Probably early Fall. Not interested in 5 star resorts, but very interested in quiet, lovely beaches, preferably less crowded with good ethnic food available. We are considering Thailand and Malaysia, but DH would like to go to Europe. (Not Greek Isles, please - we are visiting those with friends in 2008.)

Portugal has quiet, lovely beaches.

Croatia. Not only the most beautiful but absolutely less crowded and not lined with 5 star resorts.

Some of the most gorgeous/amazing beaches in all of Europe are in northern and western Scotland. But not the laze on the beach and drink margaritas type beaches you were probably thinking of . . .

Spain any day.The beaches are excellent.250-300 days of brilliant sunshine.Costa Brava,Costa Verde,Costa Calida.Costa del sol a previlaged part of Andalusia,end up being seduced by its attractive towns and villages, many with quiet coves, kilometres of clean sand, unusual natural settings and the Mediterranean sea, perfect for swimming and all sorts of water sports.

Perfect to enjoy the good weather, peace and quiet, cool streets and squares, friendly local people and delicious flavours of the finest fish in a variety of local dishes.

Hi

South west of Norway (just south of Stavanger) has some lovely sandy beaches and not a lot of people. But I have to admit that the water can be a bit on the cold side

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

I'd say as far south as possible in early Fall.
Southern Italy (Calabria) has beautiful beaches but they will all be deserted by mid September.
The Algarve (Portugal) has nice beaches too but is quite popular with golfers from all over Europe and Fall is a very busy golfing season.
I agree with the Spanish beaches, especially the ones at the Costa Brava and Costa Verde. Early Fall may be a bit tricky re weather though.

Agree with Janisj that if it's beauty you're after, you can't beat Scotland's beaches (east and west coast!). But definitely not conducive to sunbathing and swimming (without a wetsuit, most of the year at least!!)

Other than that, the beaches along the Atlantic coast of France are stunning, particularly the "plages sauvages" south of Bordeaux, accessible through pine forests and huge dunes.
The beach at La Baule regularly gets voted the best beach in Europe. Haven't been there though.

unspoilt southern spain

http://zahara.costasur.com/en/index.html

google "zahara de los atunes" and you will get numerous sites although many in spanish

i do think croatia, however, will combine the serenity but have loads of histoy nearby and worth the trek.

our next getaway we hope.

From the title of your post my instant choice would be Scotland without doubt. After reading the whole post,I would say Portugal fits the bill.

Probably Greece or Turkey. Koukounaries in Greece, and the other one whose name I can't remember, but is on every Turkish travel poster going!

Further west, the Cornish beaches (Porthcurno, Whitesand Bay) are gorgeous.

The Scottish West Coast/Isles have some amazing white beaches and turquoise seas which rival the Carribean (though a swim might not be quite so appealing!)

acctq - I personally think the European country with the most beautiful baches is France, but not in Europe.
France has the Mascarene island off the coast of Africa, Reunion, with it's capital St.Denis and other coastal towns being St.Benoit and St.Pierre.
Then there is Mayotte floating off the island of Grande Comore.
As far as I am aware there are frequent flights from Paris to these French islands - and the beaches are only rivalled by the Seychelles (ex France).

The beaches in southeast asia are much nicer than anything in Europe and considerably cheaper. Great ethnic food. Lots of Europeans. There are many fairly pretty beaches in many countries in Europe but they are not great for swimming and snorkling. IMHO the beaches of Europe are best for Europeans who drive to their favorite close beach. if you are coming from outside of Europe there are probably much nicer beaches closer to you.

Early fall is perfect for Croatian islands. Unspoilt nature, crystal clear sea, good food, romantic old towns. The islands of Brijuni, Kornati and Mljet are national parks of extraordinary beauty. Highly recommended.

"quiet and lovely"..does that mean no surf whatsoever? Sandy vs. rocky? Med vs. Atlantic or do you care?

I agree that both Portugal and Croatia have quiet lovely beaches but they are very different IMO.

My favorite beaches so far in my life are in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. The islands are just gorgeous (I have seen Lanzarote and Gran Canaria) and the food quite good.

If you don't want to do the island thing then I think Portugal is your best bet.

The most beautiful white sandy beaches can be found along the Southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

Well, you didn't ask about weather and temperature.

France has a full range of all types of beaches.

- A 100-mile-long beach, very broad, with huge dunes, white, silvery sand and wonderful surf is the Cote d'Argent between the Gironde (in the North) and Biarritz (in the South). If you want an alternative, dip into one of several dozens of wonderful lakes just behind the dunes.

- The Golfe du Lion also has an extended sandy beach. The mediterranean water is warmer, with less surf.

- Along the Cote d'Azur you find dreamlike bays, surrounded by rocks (at the Esterel Coast bright red), with sandy beaches and crystal clear water, full of fish and octopus.

- In Brittany, you have sandy beaches with emerald water, sprinkeld with fantasy-shaped granite rocks.

- In Picardie, you have giant chalk cliffs with beaches in between.

Except for some locations between Cannes and Monaco and a few beaches directly in big cities, French beaches are usually not crowded. Especially at the Cote d'Argent you can walk for miles without meeting anybody else.

And everywhere you find the world's best food and a rich cultural heritage.

I agree that there are spectacular beaches at the Algarve, Portugal, too. You still find some nice beaches on the Baleares, but most of them are terribly crowded in high season.

I also agree with Baltic beaches. If you want to swim, go there between July and August. Then water temperatures will reach there 19 or 20 centigrades.

BTW, I am not a Frenchman.

Clean, quiet, and charming, I would recommend Nazare, Portugal. You will never see an American. The water tends to be cold, however.