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What is it about the beach that puts us in the mood? Perhaps it's the suggestive rhythmic ebb and flow of the tide, the moon glimmering on the sea's surface, the stars in the sky - or perhaps we just don't have anywhere else to go at the time!

Whatever the reason, it can be incredibly romantic. Like its namesake, the titter-inducing cocktail Sex on the Beach, it's a case of getting just the right mix of ingredients. We're talking the privacy of the location, the view, the mood of the sea - oh, and the consistency of the sand, of course...

1. Halona Cove, on Oahu Beach

A deserted cove on the island of Hawaii. Burt Lancaster, in skimpy trunks, emerges from the wild froth of the Pacific Ocean with an enchanting Deborah Kerr. He takes Debbie in his manly arms and the moonlit couple roll passionately in the sand.

It was one of the most shocking cinematic moments of its time. An upright military man romping with a married woman on a public beach was not your average fare for movie goers in the 1950s.

This notorious scene in From Here To Eternity was shot in Halona Cove, on Oahu Beach. It's the opener in our selection of saucy seaside locations. Careful with that tide, though. Halona Cove is very long and narrow, and the beach is small and hedged in by dangerous rocks.

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