South Lombok, Indonesia 

Lying below a coastal range of low hills, the southern coast of Lombok is somewhat more arid than the rest of the island. Though this renders it less suitable for agriculture, it makes it great for tourism, especially in combination with the chain of neatly scalloped little bays that face the tropical ocean, unbroken southward for hundreds of miles. The shallow, round bays are enclosed by reefs, which quell the waves far from land, creating blue pools of warm serenity. Only the sea floor can be rocky in places and the sand is a little strange: lightweight, spherical grains, so that in some places you sink to your ankles with every step. The beaches remain blissfully quiet, primarily enjoyed by day-trippers from other parts of the island, though there's enough tourist infrastructure to host backpackers and wandering beach bums. —Usha Alexander, Dec 2016.