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World's sexiest beaches 2008

Little clothing required in these sunny, sandy, sizzling locales

Image: Horeseback riding in St. Lucia, Caribbean
Matthew Wakem / Condé Nast Traveler
If curious couples once fantasized about Jamaica—a sensual green-and-blue paradise that's still close to home—these days St. Lucia has assumed that role. The verdant island has an increasing number of top-tier properties, and a a host of possible land and water adventures, like racing in the surf on horseback.

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By Jason H. Harper
updated 4:54 p.m. ET July 28, 2008

You know the saying: Put two people together and let nature take its course. Well, put two people together in a locale with sunshine, sand, and turquoise waters ... and watch the clothes come flying off. Whether this summer finds you and your Pucci two-piece looking to break a few hearts, or whether it's a matter of you and your mate defrosting passions after a long, cruel winter, we've got the surefire solution. These beaches, quite simply, bring the heat. We're not responsible for what happens the morning after.

For a slideshow of World’s Sexiest Beaches, click here.

1. Site: Kas, Turkey

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Bring the heat: Do you daydream of the old world Mediterranean? The ancient architecture, the sagas of wars over beautiful women, the ... togas? Look and you'll find it in southwest Turkey, rife with historic seaside towns and Roman ruins along the sea. Imagine the private recreations: "You, Venus; me, Adonis."

Select sand: A crumbling amphitheater, tombs, a Roman temple, and, yes, one helluva nice beach. Archeologists have made a rich historical find at Patara, not far from the town of Kas. The other upshot, other than being able to explore the ruins on your own, is that the beautiful, 10-mile-long Patara Beach is protected from development.

Hookup potential: Kas is like a much smaller version of Antalya, a former seaside village that draws crowds of Turkish tourists. And you'll soon find that this bunch loves to party.

Privacy rating: 3 out of 10. This part of the world has been well populated for many thousands of years.

Pillow talk: With a vista toward the Greek island of Meis, the hillside Villa Hotel Tamara has three terraced platforms, two of which have pools (one filled with saltwater). The third terrace is almost level with the sea, so you can dive right in. Suites have French doors that open onto glass-enclosed balconies and hot tubs.

Villa Hotel Tamara
Tel: 90 242 836 2112
Doubles from $154

2. Site: Malibu, California

Bring the heat: Why Malibu, you ask? Angelina Jolie, Cindy Crawford, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Pamela Anderson ... in swimsuits

Select sand: If Malibu's beaches were supermodels, Zuma would be Cheryl Tiegs: blond, well-proportioned, and friendly. It's open to the public, and there's parking too. (Head to the volleyball courts for great, um, people-watching.) For the more attitudinal side of Malibu, look to the Naomi Campbell-esque Carbon Beach (a.k.a. Millionaire's), which is great to look at but can be vicious to outsiders (think security guards, "No Trespassing" signs, and lawsuits).

Hookup potential: Surprisingly good, though you may find that Ms. Aniston's bodyguard accompanies her on her morning beach stroll. Make the approach to Tinseltown's sexiest off the beach first, perhaps in the valet line at the swank restaurant Geoffrey's Malibu or at one of the chichi shops in the Malibu Country Mart. You are a producer, right?

Privacy rating: Zuma Beach: 2. Millionaire's Beach, that nearly inaccessible bit of sand and rock fronted by a $20-million mansion: 9.8.

Pillow talk: Position yourself on the same beach as the stars' homes. The Malibu Beach Inn is owned by movie mogul David Geffen, and your very private balcony will look onto Millionaire's Beach itself. Plus, it's only a short walk to David's own house for Saturday night drinks ... your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to secure an invite.

Malibu Beach Inn
Tel: 800 462 5428 (toll-free)
Tel: 310 456 6444
Doubles from $325

Geoffrey's Malibu
Tel: 310 457 1519

3. Site: Paros, Greece

Bring the heat: There's just something about the Greek Islands that encourages exuberant behavior. This outcropping of sand and craggy rocks in the Cyclades, 13 miles long and 10 wide, is giving Mykonos a run for its ouzo-fueled reputation, and attracts a heady mix of sun-loving Europeans and on-the-make locals.

Select sand: Kolymbithres Beach is dominated by curiously shaped rocks rising out of the aquamarine Aegean. Perhaps they were shaped by centuries of gentle winds—or maybe it's the friction from all the scantily clad bodies sunbathing on top of them.

Hookup potential: Extraordinary. Even the locals act like they're on vacation, and the very late nights in the town of Naousa usually segue directly to naps on the beach. The shedding of clothes can occur at any point on this continuum.

Privacy rating: Not applicable. Everybody's topless anyway.

Pillow talk: Since you'll be spending the day sleeping at Kolymbithres and the nights in Naousa, stay at Astir of Paros. This 57 room hotel is built in traditional style and sits in tropical gardens on Kolymbithres, a five-minute drive to town. And if you're in a hurry to arrive on Paros from the mainland, take advantage of its private helicopter pad.

Astir of Paros
Tel: 30 22840 51976
Doubles from $378

4. Site: Loreto, Mexico

Bring the heat: Mexico has long been a haven for Americans looking to to escape—from posses on horseback, from unpaid taxes, from the FBI, angry exes, or even oneself. But in Spring Break towns like Cancún, that mystique is as dead as Raymond Chandler. Not so in Baja's Loreto, 700 miles south of San Diego. It's still the kind of place where you might meet a mysterious brunette at a beachside watering hole who's happy to share her tequila—but not her last name.

Select sand: Even on the edge of town, the Sea of Cortez is a magical thing, soft and azure one moment, sparkly neon green the next. But to truly experience the isolation and grandeur of this as yet unadulterated area of Baja, hire a boat or pilot a kayak to Danzante, one of the small desert islands in the 800-square-mile Loreto Bay National Marine Park.

Hookup potential: While Loreto isn't anything like its hard-partying southern sister, Los Cabos, this is still Mexico. There's always trouble to be found if you know where to look.

Privacy rating: 9.7. The waters are calm, the locals aren't nosy, and a kayak will take you to many a dead-quiet cove.

Pillow talk: Since you're hiding out, best not stay in town. Rather, book an off-the-radar bolthole like Danzante Eco Resort, 25 miles south of Loreto. The nine simple rooms have views to Danzante Island and even free kayaks to get you there. And since there are no phones or Internet, nobody from the outside world will be able to track you down.

Danzante
Tel: 408 354 0042
Doubles from $360, including meals

5. Site: Pemba Island, Tanzania

Bring the heat: There are places to get away, and there are faraway places. Take Pemba Island: You'll know you're off the tourist route when you finally reach Zanzibar, in East Africa—and you've got another flight to go. When you and your lover fantasize about chucking it all (the jobs, the stress, the kids ...) and living off the grid in a remote land, this Spice Island is the place you're dreaming of.

Select sand: They simply call them the sandbanks: the beaches that are reborn when the iridescent waters slide back with the tide. These strings of white-sand pathways make for ideal strolls or launching points for snorkeling.

Hookup potential: It's an insular community with very few travelers. Plan ahead and travel with someone you really like.

Privacy rating: 3, on the island itself. (You don't want to scandalize the locals.) Charter your property's traditional dhow to whisk you to uninhabited Misali Island to achieve the perfect 10.

Pillow talk: Tourist infrastructure is scant, so the Brit-owned Fundu Lagoon comes as a bit of a shock. The infinity pool is the tip-off to the luxury on offer here, as are the thatched superior suites that sit on the beach and come with two private terraces and a plunge pool.

Fundu Lagoon
Tel: 255 76 35 92 820
Doubles from $740, including dhow sunset cruise and all food and drink


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