Where to Find the World's Most Idyllic Beaches

Travelers will have to venture to the South Pacific to experience the world's most paradisiacal beach.

According to a new study conducted by the family travel specialists at Kuoni, Port Olry Beach in Vanuatu is the beach travelers most often associate with paradise.

Kuoni analyzed dozens of shorelines around the world, evaluating review data from popular travel websites to rank the most beautiful beaches by the percentage of reviews that include the word "paradise" in the title or description.

Port Olry landed the top spot with 15.33 percent of its reviews containing the word "paradise." Meanwhile, Mozambique’s Parque Nacional de Bazaruto (14.29 percent) finished in second place in the paradise beach rankings, followed by One Foot Island in the Cook Islands (13.28 percent).

Port Olry Beach in Vanuatu. (Photo Credit: livcool/Adobe)

Thailand's Ao Thong Yee (13.04 percent) and Veligandu Island Beach (12.89 percent) in the Maldives round out the top five.

Vanuatu is also home to the sixth-ranked beach in Champagne Beach, with reviews mentioning "paradise" 10.44 percent of the time.

Navagio Beach (10 percent) or Shipwreck Beach on the Greek island of Zakynthos is the highest-ranking European shoreline in Kuoni's study. The United Kingdom's Pentle Bay (8.7 percent) is the only other European beach to feature in the top 20.

Ka'anapali Beach, Maui. (Photo via Eric Bowman)

Isla Pasion in Cozumel, Mexico, is the highest North American entry in the rankings, coming in at number 21 on the list. Meanwhile, the top-ranked paradise beach in the U.S. is Ka'anapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii, which ranks 55th in the world, according to Kuoni.

Beaches Most Often Described as 'Paradise'

1. Port Olry Beach, Vanuatu
2. Parque Nacional de Bazaruto, Mozambique
3. One Foot Island, Cook Islands
4. Ao Thong Yee, Thailand
5. Veligandu Island Beach, Maldives
6. Champagne Beach, Vanuatu
7. Lalomanu Beach, Samoa
8. Navagio Beach, Greece
9. Ora Beach, Indonesia
10. Surin Islands (Mu Koh Surin National Park), Thailand
11. Bon Bon Beach, Philippines
12. Ko Lipe, Thailand
13. Pentle Bay, United Kingdom
14. Sok San Beach, Cambodia
15. Whitehaven Beach, Australia
16. Palm Cove Beach, Australia
17. Entalula Beach, Philippines
18. Secret Beach, Ambergris Caye, Belize
19. Huvadhu Atoll, Maldives
20. Hidden Beach, Palawan, Philippines

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