But that's why we've scoured the planet, demanded answers from our most well-traveled friends, colleagues and cohorts, absorbed passionate pleas from readers, researched, investigated and examined the evidence then finally tipped the sand from our shoes, washed the brine from our eyes and put together a pretty good guide to the best beaches on the planet.
Now we turn it over to you.
Consider this list a premise, a platform from which you can jump into a dazzling, turquoise ocean of "further recommendations."
100. Falassarna Beach, Crete, Greece
Best thing about the sand at Falassarna? There's so much of it there's little chance of playing beach-mat overlap with strangers. This slice of coast takes in five consecutive beaches, the middle ones being most popular, the ones on the ends better for solitary sun lovers.
Highlight: On the first Saturday of August, thousands descend for Crete's biggest beach party.
5. Balos Beach, Greece
Cameras compulsory. Near Kissamos on Crete, Balos Beach is a lagoon of swirling colors -- pastel pinks, blues and turquoise. It can get crowded and microorganisms in the muddy shallows can cause unpleasant smells, but for postcard pictures it's one of Greece's best.
Highlight: For "dark tourists" there's a cave here that was the scene of a massacre in the 19th century.
32. Navagio Beach, Greece
Navagio Beach, or Zakynthos Cove, or Smuggler's Bay, or Shipwreck Cove -- many names exist for this small inlet on the island of Zakynthos. All you need to know is it's gorgeous and the remains of an old ship, reportedly used to smuggle cigarettes before it met its briny demise in 1983, emerge zombie-like from the sand.
Worth knowing: To get here you need to get a taxi-boat from Porto Vromi, leaving every hour
24. Egremni Beach, Greece
Dramatic sunsets, electric-blue water, enough room for everyone: This long stretch of sand on the island of Lefkada has become one of Greece's most popular beach retreats since a road was built in the 1990s.
Worth knowing: Nudists often use the central stretch of beach.
