We’re dreaming of long, lost afternoons at some of the world’s very best beach bars. Read about a clutch of new and revamped openings that have caught our eye over the past year or so – the places we’ll be heading to soon for happy hour, from the Greek islands to Tulum.
- REPUBLIEK BLOEMENDAAL, THE NETHERLANDSRather like Comporta, Bloemendaal aan Zee is one of those curious European hotspots that is not a hotspot at all. While the main town, four miles away, may be one of the most affluent in the Netherlands – thatched-roof villas; children cycling to hockey practice; Volvos with golf clubs in the boot – this shoreline is low-key: a stretch of sand, a few places to eat, that’s it. Somewhere for locals and in-the-know Haarlem weekenders. Republiek Bloemendaal has been here for years as a summer-season beach club, but more recently reopened as a permanent pavilion after an impressive renovation. With 16ft windows, it has unbeatable views across the North Sea – even if you have to stay inside because of blustery autumnal weather. Designer Anne Claus, who also had a hand in the owners’ Amsterdam hotel Morgan & Mees and restaurant Van’t Spit, has warmed the space with sandy, tonal walls and fabrics, plus striking Fredericia chairs and lights by PSLab. Families in matching organic-linen dungarees head here to eat banana-pancake breakfasts, while couples with dachshunds come for spelt-risotto suppers. A very cool find. Pauline EggeAddress: Republic Bloemendaal, Zeeweg 94 BLM 1, 2051EC, Overveen, North Holland
Website: republiekbloemendaal.nlKASIA GATKOWSKA
- SCORPIOS, MYKONOS, GREECEIf all beach bars have started to feel strangely familiar, whether you’re in Canggu, Cartagena or Comporta, blame it on Scorpios. This self-styled ‘lifestyle commune’ sparked a craze for organic-with-a-dash-of-ethnic styling when it jump-started the Mykonos comeback in 2015. The driftwood daybeds, sepia-toned plaster walls and wicker lampshades might look effortless, but a whole lot of euros have been sunk on those oversized ceramics and macramé hammocks. Sassy melon Margaritas and chunky wooden trays piled with avocado tzatziki, smoked aubergines, and wood-fired prawns laced with chilli and coriander don’t come cheap either. There are close encounters with musicians, mystics, dancers and DJs who lead sunset rituals – euphoric gatherings that might include Zoroastrian mantras, ethno-electro jams, group breathwork and whirling dervishes. If this all sounds like a neo-hippie nightmare, it’s not. Think of it more like a grown-up version of the island’s notorious party scene; an evolution from all-night raves to all-day chilling (even if the photogenic waiters have a little too much swagger). Soho House, another brand that taps into the global creative community, took over Scorpios last summer, together with Soho Roc House – the gorgeous San Giorgio hotel just along the coast. Scorpios promises to be the first of several Soho House beach hangouts worldwide. Rumour has it Ibiza, Miami and Tulum are next up. Rachel HowardAddress: Scorpios, Paraga, Mikonos 846 00, Greece
Website: scorpiosmykonos.comLAMBS AND LIONS & K-STUDIO
- YAMBA, LISBON, PORTUGALEven though it’s only a 20-minute drive across Lisbon’s Golden Gate-like bridge to its dusky dunes and soft surf breaks, Caparica beach has remained something of a secret. Until now. Parisian-run Yamba, which means ‘to begin’ in Malawi’s tribal tongue, sparked a shift when it opened last summer, providing an unofficial members’ club for the city’s eclectic tribe of residents to escape the often over-run city. While it’s not the first beach club to shake up Caparica’s sleepy scene, it’s by far the most fun. If the wooden bungalow, framed between ochre cliffs and Atlantic rollers, feels rough around the edges, it’s supposed to; inspired by the Japanese ethos of wabi sabi – the acceptance of imperfection – chunky tables and sunset platforms are upcycled from train-track sleepers, and there is a distinctly millennial approach to proceedings. Roll from morning yoga to communal feasts of fire-roasted sea-bass and squid-ink arancini before inevitable snoozes in the sun. Later on, the custom-built Audio Factory speakers crank up and physalis-flower Whiskey Sours are poured. Wild whoops and barefoot table-dancing follow; there’s a celebratory vibe where first-timers are welcomed like extended family and cult Berlin DJs play back-to-back with Carioca Carnival bands and African drummers. This is a moreish shot of what makes Lisbon’s cultural melting pot so entrancing. Lauren HolmesAddress: Yamba, Praia da Bolina, Estrada da Praia do Castelo, 2825-491 Costa da Caparica, Portugal
Website: yambayamba.com
- GITANO BEACH, TULUM, MEXICOSeven years ago, when hit-maker James Gardner launched Gitano, a tropical restaurant with late-night jungle raves, he kickstarted the Tulum party scene. And after dreaming of a coastal counterpart (he since introduced New York and Miami outposts), in 2020 he opened Gitano Beach, a 10-minute drive north of the original. Set within the protected Mayan-ruin-studded Parque Nacional, it is on a private cove with a pristine swatch of white sand licked by shallow turquoise water. While minimalist black-and-white striped tipis shield daybed-loungers from the scorching afternoon sun, Gardner designed the rustic space to be totally outdoors. Under a giant thatched-roof palapa, a stylishly unkempt Burning Man crowd in earthy-hued Caravana threads sips zero-waste cocktails made with burnt pineapple and salvaged lime husks (Padraig Confrey, of Mexico City’s trailblazing Pujol heads up the mixology). The soundtrack is an eclectic blend of drum-forward world music meets disco. But the beach vibe here is more chilled than at Gitano’s. This is a day club after all, and it’s the open-hearth menu with which it has really hit a home run. Alexandros Gkoutsi left Mykonos to helm the kitchen at Gardner’s new, nearby Greek restaurant Meze, but he also had time to shape Gitano Beach’s clean, fired-up Mexican menu with a Mediterranean twist. Local fishermen drop off the day’s catch for vibrant cabbage- and coriander-spiked tacos, but dishes such as lemony quinoa tabbouleh and a refreshing feta and watermelon salad hint at the chef’s past. It’s a surprisingly mellow hideout – Gardner has brought his gypsy-disco spirit to the beach. Kat OdellAddress: Gitano Beach, Carretera Ruinas Tulum 33, 77780, Tulum, Q.R., Mexico
Website: grupogitano.comGRUPO GITANO
- POTATO HEAD BEACH CLUB, BALIThis hot ticket in Seminyak has been a crowd-pleaser since its opening in 2010, but 2020 saw it morph into something altogether more interesting. The club has now expanded as part of Desa Potato Head, South-east Asia’s first creative village, which opened its doors this spring and brings together a hotel, restaurants and co-working spaces (a vinyl library and recording studio among them) in an enormous, beachy brutalist courtyard designed by Rem Koolhaas-founded OMA. The beach club itself has almost doubled in size, with sleek black straw umbrellas and teakwood sunbeds lining the gem-blue pool. Balinese soundscapes accompany early-morning yoga sessions or traditional dance performances in the adjoining terrazzo-clad amphitheatre, then slowly fade into blissed-out Balearic beats as the day progresses. The food is feel-good and mostly plant-based – smoothie bowls and vegan soft serve – and the fourth-floor rooftop bar (one of the island’s first) is the go-to spot for Indonesian arak-spiked sundowners and snacks from a built-in satay station. Best of all, the brand has sustainability at its core and turns rubbish into zero-waste treasures, with staff uniforms made from eucalyptus-tree pulp, recycled cooking-oil candles and larger-than-life art installations created with beach litter. Potato Head is bigger, better and leading the charge in considerate environmental practice in this busy part of the island. Chris SchalkxAddress: Potato Head, Jl. Petitenget No.51B, Seminyak, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Website: potatohead.coKEVIN MAK
