Where is the most remote beach you've ever gone to in the world?

Probably a tie between two for me.  I definitely agree with Ross that the Osa Peninsula, and Corcovado National Park have very remote beaches.  Whether you're a backpacker, or staying in a jungle lodge, there is little human activity down there.  It is surreal.  I have also walked/driven for miles along the southern Crete coast with no one in sight.  Some hard to get to beaches there as well.

great question.

Cabo San Quintin Down in Baja just southwest of the city of San QuintínThere is 5 mile long beach and at the point it's beautiful. We drove our 4 wheel drive pick up truck down there. Amazing. Driving back we drove on the interior of the bay and got my truck stuck in the mud. Tide came up and flooded it before we could get tools to dig it out. That was an adventure. This photo is looking north. Pacific Ocean is along the left and you can see the 5 mile long beach.

Ponta do OuroPonta do Ouro, Mozambique, 

Matutuíne District

Mozambique

-26.848298, 32.893595

On a diving trip.  Flew into Johannesburg and then took a bus with a group of divers to this remote location near the north border of So Africa.  Diving was great, went to learn to scuba dive and on Christmas Day, 1997, I swam with a whale shark, that being my second day in the water, memorable to say the least.

Cape Tribulation Beach which is in the north east coast of Australia past the comforts of electricity, etc. near the Daintree Rainforest.  The crabs had a blank undisturbed canvas to display their art...

The most remote beach I have been to has been in the Southern part of Thailand. On the island of Koh Yao Noi where there is Resort on the Northern Tip called Paradise Resort and Spa. This is where they filmed the James Bond movie Man With A Golden Gun. There are less than 4,000 people on this tropical Island. This is very remote and very rustic area and the island is only 10 x 12 km in size. But, you will be one of the only people on the beach as the island is 50 min. boat ride from Phuket. You will see wildlife of all kinds as it is home to more than 250 species of mammals and 900 birds.

It has to be Englishman's Bay Beach in Tobago. I was there almost 15 years ago, so I am not sure if it is "remote" anymore. Had to take a very narrow and challenging path through the rainforest in order to get there, but it was definitely worth it. Still remember that "Robinson Crusoe" feeling that filled us, as soon as we reached the beach. 

The most isolated beach I've been to was in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Amazingly beautiful water and sand.

When you think about postcard-perfect beaches Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island was top of the list. We got a boat from Hamilton Island and it was a little piece of paradise. Azure seas, pristine white sands. Snorkeling, swimming, sailing. It doesn't get much better.

I don't know the name of this exact beach, but I think it's part of the Angthong National Marine Park that spans the 42 little islands in that area in Thailand.  While I was in Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party, I stayed at a place called the Dewshore Resort and that was the only reason I was able to access this particular beach, because the beach was behind all the buildings.   San Cristóbal Island

The resort, well... left much to be desired, but this almost private beach behind it completely made up for it.  It was just one of my best friends and I (plus a few beach pooches and sea critters!), and we just had a field day out there taking pictures, wandering, and collecting shells.  Here are a few photos, but they definitely don't do it justice; it's so much more beautiful and expansive than I was able to capture.  I'll be back.

The beach at Caleta Olivia (near Comodoro Rivadavia), Argentina. There's no sand, only "stream-worn cobbles". There are penguins. The wavecaps blow back out to sea when the wind is blowing from the west. Can't recommend.

Rode horses out on the beaches of the East Cape of New Zealand. Very little activity out there - unless you go for New Years Eve, when people flock to be the first to see the sunrise.

I have a cottage smack bang in the centre of Senga Bay

Been there many times while its been deserted. need a 4 wheel drive to get there.

Night skies so clear clear that during a full moon, it feels like daylight. The picture was taken at night.

Add crystal clear fresh water, very little wind, and hot hot summers - perfect recipe for a perfect vacation. 

Navagio (shipwreck beach) on Zakynthos island, Greece.  With sweeping cliffs all around and pristine sand, you can only get to this beach by boat on a calm day.  The old relic ship lies right on the beach and you can poke around and explore it while taking in the breathtaking view of the ocean.

Palmyra Atolla thousand miles south of Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The beach João Pessoa, the beach is surrounded by a reef, so sharks are not a worry. At low tide, you can ride a boat out and get off the boat and snorkle the reef and the fish will eat right out of your hand. Beautiful. And it is one of miles of beaches including the nude Tambau beach. 

Unnamed beach on an unnamed island somewhere in the backwaters of Quetico Provincial Park, Canada.

