The "It's in the Eye of the Beholder" Story

It was an ordinary day. Reading online about the beaches that have the best sand. Gave a list of the top 4 and I couldn't believe that I had never been to any of them. The list consists of Paradise Island in Nassau, Playa Zoni in Culebra which is in Puerto Rico, Barbuda, and Tulum Mexico. I pulled all the sites up on Google and read about them. Looked at photos of the beaches and all were really nice. Then I asked Carol about some of the beaches we have been on that were her favorites. Seems we both agreed on 7 beaches that we thought were as pretty as the four that the website said were the top beaches. Following are photos of the 4 beaches that were considered the top by the online website, followed by our choice as best beaches. After seeing all photos, make your choice! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Paradise Island, Nassau. The web site I visited ranked this as the #1 beach because of water visibility, sand color and texture and ease getting in the water. By looking at the photo, I can see why. Must make this a priority on our list of places to visit in the near future.

Culebra Beach, Peurto Rico. Photos show beautiful white sand and great water. I'm sure their ranking is justified, but we have never visited the beach.

Eleuthra, Barbuda. The pink sand gives this beach its high ranking.

Tulum, Mexico. We visited the ruins and saw the beach, but never had the opportunity to spend time on the beach. It certainly was a beautiful beach.

And now for our rankings:

Grace Bay Beach, Provo, Turks and Caicos, BWI. The softest, whitest, finest sand you will ever see. So fine it sticks to you like talcum powder. This beach rates LDub and his wife's #1 ranking in the Caribbean.

Shoal Bay East Beach, Anguilla, BVI. Soft, cool sand and beautiful water make this a great beach. Usually very few people on the beach in comparison to other beaches. Our #2 pick.

Orient Beach, St. Martin, FWI. Orient Beach is frequently on the top 10 list of many rating services. The great sand, water and sun combination as well as then many beach bars along the beach make for a fabulous atmosphere and one of the top on our list.

Bottom Bay, Barbados. Traveled to the beach twice and it is one of our favorites. The coral cliffs that surround it make it even more remarkable.

Pinel Island Beach, FWI. The water is fantastic. You can sit in the water with a drink and relax for hours. No waves at all. Easy entry for those who have trouble getting into the water.

Happy Bay Beach, St. Martin, FWI. We picked this beach for the soft, warm sand and also because it is hard to reach and a great beach for privacy.

Magen's Bay Beach, St. Thomas, USVI. A sentimental favorite since this is the first Caribbean beach that we visited. Beautiful cool white sand with barely no waves.

Crane Beach, Barbados. The pink sand makes this a beautiful location. Located on the east coast, on the Atlantic Ocean.

Trunk Bay, St. John, USVI. Great crescent of white sand with great snorkeling.