Beaches in Asia

Latvia has Jūrmala Beach, Georgia has Batumi Beach, and Kyrgyzstan has Cholpon-Ata Beach. A resort town favoured during the Soviet-era by tourists from all over USSR. Today, Cholpon-Ata can still pull the crowds during the insanely hot summer months. Mostly, it's local families decked out in inflatable plastic and beach tourists in neon swimsuits from neighbouring Kazakhstan, who roll around in the sand. The natural setting is still spectacular at the sandy shore of crystal clear Issyk Kul Lake with picturesque cragged mountains on two sides, both across the lake and towards Kazakhstan. However, the development in Cholpon-Ata is less impressive. An odd mix of concrete houses, never-ending rows of shashlyk stalls, and Central Asia kitsch, like beer yurts, but it all adds to the unique holiday vibe that Cholpon-Ata is so full of.

It comes as a surprise to many that Sarawak doesn't have an abundance of tropical sandy beaches with clear blue water. Long stretches of Sarawak's coastline are covered in jungle, swamp, mangrove or rocks. However, patches of white sand do exist. In the western end of Sarawak, near Lundu, are several nice beaches where Pandan Beach is one among others. It's a long palm-lined beach with rocky outcrops at the ends. Keep in mind that it's a two-hour drive from Kuching, making it not the obvious choice for a day in the sun as there are beaches closer by, like on Damai Peninsula.

Two gorgeous tropical islands with white sand, jungle cover centre and crystal clear water (and we mean crystal clear) with outstanding snorkelling. The small one, Perhentian Kecil, is Malaysia's answer to a backpacker beach scene with Long Beach being the popular hang out. Here you will find a long beautiful stretch of sand and palms dotted with restaurants, diving shops and cheap huts in less-than-adorable style. Keep in mind that things are changing very fast on the islands and there is a bit of gold-rush feeling to the place, which will probably leave the islands in a constant state of random constructions for many years to come. But compared to the islands of Thailand, the Perhantian islands are still very innocent and unexploited.

Take a beautiful drive to the northern district of Kudat. 3 1/2 hours from Kota Kinabalu, Kudat sits face north towards the Phillipines. The coastline, filled with coconut palm plantations (yes, different from palm oil), has beautiful one-lane roads winding through them. The tip of Borneo has a monument and interesting rock formations along the coast. But the real gem is the beautiful white sand beach that you will find next to it - with nobody on it. It's a killer place to watch a sunset.

Bandos Island is occupied by Bandos Resort. When it opened in 1972, it was the second resort in the Maldives and today it's one of the biggest with dive center, medical clinic (with decompression chamber) and even a mosque (relax, alcohol is still available). There are many bungalows types, from unimpressive clustered ones to African inspired huts with sea view to iconic overwater bungalows. The white narrow beaches are exceptional stunning, even for Maldives standard, with tall leaning coconut palms and plenty of shady spots. The shallow clear lagoon has sand bottom and friendly reef sharks. The house reef is also rich on fish and even have bigger big reef sharks, but for live corals you need to snorkle along the outer edge to where the reef has an overhang.

Thoddoo has two guest beaches where bikinis are ok. The smallest one is on the northeast side, where you can catch the sunrise. The beach is wider, though shorter than the other, Sunset Beach. There are several hammocks in the shade and some swings - one is even right in the water for that Instagram photo. Snorkelling is best at the sprinkle of corals about 100 m north of the beach, look for the dark patches.

Thoddoo has two guest beaches where bikinis are ok. Both beaches are absolutely stunning with ultramarine waters, but Sunset Beach is the longest. There are plenty of shade under the trees and palms, and free deckchairs and hammocks, though you have to be fast to get them before the Russian and Italians sunlovers. There are lumps of coral with plenty of fish right of the south end of the bikini section.

The west side of Ukulhas Island is one long stunning beach where bikinis are ok. It's concealed from the village by a thick patch of shady trees and coconut palms and most of the nearby guesthouses have placed deckchairs and parasols. The house reef is considered one of the better and is particularly rich on fish at the edge along the buoys. If lucky, you will also encounter sea turtles and reef sharks. Juvenile reef sharks can sometimes even be seen hunting in the shallow water right from the beach.

This white beach that stretch out into the Bay of Bengal might not has the high status as Ngwe Saung, also called Silver Beach, to the south or Ngapali further north. This is a holiday spot for the middle class, which turn the beach into a playground at sunset. But if you stroll a kilometre north, pass coconut palms and sandy outcrop, the beach will be pretty deserted. Only swaying palms, turquoise water, and a golden stupa will disturb you there.

The main reason to come to El Nido is the mesmerizing archipelago right of the coast in Bacuit Bay. The jagged limestone islands offers high vertical walls, stunning white beaches, and hidden lagoons, while the azure waters is home to vibrant coral gardens and - with luck - manta rays and whale sharks. The amount of day tours offered seem to be as plentiful as the number of islands, but you can hardly go wrong. Since one tour "only" takes you to 4-5 places, you might have to do several tours, if there are some specific places you absolutely must see, which could be Pasandigan Beach (picture), Snake Island, one of the lagoons, or Helicopter Island.