Baia do Sancho in Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago with UNESCO world heritage status, is officially the best beach in the world for 2014 as determined based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period.

A bay of crystalline water and soft white sand, this beach is surrounded by towering cliffs that are covered by vegetation that attracts a multitude of exotic wildlife.