| 10 Great Pink- and Red-Sand Beaches
By Allison Joyce
Executive Editor, Islands magazine
Senior Editor, Islands Weddings & Honeymoons magazine
Where better to get away with your sweetie than to an island with a sexy pink¿or even red¿sand beach? Relax, reconnect, and rekindle your passion at a busy island with lots to do, or chose a secluded spot where you're practically the only two around. And when you book, ask about romance packages¿you'll love the deals you can score.
1. Eleuthera: A quick jaunt from Miami, the Bahamas lure sweethearts for winter getaways. The resort is gone, but the luscious pink sands of Club Med Beach at about the midpoint of this 100-mile-long (but very narrow) island hold timeless appeal. A forest edges the beach, and an offshore reef keeps the surf mellow.
2. Harbour Island: Gorgeous blush-toned sands encircle this tiny island just off the north coast of Eleuthera. But 3-mile-long Pink Sand Beach, in Dunmore Town, tops them all. One of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas, the increasingly posh island is now a favorite with divers and bonefishermen, and there's great dining and entertainment at day's end.
3. Cat Island: Want a private spot to nuzzle with your sweetheart? Along with towering cliffs and dense vegetation, this 48-mile-long island boasts 10 miles of pink sand at Greenwood Beach, in the south along the Atlantic. (Yes, it's in the Bahamas too.)
4. Bermuda: Horseshoe Bay, Elbow Beach, Church Bay--the beaches of this honeymoon paradise 650 miles off the Carolina coast shimmer with sands in every shade of pink. When it's not so warm in winter, there's plenty else to do, including wreck-diving, sailing, golf, even exploring its historic towns.
5. Barbados: Cliffs, dunes, and stunning water can't upstage the romantic pink sands of Crane Beach on the southeast coast of the island. Walk its length a few times to work up a healthy appetite, because on this civilized island, the cuisine tempts. Plan to slip out of your bikini and into something more formal.
6. Culebra: You can fly to this island just off the coast of Puerto Rico, but the scenic and leisurely ferry ride puts lovers in the right frame of mind for the pink sands at secluded Zoni Beach. This relatively undeveloped 7-by-3-mile-long island hosts a National Wildlife Refuge, so it teems with birds. And bring your snorkel gear, because the visibility's great in the shallow waters around Culebra (and just off Zoni).
7. Barbuda: This quiet sister island to Antigua is barely inhabited, which means you'll see very few footprints besides your own along the champagne-colored shores. And, of course, this being the Caribbean, the water's always bath-warm.
8. Great Santa Cruz Island: The blushing sands of this national park off Mindanao island in the Philippines make a great picnic and sunning spot. The boat crossing takes about 25 minutes from Zamboanga City, and while there's not much else on the island, vendors sell drinks at the beach. (Tread carefully¿the broken coral that tints the sand can be tough on the feet.)
9. Maui: Some sun-worshippers have been known to toss aside their swimsuits at Red Sand Beach, also known as Kaihalulu, on the road to Hana. That's Hawaii for you¿upping the passion quotient just one more notch.
10. Santorini: The ruins at Akrotiri hold lovers' attention only for so long, especially when the sands of nearby Red Beach beckon. Rent umbrellas and chairs and settle onto the fine sand (and a few rocks) for an afternoon of lazing under the warm sun on this sexy Greek isle.
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