These are the 25 best beaches in the world

One of which isn't too far away - a UK beach came in at number 13

While the summer may feel a long way off there is no better time to start planning your holiday than now. And where better to go than the world’s best beach, Brazil’s Baia do Sancho.

TripAdvisor have announced the winners of its Travellers Choice awards for the best beaches. Completing the top ten were beaches from Italy, Spain, Puerto Rico and Greece.

Out of the 2,333 reviews of Baia do Sancho, 2,193 were rated at five star. Although some holidaymakers complained that the beach had “poor access”, others said it was “worth the effort to get down”. Access to the beach requires you to either climb down a set of metal ladders or walk a kilometre via the Bay of Dolphins where, on occasion, hundreds of dolphins can be seen.

One reviewer described the beach as “paradise”, adding: “Wonderful beach and wonderful view from the top of the hill. Going down the stairs between the rocks is not as difficult as I thought.”

Surprisingly, coming thirteenth was Britain’s very own Woolacombe beach, a popular surfing hotspot on the coast of Devon. Woolacombe was also rated the fourth best beach in Europe.

The results were determined by the quantity and quality of traveller reviews and ratings gathered by the travel website in the last 12 months.

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