China
For my money, it’s Dali in Yunnan Province in China. Yunnan is landlocked, but Dali is on the edge of the massive Erhai Lake and it therefore feels like a beach location. Activities on the lake include visiting the nearby island temple and surrounding fishing villages and watching the ancient practice of cormorant fishing. Inland there are plenty of pagodas and markets to visit, pony trekking in the Cangshan mountains or just watching the world go by in Dali’s cafes.
Dali City, Yunnan, China
Google map: tinyurl.com/2uvg37y