Copacabana (where I grew up) may have made the list 50 years ago, when the surf was perfect for body-surfing and the sand and the ocean were clean. In the 70’s a spectacular sidewalk was built, pushing the ocean back, making the surf break right at water’s edge. Today it is still beautiful, but crowded and dirty. I don’t go there anymore.

My favorite beach is Horseshoe Bay, in Bermuda.