10 most-secluded international beaches

Nearly everybody loves a day at the beach – basking in the sun, splashing in the surf, and lounging in an ephemeral state of relaxation. The one problem with this equation? The “nearly everybody” that comes along for the ride.

With sun, surf, and sand at top of mind this summer, we’ve honed in on a selection of secluded international beaches that virtually guarantee at least a modicum of pure solitude, with ample room for your biggest beach blanket and wide-angle vistas of exquisite natural beauty from every perspective. Granted, not having to share can mean venturing to far-flung locales (we’ve dug up fine sands everywhere from Thailand to Tonga), but some of the most isolated shores also fall within such bona fide hot spots as the Caribbean, Brazil, and the Greek Isles.

You’ll just have to act fast to truly get away from it all as such beautiful secluded beaches rarely stay crowd-free for long.

1. Ao Phra Nang Beach, Thailand
Often cited as “Phuket 10 years ago,” the secluded beaches and resorts surrounding the Thai port town of Krabi remain, for the time being, far less trodden than those of its famous island neighbor, some 100 miles to the west. Accessible only by longtail boat from Krabi or from the more frequented beach resort of Ao Nang, the far-flung headland of Laem Phra Nang, or Railay (also called Rai Leh) Beach, is our preferred destination, thanks to its stunning surroundings of karst cliffs (making it popular with rock climbers), lush jungle, and the warm waters of the emerald Andaman Sea. Here, four neighboring white-sand beaches unfold, of which Ao Phra Nang Beach is the most secluded with its snorkeling-friendly reefs, soft sands, and singular luxury hotel. Visitors are free to relax in relative solitude, or to seek out adventure with a swim to “Happy Island,” just offshore, or by poking about in Tham Prah Nang Cave at the cliff’s base. Go now before it’s discovered by the masses.

2. Baía de Sancho, Brazil
Red-tinged sands and turquoise-trimmed shores define this pristine bay, which unfolds on the main and only inhabited island of Fernando de Noronha, an Atlantic archipelago off of Brazil’s northeastern coast. Protected as an UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and a national marine park, the ecological sanctuary of this secluded beach and its environs can be explored in near solitude, thanks to strict restrictions on commercial development and controlled visitation. The few visitors who do access the isle are thinned out even further by the precarious approach to the remote Baía de Sancho, which entails climbing down a cliff face along a series of ladders (although the faint of heart can arrange to arrive by boat on snorkeling or diving excursions). The waters here thrive with an array of marine life, from live coral to manta rays and sea turtles to dolphins. Just be sure to pack provisions, as there will be no bars, peddlers, or the like on these isolated shores.

3. Costa de la Luz, Spain
An Andalusian affair with sand and sea awaits at Spain’s southernmost point, where from the small coastal cities of Huelva to Cadiz and on to Tarifa, over 50 miles of dune-backed secluded beaches beckon with fine white sands trimmed by pinewood trees, animated fishing villages, and wide Atlantic-facing waters. Abundant year-round sunshine ensures that this Costa de la Luz, or “Coast of Light,” is well-deserving of its moniker. Yet its shores manage to remain blissfully crowd-free and devoid of unsightly high-rise development, a European rarity largely attributed to its lack of proximity to any major Spanish city (it’s about a 3-hour drive to Seville), as well as to the forceful Levante (East) and Poniente (West) coastal winds that detract the masses, aside from the avid windsurfers who consider the area to be a sporting mecca. But come July and August, once the breezes quell and ocean ripples flatten, the sands heat up with the perfect combination of summer sunshine, sizzling Spanish bods, and coveted (relative) seclusion.