The Best Beaches in North America

Baja California Sur

Two of the Mexican beaches are near La Paz in Baja California Sur, on the Sea of Cortez, with reddish or rocky desert hills behind white sand. Playa Balandra is a shallow, semi-enclosed bay that admits visitors in two shifts a day. The wristband is bought online beforehand, since there is no phone signal at the beach, and no food is sold inside. Playa Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida is reached only by boat, usually as the lunch stop on an Espíritu Santo Island tour, and all rubbish goes back on the boat.

Isla Mujeres

Playa Norte is a short walk from the dock where the ferries and catamarans from Cancun arrive. Beach clubs and restaurants line the sand and often set a minimum spend for chairs and umbrellas. Tour boats crowd the buoyed swimming area between 11 am and 4 pm.

Bermuda

Horseshoe Bay on Bermuda's south shore has pink-tinted sand and limestone rock formations at both ends, with a calm, shallow cove to one side that suits small children. A minibus runs from Dockyard for $7, and the beach is crowded at midday when cruise ships are docked.

Hawaii and Florida

Four of the five beaches in the United States are in Hawaii, and Siesta Beach is on Siesta Key in Florida. Parking is free at several of them and fills early in the day.