- LA RESERVE A LA PLAGE, RAMATUELLE, FRANCEBy the close of last summer – when protecting endangered sea daffodils in the sand dunes was a hot political issue – the village of Ramatuelle emerged triumphant: their crackdown on Pampelonne’s private beach clubs had been well worth the sweat. Reconstructed or designed from scratch, the 23 new establishments, which were built with sustainable flat-pack materials for winter storage, were a roaring success. Not to be outdone by his neighbours, Michel Reybier, who heads up the La Réserve hotel group and whose South of France retreat is only a moment’s speedboat whizz away, teamed up with Philippe Starck to create La Réserve à la Plage. A rickety snack shack it is not: amid a joyous jumble of burnt-orange-and-white striped cushions, mismatched rattan and canvas chairs, long tables and a thatched hut with fringed straw light fixtures, the mood is decidedly unpretentious. Better yet, the food by the chef of La Réserve Ramatuelle’s two-Michelin-starred La Voile restaurant, Eric Canino – stuffed courgette flowers, fish tartare, fried octopus, hunks of barbecued beef, custard-laced tarte tropézienne – is as playfully elegant as the black-and-white panda-marble bathrooms. After sunbed napping, everyone drifts back to the bar, rosé in hand, where the late-afternoon cranked-up decibels attract both locals and the Club 55 spillover crowd to watch the yachts float by. The sun-seeking regulars, who initially grumbled about the proposed changes, have found their summer playground pepped up and perkier than ever. Lanie GoodmanAddress: La Réserve à la Plage, Route de l’Epi-Pampelonne, 83350 Ramatuelle
Website: lareserve-plage.comGREGOIRE GARDETTE
- DRIFTWOOD, AHANGAMA, SRI LANKAWhile bars jostle for beachfront space in southern Sri Lanka’s party-hard surf hubs between Hikkaduwa and Mirissa, under-the-radar Ahangama’s jagged coastline still feels like uncharted territory. But the village is starting to buzz, and over the past few years, yoga shalas, surf retreats and a smattering of boutique hotels have quietly opened their doors between its rice paddies and palm groves. The latest draw is Driftwood, a lo-fi bolthole just above a caramel-coloured beach in a small palm-fringed cove just off Ahangama’s main road. The owners, free-spirited French-Indian couple Lana and Shayan Munshi, who swapped their lives in NYC’s fashion industry for a slower pace, are hands-on hosts. From the thatched-roof shack dotted with sisal rugs and low-slung tables there are views of the traditional stilt fishermen waiting for their catch at sunset, while locally woven bamboo lanterns bobble in the salty breeze. The no-fuss menu, a breakfast-to-dinner mix of avocado-topped tartines, tapas and platters of charcuterie and decent cheese (a rarity in this neck of the woods) matches the laidback vibe of the rosé-sipping nine-to-five escapees – those in the mood for something stronger should order the cucumber gimlets with house-infused Sri Lankan gin – and savvy Sri Lankans travelling down from Colombo. A gorgeous, boho go-slow hangout. Chris SchalkxAddress: Driftwood, Ahangama, Sri Lanka
Website: @ driftwoodlankaCHRIS SCHALKX
- LE SERENO AL MARE, ST BARTH’SOn the windswept and wilder shores of the island is where, after a short drive down a path lined with swaying coconut palms, you’ll find Le Sereno hotel, on Grand Cul de Sac; a civilised and minimal structure of smooth, pale-blonde wood designed by Christian Liaigre. It’s blissfully removed from the more obviously fashionable and raucous spots near the capital Gustavia, and its natural beauty is giddy-making – a cerulean marine reserve packed with turtles, stingrays and coloured coral. On the beach, Al Mare restaurant serves something you won’t find anywhere else in this French outpost – Italian feasts. It’s a place unlike anywhere else: no supermodels in extreme thong bikinis taking selfies or paunchy billionaires expostulating loudly, just locals in elegant, multi-coloured Johanna Ortiz dresses, drinking crisp Tuscan wines (there are cocktails but the execution is Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Paris, rather than Manhattan nightclub). It’s somewhere to idle dolce vita-style, against a soundtrack of laconic tunes that will lull you into a sense of wellbeing. The star here is what’s on the plates. Chef Andrea Cimino’s offering is very haute, very pretty, but light as a feather and utterly exquisite. The cacciucco alla livornese, a traditional fish stew, and the tomato spaghetti ai cinque pomodori are the stuff of dreams. And the best bit? The exclusively Italian staff who resolutely converse in their native language. Vassi ChamberlainAddress: Le Sereno, 97133, St Barthélemy
Website: serenohotels.comEMILY LAB
- ATZARO BEACH, IBIZA, SPAINIt’s the irrepressible spirit of the 1970s that’s been woven into the refurbishment of Atzaró Beach, which sits just above the busy shores of Cala Nova. Arguably Ibiza’s most formative decade, this was a time when locals and draft dodgers, Hollywood stars and free-spirited musicians lived tolerantly side by side; when cries of ‘make love, not war’ echoed among farmlands and dancefloors alike. The project was overseen by the Guasch family, Ibicenco natives who count Agroturismo Atzaró and the delicious inland restaurant Aubergine among their other feats, so it was perhaps inevitable that Atzaró Beach would also revisit the island’s roots. The redesign is, interestingly, worlds away from what you might call typically Balearic. Instead the emphasis lies on a rustic, easygoing aesthetic that blends with the surrounding environment. Driftwood tables are shaded by straw parasols, swinging bamboo seats contrast with peacock chairs and a minty scent wafts from the eucalyptus-clad pergola, carried on the breeze. Dreamcatchers and cacti add a carefree kick, and a freshly painted wooden llaüt boat nods to the rich fishing heritage. Mediterranean-leaning sharing plates – paellas, prawn carpaccio, Buddha bowls – are as lovely as the views, and supersized daybeds at the front lead down towards the golden sand. It can’t claim to be on the prettiest cove of the island but the Atzaró gang are certainly giving a good show. Abigail LoweAddress: Atzaro, Playa, Av. Cala Nova, s/n, 07849, Balearic Islands, Spain
Website: atzarobeach.com
- AZURA PERI-PERI BEACH CLUB, MOZAMBIQUEThis rustic Robinson Crusoe hangout is, unsurprisingly, the Bazaruto archipelago’s only beach club. It was rustled up by Stella and Christophe Bettany, the owners of Azura Retreats, for guests of their eco-lodge on Benguerra Island, less than a mile down the beach. Mozambique’s Portuguese roots show up in a seafood-strong menu and decorative blue-and-white hand-painted tiles at the thatched open-air bar with its swing seats and wide-smile barmen, Pedro and José, who make the best frozen Margaritas. All the rough-hewn furniture was made on the island from recycled wood. Order a magnum of Château Pas de Loup rosé from the Bettanys’ French château to go with grilled prawns peri-peri, fried calamari, stuffed crab shells or fish skewers that you can barbecue over hot coals at your table. Go easy on the house-made chilli sauces and have a ‘doshem’ 2M beer handy to quell the heat. Post lunch, retreat to the sea-view salas or settle into a board game or paperback thriller, dip in the swimming pool or slope off for a massage in the spa treehouse. Laidback Peri-Peri always feels like a private party, although visiting boats from neighbouring islands, and guests from &Beyond a few dunes over, swell the numbers, especially on Sundays when the chilled playlist is usually followed by beach cinema under the stars. This opening has turned up the heat, and the African reggae tunes. Jane BroughtonAddress: Azura Peri-Peri Beach Club, Benguerra Island, Mozambique
