From the Keys to Kona to Cuba, you can find your beachside bliss with vacation rentals just a stone’s throw from some of the world’s most beautiful waters.
Stellar reviews and amenities such as private pools and personal chefs make these beachfront rentals shine. Best of all, you can live the dream for $250 a night or less, provided you’re willing to recruit some of your favorite people to share these fabulous digs.
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Phuket, Thailand
Price per person, per night: $133 (based on 12 people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $1,600 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!”
Leave your plebian life behind—if only for a brief spell—and head to Thailand’s Millionaires’ Mile, where you can enjoy the riches of the high-end Villa Talaefun at incredibly affordable rates.
The villa includes a personal chef, grounds’ keeper, housekeeper (including laundry service), and 24-hour on-site security to keep the paparazzi at bay.
Speaking of the bay, check out that view …
RELATED: 11 Secret European Beaches
Phuket, Thailand
Price per person, per night: $133 (based on 12 people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $1,600 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!”
Leave your plebian life behind—if only for a brief spell—and head to Thailand’s Millionaires’ Mile, where you can enjoy the riches of the high-end Villa Talaefun at incredibly affordable rates.
The villa includes a personal chef, grounds’ keeper, housekeeper (including laundry service), and 24-hour on-site security to keep the paparazzi at bay.
Speaking of the bay, check out that view …
RELATED: 11 Secret European Beaches
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos
Price per person, per night: $243 (based on 10 people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $2,428 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “Casa Grande is Casa Heaven”
Bestowed top honors by TripAdvisor’s travelers, Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales offers, as one traveler put it, “hundreds of shades of blues and greens and white sugar sand beaches.”
If you're after exclusivity at what's arguably the world’s best beach, look no further than the Casa Grande, situated on a quiet stretch of Grace Bay Beach.
The five-bedroom estate comes with its own salt-water pool, plus beach-friendly gear like kayaks and snorkels.
Key West, Florida
Price per person, per night: $75 (based on 20 people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $1,500 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “Key West Best”
Packed to the gills with pools, pool tables, table tennis tables, tennis courts, and even racket ball courts, this amenity-filled pad is no ordinary house. Its claim to fame is having hosted MTV’s Real World Key West.
The Real World MTV House Key West can accommodate everything from a bachelor party to the annual family reunion. And whenever you need to get away from “your home away from home,” jump into your own boat, as this rental has its own dock.
RELATED: 5 Exotic Beaches You Can Visit Without a U.S. Passport
Havana, Cuba
Price per person, per night: $59 (based on 12 people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $700 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “The experience was great; house fantastic, staff incredible and most helpful”
Because you can’t have a “hottest” list without including the destination on everyone’s bucket list this year, check out the Luxury Miramar in Havana, Cuba.
This is luxury rental complete with its own chef, maid, and 24-hour security. The beachside villa also comes with a couple of Caribbean musts: a pool and air conditioning. (Don’t take that for granted; this is Cuba after all.)
Sydney, Australia
Price per person, per night: $61 (based on 12 people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $735 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “Stunning view, beautiful house, wonderful host. A memorable trip and would definitely come again.”
Yes, it’s winter in Sydney during this hemisphere’s summer, but don’t worry—with near-perfect weather year-round, just about any time is perfect timing for a Sydney vacation.
Find the Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the ever-iconic Sydney Opera House all within a few miles of this six-bedroom contemporary villa; and though it’s overlooking Bondi Beach, this centrally located vacation rental leaves nothing to chance and comes with its own infinity pool.
RELATED: The Top Nude Beaches in the U.S.
Kona, Hawaii
Price per person, per night: $99 (based on six people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $595 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “The perfect place to stay in paradise!”
For easy access to gorgeous Hawaiian waters, you’ll want to be in the well-appointed Kona Oceanfront Home at Alii Point. Find this Big Island rental equipped with snorkel equipment, bicycles, and boogie boards, among other fun-in-the-sun gear.
As one guest reported, "We went snorkeling right off the property and saw all kinds of sea life including amazing, large sea turtles!"
Ibiza, Spain
Price per person, per night: $62 (based on eight people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $495 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “Truly, once you arrive you never want to leave. It is the most glorious spot with a view to die for.”
As reviewers can attest, the attention to detail at this impeccable home doesn’t go unnoticed. Ibiza may be Europe’s party central, but it's serenity that reigns at the Coco Safari Cliff Villa. This cliff-side villa offers Mediterranean views, its own pool, and water access.
Those who don’t follow procedure, however, should stay away, as the first item listed under this Airbnb’s House Rules is to “put your feet up, have fun and relax.”
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Price per person, per night: $154 (based on eight people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $1,232 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “Best location in Playa del Carmen”
“Oceanside” doesn’t begin to describe this award-winning rental’s proximity to the Riviera Maya waters. The stunning Casa Callaway is actually on the beach. Marrying the sea with the four-bedroom abode are floor-to-ceiling glass walls to view the waves past its patio pool and Jacuzzi.
The Casa Callaway was awarded FlipKey’s Top Vacation Rental in 2013.
RELATED: 8 Best Activities on Mexico’s Coasts
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Price per person, per night: $90 (based on 10 people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $900 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “We came! We fell in love with Cozy Cove and Jamaica!!”
This villa’s moniker says it all: Cozy Cove. Whether it’s the Caribbean’s lulling waves, a full belly compliments of the in-house chef, or the rum-infused cocktails, this seaside rental will wash all your cares away.
All previous guests of the Cozy Cove have given this property a five-star review, singing the praises of both the property itself and its “sunny-faced housekeeper and cook.”
Eden Island, Seychelles
Price per person, per night: $60 (based on eight people—the maximum permitted—at the nightly rate of $480 per night)
Noteworthy Guest Review: “Our love affair with Eden”
It may be called Eden, but this Seychelles island is no forbidden fruit. The oceanside Beach Maison by Simply-Seychelles has four bedrooms, a private pool, and direct access to a white-sand Indian Ocean beach.
Patricia Magaña is a Senior Editor at SmarterTravel. Follow her on Instagram @PatiTravels and Twitter @PatiTravels.
More From SmarterTravel:
- The 9 Most Jaw-Dropping Coastlines in the World
- 8 Best Beaches in Florida
- 8 Cheap Retreat’s on the World’s Most Famously Beautiful Beaches
Patricia Magaña is a Senior Editor at SmarterTravel. Follow her on Instagram @PatiTravels and Twitter @PatiTravels.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
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