March 24, 2025, 4:23 p.m. | Reading time: 5 minutes
A luxury villa agent claims to have identified the happiest beaches in the world. Sunnytrips presents what this means, which beach is supposed to be the happiest, and the entire ranking. And also explains why you shouldn't take the list too seriously.
We recently wrote about the happiest, because most relaxing, cities. These were determined in a study, nicely broken down into various, mostly understandable factors. By the way, if you haven't read the text yet, Faro is the most relaxing city in Europe. Now a new ranking appears. And that wants to have identified the happiest beach in the world or a whole series.
Criticism of and method of ranking
A happy beach? Even the wording is difficult; as far as I know, grains of sand have no feelings. And no one lives there, so you can't group the residents together, like in a city. But so be it, quibble. The luxury villa agent CV Villas wants to have identified the happiest beach in the world, according to several media reports. And how did they do that? With facial recognition.
According to Time Out magazine, the platform's ladies and gentlemen have used artificial intelligence to examine people's facial expressions in thousands of Instagram pictures from more than 100 beaches and determine whether they look happy. According to Travel + Leisure, CV Villas did not disclose details about the use of the AWS facial recognition technology used, but did say that it measured "happiness levels based on positive facial expressions" and rated each photo on a scale of 1 to 100. 100 stands for the highest feeling of happiness. The average happiness value for each beach was ultimately created from all individual ratings. The logic behind the ranking is that the beach that makes you smile the most is the happiest. A request from Sunnytrips to CV Villas remained unanswered until the publication of this article.
At this point I would like to point out that a facial expression alone is not enough to determine how someone likes a place. People are far more complex and often busy enough with their own inner stories. Because the people analyzed probably did not all approach the beach at the same time and be photographed at the moment of their first glimpse of it. Not to mention the unpleasant feelings about surveillance and border violations that this questionable method creates. But after verbally shaking my head vigorously, muttering “nonsense” and covering my eyes with my hands, I finally come to the ranking that was created here. So there you have it, the 30 “happiest” beaches in the world.
Also interesting: These travel destinations will make you particularly happy in 2025
Criticism of and method of ranking
The “happiest” beach in the world is in Spain
These are places 2 and 3 in the rankingThe 30 supposedly “happiest” beaches in the world*
The 30 supposedly “happiest” beaches in the world*
Annual Tripadvisor rankingThis is the best beach in the world
From the perspective of localsThe friendliest city in the world is in Europe
The “happiest” beach in the world is in Spain
… more precisely in Sitges. The picturesque beach Platja de Sitges achieved a supposed happiness score of 98.42, higher than any other. Surrounded by pretty houses and palm trees, the golden sandy beach is located on a beach promenade. The small coastal town to which this pretty beach belongs is only around 40 minutes south of Barcelona.
And this is what it looks like, the “happiest” beach in the world:
These are places 2 and 3 in the ranking
The supposedly “second happiest” beach in the world is Praia da Falésia in the Portuguese Algarve. The wonderful sandy beach at Olhos de Água was recently named the fifth best beach in the world (Sunnytrips reported). I deeply understand that this pretty stretch of sand in Portugal brings smiles to the faces of its visitors.
According to the ranking, another Spanish beach created the third most faces beaming with happiness, this time on the Germans' favorite island, Mallorca. The beach is the Port de Sóller of the coastal town of the same name in the northwest of the Balearic island.
The 30 supposedly “happiest” beaches in the world*
Sitges beach, Spain
Praia da Falesia, Portugal
Port de Soller beach, Spain
Rhossili Bay, Wales
Caswell Bay, Wales
Plage des Sablettes, France
Praia Dona Ana, Portugal
Praia do Vale de Centeanes, Portugal
Elafonisi beach, Greece
Ai Helis, Greece
Cala Pregonda, Spain
Playa Delfines, Mexico
Praia do Paraíso, Portugal
Las Pocitas Beach, Peru
Mongonisi Beach, Greece
Cannon Beach, USA
Agios Georgios Pagon, Greece
Myrtos Beach, Greece
Keem Bay, Ireland
Glyfada Beach, Greece
Siesta Key Beach, USA
Pescoluse (Maldive del Salento),Italy
Kalamitsi, Greece
Mirissa Beach, Sri Lanka
Kaputas Beach,Türkiye
Troon Beach, Scotland
Porto Katsiki, Greece
Santa Giulia, France
Praia do Camilo, Portugal
Hyams Beach, Australia
*according to “Time Out”, which refers to CV Villas.
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