Today

AITO Specialist Travel Agents picks its top 10 beach breaks for 2008.

1.) New Zealand
Hot Water Beach on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula is perfect for a visit during summer or winter. For two hours either side of low tide, dig yourself a hole in the sand and watch it fill with hot ground water before enjoying your own spa.

Try Discover the World, 01737 218800, www.discover-the-world.co.uk.

2.) Tanzania and Zanzibar
Combine a safari in the national parks of Tanzania with beach bliss on the sands of Mafia Island, an unspoilt and little-visited alternative to other Indian Ocean islands around Zanzibar.

Try Tanzania Odyssey, 020 7471 8780, www.tanzaniaodyssey.com.

3.) Bonaire
Catch the Caribbean sun and try kite-surfing at Atlantis Beach on Bonaire. Get underwater too - this tiny island, part of the Netherlands Antilles north of Venezuela, is also one of the top destinations in the world for shore diving.

Try Barefoot Traveller, 0208 741 4319, www.barefoot-traveller.com.

4.) United States
Head to Miami Beach for style by the sea. Flanked by sand dunes and with hip hotels lining the shore, Miami offers one of America's most attractive urban beach settings.

Try North America Travel Service, 020 7569 6710, www.northamericatravelservice.co.uk.

5.) Sicily
The wide coastal plains of Sicily are home to fine beaches, both sandy and pebbled, and best experienced during shoulder season breaks if you want to escape the full strength of the sun.

Try Classic Collection Holidays, 0870 402 0126 , www.classic-collection.co.uk.

6.) Australia
Hire a jeep and speed down Seventy Five Mile Beach at low tide on Fraser Island, Queensland, and look out for dingoes and the eerie Maheno wreck.

Try Audley Travel, 01993 838 800, www.audleytravel.com.

7.) France
Everything is glamorous in St Tropez, including the beaches. Take your pick for a poseur's paradise.

Try Allez France, www.allezfrance.com.

8.) Hawaii
For surfing beaches galore, Hawaii is your destination of choice. Why not take a helicopter tour along the wild and inaccessible Napali Coast?

Try Collette Worldwide Holidays, 0800 804 8705, www.colletteworldwide.com.

9.) Vietnam
Take long walks on the ocean front, beside the sand dunes, at Phan Tiet and laze on the tropical beaches of the Mui Ne peninsula.

Try TransIndus, 020 8566 2729, www.transindus.co.uk.

10.) Croatia
Visitors can swim from May to September in the waters lapping the beaches of central Dalmatia, Croatia. Explore the islands, inlets, cliffs and fjords of this craggy coastline.

Try Cottages to Castles, 01622 775236, www.cottagestocastles.com.

Barry Moxley, AITO Specialist Travel Agents' chairman, said: "Beaches are made for holidays and it doesn't have to be a simple bucket and spade experience.

"Have a look at these interesting and unusual beach break ideas to whet your appetite for a sandy excursion."