World’s best beaches named by Tripadvisor has one Kiwi inclusion

Praia de Falésia, Portugal: Is this the world's best beach? Photo / Neom, Unsplash

The online travel ratings site revealed a long list of its ‘Best of the Best Beaches’ yesterday, with golden sands and wave swept strands from Portugal, Italy and Spain featuring heavily.

But for Australian and Kiwi beaches, it was a wipeout.

Manly Beach was the highest scoring strand from the southern hemisphere, ranked 7th best beach, and only inclusion from Australia or New Zealand. Only three of the list of 25 best beaches were from the southern hemisphere, though the rankings don’t venture south of the equator again until rank 17 and 25, for Brazil’s Ipanema and Muro Alto beaches.

The website announced the list as part of its Traveller’s Choice awards, ranking beaches by quantity and quality of reviews left in a 12-month period.

Europe topped the results, taking the top three beaches - with Portugal’s Praia da Falesia taking gold for its scenic sands, followed by Spiaggia dei Conigli on the island of Lampedusa and La Concha beach on the way to the Spanish beachside town of San Sebastian.

Sydney's Manly Beach was the top strand in the southern hemisphere. Photo / Cameron Spencer, Getty Images

For Tripadvisor the results were also a surprise, with head editor Sarah Firshein saying the rankings were “a sign that some travellers are eager to swap typical resort vacations for the coastlines of Portugal, Italy and beyond”.

Only two American beaches made it into the US website’s rankings, with Hawaii’s Ka-anapali Beach and Florida’s Siesta Beach making token appearances.

The token Kiwi inclusion was in the regional results, with Mount Maunganui Main Beach taking 10th place in the list of 10. Australia’s Manly Beach novel urban surf breaks topped this list, followed by the wide horizons of Cable Beach in Broome WA, and Bora Bora’s bungalow strewn Matira Beach.

Although the list was far from bountiful in Kiwi beaches, earlier this year the Herald revealed New Zealanders preferred a different Bay of Plenty beach.

Ōhope was revealed as a firm favourite - taking gold and two silvers in the competition it was named Best Family Beach 2024.

Mount Maunganui Main Beach: New Zealand's best beach?

World’s top 25 Beaches According to Tripadvisor

• Praia de Falésia in Olhos de Agua, Portugal
• Spiaggia dei Conigli in Lampedusa, Italy
• La Concha Beach in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
• Ka’anapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
• Grace Bay Beach in Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos
• Anse Lazio in Praslin Island, Seychelles
• Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia
• Eagle Beach in Palm-Eagle Beach, Aruba
• Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Florida
• Varadero Beach in Varadero, Cuba
• Playa Pilar in Cayo Guillermo, Jardines del Rey Archipelago
• Balandra Beach in La Paz, Mexico
• Reynisfjara Beach in Vik, Iceland
• Poipu Beach Park in Poipu, Koloa, Kauai, Hawaii
• Seven Mile Beach in Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands
• Playa de Las Canteras in Gran Canaria, Spain
• Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Playa Manuel Antonio in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
• Falassarna Beach in Crete, Greece
• Nungwi Beach in Zanzibar Island, Tanzania
• Kelingking Beach in Nusa Pendia, Indonesia
• Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus
• Myrtos Beach in Kefalonia, Greece
• Playa Norte in Isla Mujeres, Mexico
• Muro Alto Beach in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil