5 Beaches You Won't Want to Miss on Your Kauai Vacation

Consistently rated among the world's best tropical islands by travel magazines, the island of Kauai is blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the Pacific. From long stretches of golden sand to tiny coves surrounded by jungle to postcard perfect beaches drenched in sunshine, Kauai boasts more sandy beaches than any other Hawaiian island.

After months of painstaking research, this beach-bum has narrowed Kauai's beaches down to the five most beautiful. But don't take my word for it - plan a Kauai vacation and get out of your hotel room or vacation rental to find out for yourself. And before heading out into the water, check out the Kauai surf report for current ocean conditions.

The Beaches of Vietnam

Vietnam's 2100 mile coastline and thousands of islands provide many attractive beaches that invite travelers to relax and enjoy the sound of the surf and the warmth of the sun. Some of the beach locales are developed with hotels and restaurants to attract discriminating travelers, while others offer secluded primitive beaches for daytime picnics or small group camping.

Here is the lowdown on some of the more popular Vietnam beach destinations - but not all.

Starting in the north is Halong Bay with its many sandstone islands - a photographer's paradise. Cat Ba is the largest island in Halong Bay, attracting many visitors. Halong Bay has several other islands where the hotel junks anchor and allow passengers to enjoy a beach swim.

Do Son Beach, on a small peninsula near Haiphong, is shaded by sandalwood trees with pine tree covered hills nearby and mountains in the distance. Close to Halong Bay, though not as busy.

50 miles south of the Imperial City of Hue is Lang Co Beach. The water is warm year around and very shallow. It offers great scenery such as distant mountains, nearby forests and a beautiful blue sea. Diving, hiking, boating and fishing are offered here. China Beach, between Danang and Hoian, is the beach best known to Americans. This community is attracting many upscale resort hotels. China Beach is adjacent to the Marble Mountain Monastery. Bring your hiking boots. Small marble statues made by local artists make great souvenirs. China Beach is also about 10 miles from Hoian, a popular tourist attraction.

The Hoian with its beach area is the Vietnam destination for the budget traveler. Hoian has much to offer - restaurants, shopping and tours to China Beach & Marble Mountain as well as the Cham ruins of My Son. Huong Beach on Cham Island provides a bit of relaxation from the stresses of traveling.

The Best Beaches in California

This article presents its list for what we believe are the best beaches in California. Of all the beaches California has to offer, we think these are tops! If you can find better beaches in California, then we'll eat out hat (metaphorically speaking)!

o Malibu Lagoon Beach: A beautiful lagoon beach with 22 acres of wetlands, gardens and sandy beach. It's considered one of the worlds premiere surfing beaches. On the east side of the Malibu Creek Bridge is the Malibu Pier, which is excellent for saltwater fishing. On the west side is a nature area.

o Venice Beach: No trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a trip to this iconic beach. Street performers, artists and "the beautiful people" mingle and stroll all the way to Santa Monica along the famous boardwalk that runs through this inimitable California beach town.

o El Capitan Beach: This shady, sandy, Santa Barbara beach features rocky tide pools along El Capitan Creek. It's perfect for swimming, fishing, surfing, picnicking and camping. A long stairway gives access from the bluffs to beach and a bike trail connects the park with Refugio State Beach.