Website: azura-retreats.com
- NAMMOS, DUBAIIn an emirate hellbent on innovation, Nammos brings a glint of old-school island charm and traces of a traditional Greek taverna. The Mykonos original, on high-octane Psarou beach, is something of an institution, so when this outpost opened at the Four Seasons, an expectant crowd of Emiratis and expats was waiting. It is a design U-turn from the inflatable flamingos and wiggle-shaped in-water loungers that populate the rest of Dubai’s waterfront. Instead, Mykonos’ aquamarine-striped parasols have been transplanted here, shading neat rows of teak sunbeds, Arabian Sea views replacing Aegean ones. Stone steps lead from the sand to a bamboo-canopied terrace and lofty dining room, both styled by London-based design firm Elastic Interiors. Bleached wood, natural linens and pale walls recall Greek isles while also bouncing around the searingly bright Middle Eastern sunshine. Tall arches afford a glimpse of the Marrone-fitted kitchen, where a Mediterranean menu is whipped up – almost monochrome millefeuilles of crisped aubergine and creamy feta, mezze, sea-bass ceviche. Service is authentically Greek, with staff flown in from the homeland, and all-day feasting to a bossa nova lounge soundtrack, with bottles of Santorini Sigalas, is the focus. The glammed-up brunch scene is on a par with that of its bigger sister. Sarah HedleyAddress: Nammos, Four Seasons Resort, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Website: nammos.gr
- FTELIA, MYKONOSFtelia has long been famous: archaeologists believe a Neolithic settlement uncovered beside the bay to be the tomb of the Homeric hero Ajax. A far more recent but sure-to-be-a-hit addition to the beach on Mykonos’ wild northern shore is this club, huddled into a sheltered corner. Its unexpected burnt-orange palette was conceived by designer Fabrizio Casiraghi when he flew over the island for the first time and admired the contrast between the terracotta roof tiles and the white architecture below. The club spills down, amphitheatre-like, towards the sand.In the restaurant at the top, an athletic crowd (the area is a windsurfing hotspot) tuck into sea urchin and grilled octopus with beetroot puree, washed down with minerally wine from hot new Santorini vineyard Vassaltis; then fall asleep in one of the Sixties armchairs by Gae Aulenti on the terrace; or dance to tunes the owners describe as ‘music you would like to hear on a mix tape’ down on the sand.Address: Ftelia Beach Club, Mikonos 846 00, Greece
Website: fteliabeachclub.comOLIVE BAR & KITCHEN, GOAMention the name Olive to any urban Indian and they’ll instantly recall the whitewashed walls, blue cushions, killer cocktails and breezy Mediterranean vibes evoked by one of the country’s most popular restaurant groups. But, intriguingly, until now it has only ever inhabited gentrified corners of cities nowhere near, well, an actual beach.All that changed when Olive Bar & Kitchen finally landed on a cliff overlooking Goa’s sleepy, hippie Vagator Beach last summer – a world away from some of the more raucous, divey bars dotting the coastline. It’s a curious sliver of Santorini on the Arabian Sea, with baskets of help-yourself flip-flops, wicker chairs and a Goan-meets-Greek menu: baked sardines on toasted ciabatta, roasted chicken cafreal, jaggery cheesecake with coconut cream and Olive’s signature thin-crust pizza. And to drink there’s the Chorizo Mary, group mixologist John Leese’s take on the Bloody Mary, or a Goa Trance made with feni, a local spirit distilled from cashew or coconut. It’s hard to believe it took ace restaurateur AD Singh a decade-and-a-half to open an outpost here, but after all those years of searching it seems he’s found a suitably stellar spot.Address: Olive Bar & Kitchen, Unit 1 , Vagator Helipad Big Vagator, Anjuna, Goa, 403509, India
Website: olivebarandkitchen.comYIORGOS KORDAKIS
- BASIL’S BAR, MUSTIQUEThis shabby, endlessly talked-about, perennially loved over-water Caribbean party shack has been totally renovated – surprisingly, by
Philippe Starck. Villa owners and islanders had every right to be wary. And yet you can still nurse a beer while the children snorkel with turtles in the bay. Still flop into bleached-teak rocking chairs watching superyachts at anchor.Still arrive sea-soaked and sandy-footed for a Rum Runner while Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams take turns on the mic. In fact, anyone who’s never been before wouldn’t know that the clusters of straw hats along the beams weren’t legitimately lost property, nor have any inkling that the Mustique Company poured millions of dollars in, because it still looks and feels like the real deal.Old hands can appreciate the addition of the open-sided kitchen where new head chef and ex-Gordon Ramsay protégé Luke Ferguson toils with his team; the sweet boutique selling surf kit; and the clever walkway from which you can spy rays gliding around under the deck. It’s just that the overhanging thatch is a bit neater, the painted wood lighter and the dance floor more inviting. Ask Basil what his verdict is while he’s mixing you a Hurricane David (you should still definitely only have one, though). basilsbar.comAddress: Basil’s Bar, St Vincent and the Grenadines
Website: basilsbar.comASSAONA, MALLORCAWhile most clubs around the bay of Palma – Purobeach, Nikki Beach, Anima Beach – veer towards a particular sort of bright, Champagne-popping, leather-beds flash, Assaona offers something different, picking up a more boho vibe by riffing on the smartened chiringuitos that have lined Ibiza’s shores for years but seem to have eluded Mallorca until now. Rough-hewn wooden tables, swinging oversized basket lights and straw-fringed parasols have transformed the old Nassau Beach site.Of course the setting – that amazing spot at the edge of the sandy beach at Portixol, with soaring views of the cathedral – hasn’t changed. The food is also on point: baby turbot sashimi, Iberian pork loin, sea
bass in a salt crust, all served by staff in pressed desert-coloured linen to match the fat cushions on the benches, the canvas sail shades, Gervasoni sofas and seagrass rugs. Assaona marks a shift for this part of the island – a move away from the booming music and plastic wine glasses of high-summer high-jinks and towards a lovely, low-key destination that has resonance year round.Address: Assaona, Passeig Portitxol, 07006 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Website: assaona.com@EMILIEBIARTLANNES / INSTAGRAM
- RAES, BYRON BAYIt may be part of Raes on Wategos – Byron Bay’s original hotel hideout – and just steps from the biscuity sand, but those aren’t the only draws at this new joint. With a steady stream of locals coming in from the surf, and Zimmermann-clad guests spilling down from the open-air restaurant, it’s difficult to imagine this was, until more recently, the building’s cellar. In-demand Sydney designer Tamsin Johnson led the recent makeover, turning the tiny space into a finger-licking-pretty seaside watering hole with clean sloping lines offset by playful taffy-striped cushions and small sculptural tables.At noon, a handful of large calico umbrellas and calypso-blue chairs convert the driveway into a chilled-out terrace, signalling to those in the know that the bar is open for business. By mid-afternoon, lo-fi beats are turned up for the late lunchers to kick back with spiked spritzes and seriously good classics such as just-shucked oysters, fish sandwiches and potato scallops dusted with seaweed. With its walk-ins-only policy, it’s a refreshingly laid-back addition to this very exclusive pocket of Byron Bay.Address: Raes Cellar Bar, 6–8 Marine Parade, Byron Bay
NSW 2481, Australia
