Experts name their top beaches

Finding the best beaches has been the traveller's holiday mission for centuries, but with new destinations opening up and resorts changing all the time, it can be difficult to keep up with where the best beaches are.

However, the experts at the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) have revealed their top ten beaches for summer 2007 across the world, making it that bit easier to know where to go.

AITO experts' top beaches 2007

Hot Water Beach, New Zealand
As the name suggests, the water temperatures at Hot Water Beach are unusually warm. But it is not the sea water that makes this beach special - there is naturally warm mineral water that comes up through the sand.

All you have to do is wait for low tide, dig yourself a bath and lie back and enjoy.

Hot Water Beach is on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula. For more information on the area see www.newzealand.com

Among the tour operators with New Zealand holidays visiting Hot Water Beach are Discover the World and Air New Zealand.

Mafia Island, Tanzania
Tanzania's Spice Islands are just as good as they sound, and the unspoilt, less well-known Mafia Island has some amazing beaches to experience. Most of the 40,000 inhabitants are fishermen, and if the beaches alone are not enough, you can get the active holiday experience by going game fishing or scuba diving.

An added bonus is that the beaches can be enjoyed as part of a safari touring the national parks of Tanzania.

Among the tour operators with Tanzania beach and safari holidays visiting Mafia Island are Tanzania Odyssey and Tribes Travel.

Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
Just off the north coast of Venezuela is the Caribbean island of Bonaire, part of the Netherlands Antilles.

An active holiday hotspot, the tiny islands are great for scuba diving holidays, snorkelling, windsurfing and kite-surfing, as well as boasting some fantastic beaches.

For detailed information on visiting Bonaire see www.infobonaire.com

Among the tour operators with holidays to Bonaire are Barefoot Traveller and Cox and Kings