Vale – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £139/night
3. Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo, Cuba
TripAdvisor is unable to offer information about accommodations in Cuba at this time, due to U.S. government restrictions on travel to Cuba.
4. Anse Lazio, Praslin Island, Seychelles – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £202
Highly-rated value property nearby: Beach Villa Seychelles – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £85/night
5. Cayo de Agua, Los Roques National Park, Venezuela – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £356
Highly-rated value property nearby: Villa Caracol – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £154/night
6. Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £119
Highly-rated value property nearby: Palmetto Guesthouse – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £81/night
7. Playa de Ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £126
Highly-rated value hotel nearby: Hotel Voramar bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £92/night
8. Ngapali Beach, Ngapali, Myanmar – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £126
Highly-rated value hotel nearby: Bayview – the beach resort – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £96/night
9. West Bay Beach, Roatan, Honduras – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £189
Highly-rated value hotel nearby: Bananarama Beach and Dive Resort – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £76/night
10. Nacpan Beach, El Nido, Philippines – average nightly hotel rate for destination: £199
Highly-rated value hotel nearby: Cadlao Resort – bookable on TripAdvisor for an average rate of £145/night
Top 10 beaches in Europe
1. Playa de Ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain
2. Elafonissi Beach, Elafonissi, Greece
3. Praia da Marinha, Carvoeiro, Portugal
4. El Cotillo Beach & Lagoons, El Cotillo, Fuerteventura, Spain
5. Playa de Bolonia, Tarifa, Spain
6. Playa de Cofete, Morro del Jable, Fuerteventura, Spain
7. Porto Limnionas Beach, Zakynthos, Greece
8. Iztuzu Beach, Dalyan, Turkey
9. Fig Tree Bay, Protaras, Cyprus
10. Cala Comte, Ibiza Town, Ibiza, Spain
Top 10 beaches in the UK
1. Woolacombe Beach, Woolacombe, Devon
2. Weymouth Beach, Weymouth, Dorset
3. St. Brelade's Bay Beach, St. Brelade, Jersey
4. Rhossili Bay, Rhossili, Swansea
5. Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall
6. Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall
7. Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall
8. Perranporth Beach, Perranporth, Cornwall
9. Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth, Dorset
10. Luskentyre, Isle of Harris
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For more information please contact Hayley Coleman: 077 398 27951 / hcoleman@tripadvisor.com
Notes to editors:
Nearby value hotels have a minimum four out of five TripAdvisor bubble rating and are located within five miles of the award-winning beaches.
Hotel pricing and average city rates are based on TripAdvisor data for 1 February through 31 July, 2016, aggregated from booking partners, including online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers. Prices were converted from USD on 15th February 2016.
About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travellers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find great hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 350 million unique monthly visitors**, and 320 million reviews and opinions covering 6.2 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 47 countries worldwide.
TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands:
www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com,www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com andwww.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com,www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com,www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, andwww.virtualtourist.com.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, November 2015
**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q3 2015