Website: raes.com.auSUGAR BEACH, TALPE, SRI LANKATalpe’s coves and bays are where some of the island’s most elegant tucked-away villas are found, and now there’s a daytime hangout to match. South-coast regulars will recognise this as the old Zazou Beach Club. But funky, home-spun brand Sugar, known for its buzzy restaurants in Colombo and Galle, took over in late 2018, and brought a loyal following. Not a huge amount has changed – some subtle branding, canvas butterfly chairs and a row of deep-cushioned day-beds – but it feels fresh, and opened just in time to host a big New Year’s Eve bash.This is a mellow alternative to Unawatuna’s backpackery bars: expat families, nomadic surfers and a savvy down-from-the-city crowd rub shoulders over lunches of sesame-crusted tuna, prawn curry and passionfruit Daiquiris. Later in the day, beach sunsets are toasted with two-for-one Mojitos, and the bar remains open until the last customer leaves. At weekends groups gather for the Soul Therapy vinyl sessions and to listen to jazz (Sugar’s owner, Gehan Fernando, set up the Colombo Jazz festival). And by early next year, there will be eight beachfront rooms next door to crash out in.Address: Sugar Beach, 1048 Matara Rd, Talpe, Sri Lanka
Website: facebook.com/sugarbeachtalpe
- KRABO, ATHENS RIVIERAIn 1960, a doctor named Giagkos Stavridis built a complex of holiday apartments in Vouliagmeni, a pine-fringed finger of land curling into a deep-blue bay 12 miles from the Acropolis. He called it The Margi, after his two daughters, Maria and Gina. That same year, the Astir Palace hotel opened around the headland. And just like that, the Athens Riviera was born. Sixty years later, Vouliagmeni is still the capital’s most refined seaside enclave, with its yacht club, Matsuhisa restaurant and high-rolling beach scene. The Astir Palace has just reopened as Greece’s first Four Seasons.And The Margi is still in the same family. Last summer, architect-owner Giagkos Agiostratitis and his brother Theo snapped up a simple taverna on nearby Zoska Bay and in its place created next-step-up Krabo, a Scorpios-inspired beach bar where the marinated king crab comes with corn bread and salmon roe, and the Aperol Spritz is infused with watermelon syrup. It’s as close as you’ll get to Mykonos without leaving Athens – cheeky prices, patchy service and glammed-up crowd included.Address: Krabo, Zoska Bay, Thespidos Street,Vouliagmeni, 16671, Athens Riviera, Greece
Website: krabo.gr
FOUR SEASONS, ILE AUX CERFS, MAURITIUSLocal fishermen deliver the catch of the day straight to this new little bar and grill on Ile aux Cerfs, the tiny off-shore private island that has some of the best beaches in Mauritius. Referencing the rustic shacks where islanders go for barbecued seafood with their families, it has rope swings hanging by the shiplap counter, Phoenix beers in the fridge and sunbeds clustered under straw umbrellas on the sand and in the shade of the filao trees. And the only way to get here is via the Four Seasons at Anahita, as a hotel guest, taking a boat across the glittering lagoon.Leave espadrilles and flip-flops on board, have a swim in the Indian Ocean, then dig into tuna ceviche with mango and avocado or rock lobster with fiery Creole sauce, plus pineapple dipped in chilli flakes and tamarind sauce for pudding. An authentic island set-up? Not quite – how could it be? But for Mauritius, it certainly comes closer than anything else its big-name hotels are offering.Address: Four Seasons, Ile aux Cerfs, Coastal Road, Beau Champ, Mauritius
Website: fourseasons.comSILIA POTIOUDI @FINDSILIA
- LA BRISA, BALIPeeling-paint canoes transformed into plant-filled cabinets line paths leading to thatched treehouses, a turquoise pool with comfy daybeds and seats for sundowners looking over the surf. La Brisa feels like Robinson Crusoe sipped a few rums and jazzed up his shacks into a barefoot beach escape. There are nautical nods with chairs made from old barrels and antique buoys fashioned into twinkly lights. This place is more than artfully distressed though; the wood used to build it came from 500 disused boats. The result? Plenty of upcycled touches, accompanied by scorching sunsets, Basil Beauty cocktails (vodka, passion fruit, pineapple and herbs) and locally caught seafood. Service is laid-back, but with surroundings this funky, an island-time approach is forgiveable.Address: La Brisa, Jl. Pantai Batu Mejan, Canggu, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Website: labrisabali.comMISTURA, TULUMUnder a big-top-style canopy of palapa, this open-air beach club is Mexican life in full colour. Navy-and-white stripes are broken up by vibrant-red bar stools and bright glass goblets, Jackson Pollock-esque ceramic plates are laid on palm-print-tiled tables and white hammocks scallop the perimeter. With uninterrupted views of Xpu-Ha beach, it is an exciting addition to the competitive Riviera Mayan coastline where Esencia hotel, once talked about as a jungle hideaway, has gone up a gear, drawing a crowd that includes Gwen Stefani, Dita Von Teese and Jason Wu. Mistura is also the latest opening by Greek chef and El Bulli alumnus Dimitris Katrivesis (his original restaurant is in Mykonos). The food is a mix of Peruvian and Japanese flavours, using Mexican ingredients, with standout dishes such as oysters with mango, tiger’s milk, salmon caviar, mezcal and chive oil, and fried yuca with black garlic, oregano, chorizo and rocoto peppers. And, of course, the Margaritas are brilliant.Address: Mistura, Carretera Cancún – Tulum km 265 Xpu-Ha, Quintana Roo 77750 Mexico
Website: hotelesencia.com/restaurants
- EL CHIRINGUITO, MARBELLARight in the middle of the ‘good’ side of Marbella, this outpost of Ibiza’s hit hangout is undeniably a little Nikki Beach in feel (white day beds, tropical bar huts) but thankfully minus the Champagne spraying. Instead, a mellow vibe starts at breakfast with healthy fresh-pressed juices (watermelon, mint and aloe vera), iced teas and coconut water, and is followed up by sun-sleepy lunches of beetroot, quinoa, burrata and zucchini salads, huge sharing plates of seafood spaghetti and whole sea bass baked in salt. Pink wine is taken very seriously, with magnums of Ibizkus rosé bobbing around in ice buckets beside most tables. El Chiringuito is part of the Puente Romano hotel, with its night clubs and Nobu, so it’s not as low-key as its Balearic sister but it’s definitely the most chilled-out spot on this hectic stretch of coast.Address: El Chiringuito Bulevar Principe Alfonso Von Hohenlohe, 29602 Marbella, Málaga, Spain
Website: puenteromano.comANHINGA, TURKEYHere are Greek architects K-Studio doing what they do best: that kind of rustic aesthetic of raffia lanterns, tadelakt floors, patterned Turkish towels and a lo-fi Ibiza-afternoon soundtrack. In the wrong hands, this sepia-toned styling would be a brown hash, but here, on the Aegean coast of Turkey, under the blazing sun, it’s ravishing. The Italian chef sends out beef carpaccio and aubergine Parmigiana to go with elderflower- and lime-laced Polynesian punch and local rosé. After lunch, everyone slopes down to the canvas-canopied sunbeds on the beach to swim, paddle-board or leap off the pontoon. Villa owners in the surrounding pine-covered hills have their own WhatsApp group, suggesting ‘Drinks at the bar in 10?’ Then they swoop in, turn up the music and party until dawn.Read the full review of Six Senses Kaplankaya, TurkeySix Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey review: First InSPA GUIDESix Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey review: First InAddress: Six Senses Kaplankaya, Bozbük Mahallesi, Merkez Sokak No:198, 48200 Milas/Muğla, Turkey
Website: kaplankaya.com
