15 Hot Beach Getaways You Need To Take

By Forbes Travel Guide Editors

Should you get the urge to catch up on some TV viewing from your beach villa at The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, an attendant will happily plug one up for you. But with that much gorgeous water in front of you (and too many amenities to list behind you), a remote control should be the last thing on your mind at this Cancun hideaway.

Photo courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

Belmond Copacabana Palace, a French Riviera-inspired grand dame in Rio, may pride itself on 1920s architecture and attentiveness from another time, but it’s the looks onto famed Copacabana Beach from the rooms and suites that truly never get old.

Photo courtesy of Belmond Management Services, SARL

Barbados’ Sandy Lane Hotel is a celebrity favorite for a host of reasons, including the excellent golf courses and the spa, whose treatment rooms come with a private garden or hydrotherapy pool. But it makes our list for its prime locale on the island’s west side, dubbed the Platinum Coast for its pristine beaches.

Photo courtesy of Sandy Lane Hotel

Sitting on a half-mile crescent beach in the British Virgin Islands, Rosewood Little Dix Bay is a sun-filled haven. Go sailing or snorkeling among the sea turtles, or recharge at the cliffside spa, which overlooks the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Then retire to a luxurious Tree House Suite that’s just steps from the beach.

Photo courtesy of Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, L.L.C.

If you argue that Baie Longue beach, where Belmond La Samanna sits, is St. Martin’s finest piece of waterfront, you’ll hear very little debate. Follow that by declaring that La Samanna has the best spot on the coast and the naysayers will quiet even more.

Photo courtesy of Belmond Management Services, SARL

When you need a relaxing getaway, escape to this piece of paradise in the British Virgin Islands. You’ll unwind on five beaches and at a 10,000-square-foot spa whose rooms all have a vista of Big Reef Bay. But for the ultimate beach vacation, rent out the entire 1,800-acre private island from Peter Island Resort & Spa.

Photo courtesy of Peter Island Resort & Spa

As much as a late 2013 renovation heightened the “wow” factor around this 365-room Cayman Islands beauty—deep-stained mahogany in the rooms, re-enhanced restaurants (don’t miss Five-Star chef Eric Ripert’s Blue)—it’s still hard to envision anything better to gaze at than the Caribbean from your spot in the sand at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.

Photo: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

Because of Esperanza, An Auberge Resort‘s perfect positioning on a gentle hill overlooking Cabo San Lucas’ Sea of Cortez, every one of the 57 thatched-roof casitas and suites here provides an unforgettable view of the stunning blue.

Photo courtesy of Auberge Resorts

One of the first Cabo San Lucas properties to reopen after September 2014’s Hurricane Odile, Pedregal likely leads the field in another category, too—the ratio of smiles per guest. When you present a plunge pool and unobstructed ocean views in every unit, that is the expected result.

Photo courtesy of The Resort at Pedregal

You won’t want for activities at this Riviera Maya resort—snorkel at a barrier reef, kiteboard, see whale sharks, swim with dolphins, tour the Chichén Itza ruins or visit cenotes (cavern-like natural sinkholes with pools). But that means you’d have to pry yourself from Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa‘s tranquil white-sand beach attached to 25 acres of lush jungle.

Photo courtesy of Belmond Management Services, SARL

The iconic Oscar de la Renta designed the canary-yellow villas at this Dominican Republic hotel, and the only thing that competes with the airy, stylish spaces is the three-mile beach with crystalline waters. It’s so quiet that you’ll feel like you have Tortuga Bay Hotel‘s palm-fringed beach to yourself.

Photo courtesy of Grupo Puntacana

While you’ll spy crowds down the beach, you’ll feel worlds away at this Bahamas oasis. On this sandy stretch, One&OnlyOcean Club, Bahamas pampers you from covered chaise lounges with ice-filled buckets of bottled water, refreshing cocktails (try the Casino Royale Martini—named for the film that was shot there—with Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Lillet Blanc, lemon), a bevy of magazines and, best of all, sweet solitude.

Photo courtesy of One&Only Resorts

To reach Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort in Antigua, it takes some work: You can only get to the resort’s private island by boat. But you’ll be rewarded with a secluded tropical getaway where you can relax under thatched bohios or in a hammock with the sugar-white beach as your backdrop.

Photo courtesy of Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, L.L.C.