How to lose a guy in ten days?
Take a girlfriend getaway
on the beach.

by Beata Loyfman

We can't blame Rihanna for staying out of the spotlight lately, what with the Chris Brown fiasco still swirling and nosy paparazzi stalking her everywhere. In times like these, a girl really needs a friend, so when we saw photos of Rih and fellow pop star Katy Perry boating in Barbados, we thought the trip was the perfect antidote to recent events.

If you're going through personal drama, there's nothing like an escape to sunny shores. And South America has some of the best beaches this side of the Atlantic. Luckily, you don't have to throw darts at a map in hopes of finding the perfect south-of-the-equator strand, because we've done the legwork for you. We surveyed 9,000 miles of coast and came up with 13 favorites in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. (Well, actually we made Deputy Editor Hanya Yanagihara do it, since we didn't want to get sand in our hair.)

Note: If a celebrity friend is footing the bill, you might want to suggest business-class seats on LAN airlines so you can fly south in comfort. The tickets are on sale now, so you don't have to feel like a total mooch.