Life’s a Beach – Enjoy the Waves with Lonely Planet’s

50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind

Discover the world’s most pristine, jaw-dropping, wild and wonderful sandy spots with Lonely Planet’s new book, 50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind, published 4 May 2016.

Whether you’re looking for black-sand beaches, high-octane watersport hotspots, secret bays or the finest palm-fringed tropical paradises, 50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind shows you where and how to find them.

“Let’s face it,” Lonely Planet says in the book’s Introduction, “the beach that will next blow your mind is more than likely the next one you can get to, regardless of where it is.”

“We love beaches,” Lonely Planet continues. “A beach always feels like the ultimate escape. Why? Is it an evolutionary hangover? Are we returning to our ancient origins as creatures-crawled-out-of-the-ocean? Or did we develop our desire for the beach alongside our need for the food that the ocean provides? Is it the sound of the waves, which science says has a calming effect on our brain activity? Maybe it’s the guaranteed hit of vitamin D our exposed skin absorbs. We could speculate all day.”

Lonely Planet has chosen 12 sandy spots from the Asia-Pacific region for 50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind:

• Agonda Beach, Goa, India: “It’s perfect really.”
• Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: “This place is the stuff of surfing legend.”
• Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia: “As Aussie as a meat pie.”
• Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand: “Hot tubbing, DIY style.”
• Koh Kood (Koh Kut), Trat Province, Thailand: “Retains some of that elusive undiscovered vibe.”
• Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia: “It’s the South Pacific of your dreams.”
• Monkey Mia, WA, Australia: “Bottle-nosed dolphins have been drawing a crowd for more than 50 years now.”
• Nalaguraidhoo Beach, South Ari Atoll, Maldives: “Jaw-droppingly gorgeous”
• Squeaky Beach, Wilson’s Promontory, Australia: “Quiet time is the order of the day.”
• Tallow Beach, Byron Bay, Australia: “How many town beaches give you whale watching alongside surfing, swimming and sunning?”
• Wayag Beach, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia: “If you love life under the sea, then this is where you will want to be.”
• White Beach, Boracay, Philippines: “In a crowded field for title of most ridiculously perfect beach, White Beach makes a bold statement of intent.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lonely Planet’s 50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind
Published 4 May 2016
128pp, full colour; 120 x 178mm, flexi
RRP: AU$14.99 / NZ$16.99