- HIPPIE FISH, THE NETHERLANDSA bright strip of beach bars on the sand softens the impact of the glass-and-concrete seafront of Zandvoort aan Zee. At the quieter end, just before seaside tack peters out into empty dunes, Hippie Fish strikes a gentle note: a whitewashed wooden hut with director’s chairs outdoors. Inside are sofas in neutral colours, and (all too necessary for fickle Northern European summers) a couple of open hearths. Dutch design meets down-to-earth Dutch attitude: barefoot servers bring bottled beer, wine, fresh fruit juice, or the odd G&T rather than complicated cocktails. Children muck about in the sand. Hipster beards grow gritty. The food is good, from bar snacks (croquettes, mini spring rolls) to light lunches (cauliflower-and-tofu burgers) and sit-down dinners (langoustine bisque, razor clams). It’s a place to de-stress from morning to midnight.Address: Hippie Fish, Boulevard Paulus Loot 3, 2042 AD Zandvoort, Netherlands
Website: hippiefish.nlRED FISH, BARCELONAWith a foodie offering second to none on the city’s beach scene, Red Fish is a welcome addition to the busy Barceloneta waterfront. This new seafood joint has already attracted a loyal following of those in the know, both as a relaxed hangout for toes-in-the-sand drinks in the sun and an excellent weekend lunch venue. Book a table on the cosy, fairy-lit wooden deck overlooking the Mediterranean or, better still, bag one of the rowboat tables, and tuck into snacks and drinks right on the beach. Locals come here on Sunday mornings for a pre-lunch classic red vermouth over ice – formerly an old man’s drink that has become the favourite midday tipple of hip young Spaniards. Red Fish’s vermut is especially well paired with the tapas: crisps with spicy sauce, olives, fresh anchovies, dressed crab and the house-special salted-cod salad, served raw.Address: Red Fish, Carrer de la Marina, Barcelona, Spain
Website: redfishbcn.com
- AIYANNA, IBIZAA little quieter and less flashy than sister venue Amante, this new club from English DJ-turned-restaurateur Dave Piccioni already has savvy locals trekking out to out-of-the-way Cala Nova for its superb food and relaxed vibe. The design is globetrotting boho, with driftwood chandeliers, weathered wicker and giant Guatemalan parasols flapping prettily in the breeze. The food is similarly international: dukkah-crusted chicken and excellent baked sea bass with caponata. Early-morning yoga sessions on the terrace and an Airstream smoothie station give the place a health and wellness feel during the day. Later though, as the sun sets, the crowds gather to order rounds of Amore Aiyanna, the signature off-menu cocktail made from Mezcal Amores, ginger beer, raspberry and chilli. The nearby beach is ordinary. Better to book a e6 all-day bed and grab an ice bucket for your bottle of Château Saint-Maur Provençal rosé.Address: Aiyanna, Avinguda Cala Nova,07850 Cala Nova, San Carlos, Ibiza, Spain
Website: aiyannaibiza.comTASYA MENAKER
- TRESANTON BEACH CLUB, CORNWALLWhen Olga Polizzi dreams up a beach club, she does it her way: with easy elegance. At this breezy new spot at the Tresanton Hotel in pretty St Mawes, guests mingle on Mediterranean- style terraces – smart blue-and-white parasols; semitropical plants – sunbathing in swimsuits or sipping cold-pressed juices. A skip across the street from the hotel, the club sits above Tavern Beach, to which it has direct access. Choose from a menu that includes crab sandwiches, hearty burgers and homemade ice cream. Alternatively, order a round of Champagne and oysters, or see if you can identify the secret ingredient in the bar manager’s signature Bloody Mary. Opening times are British-weather-dependent; prepare to get cosy with a blanket. Whatever the clime, it’s a lovely place to forget everything humdrum while gazing towards St Anthony’s Lighthouse, with families rockpooling below.Address: Tresanton Beach Club, 27 Lower Castle Road, St Mawes, Truro TR2 5DR
Website: tresanton.comEMILY MOTT
- GRAND BEACH, CAPE TOWNRevamped by South African architect David Townsend, this Miami-meets-St-Tropez hideaway is a rare find in a city that, while not short on sea-view sundowner spots, bans booze on its beaches. Just a couple of metres from the Atlantic Ocean, beneath a fleet of swaying palms, a former crayfish warehouse serves as the restaurant with outdoor tables on the sand. Staff glide between pink Parisian café chairs with platters of fresh seafood and metre-long, paper-thin-crust pizzas topped with prawns or miso-roasted aubergine, sun-dried tomato and tzatziki. Cocktails include the Grand African Tiki (rum, fresh mango and coconut) and there are excellent craft beers and local estate wines. The best seat in the house? The private dining area on the water’s edge, adjoining one of the several small bars at Grand Beach, all housed in old shipping containers.Address: Grand Beach, Granger Bay Road (off Beach Road), Granger Bay, 8005, South Africa
Website: grandafrica.comHEIN VAN TONDER
- NAMMOS, MYKONOSWith new Mykonos openings such as Scorpios and Jackie O’s constantly upping the ante, this 13-year-old classic has had to constantly evolve to stay ahead of the pack. Last year saw the arrival of four slick $5,000-a-day cabanas, with a seven-course meal for six, exclusive use of a giant hot tub and a private butler thrown in. Despite being positively stately by beach-bar standards, Nammos still knows how to have fun: long lunches routinely slide into bacchanalian parties with Leonardo di Caprio holding court. Seafood is sourced from a boat that works almost exclusively for the club, and there’s a beef bar serving the best cuts of Wagyu and kobe. For those who don’t fancy tackling the winding road leading down to Psarou beach, make like Mariah Carey and moor a yacht in the bay or, better still, use the helipad.Address: Nammos, Psarou Beach, Mykonos, Greece
Website: nammos.gr
- MAÇAKIZI, TURKEYAt the far end of the town of Türkbükü, an unmarked path meanders up into the hills to the Maçakizi, a regal hotel and classic beach club (the name translates as Queen of Spades) on Bodrum‘s most exclusive bay. Hidden behind a riot of bougainvillaea, the terraced wooden decks meander down the hillside to the sea and have hosted a smart yachtie set and innumerable Hollywood A-listers for almost 40 years. Revellers arrive early to snap up a seat at the bar, feed the incongruous flock of tame ducks, and sip a signature Dirtier Diva (rum, passion fruit, ginger, lime and chilli). The restaurant has a terrific supper menu, including dishes such as pan-seared sea bass and roast rack of lamb with sun-dried-tomato-and-feta pesto and smashed potato.Address: Maçakizi Hotel, Kesire Mevkii Narçiçeği Sk. 48400, Göltürkbükü, Bodrum, Turkey
Website: macakizi.comRUSSELL JAMES
- PONTOON, MELBOURNEFollowing its closure due to fire a couple of years ago, the re-opening of the Stokehouse venue in beachside St Kilda seemed a long time coming. But it was worth the wait for this laid-back grill and bar with uninterrupted Port Philip Bay views. The Mediterranean-inspired menu includes sharing plates of fresh sardines with harissa and baby back ribs, but regulars are equally enthusiastic about the dozen or so beers on tap and fabulously beachy cocktails such as the Vitamin Sea (gin, Cointreau, grapefruit, pineapple, mint, soda). Pontoon is a joy even in winter – staying toasty indoors near the wood-fired grill while sharing a pizzaor fried prawns and listening to live DJs. But when the weather’s great, grab a spot outside and suck up the sea-salty air with a knockout signature frosé or two.Adress: Pontoon, Stokehouse Precinct, 30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia
Website: pontoonstkildabeach.com.auKRISTOFFER PAULSEN
- FISH & CRAB SHACK, MaldivesAt the end of the most perfect whiplash of sand sits this pared-back but top-shelf beach restaurant. Coconut trees, pods of dolphins, a few tunes, water the colour of zircon – it is slam-dunk the most fun spot in the Maldives. There are wooden tables under thatch, sunbeds and beanbags arranged on the sand; everyone lounges about drinking rosé in glasses the size of bowling balls and frosted to the touch. It’s where a quick snack becomes a long, glorious feast of an afternoon. But what really elevates the Crab Shack beyond being a cute beach stop-off is the quality of the food. Forget the underwater flourishes of other restaurants in the Maldives, the flaming puddings and the peculiar ice sculptures: all you really need is one of the soft-shell crab tacos from here, crunchy as you like, drenched in the dressing of dreams. Try eating 13 in a row. It is almost possible.Address: Fish and Crab Shack, Baa Atoll, Male, Republic of Maldives