In Uruguay half way between Montevideo Colonia (Uguguay).  Our family stopped for an afternoon in the sun.   No one around for miles. 

Great place to get away from everything.  No cell service.  No people.  No strangers.  There was an old wooden boat painted white and blue with an anchor wedged in sand.  Perfect Photo Op!.  

If you want someplace unique - with lots of meat and fair wine - visit Uruguay. 

First, simply due to the difficulty in getting there, the Seychelles.  We were living in East Africa at the time so it was only a four hour flight from Nairobi, but it's a long trip for those who are not living in that region. I recommend staying up really late on a clear night to see the sky, really divine view of the universe from the beach, even in Baie Lazare, which is still on the main island.

I would also second the person who said Ponta do Ouro in Mozambique.  Not an easy place to get to as you have to have a 4WD to even get there from the border crossing in South Africa (approx 6 to 8 hours from Joburg) as there are only sand roads.  You will be handsomely rewarded for your journey however as there are some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen!  Calm, turquoise waters and a divine sandy bottom.  Almost no tourists, just lots of vacationing South Africans, most of whom have homes in the area.  Also, incredible deep sea fishing out there.

And finally, perhaps the most remote beach I've ever visited was the Blue Lagoon Island in Rangiroa.  It's about a 45 minute boat ride into the lagoon from the main part of Rangiroa (already pretty remote) to get there (would also recommend stopping at the side of the road to watch the dolphins play in the Passe Tiputa at some point and/or diving in it too).  Then you can take a skiff to another smaller island which acts as an estuary for sharks, sting rays, etc.  and just for good measure has pink sand beaches!  You can walk around the whole smaller island in about an hour.  It's truly something so unique, untouched and remote that I am really grateful we got to see it.  You can usually book a day trip via a decent accommodation in Rangiroa proper (we stayed at the Mai Tai).

And if you're in French Polynesia, I would be remiss not to mention Blue Heaven Island which is in Bora Bora but is a private island that has a few little bungalows for guests and the best snorkeling in all of Bora.  The Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa (St. Regis) is also incredible, in a very proper and fancy way, but Blue Heaven Island is a different side of Bora most people don't get to see that is more rustic and back to nature. 

Red Beach 1 , Betio Island, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati.

Devils Bay

I went to a small island in Philippines once and visited a small island called Cuyo Island where I was the only western visitor when I was there. The beaches were paradise like but the island has no airlines flying there and most travelers these days are too lazy to take an overnight ferry.

Papakōlea -- Green Sand Beach in Hawai'i! Wasn't sure the rental jeep was going to make it back in one piece, but so worth it!

Not even sure the exact location but it was North Shore on Oahu, high waves, untamed beach and not a sole in site. Such a fantastic experience.

My favourite remote beach is spiaggia di Cala Coticcio on the small and wild Island of Caprera, Sardinia, Italy. My first time there was 27 years ago and the beach hasn't basically changed! In order to reach Cala Coticcio, you have to take the ferry to La Maddalena from Palau and cross the Passo della Moneta bridge, which connects the Island of Maddalena to Caprera. Once you made it across the bridge, follow the road and take the third right, then turn left almost immediately and follow the road for about 2,2 km, until you see a sort of gravel parking area on your right. Leave the car and take the pathway going downhill, you will reach Cala Coticcio (also known as "Tahiti") in about 30-40 minutes.

A couple of tips

1) Bring plenty of water to avoid dehydration (the sun is very hot and the way to the beach pretty long)

2) Bring your own food and drinks 'cause it doesn't make sense to spend less than 8-9 hours on the beach

3) Respect the environment and bring your rubbish back to your place! ;-)

So many places, but if I had to pick just one it would be Wharariki Beach in Golden Bay, New Zealand. A long sweep of golden sand, with high dunes, caves and views to small islands. At low tide you can walk along the beach to a cool natural stone bridge. To get here you need to drive the windy road across Takaka Hill towards Cape Farewell, and then walk for 20 minutes across farmland from the Wharariki Road carpark. It's worth it as you'll likely have the place to yourself (apart from the odd seal, that is).

A beach in Lipari. We had to take a boat to the private beach. The shore was made of little rocks and pebbles, not sad. It was like a little nook in the island. So charming! 

Loved spending a week on uninhibited island called Tailana in Sumatra, Indonesia. It takes 20 minutes to walk around the entire island which is surrounded my emerald waters and reefs, and the only population of the island is you, the owner of the island, some chickens, couple of cats and a dog. Absolutely fantastic experience! 

