8 underrated beach destinations with cheap hotels
August 13, 2025 · by Sébastien Joumel
The world's famous beaches come with famous prices and famous crowds. These eight are just as beautiful — turquoise water, white or golden sand — but still let you book a good hotel without remortgaging. Here's where to go, and what a room costs.
Why these
- Postcard beaches without the mainstream price tag.
- Good-value hotels from roughly $35–80 a night.
- Fewer crowds than the big-name resorts.
1. Paje & Jambiani, Zanzibar (Tanzania)
A turquoise lagoon, a kitesurfing scene and the island’s lowest hotel prices — beachfront guesthouses from around $36. The east coast is tide-driven, so pick a place with a pool.
2. Watamu (Kenya)
White coves inside a marine national park, far quieter than the big Kenyan resorts, with boutique stays and guesthouses from about $40 and superb snorkelling offshore.
3. Jericoacoara (Brazil)
A car-free, sand-street village on Brazil’s wild north-east coast — bohemian, beautiful and still home to affordable pousadas from around $40, despite its cult status.
4. Essaouira beach (Morocco)
Atlantic breakers, a walled medina and Africa’s windsurf capital. Beach hotels from ~$55 and medina riads from ~$30 make it a bargain by European-coast standards.
5. Amed, Bali (Indonesia)
Black-sand bays under a volcano, world-class diving and homestays from ~$15 — the antidote to crowded south Bali.
6. Mirissa & the south coast (Sri Lanka)
Palm-fringed bays, whale watching and guesthouses from around $25 — laid-back and a fraction of the cost of the big Asian beach hubs.
7. Diani-adjacent quiet coves (Kenya)
Step just off the main strips and you’ll find white sand and value beach hotels without the package-holiday density.
8. The Albanian Riviera
Europe’s best-value beach coast right now — Ionian-blue water and guesthouses from ~$30, an easy add-on to inland gems like Gjirokastër.
Underrated beaches FAQ
Which is the cheapest of these for hotels?
Amed (Bali) and the Sri Lankan south coast have the lowest entry prices; Zanzibar’s east coast and the Albanian Riviera are close behind.
Are these good for families?
Watamu and Essaouira’s dunes resorts are particularly family-friendly; others suit couples and independent travellers.
Compare cheap beach hotels
Compare live prices for these and more low-crowd beaches on our destinations page.