Website: finolhu.com
- ROCK POOL, GOAThis extravagant hangout at the new W Goa hotel, overlooking the hippie hotspot of Vagator beach, has swiftly been adopted as the favourite beachside playground for Bollywood stars and their entourages. Resident DJ Boylla creates an extraordinary soundscape that intensifies through the day to high-octane club levels at sunset. The tipple of choice is homemade sangria, and house cocktails include Patrao’s Coffee – made with feni, a local spirit brewed from cashews – and the W Gado, a mix of Goan port wine with cardamom, cinnamon and other spices. On the menu are black-charcoal prawn tikkas and sensational flat breads with truffle mushroom and sour cream – and the Goan vindaloo taco and masala fries are superb. But nothing here is ever going to be quite as engaging as the people-watching.Address: Rock Pool, W Hotel, Agator Beach, Bardez, Goa, India
Website: w-goa.com
- COCOMAYA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDSBeach bars around here are generally dozy and ramshackle, but Cocomaya has poise and grace. It’s a pretty place with plenty of polished concrete, stone and natural wood, glass and mirrors, and it sits on a beautiful stretch of sand with views of nearby Camanoe, Scrub and Dog islands. The food, like the atmosphere, is barefoot-elegant with a Latin-Asian fusion menu of sharing plates (corn tacos, scallop ceviche, seared coriander tuna) eaten at tables hidden among Virgin Gorda‘s famous volcanic boulders. It’s ideal for a quiet lunch or dinner, although for most folk this place is more about gravitating from sunbed to bar and back. Try the Champagne Cocktail with ginger and lychees, which adds just the right amount of bite and tropical freshness to the fizz.Address: Cocomaya, Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean
Website: cocomayarestaurant.comCONNIE ZHOU
- KUDETA, BALIWith perhaps the most spectacular beachfront location on the island, this quintessential Balinese foodie hotspot morphs seamlessly from chic beach club by day to relaxed restaurant at night. It has lured the sun-kissed and beautiful to Seminyak for 16 years and shows no intention of flagging. Sip on a signature Gin and Juice cocktail (gin, pink grapefruit, Campari) while watching the sunset from a poolside day bed or grandstand seat on the first-floor terrace. Feeling peckish? Perhaps start with the yellowfin tuna tartare and move on to the sublime roasted Balinese pork with coconut and fern-tip salad, served under the stars in the à la carte restaurant. There’s also the option of a five- or 10-course tasting menu in the more intimate and innovative Mejekawi.Address: Jalan Kayu Aya, No. 9, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
Website: kudeta.comGETTY
- 10 PUNTO 7, FORMENTERAA world away from the flash and razzle of the yacht-saturated beach clubs on Formentera‘s north coast, this insider bolthole overlooks a near-deserted stretch of the gorgeous Playa Migjorn. The design is simple but smart with plenty of whitewashed wood, director’s chairs and rattan, and it’s always packed with a dashing crowd sipping the signature cocktail of watermelon with vodka, set to a soundtrack of laid-back beats. New chef Anuar Gonzales Fasabi is from Lima and has updated the menu by introducing Peruvian flavours to an already long and delicious list, including some of the best sushi on the island, not least the 24-piece platter of pillow-soft, super-fresh nigiri and sashimi. Bag a spot on the roof terrace with a perfectly mixed Campari Shakerato to celebrate the completion of yet another perfect day.Address: 10 Punto 7, Playa Migjorn, Formentera, Spain
Website: 10punto7.com
- BREEZES, ANGUILLAThe island already has palm-fringed coves and the hottest foodie scene in the Caribbean. Now, with the opening of this bar, everyone’s got a brand-new excuse to wear white crochet. Part of The Reef hotel, it’s set on Merrywing Bay to the west of the island, which can only be reached by boat. Kick back on one of the oversized wicker sofas out front with something tropical in hand – it’s the kind of place where a bright-blue cocktail will never look tacky. Long tables shaded by umbrellas fill up at lunchtime when fresh seafood hits the Argentinian grill and plates of Baja fish tacos, corn salads and sashimi are carried past. In the evenings, DJ Michael supplies a soundtrack of upbeat funk and soul tracks. He’s somewhat of an island legend and will have you dancing barefoot on the sand (or on the tables) before the night is over.Address: Breezes, Cuisinart Resort and Spa, Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla
Website: thereefbycuisinart.com
- PARADOR LA HUELLA, URUGUAYWith weathered wood and big windows open wide to catch the sea breeze, La Huella encapsulates the barefoot charms of Uruguay‘s José Ignacio. Specialising in simple, delicate dishes cooked on open fires, it is certainly no secret and the queues can snake down the sun-baked, dune-backed beach. But who’s in a hurry? Kick back on the golden sands with a jug of zesty, sangria-like clericot while staff hand out sombreros: this place is so welcoming even first-timers feel like they’ve come home. It’s utter bliss to be led to your table under the raffia-shaded terraces, where long-time regulars gather over black corvina and juicy octopus between ocean swims. As the sun sets, join in the dancing on tables or go skinny-dipping in the phosphorescent ocean – no one will blink an eyelid.Address: Parador La Huella, Brava Beach, José Ignacio, Uruguay
Website: paradorlahuella.comMIRJAM BLEEKER
- ROCKA, BRAZILSkip the busy streets of Búzios and head straight for the surfers’ cove of Praia Brava where Brazil‘s best beach bar awaits, fashioned from a blue fisherman’s shack on a headland of wild green pasture. It’s a deliciously laid-back spot, so lose the shoes and sink into an oversized day bed overlooking the ocean; staff are so attentive its barely necessary to wiggle a finger before a replacement ice-bucket of rosé arrives, or hand-woven blanket appears at the slightest inkling of an unseasonal breeze. Order fabulously fresh seafood from the chalkboard menu, with delicate ceviche and butter-soft calamaretti, which keeps Michelin-starred chefs coming back on their days off. The glamorous owner, Santiago Bebbiano, is a brilliant host and by late afternoon he’ll have everyone dancing, high on life and lemongrass Mojitos.Address: Rocka, Praia Brava 13, Búzios, Brazil
Website: rockafish.com
- CARPE DIEM BEACH, HVAR, CROATIANothing says exclusive beach bar quite like needing a boat to get there. Set on the spiky little island of Marinkovacoff, 10 minutes by private yacht or water-taxi from sister venue Carpe Diem Bar in Hvar Town, this has been attracting a sassy crowd for almost 30 years. Days are spent bronzing on giant cushions, playing volleyball and bobbing about on giant inflatable unicorns in the blue-blue sea. Plates of seared tuna and lobster linguine are eaten on day beds under smart white drapes. After midnight, locked in by thick pine forest, it becomes the ultimate private venue, with Espresso Martinis and Mojitos on the menu. The full-moon parties are epic, with DJs such as Pete Tong and Roger Sanchez flying in from Europe‘s big-name clubs.Address: Carpe Diem Beach, Stipanska Beach, Hvar Island, Croatia
Website: carpe-diem-hvar.com
