Top 20 beaches

Pete Shannon, English, won a beach essay prize from Expedia that involved 2 months of research visiting/choosing the world's best beaches.
Selection criteria were: sand temperature, sand stickiness, sandcastle build-ability [!], sand comfort, cleanliness, sea transparency, wave size, fun factor, glamour rating, local friendliness, noise and cost.

1 - Waikiki, Hawaii, USA

2 - Ihuru, Maldives

3 - Cancun, Yucatan, Mexico

4 - Dickenson's Bay, Antigua, Caribbean

5 - Camp's Bay, South Africa

6 - Paradise Island, Bahamas, Caribbean

7 - Flic-en-Flac, Mauritius

8 - Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

9 - Chaweng, Ko Samui, Thailand

10 - Patong, Phuket, Thailand

11 - Fairyland, Seychelles

12 - Netadola, Yasawa Island, Fiji

13 - 75 Mile Beach, Fraser Island, Australia

14 - Daytona, Florida, USA

15 - Myrtos, Kefalonia, Greece

16 - 90 Mile Beach, North Island, New Zealand

17 - Mombasa, Kenya

18 - Whitehaven, Australia

19 - Bondi, Australia

20 - Brighton, England