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Considering a cruise? You could set sail to adventure-packed places, or you could take that ship straight to the world’s most bewitching beaches. It’s almost summer, after all.
In “The Cruise Handbook,” the editors of Lonely Planet offer up priceless advice on when, where and how to cruise, including their picks for the best beach cruise destinations, with French Polynesia’s Society Islands topping the list. There, they recommend a Paul Gaugin cruise to explore in depth Bora Bora’s “waters that shimmer with an uncanny shade of blue.”
Aruba, which came in No. 3, has tropical beaches that are so telegenic, “you might think you’re dreaming.” Try Arashi Beach for snorkeling and Eagle Island for “pristine white sands.” There’s also Vanuatu (No. 9), with a “castaway quality” that wooed the producers of CBS’ “Survivor” to film there, and Riviera Maya (No. 4), a popular destination for Californians. Caribbean beach access coupled with Mayan temples and amazing food? Perfection.
With that, here is Lonely Planet’s top 10 beach cruise destinations, from “The Cruise Guidebook” (Lonely Planet, $18), now out in paperback:
- Society Islands, French Polynesia
- Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
- Aruba
- Riviera Maya
- Greek Isles
- Brazil
- Canary Islands
- Seychelles
- Vanuatu
- Indonesia