Posted Monday, November 15, 2004; 21:00 HKT
Along with the Iles du Desappointement near Tahiti, Beaches No. 5 and No. 7, Havelock Island, the Andamans, boast two of the least alluring names of any shoreline on the planet. Nor are they easy to reach. Starting from Calcutta or Madras, you have to take a two-hour flight (or two-day ferry) east to Port Blair in the Andaman Sea, then a boat ride to Havelock, and finally a half-hour drive in a jeep. But once you're there, look at the map and rejoice at your good fortune. By latitude, you're a little south of Vietnam's China Beach, a little north of Phuket, and about level with the Philippines—a position that helps explain the stunning combination of white sand and gin-clear sea before you. A quick snorkel confirms the impression that these waters are among the most pristine on earth. That's because in 1998, when the sea-warming, coral-bleaching phenomenon known as El Niño swept the oceans, devastating coral formations such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Andaman Sea was largely spared.

Havelock Island is largely untouched by humankind too—visited by a mere 10,000 tourists a year (compared with the millions swarming Phuket across the water). That means plenty of room on the beach for everyone. Beach No. 7 is the prettiest (sand flies aside), but there's Ayurvedic massage and the island's best restaurant on No. 5. Either way, with a coconut-shell sundowner in hand, you'll realize that nondescript names don't mean a thing. Because Beaches No. 5 and No. 7, like the perfumes by Chanel, are heady, lingering and utterly timeless.

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October 11, 2004	July 26 - August 2, 2004	April 26, 2004