- LE CLUB 55, ST TROPEZBack in 1955, when Brigitte Bardot was filming And God Created Woman on then-deserted Pampelonne beach, St Tropez natives Bernard and Geneviève De Colmont came up with a terrific idea: between takes, they dished up family-style lunches to the crew from their fisherman’s hut. Before long, this morphed into Cinquante Cinq, a hangout for rock stars and government bigwigs alike to quaff rosé with the locals, undisturbed. There’s something deeply charismatic about this low-key landmark. Ever-gracious owner Patrice de Colmont shows guests to their favourite tables, set back on a deck surrounded by tamarisk trees. In peak season, it’s full of whippet-thin models and silver-maned industrialists, feasting on grilled fish with ratatouille and luscious wedges of tarte tropezienne.Address: Le Club 55, 43 Boulevard Patch, Ramatuelle, St Tropez, France
Website: club55.frALAMY
- LA POPULAR, TULUMThis funky little find in front of the new Nômade hotel has higgledy-piggledy wooden tables dotted around an open-front shack with wood-fired grills and shelves laden with the freshest of vegetables and fish. The red snapper topped with mashed garlic, sea salt and cascabel chilli is sublime simplicity itself, and if clams are in season, order a mountain of them to share. The bar is nothing more than a thatched hut with a chalkboard, but it’s stocked like an urban drinking den. Head barman Isaac shakes up a heavenly Caipiroska de Pepino (vodka with cucumber and mint) or a Violeta, which instantly conjures Parma Violets. As the sun drops in the sky, a crowd of merry-makers gather around the torch-lit bar to be serenaded by the band’s hang-drum melodies, happily drinking up Tulum in all its boho-glam glory.Address: La Popular, Carretera Tulum-Boca Paila, Zona Hotelera, Tulum, Mexico
Website: nomadetulum.comFACEBOOK.COM/NOMADETULUM
- PEOPLE BAR, FORMENTERAWithout a recommendation, you might not venture to the sweep of family-friendly beach between resorty Es Pujols and the imposing Hotel Roca Bella on Formentera. But it’s worth it, mainly for this cool little chiringuito overlooking the sand and sea. People Bar is essentially a simple wooden box, with stools along three sides and a smattering of white bean bags, foldaway tables and straw parasols in front of it, all of which could be airlifted off without leaving so much as a dent in the sand. The Mojitos are excellent and the white-tuna salad is possibly the most delicious thing on the island; the strawberry Caipiroskas, smoothies and immaculate spheres of raspberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream are all sensational. It’s an easy, happy place to hang out, humming to the music, joking with the staff, paddling in the warm shallow water waiting for the sunset with a crowd of Formentera regulars.Address: Fonoll Marí 8-28, Platja d’Es Pujols, Formentera, Spain
- HIGH ROOFTOP LOUNGE, LOS ANGELESAt the top of hip Hotel Erwin on the Venice Beach boardwalk, High Rooftop Lounge is where you want to be to watch the sun set over the palm trees and posers. Swing by after an afternoon spent ducking in and out of the vintage shops and coffee shops on nearby Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Sweet-talk the hostess to nab the corner sofa and order Napa Valley white by the chilled bucket-load. The crowd is bronzed and beautiful, and the DJ keeps the tempo just right. During the day it has the feel of a beach bar on the sand with wooden decking, aqua-coloured umbrellas and planters of tall desert grasses. After dark it becomes more of a party scene, especially at the weekends when cocktails such as the potent Playa Picante (mescal, pineapple and cayenne pepper) are mixed till midnight, and lights twinkle mischievously all the way across the LA skyline.Address: High Rooftop Lounge, 1697 Pacific Avenue, Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, USA
Website: highvenice.com
- FONTELINIA BEACH, CAPRIThe only way to get to this secluded spot on the south-east of the island is by boat, or by following a steep path down the cliff. Since Fontelina Beach Club opened in 1949, many stars have lounged beneath the blue-and-white striped umbrellas, including Bridget Bardot and Sophia Loren. But it’s far from pretentious. Italians in itsy-bitsy Speedos dive off Capri‘s famous limestone formations watched by diners tucking into vongole and lobster linguine in the straw-thatched restaurant, while charismatic waiters fill jugs of white-wine sangria with chunks of peach. The club and restaurant has survived countless stormy seas over the years but it’s still owned by the same two families and will no doubt see many, many more seasons. There is perhaps no better place in Italy to indulge in a long lunch by the sea between swims and spritzers.Address: Fontelina Beach Club, Località Faraglioni, Capri, Italy
Website: fontelina-capri.com
- BEACH CLUB ONE AT ONE&ONLY REETHI RAHBeach Club One has pale Provençal rosé on tap, powdery sand underfoot, a very cool soundtrack and sensational sushi. It’s all what you might expect from one of the biggest, glitziest island hotels in the Maldives, and One&Only Reethi Rah has pitched it perfectly. Small, Indian-style tents house a mini Institute Esthederm spa for those too lazy to reapply sun cream themselves, or for a shoulder massage between courses. Egg-shaped rattan swings hang from the palms and double sunbeds face out to that extraordinary flash of turquoise sea. A swimming pool was planned for 2020 as well as an overwater deck for sunbathing. Hotel regulars weren’t sure at first; now they’re tripping over themselves to bag one of the muslin-draped cabanas.Address: Beach Club One at One&Only Reethi Rah, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
Website: oneandonlyresorts.com
- QUIOSQUE ATLANTICO, RIO DE JANEIRORio’s best beach bar is tucked away on a quiet stretch of sand down from the kitesurfers’ hang out on Barra Beach. Hundreds of wooden kiosks line the city’s famous shoreline and while good for a fresh coconut or ice-cold beer, they aren’t inspiring lunch venues. So when Argentina‘s master mixologist Tato Giovannoni opened Rio’s first foodie beach bar, in-the-know locals rejoiced. With its bright-red façade and simple wooden tables set in the sand, it still channels an unpretentious sea-shack vibe while serving truly fabulous food: creamy shrimp bolinhos and grilled cheese smartened up with criollo salsa. Giovannoni mixes superb açaí-spiced Bloody Marys and rosemary-and-grapefruit G&Ts using his own artisanal gin. Much table-hopping goes on as new friends are made in time to toast the sunset. And it’s such a lovely place that many find themselves still chatting in their swimsuits well after the stars have come out.Address: Quiosque Atlantico, Avenue do Pepê, 500, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Website: facebook.com/Atlantico-Rio-de-JaneiroJOSÉ PEREYRA LUCENA
- PUROBEACH, BARCELONAThere are plenty of shacks for tapas and beer, breezy paella joints and swanky, sea-facing terrace restaurants in Barcelona, but very few cool beach clubs, especially family-friendly ones with swimming pools. Enter ever-canny Purobeach, which opened its first club in Palma de Mallorca in 2005. This season’s latest venture has been spruced up with teak decks, palm trees and plush four-poster loungers around the pool. Weekend pool parties have a reputation for Champagne high jinks, but it’s more relaxed mid-week when a swim followed by a massage in the spa and lunch with white wine can end with dinner and a hookah pipe. The food is a clean-eating ode to pan-Pacific and SoCal, North African and Middle Eastern cooking in dishes such as cherry-wood-grilled lobster and spiced-beef kebabs with homemade pitta, raw vegetables and yogurt sauce.Address: Purobeach Barcelona, Passeig del Taulat 262-264, Barcelona, Spain
Website: purobeach.com
