5 OF THE WORLD’S BEST BEACH CLUBS

From picturesque private sands to golden-hour dining, these chic beach clubs are the perfect places to eat, relax and watch the sun go down

BLUE APPLE BEACH HOUSE Bolívar, Columbia

Inspired by the old-world glamour of the Saint-Tropez summer beach club scene, Blue Apple Beach House is a seductive and languid retreat on a deserted island on the southern shore of Tierra Bomba island, 30 minutes from Cartagena. It draws a stylish crowd with plenty of Provençal rosé and long driftwood tables draped with immaculate white linen, where you can order simple yet sophisticated classics with a twist – think house seabass and coconut rice or blue cheese mussels – to a soundtrack of tropical soul. Overlooking the white sands of Playa Mamon, this beach club was a fantasy fulfilled and labor of love for its English owner. For the rest of us, it’s a place to linger and spend sultry evenings under the stars at this all-day club, bar, restaurant and sensational five-bedroom hotel, complete with its own stunning diving site.

UXUA CASA Trancoso, Brazil

Trancoso is an exotic haven, where billionaires rub shoulders with fishermen over a Caipirinha, indistinguishable in uniform shorts and Havaianas. Romantic, sexy and very laid-back, Uxua’s beach hangout is the place to chill. Head to the thatch-roofed bar housed within an old fishing boat on Coconut Tree Beach, where the owner has restored more abandoned fishing crafts, transforming them into plush day beds, on which to savor the freshest ceviche. Don’t miss the new private villas at this heavenly retreat, which are available to book for the first time through Uxua Casa Hotel. Our favorite, Casa Anderson, the largest property which sleeps eight, celebrates all things native, with Brazilian antiques, local crafts and Pataxó Indian art. A stay here also comes with daily yoga and capoeira lessons on the hotel’s legendary stretch of silky white sand beach.

PUROBEACH PALMA Mallorca, Spain

Purobeach Palma is the place to eat, drink and unwind on the Balearic island of Mallorca. A restaurant, terrace bar, lava stone pool, wellness zone and new rooftop lounge are all on offer to ensure the ultimate beach club experience. Once you’ve watched day turn to night with the rest of the island’s beautiful people, head to nearby sister site Purohotel for modern, boutique-style luxury in a 17th-century palace.

PALAZZO AVINO Amalfi Coast, Italy

Romantic hideaway Palazzo Avino is the only hotel in the artistic cliff-top town of Ravello that can lay claim to its own beach club. A complimentary shuttle winds down between the hotel and the aptly named Clubhouse by the Sea every hour or so, in 10 or 15 minutes. However, the most memorable way to reach it is to walk from the hotel’s front door, zig-zagging past ancient churches and through quiet, cat-filled squares, winding down ever-steeper cobbled steps to the glittering water below. The Clubhouse itself – a walled private villa – has various cantilevered platforms studded with white umbrellas alongside a flower-edged plunge pool. Another terrace is given over to the restaurant with stunning views over the dramatic Amalfi coastline to the towns of Maiori and Vietri. There’s a wood-burning oven for pizzas and simple fish dishes of the day, but otherwise, it’s as simple a beachside haven as you could wish for: no DJs, no special effects, no motorized beach toys; just two ladders to send you plunging into the deep-blue Tyrrhenian Sea.

HOTEL TRESANTON Cornwall, UK

This new beach club is a brilliant use of space opposite the legendary Hotel Tresanton’s restaurant and al fresco dining terraces. Above the rocky coastline, a series of three terraces support shaded daybeds and a bar serving light lunches – think plates of oysters, burgers and bowls of homemade ice cream – while further down, almost on sea level, are high perches and tables for cocktails overlooking St Anthony’s Lighthouse. Exotic with its palms trees and cheerful stripy sun umbrellas, the beach club immediately puts you in the vacation mood. A small gate will take you down to the shoreline from which you can swim, explore rock pools on neighboring Tavern Beach, or tender out to the hotel’s beautiful yacht, Pinuccia – a 1930s Italian racing classic available for daytime charter.

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