From the people who have been delivering trustworthy guidebooks to every destination in the world for 40 years,Lonely Planet's 50 Beaches To Blow Your Mind helps you discover the planet's most pristine, jaw-dropping, wild and wonderful sandy spots. This pocket-sized book is the perfect gift for any sun-worshipper or beach-lover and is the ultimate guide to the world's best beaches.

A beach always feels like the ultimate escape, with the sound of the waves lapping against the shore, which science says has a calming effect on our brain activity. And then there's the guaranteed hit of vitamin D our exposed skin absorbs.

Whether you're looking for black-sand beaches, high-octane watersport hotspots, secret bays or the finest palm-fringed tropical paradises, Lonely Planet shows you where and how to find them. So pack your beach towel and hit the sands.

Includes:

Bliss // Tropical desert island paradises

• Cabbage Beach // Nassau, Bahamas
• Crane Beach // Barbados
• Flamenco Beach // Culebra, Puerto Rico
• Green Island Beach // Green Island, Antigua & Barbuda
• Hanalei Beach // Hawaii, USA
• Nalaguraidhoo Beach // South Ari Atoll, Maldives

Drama // Wild & unusual beaches

• Bowling Ball Beach // Mendocino, California, US
• Giant's Causeway // County Antrim, Northern Ireland
• Gulpiyuri Beach // near Llanes, Spain
• Hidden Beach // Puerta Vallarta, Marieta Islands, Mexico

Action // Surfing & diving meccas

• Bells Beach // Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia
• Biarritz Beach // Biarritz, France
• Bondi Beach // Sydney, Australia
• Ehukai Beach // Hawaii, USA

Discovery // Beaches for combing & exploring

• Charmouth Beach // Dorset, UK
• Conche des Baleines // Ile de Re, France
• Navagio Beach // Zakynthos, Greece
• Squeaky Beach // Wilson's Promontory, Australia

Parties // Social & nightlife beaches

• Bacvice Beach // Split, Croatia
• Copacabana // Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Gulf Shore Beach // Alabama, USA
• Paradise Beach // Mykonos, Greece

Encounters // Wildlife & conservation hotspots

• Agonda Beach // Goa, India
• Diani Beach // Mombasa, Kenya
• Espiguette Beach // Le Grau du Roi, France
• Manuel Antonio Beach // Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Family // Calm, safe all-rounders for all comers

• Brandinchi Cove // Sardinia, Italy
• Koh Kood (Koh Kut) // Trat Province, Thailand
• Porthcurno // Cornwall, UK
• Praia de Mira // Mira, Portugal
• Will Rogers State Beach // Malibu, California, USA

About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.

TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)