Why You Should Go To Africa For Your Next Beach Holiday

Africa probably does not spring to mind as the first destination you would choose when planning a beach holiday, but there are many great reasons to give it a try. Cape Town in South Africa has up until recently always been "the" destination to go to if you wanted to go to Africa and enjoy the beach as well as all the other great things that only this great continent has to offer. Now there are new kids on the block and places like Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania, Mombasa in Kenya and The Gambia have really come in to their own each offering their own unique selling points and flavour of Africa but all great beach holiday destinations.

One of the more obvious reasons to pick somewhere on the African continent is to enjoy the beach during the European winter, breaking up your winter and escaping the summer holiday rush. How often these days do we hear of strikes at airports during the summer peak holiday period, delaying millions of holidaymakers and destroying their few weeks away from work? Escape the rush and travel out of the peak season.

Beach Holiday in Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town in South Africa is still the most sophisticated beach holiday destination in Africa, with the incredible backdrop of Table Mountain, excellent accommodation options and some of the best restaurants in the world it would be an excellent place to visit even without the beach. On top of that you can also enjoy the best wines and scenery of South Africa on the Garden Route, which stretches from Mossel Bay to the Storms River in the Western Cape. There are ten nature reserves in the area as well as unique marine reserves, home to soft coral reefs, dolphins, seals and a host of other marine life.

Combing golf with a beach holiday has always been popular in places like Spain and Portugal, South Africa and the Cape Region have some of the best Golf courses in the world, now you can combine a beach, golf and safari holiday, there is nowhere in Europe that can boast that!

Florida Coasts for Beach Lovers

When Dr. Beach chooses it for America's Best Beaches, you know the beach is something special.

Since 1991, Dr. Beach, aka Dr. Stephen Leatherman, has released an annual list of America's Best Beaches, just in time for the summer beach season. Dr. Beach rates beaches on 50 criteria, and only the absolute best make his lists. This year, three Florida beaches have the honor of receiving the best beach "Oscar" from Dr. Beach.

Caladesi Island State Park, near Dunedin/Clearwater, FL, is one of the few completely natural islands along Florida's Gulf Coast. With sparkling white sand shores, the Caladesi Island State Park is accessible only by private boat or by ferry from Honeymoon Island State Park. Beach lovers can enjoy swimming, sunbathing, and beachcombing. Saltwater anglers can fish from their boats or throw a line into the surf. Nature enthusiasts watch wildlife while hiking the three-mile nature trail through the island's interior or paddling a kayak trail through the mangroves and bay. The park has a marina with electric and water hookups for boaters. Caladesi Island State Park is located one mile west of Dunedin, FL (near Clearwater) off the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Lighthouse Point Park near Daytona Beach, FL, is located on 52 acres of pristine land. The park is on the north side of Ponce DeLeon inlet in the town of Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach. Lighthouse Point Park offers swimming, picknicking, fishing, nature trails, and an observation deck and tower. A variety of wildlife call the Lighthouse Point Park home, including possums, armadillos, shore birds, and birds of prey.

Top Southern California Beaches

You cannot visit Southern California without stopping at one of its many wonderful beaches and dipping your toes in the Pacific Ocean. However, if you have a limited time on your visit and can only visit one beach, you may have a difficult time choosing. Which Southern California beach should top your list? Well, it depends on what you're looking for:

Surfing:

Huntington Beach: With over 50 surfing competitions held each year in Huntington Beach, plus a Surfing Walk of Fame, Surfers' Hall of Fame and International Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, or "Surf City" as some call it, is the place you'll want to visit to surf and watch surfers in action. Forget your surfboard or boogie board? No problem, you can also rent one in Huntington Beach. You'll want to visit the pier at Huntington City Beach where you can watch the surfers as well as take in the views, which include Catalina Island, 22 miles away (check out the pay scopes for closer views).

Another reason to go to Huntington Beach is that all three of their beaches (Huntington City Beach, Huntington State Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach) have concrete fire rings which allow you to have nightly bonfires and cookouts.

Swami's Beach: Located in Encinitas below Seacliff Roadside Park, Swami's Beach is also a great place to watch the surfers, as it is considered one of the best surfing spots along the San Diego County coastline.

Sitting in the Sand Relaxing:

Zuma/Point Dume: Of course, you can sit in the sand and relax at all the beaches in Southern California, but Point Dume and Zuma beaches, approximately 19 miles west of Malibu on Pacific Coast Highway, are the beaches to go to escape the crowded Los Angeles beaches. 

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.

Visit West Palm Beach Florida

Just across the Lake Worth Lagoon from Palm Beach sits the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, a 55 square mile city with a population in excess of 82,000 situated on the Intercoastal Waterway.

Staying in West Palm Beach puts you right in the middle of things but costs less than staying in Palm Beach. You are right next door to Palm Beach with it's luxurious resorts and beaches, minutes from Boca Raton and just over a one and one half hour drive north of Miami Beach.

Stay at the West Palm Beach Marriott, 1001 Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401, (561) 833-1234, or the Crowne Plaza West Palm Beach Hotel, 1601 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406, (561) 689-6400 (Note: At this time the Crown Plaza is closed due to damage from Hurricane Frances, but will be reopening soon.), or the Courtyard By Marriott West Palm Beach, 600 Northpoint Parkway, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407, (561) 640-9000, or the Hilton Palm Beach Airport (A 100% non smoking hotel.), 150 Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida, 33406, (561) 684-9400, or the Radisson Hotel Palm Beach Airport, 1808 S. Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33409, (561) 689-6888. There are also a large number of even less expensive hotels in and around the city.