According to Beach.com’s latest ranking, beach lovers should put Puerto Rico’s Flamenco Beach on their must-visit list.
To be considered among the best beaches in the world, a destination usually has to have a few things going for it: pristine blue waters, soft sand, and room to lounge, among them. Puerto Rico’s Flamenco Beach checks all three boxes (plus a few more), earning it high marks in a new ranking from Beach.com.
To put together their Global Beach Index 2026, the Beach.com team reviewed hundreds of submissions and expert nominations, thousands of user reviews, and NASA water color and clarity data, and selected 25 of the best beaches in the world. The combination of quantitative and qualitative data placed Flamenco Beach at No. 4, just below Trunk Bay in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Elafonissi Beach in Greece, and Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos.
“[Flamenco Beach] earns its top spot by receiving very positive praise from travelers using strong language that sets it apart from most beaches in our analysis … It also receives broad approval from most visitors, making it one of the most loved and well-rounded beaches in the study,” the ranking stated.
Located on Culebra Island, Flamenco Beach is relatively remote; to access its sandy shores, you’ll need to book a ferry or flight to Benjamin Rivera Noriega Airport (CPX) from mainland Puerto Rico. But for U.S. citizens, getting there comes with one major convenience: no passport is required to visit Puerto Rico. That means, according to Beach.com, the island (and Flamenco), “receives a fraction of the tourism of Vieques or the Puerto Rican mainland.” If you do make the effort to visit, however, you’ll be rewarded with amazing views and plenty of things to do.