Spectacular settings and authentic style—forty new Hip Hotels will make your beach experience unique.

Glittering turquoise waters lapping onto pure white sand, sea birds riding the breeze ...give or take surf, the perfect beach is pretty much the same the world over. But that is certainly not true of the perfect beach hotel.

On the shores of six continents, each of these Hip Hotels expresses the uniqueness of its setting. Cable Beach Club in Broome, Western Australia, combines corrugated iron with oriental antiques and silks in an exquisite Asia-meets-Outback style—perfect in this quintessential Australian destination, the former pearl-diving capital of the world. On the volcanic island of Santorini, rising spectacularly from the Greek Aegean, the sparkling white domed cottages of Hotel Tsitouras cling to the cliffside, their interiors adorned with ancient amphorae, Byzantine icons, and antique porcelain from the owner's outstanding art collection. Off the shores of East Africa, the private atoll of Mnemba hosts a collection of luxuriously simple beach huts made from hand-woven palm matting traditional to neighboring Zanzibar. On Mexico's Pacific Coast, the luxury ecological reserve of Hotelito Desconocido invites you to witness the annual scramble of newly hatched sea turtles as they make their first intrepid journey to the ocean. And it's not all about Robinson Crusoe-style minimalism: the Shore Club in Miami's South Beach is a chic five-acre seafront complex, complete with gorgeous tropical gardens, Nobu restaurant, top-class boutiques, and A-list clientele.

So grab your sunscreen and your straw hat and join photographer Herbert Ypma in visiting the latest collection of Highly Individual Places. 500 illustrations, 350 in color.