Best spots to swing your hammock

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  Sunset at beach in Kerala, India

When you just want to check out from reality for a bit, try heading to one of these remotely beautiful spots, perfect beaches to do little more than snorkel, snooze and sun yourself.

Kerala Coast, India

Beachy types generally don’t hop up and down with glee when India is mentioned, but those in the know are enraptured. Tucked in among India’s 600km-long Kerala coast is a string of coconut-palm-fringed beaches adjoining lulling surf and the bluest waters. There are the larger resorts, like Kovalam, but also many more unspoilt delights where your hammock will be overworked as you gaze at rub-your-eyes-raw semicircular bays or expanses of sand that are so long you’ll think they’re a mirage. Thrillingly, there’ll be no-one else around to pinch you and tell you you’re dreaming.

Isla Mujeres, Mexico

This tiny unpretentious island, just 7km long and barely 1km wide, is offshore from Cancun and light years away from that glitzy mainland scene; its tropical beaches make it a cult fave, with those on the south side a big hit for their calm turquoise waters (the island itself blocks out the stronger wind currents). If you fancy get-on-down Caribbean fun, try Playa Norte, a very popular beach featuring roving waiters who will bring drinks to your spot on the sand; otherwise, more secluded options include Playa Paraiso and Playa Indios.

Jambiani, Tanzania

Here’s the Beach that Time Forgot, where men in fishing dhows set sail at sunset for the reefs, women gather seaweed daily, and you can boil to a crisp under the baking sun. There’s not much to do (certainly not swimming; tides are low) except loll about and crack open a few coconuts. Remember: you’re in Zanzibar, Mythical Africa, so just kick back and drink it (or your coconut milk) in.

Kai Islands, Indonesia

A growing chorus says these remote white-sand beaches are the finest in the world. Development has been slow around the Kai archipelago, so they remain unspoilt and as nature intended. If you’re not big on pristine powdery sands, azure seas, rare and varicoloured birds frolicking, arresting fish and wondrous coral reefs then stay away.

Curonian Spit, Lithuania

This 98km lick of sand is a wondrous mixture of dunes (some as high as 200m) and forest – the smell of pine will impart an otherworldly quality to your hammock time. Wilhelm von Humboldt believed that a trip to the Curonian Spit was essential nourishment for the soul, and Thomas Mann was also drawn to this timeless wonderland; it’s said that around 14 villages are buried under the endless, shifting dunes, making the Spit a kind of Baltic Sahara.

Dahab, Egypt

‘Dahab’ means ‘gold’ in Arabic – a name given to the area because of its golden sands – and with a unique location on the edge of the Sinai desert, Dahab certainly remains an untapped treasure; cheap accommodation almost on the beach means you can virtually roll out of your sleeping bag and into the water. Backed by mountain ranges, Dahab’s Bedouin settlement, Assalah, is a favoured beach-bum haunt, with unspoilt charm and chilled beachside cafés, while up the coast are favoured and famous diving spots.

Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia 

The palm-fringed beaches of the Perhentian Islands, covered in tropical rainforest, are about as natural as they come: calm, hassle free and with virtually no signs of commercialism. Except for snorkelling, diving, frolicking, swimming, sunning or pretending you’re either Brooke Shields or Christopher Atkins in the Blue Lagoon, there’s nothing to do.

Punalu’u, USA

Hawai’i’s black-sand wonderland has won a few ‘best beach’ awards in recent times, and it’s truly an astonishing sight: Punalu’u’s startling blue waters lap up against the jet-black beach, backed by rows of deep-green coconut palms. This is one place where your hammock will really come in handy – it’s scenery that demands your constant, supine contemplation – and you might even spot a hawksbill turtle wandering onto the sand to lay its eggs. Don’t touch them, though – they’re an endangered vulnerable species.

North Stradbroke Island, Australia

'Straddie' is among the world’s largest sand islands – and ‘sand’ equals ‘beach’ and lots of it. The Queensland island’s 30km white-sand Main Beach is backed by an expanse of dunes, which makes it popular with four-wheel drives, but there are a number of more secluded spots around Point Lookout that are free of machinery. Here, the only thing to do is surf and sun yourself, perhaps paddling in the rock pools teeming with marine life, or watching a mob of whales or some unique Aussie animals bounding away into the bushland.

Ko Pha-Ngan, Thailand

A lovely island, with mostly deserted beaches that are perfect for solitude lovers and lovesick couples…except for Hat Rin, which holds its famous full-moon parties every month, perfect for hedonists and pleasure seekers. The twin beaches of Thong Nai Pan are a favourite of the Thai royals, which probably explains why development has been kept at bay; they’re surrounded by coconut trees and mountains and the bliss is overwhelming.

Locations: India, Mexico, Australia, Malaysia, Hawaii, Tanzania, Indonesia