Hotel Baia Delle Zagare Mattinata at the Spiaggia della Zagare on the Gargano Peninsula in Puglia, Italy and also the beaches on the Isola di Marettimo, Marettimooff of the coast of Sicily in the Isola Egadi.  Even most Italians don't know of these places and they are both very worth finding.  Also, my favorite beach club is One Fire Beach in Praino, Italy, where you have to decend over 400 steep steps down to the sea to get there.  They have food, beverages and lots of fun.  It can get very crowded in July and August with locals and in-the-know visitors, so be prepared to do the beach "Italian style", close together and with music and dancing and other fun shenanigans.  Love that place. It's only open from May - October, but sooo much fun! Say hi to Picolletto for me.

The Catlins- south coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Sweeping views, not another person in sight, stunning.

the southern tip of the Osa Peninsula it looked like no one had ever been there. just the noise of howler monkeys and scarlet macaws!those are my foot prints and the only ones we saw!! it looked like dinosaurs  were going to jump out of the jungle at any moment! the Osa is the only real part of C.R. left!!

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Some excellent responses! It sounds like you might be looking for "remote" to equal "tropical paradise" and a place you might actually want to visit. But just for kicks, I'll break mine down to two categories: 1) remote, lovely, and a place you could imagine yourself going to and 2) edge of the world/will only armchair travel and thank me for going there so you don't have to. For someone who's not really a beach-goer, I've been to quite a few that will fit the bill for both.

I'm with Ross and Scott calling out the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park for gorgeous and slightly tricky to get to - and the Jurassic Park reference is apt! You take one of those tiny flights that lands on a dirt runway, transfer to a Jeep that fords rivers, wade out into a waiting fishing boat, and an hour or so later step out into this scene:Vieques deserves a mention, for sure, as does the lovely and sleepy beach community in Khao Lak, Thailand, and the jewels that are the Grenadines (a few people, far from everything). Behold!

As for edge-of-the-world remoteness: for me, it's a toss up between four truly isolated places.

Estancia Harberton on the edge of Tierra del Fuego - just a flight to Buenos Aires, another to Ushuaia, a few hours of driving, and a boat will take you to this rocky beach full of penguin rookeries;

The teeny, tiny, super-secluded island of Navini Island Resort, a jewel nestled in the Mamanuca Island chain of Fiji (you can walk around the whole thing in 10 minutes);

Shark Bay, Monkey Mia, and the Hamelin Pool, a 8+ hour drive from Perth and one of the weirdest, most fascinating corners of the wild western coast of Australia (sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, shipwrecks, and stromatolites -  "living fossils" that are a kind of microbe that build rock-like structures);

And last, but certainly not least, the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, a windswept expanse of nothingness. Home to shipwrecks and fog, the only signs of life are desert-adapted lions and a spectacularly smelly colony of seals. You have to drive for hours to get in or out of the park, must plan your fuel stops carefully, and will cheerfully wave to the few cars you pass (mostly rigs loaded up with sport fishing gear), grateful for any sign of (non-carnivorous) life.

We went to two amazing beaches on Taketomi island, in Okinawa. Photo credits to my husband who took the photos while I was off frolicking in the sand. 

Kaiji Beach – one of the few beaches with "star sand". 

Kondoi Beach – no star sand, but crystal clear waters *swoon!* 

The island itself was fairly small and very easy to get around. It was a lovely day trip from Ishigaki!

Sandwood Bay Path

The most remote beach that I have ever gone to was on the Arctic Ocean near Prudhoe Bay

Steel Beach. Atop the stern of the USS Berkeley DDG 15 somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota. They will never find me in my tent up here.

Virgin Islands

the island of St John

virgin beaches, and the most beaufiful beaches ever.

Tabuaeran, in the Republic of Kiribati.   An obscure federal law prohibits foreign-flagged ships from transporting passengers between U.S. ports without stopping at a foreign port.  So, on a round trip cruise from Maui on one of the major cruise lines, there are not a lot of foreign ports around!   Fanning Island - a Pacific atoll barely above the equator, on the other side of the international date line - was like something out of National Geographic - very undeveloped other than a few improvements made by the cruise line for their passengers.  Gentle, welcoming people, deserted beaches, swaying palm trees.  Unforgettable. 

While living in Equatorial Guinea, we hiked all-day to the only habitable town on the southern coast of Bioko Island, San Antonio de Ureca. From there, we hiked down a goat path in the pouring rain to see the black beaches of the southern coast. After nightfall, we walked the beaches and watched a loggerhead turtle come on shore to lay its eggs. Amazing experience in one of the most remote locations on earth.