- CANIBAL ROYAL, PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICOCanibal Royal is a funky little find away from the kitschy tequila bars and sombrero-selling souvenir shops of Playa del Carmen’s main drag. There’s a Brazilian Tropicana vibe at play: azure-blue and sandy cream Acapulco chairs, double-decker sun terraces and a monochrome-tiled bar inspired by Copacabana Beach’s ripple-patterned promenade. For the price of a bowl of guacamole and a couple of micheladas (beer mixed with tomato juice, lime and hot sauce), take up position on the sun loungers dotted between coconut palms or on one of the huge round daybeds shaded by sawn-off bows of boats propped upright in the sand. A crowd of young Mexicans and in-the-know visitors rarely arrive before late afternoon, and the modern street food (ceviche tacos; grilled octopus) is worth sticking around for as much as the people watching.Address: Canibal Royal, Calle Flamingo 7, Colosio, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Website: canibalroyal.comMANU PADILLA
- MARINA BEACH CLUB, VALENCIA, SPAINTwo decades ago, the beach here was a scruffy affair bordered by the commercial port. Two America’s Cups and five Formula One races later, the same area is squeaky clean and dotted with thatched parasols, and the inner port has been re-landscaped as the Marina Real Juan Carlos I. This new joint has a fantastic restaurant, lounge bar, outdoor club with sound stage and beach bar with hammocks. Designed in neutral shades, it’s a beautifully fluid space with circular seating and slatted shading. The Valencian-and-Japanese food is brilliant without being exorbitantly expensive; the cocktails are delicious, including Aguas de Valencia, a twist on a Mimosa; the house music is perfectly pitched. It’s all enough to make you want to decamp here for the summer.Address: Marina Beach Club, Marina Real Juan Carlos I, Paseo de Neptuno, Valencia, Spain
Website: marinabeachclub.com
- LA SUSANA, URUGUAYLa Susana, the chic restaurant and bar attached to Bahia Vik, Uruguay‘s latest beach retreat, sits in sand dunes just a 10-minute stroll along the seafront from the hippy honeypot of José Ignacio, and one of the few places in South America where it’s possible to watch the sun sink into the Atlantic, toes in the sand. Settle on the terrace of one of the stylish thatched cabanas, prop yourself up at the bar, or bag a chair on the beach overlooking the rolling surf. It’s secluded enough for supermodels and off-duty tech moguls to feast in peace on sushi, silverside fish and a rhapsody of locally sourced meats charred on the open-grill – and order another sharing jug of Christiana Clericot, Uruguay’s tropical Pimm’s. Everyone completely forgets about having a siesta as the bossa-infused Balearic beats flow.Address: La Susana, Ruta 10 km 182, José Ignacio, Uruguay
Website: lasusana.com
- DA’VIDA, ANGUILLAThis no-gloss spot is the coolest place to be on a Sunday afternoon. Set in Crocus Bay on the Caribbean, da’Vida is owned by the Lloyd family, who opened Anguilla‘s first guesthouse back in the 1950s. There’s something both feel-good and great-value about da’Vida: no bling, no steak tartare, no Champagne-spraying; just messy finger food, sandy toes, tropical drinks and an aquamarine sea. Burgers, barbecued baby-back ribs and grilled lobster are served at the club’s Bayside Grill. Beach dudes ply rum cocktails to anyone who’s bagged a lounger or a patch of shade under the palm fronds. Up on stage is Omari Banks and his reggae band (he’s the son of beloved Bankie Banx, the island’s grittier answer to Bob Dylan); the foot-tapping can turn into a carnival-style dance party. Or rent a stand-up paddle-board and go east to Little Bay to snorkel and climb the craggy rock out in the sea before leaping off with a whoop.Address: da’Vida, Crocus Bay, Anguilla, Caribbean
Website: davidaanguilla.comSUSAN CROFT PHOTOGRAPHY
- L’ORSA MAGGIORE, TUSCANY, ITALYFacing the Tyrrhenian Sea in the chicest town on the Tuscan coast, smart L’Orsa Maggiore is all brilliant-white paintwork, blond wood and plate glass. This season sees the arrival of Milanese chef Giancarlo Morelli of Michelin-starred restaurant Pomiroeu, and his fresh approach to local ingredients – pacchero pasta with fresh broad beans and calamari, chargrilled morone (a local sea bass) jazzed up with ginger mayonnaise – is turning heads. The stretches of sand around here are occupied by the multi-coloured loungers and matching umbrellas of dozens of other lidos and beach clubs, but L’Orsa Maggiore is where the smart set from Milan and Florence come to relax in the white and sea-green cabanas for Sunday brunch and go for a dip and chill. In the evenings, fire pits are lit and DJs pump out the music as Negronis are mixed and the sun sets on the majestic Apuanian Alps.Address: L’Orsa Maggiore, Viale Achille Franceschi, 29, Forte dei Marmi, Lucca, Italy
Website: ristorantelorsamaggiore.com
- BESO BEACH, FORMENTERAWith its sand floor, shaggy palm canopy and upbeat, hip-shaking playlist, this place on the ice-white Playa de Ses Illetes has that borderline-Brazilian vibe nailed. It’s tucked into a sheltered nook behind dunes on the north side of the island, where pretty pines shade the colour-splashed tables and driftwood cocktail bar. But it really comes into its own at night, when its Mojito-fuelled scene is far wilder than anything else in these parts. El Bulli alumnus Carles Abellán has just joined the team here and is dishing up llonganissa, a sort of Catalan hot dog infused with Abellán’s take on global street-food flavours. Choose from New York, Korean, Mexican or Peruvian-style, order another Mojito and join Formentera’s most flamboyant crowd dancing on the tables.Address: Beso Beach, Playa de Cavall d’en Borràs, Salines, Formentera, Spain
Website: besobeach.com
- LA PLAGE AT DOMAINE DE MURTOLI, CORSICA, FRANCEForget the flashy atmosphere of Club 55 in St Tropez or the glitzy lounges of the nearby port of Bastia: this beachfront bar and restaurant is only accessible to guests renting one of Domaine de Murtoli’s 11 villas. The setting is sublime, under a former fisherman’s shack facing a beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. And the chic owners seem to have a particular eye for understated details, with driftwood reinvented as beachside furniture, clumps of lavender or wildflowers for unfussy table centrepieces, and textiles from local markets covering the cushions on which you can linger with a glass of Lillet, admiring the view. Luckily the food lives up to the panorama, with plates of perfectly al dente spaghetti and tangy clams served straight from a Le Creuset pot, and organic vegetables from the Domaine’s orchards alongside sea bream landed that morning, all served with the estate’s own delicious rosé.Address: La Plage at Domaine de Murtoli, Vallée de l’Ortolo, Sartène, Corsica, France
Website: facebook.com/DomainedeMurtoliCorsica
- MULINI BEACH BAR, ROVINJ, CROATIACroatia’s coastline blips with bespoke festivals these days, like Ibiza in the golden years, and ripples of this new attitude have hit the medieval town of Rovinj. A modernist-white promenade curves away from the yacht-jumbled harbour and around to this chiselled lido, planted with thyme, rosemary and smart navy-blue umbrellas, where staff in jaunty straw trilbies mix mango Caiprinhas and deliver pretty jars layered with octopus, minty cous-cous and capers. In between dips in the warms, rakia-clear water, Mulini Beach Bar’s wine menu should be examined intently: Istrian vintages are ripe for discovery, especially the honeydew Malvazija whites (the nearby Hotel Monte Mulini has a longer list, and a fine restaurant). As night falls, DJs twiddle bubbling electronica and crunchy beats, and you can gaze across to the sea-sieged, Game of Thrones-y old town and spire of St Euphemia, lit up like a gin palace across the water.Address: Mulini Beach Bar, Hotel Monte Mulini, A. Smareglia 3, Rovinj, Croatia
Website: montemulinihotel.com
SPA GUIDESix Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey review: First InAddress: Six Senses Kaplankaya, Bozbük Mahallesi, Merkez Sokak No:198, 48200 Milas/Muğla, Turkey
Source: cntraveller.com