LONDON, UK. – 22 February 2017 – Weymouth Beach in Dorset has today been named the best-rated beach in the UK and among the top ten best rated beaches in Europe in the Travellers’ Choice® awards for Beaches, announced by the travel planning and booking site, TripAdvisor.
In the world ranking, Baia do Sancho in Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago with UNESCO world heritage status, has been crowned the number one beach in the world and there’s no doubt that it is a very well deserved title. The bay of crystalline water and soft white sand coupled with surrounding cliffs teeming with exotic wildlife are what dreams are made of.
The second best rated beach in the world is Grace Bay in Providenciales, the main island of Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean.
“UK’s Weymouth Beach beating beaches in Sardinia, Greece and Spain this year, proves that the UK’s beaches can more than hold their own against destinations with sunnier climes,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, Hayley Coleman. “For those keen to pay a visit to the world’s number one beach, according to TripAdvisor booking data, the best value time to travel to Baia do Sancho is April, when the average nightly hotel rate on TripAdvisor is £152.”
For UK travellers who want to experience a top rated beach that is a little closer to home, the top two beaches in Europe are in Spain and Greece.
La Concha Beach in San Sebastian, Europe’s number one beach, is located in the centre of the city and boasts 1,500 metres of white sand. In addition, in the centre of the bay is the small island, Isla Santa Clara. Beachgoers at La Concha can swim out to the island, which has its own small beach, a lighthouse, picnic tables and a bar.
The second best rated beach in Europe, Elafonissi Beach in Elafonissi, Crete.
UK winners: Weymouth Beach takes top spot
Dorset’s Weymouth Beach is named the UK’s best-rated beach and ninth in Europe, climbing up from second place last year. A three-mile stretch of sand, this beach offers plenty for visitors including traditional seaside attractions such as Punch and Judy and donkey rides, as well as live music and free summer firework displays.
Cllr Jason Osborne, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Tourism and Culture Briefholder, said, “We are delighted to have been awarded the number one beach in the UK in the Travellers’ Choice Awards for Beaches. This award is particularly special for the borough as it is based solely on reviews from people who have visited our resort.
“This is a huge accolade and is recognition of not only the beach but the town. The award reflects the hard work that is done by the borough council and its partners such as Dorset Waste Partnership, local businesses and the community. It’s a great start to the year and hopefully signals a successful season ahead for Weymouth and Dorset.”
Second place this year goes to Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, which also comes in eleventh in Europe, followed by St. Brelade's Bay Beach, located in St. Brelade, one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands.
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 2017 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 2017 results on Wednesday 22nd February).
Those looking for travel inspiration or just some material for daydreams to get through the winter, here is a breakdown of the top ten beaches in the world with luxury nearby hotels available to book on TripAdvisor, along with the top 10 in Europe and UK according to TripAdvisor travellers:
Top 10 Beaches in the World
- Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil - Average nightly hotel rate: £199
Nearby hotel: Pousada Maravilha, bookable on TripAdvisor for £681 per night
- Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos - Average nightly hotel rate: £571
Nearby hotel: Villa Renaissance, bookable on TripAdvisor for £355 per night
- Eagle Beach, Palm - Eagle Beach, Aruba, Caribbean - Average nightly hotel rate: £320
Nearby hotel: Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort Aruba, bookble on TripAdvisor for £273 per night
- Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo, Cuba - Average nightly hotel rate: £160
Nearby hotel: Hotel Pelicano, bookable on TripAdvisor for £76 per night
- Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, Florida, United States - Average nightly hotel rate: £209
Nearby hotel: Sea Spray Resort on Siesta Key, bookable on TripAdvisor for £154 per night
- La Concha Beach, San Sebastian – Donostia, Spain - Average nightly hotel rate: £176
Nearby hotel: Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Sebastian, bookable on TripAdvisor for £586 per night
- Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico - Average nightly hotel rate: £220
Nearby hotel: Nautibeach Condos, bookable on TripAdvisor for £182 per night
- Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island, India - Average nightly hotel rate: £138
Nearby hotel: Barefoot at Havelock, bookable on TripAdvisor for £119 per night
- Elafonissi Beach, Elafonissi, Greece - Average nightly hotel rate: £52
Nearby hotel: Elafonisi Resort by Kalomirakis Family, bookable on TripAdvisor for £50 per night
- Galapagos Beach at Tortuga Bay, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands - Average nightly hotel rate: £167
Nearby hotel: Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge, bookable on TripAdvisor for £278 per night
Top 10 Beaches in Europe
- La Concha Beach, San Sebastian – Donostia, Spain
- Elafonissi Beach, Elafonissi, Greece
- La Cote des Basques, Biarritz, France
- Fig Tree Bay, Protaras, Cyprus
- Spiaggia dei Conigli, Lampedusa, Sicily, Italy
- Playa de Ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain
- Balos Beach and Lagoon, Kissamos, Crete, Greece
- Kleftiko Beach, Milos, Greece
- Weymouth Beach, Weymouth, United Kingdom
- Playa de Muro Beach, Playa de Muro, Spain
Top 10 beaches in the UK
- Weymouth Beach, Weymouth, Dorset
- Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall
- St. Brelade’s Bay Beach, St Brelade, Jersey
- Luskentyre, Isle of Harris, Scotland
- Woolacombe Beach, Woolacombe, Devon
- Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall
- Bournemouth Beach, Bournemouth, Dorset
- Rhossili Bay, Rhossili, Wales
- Perranporth Beach, Perranporth, Cornwall
- Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth, Dorset
-Ends-
Notes to editors:
- Average nightly hotel rates are based on historical pricing for all hotels in each destination from 2016. Rates were converted from USD to GBP via xe.com on 20th February 2017.
- Recommended bookable hotels were selected based on the TripAdvisor Popularity Index as of 20th February 2017. Prices are based on one week’s stay between 3-10 July 2017 (except for Barefoot at Havelock which was for 19-26 June 2017).
About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world’s largest travel site**, enabling travellers to unleash the potential of every trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travellers, with 435 million reviews and opinions covering 6.8 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions, and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features — checking more than 200 websites to help travellers find and book today’s lowest hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 390 million average unique monthly visitors* in 49 markets worldwide. TripAdvisor: Know better. Book better. Go better.
TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands:
www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.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 and www.viator.com.
*Source: TripAdvisor log files, average monthly unique visitors, Q3 2016
**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, July 2016
