Silvi Marina in top 20 "Europa Strände" So sagt "Sunday Times"

May 25, 2003

The Sunday Times

Europe's top 20 beaches
Looking for the perfect beach? Well, you’ve just found 20 of them. Our writers — the most exacting judges in travel — bring you their personal pick of Europe’s best

It’s the holy grail for holidaymakers: the perfect beach. But finding it just got a lot easier, if you believe scientists from the University of Glamorgan. They have spent three years asking tourists what they look for in a dream strand, assessing 28 variables, from colour of sand to cliff height to cleanliness. The result is a mathematical formula that can rate the loveliness of any stretch of seaside in the world. Only trouble is, the formula reads: D = (-2xA12) + (1+A23) + (1+A34) + (2xA45) over AT.
That’s not much use to you and me. At Travel, we believe in more people-friendly methods. We have put our own best brains to work on the best-beach conundrum using the following simple equation: expert knowledge plus unrivalled experience equals holiday bliss.

Naturally, our writers discover wonderful, hidden-away beaches on their travels — and sometimes these are so divine that they make sure they keep them to themselves. No longer. To bring you the official Sunday Times Top 20 European Beaches, we presented all our journalists with a stark choice: fess up, or spend the next six months writing a city guide to Minsk.

The beaches flooded in, and the result is the definitive list. Whatever your taste — baking or bracing, deserted or discreetly funky — you’ll find your perfect patch of sand here. And no algebra required.

PSILI AMMOS, Greece; PLAGE DE LA COURTADE, France; PRAIA DA ADRAGA, Portugal; BENIRRAS, Ibiza; MILOPOTAS, Greece; WHIPSIDERRY, England; PLAGE DU LOTO, Corsica; PATARA, Turkey; PLAYA DE LA CONCHA, Spain; TRAIGH SCARASTA, Scotland; AGUA AMARGA, Spain; PALOMBAGGIA, Corsica; KOUKOUNARIES, Greece; PLANOS, Greece; OXWICH BAY, Wales; SALECCIA, Corsica; SWEETWATER, Greece; PORTALS VELLS, Majorca; VOIDOKILIA, Greece;

SILVI MARINA, Italy
Where? In Abruzzo, on the Adriatic coast.
Why? Silvi Marina looks typically Italian, with neat rows of sun loungers and umbrellas laid out across fine yellow sand. The sea is calm and clear — ideal for an early-morning swim — and the front is lined with pines and oleanders. But the big reason for flopping here is the charming, family-run Mion Hotel, a perfect base for exploring Abruzzo's Renaissance churches, medieval villages, lakes and mountains.
Where to stay: the four-star Mion (00 39-085935 0935; doubles from £67, half-board).
Where to eat: the hotel's restaurant is excellent, as is La Casina Rosa (085 828 9744), in San Pellegrino. Local specialities include guazzetto, a spicy fish soup.
Don't miss: the evening passeggiata. Wear your best shoes.
Getting there: Ryanair (0871 246 0000, http://www.ryanair.com/) flies from Stansted to Pescara, a 25-minute drive from Silvi Marina; from £40.