My Most Favored Beaches

Travel Review article contributed by Charles Roberts, a newlywed who recently tied the knot under under the Jamaican sun at Beaches All Inclusive Honeymoon Resorts.

 

Everyone has their own favourites, yours might not be the best but it might hold the fondest memories for you, meaning you’d rather go to a pebbly beach that takes you back than be on a beach with the softest sand and the bluest waters.

 

When I was a kid my parents would pack us into the car and drive us to Hayling Island, just off the south coast of England. The coastline was pebbly but we had a beach house there (I say beach house, it was a shed erected right on the stones) and now that I’m grown up I still like to go back to see the sea down there every so often even if the water is murky and the floor uncomfortable to lie on.

 

Our weekly visits were a long time ago now and while I’ll always have fond memories of that little island, its funfair and arcade, our neighbours and our little yellow hut. However, saying that, I have been to better beaches! If you’re like me you’ll remember finding yourself stranded at the waters edge when your shoes got washed away and the thought of walking all the way back to your family, barefoot over pebble was just too painful to consider! Even today it’s quite hilarious to see the antics of people trying to walk over stones, jerking and lurching, even resorting to crawling as their feet simply refuse to get on with the rocks. (The trick is quite simple, you just walk on the balls of your feet and I prefer the pebbles, you don’t get sand in your ice cream!)

 

Soft White Sand? Yes Please!

 

If you’re fond of the beach but you don’t want to face the torture of playing Frisbee on stones you’re probably going to look for one of the more popular sandy beaches. But that’s the trouble, sandy beaches are always the most popular making the local resorts busy, expensive and overcrowded. We’ve all seen the pictures of the overcrowded beaches and shuddered. It’s no fun what with losing your kids, finding someone else’s, the radios, dogs, bikini and trunk clad  teenagers doing whatever it is nearly nude teenagers do when on vacation… What you need is somewhere undiscovered, quiet, relaxed and comfortable.

 

Here, in no particular order, are my top five beaches that I’ve been lucky enough to discover and no, Hayling Island isn’t among them!

 

The Hamptons

Until relatively recently the Hamptons were almost completely overlooked with beachfront plots being virtually given away when suddenly it occurred to someone that beaches were prime real estate too. Because of this instant gentrification the Hamptons never went through the process of being over developed as a tourist resort, meaning that the mansions and cottages which dotted the peninsula remain intact instead of being overcome with high-rise hotel complexes.

Venice Beach

Again overlooked for decades and suddenly discovered as a tourist destination Venice Beach is more than just a beach, it’s the beach that’s as good as in Hollywood (well, it’s a car ride away but it’s a nice drive anyway).  It’s only when you get there that you realise how many movies it’s been in, besides Baywatch, of course. The beaches are long and wide and because there are more things to do in Venice itself, they are rarely crowded.

Oludeniz

Oludeniz is in Turkey, so that’s virtually Europe but not quite. And again, thanks to being under exploited the beach here remains pristine. The town of Oludeniz is in a mountainous part of the coast making it inaccessible, historically there was no sea trade or trade with the outside world which is why you, nor almost anybody else has ever heard of it. Hopefully the rugged landscape will prevent it from being spoiled in the future.

 

Negril

Jamaica is well known for its beaches so it’s surprising that you can still find any which aren’t constantly packed with holidaymakers and yet it’s true. The beachfront accommodation is low level so it never gets too busy and you don’t have the eyesore of tower blocks spoiling your views of palms and forest. What makes Negril so appealing is not only the heat and the soft sand but that while it’s so easy to get to, it has all the facilities you could possibly want, yet it is still known to be a tranquil, peaceful seven mile stretch of beach.

Mal Pais

Costa Rica, the name itself means Rich Coast and this Central American nation  has more than 300 beaches on both the Caribbean and Pacific oceans so, depending on what you want from your beach vacation, it’s impossible to think of a beach holiday you can’t have. There’s surfing on the western seaboard, where you will find Mal Pais, while the east is slightly more tranquil. Because Costa Rica is so often overlooked as a holiday destination, in favour of other Caribbean countries there is only minimal tourist development and even that is quite easy to escape from. You should be aware that during turtle season some of the beaches are closed so that eggs can be laid and again a while later when the young turtles hatch and make their way to the sea, but that simply demonstrates how committed the Costa Ricans are to conservation and preservation.