The minute they mentioned Bali I know that the list was suspect. I lived on Samui for a decade over a decade ago. When I first moved there was incredible and by 2012 the quality of life had diminished markedly due to over congestion, over development and the extreme lack of pride that the locals have with regard to the island and its environment. In addition to the local mayor and politicians are super corrupt, and they refuse to put much of their ill gotten fortune back into the island. Koh Phangan used to be incredible but now it's been taken over by kids and Israelis. Dark Tao? Not worth risking your life for a visit. You want great beaches? Paradise? The Maldives, maybe. Also: Tikehau Island, French Polynesia. Can't decide whether you want white- or pink-sand beaches? ... Dreamland Beach, Bali. ... Menjangan Island, Bali Gili Islands, Lombok Raja Ampat, West Papua Busuanga Island, Philippines Seagrass Bay, Laucala Island, Fiji Ypao Beach, Tumon Guam Honopu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii Maipio Valley Beach, Big Island, Hawaii Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. ... Harbour Island, Bahamas. ... Blue Beach (La Chiva), Vieques, Puerto Rico. ... Trunk Bay, St. John, USVI. Devil’s Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos Lindquist Beach, St. Thomas Palm Beach, Aruba San Blas, Panama Oludeniz, Turkey Porto Katsiki, Lefkada, Greece And locally try Banana Beach, Koh Hey Island, Phuket Any mention of any beach on the Gulf Coast of Thailand, within the same sentence as paradise, is mere hyperbole, and an outright lie. Far nicer beaches between Ban Saphan Noi and Pranburi, than there are in Samui. This is all total fabrication. Fiction. Political and tourism nonsense. Let's get real. Who are these people anyway? In Bali, if you are anywhere from Ubud to the north, east or west parts of the island, it is quite nice. If you're in the southern third of the island, west or south of Denpasar it's an absolute pit from the worst nightmare you've ever imagined in your life. That area is so congested, so overdeveloped, with traffic that is some of most horrendous on earth. It makes rush hour in Bangkok look easy. It is also so chock full of partying young Aussie kids, and it's literally the worst place in the world to go on vacation. From Ubud north it's nice. In Ubud there's a great jazz scene, the food's is amazing, great local architecture and art. Bali has some of the best handicrafts I've seen anywhere on the world, and it is a spectacular island. If only you could take a helicopter from the airport in Denpasar to Ubud, you would be okay, or maybe travel after midnight. I was there in 1986 and it was paradise. Went back around 10 years ago and was shocked at how spectacularly over developed the southern third of the island had become. Avoid the Kuta, Legian, Seminyak area like the plague. It is the plague. It is awful. Bali is horrific now. It was paradise 30 or 40 years ago, but it's gotten so crowded, massively over developed, and the congestion is horrendous. I would not visit Bali again if I was paid $25,000 to do so, and I was flown by helicopter from Denpasar airport to the north or the northwest coast. The southwest coast is a blight on the planet. I was also in Samui in 1986 and it was pretty incredible. I went back around 2000 and it had become very developed but it was still very nice. Same applies to Phuket. Both are now way past their Prime way over developed way over congested and there's just not enough local pride to take care of the islands like they deserve to be taken care of.
