The Pacific Ocean is home to some of the world's most famous tropical beaches.

The Pacific Ocean is obviously enormous, and thousands of miles of water can separate the small island paradises that dot its expanse. The South Pacific has been the archetype of the exotic and tropical paradise from the days of the Bounty through Gaugin's time spent painting Tahitian beauties and landscapes, and people's fascination with these islands continues today. While there are many potential destinations, two of the most famous and most likely to offer vacationers a balance of exoticism and civilization are Bora Bora (in French Polynesia) and Palau. Matira Beach on Bora Bora is widely renowned, and is home to major beach resorts, including the Hotel Bora Bora and Club Med. Many resorts feature guest rooms that are huts on stilts over the calm, deep turquoise lagoon. Bora Bora is an atoll, meaning that the island is surrounded by a lagoon that is separated from the open ocean by a coral reef, creating calm, warm water for swimming, and also protecting many species that will delight snorkelers and SCUBA divers. The Rock Islands of Palau are famous for their unique coral and great beaches. Water around the Rock Islands is warm year-round, and the islands are surrounded by bountiful underwater wildlife that makes Palau a mecca for divers. Other unique features of Palau include Jellyfish Lake, an inland sea filled with jellyfish that have lost their need and ability to sting over hundreds of years, and World War II remnants, such as tanks and artillery, that have become foundations for tropical vegetation.