Pacific Beach - San Diego's best!

San Diego is a great city - it is like a diet Los Angles! Great weather, plenty of things to do, but the traffic is not crazy and the folks are a bit more relaxed. If you find yourself in San Diego and want to hit a great beach, then head on out to Pacific Beach!

There are many beaches to choose from in San Diego and many ocean spots to spend some time. I like Pacific Beach because it is not as touristy as some of the other areas: Mission Bay and Beach, the San Diego Harbor, Coronado. Pacific Beach is long stretch of sand running from Palisades Park on the north end, down to approximately W. Mission Bay drive, where it blends into Mission Beach.

My favorite stretch of Pacific Beach is the southern end, near Mission Beach - from Pacific Beach Drive down to Santa Barbara Place. This segment is away from the PB Pier and the tourist attractions, along with being in a residential area of beach cottages and mellow condos. Of course, this means parking is a definite challenge and on weekends many folks park up near the Pier and walk down the Ocean Front Walk to find a mellow place.

The sand is very soft and deep, with a nice light brown color. The vibe is mellow with all the homes and people just enjoying the beach. If you want to grab a work out, then there are plenty of beach volleyball courts and the Ocean Front Walk that runs for miles in each direction. If you want to be creative in your exercise, you can park in PB (as the locals call it) do some kayaking or roller blading at Mission Bay Park (which is just on the east side of the houses), then come relax after your workout on Pacific Beach.

When I have been at PB, I did not find too much opportunity to surf, but that could be because there was not a swell coming in. I don't know if it was the shape of the coast line, but most folks went up towards La Jolla to grab the waves. The water at PB was okay - nothing to write home about, but there was a fair a mount of kelp or sea weed out in the water. For families, it all depends on the swell that day - if there is no swell, then PB is a great because there will be enough shore line waves to keep the kids active, but nothing too scary. If there is a swell, then you will know because there will be lots of surfers out in the water and I would suggest you keep the kids in the white stuff (the wave foam near the beach).

What I liked most about PB, was just how relaxed and friendly people were. Asking a few strangers to play some beach volleyball was no problem and everyone was relaxed. When you would park and walk through the side streets, the residents were just hanging out on their patios, reading the paper and would give you a "hello". There is no traffic noise or beach bar music - just a mellow day at the beach.

Mid-week is the best time to find an emptier beach setting. The weekends can get busy and the Holiday weekends have the potential to become crazy with people. Unlike Los Angeles, which has beaches that almost run the entire coast line of the greater LA basin, San Diego's topography does not allow this. With the hills of La Jolla, the Mission Bay inlet, the San Diego Harbor and the Naval installations around Coronado, it does not have the sheer mileage of non-stop beaches as up north.

Like the Los Angles beaches, PB can get some early spring-summer morning fog, that sometimes will be stubborn and not burn off. You could be in Old Town San Diego putting on sun block, but the beach would still be gray. Usually the mid-summer to mid-fall is the time to catch the San Diego beaches and especially Pacific Beach. The temperatures on the San Diego beaches tend to be about 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the Los Angeles beaches, and this area usually stays away from some of the rainfall that blows into the LA basin in mid winter.

San Diego, because of its well established tourism options has no shortage of places to stay. Luckily, the city is rather quick to get around, so staying in a central location while hitting the San Diego Zoo, catching a ball game or beaching it, is not an all day investment. You can rent a beach place in Pacific or Mission Beach, stay in well to do La Jolla, there are plenty of high end hotels fronting the San Diego Harbor and inland from the beach, off of Interstate 8, the hotel options run for miles.

San Diego is famous for its zoo, proximity to Mexico and the harbor, but you should plan on getting down to Pacific Beach to spend a day - it is the best in San Diego!

Seabrook Island Beach - a Destination beach in South Carolina

With the exception of Myrtle Beach, the majority of the beaches in South Carolina are associated with the island they reside upon. The term 'island' can be a little misleading here, as these spots of land are not off in the distance, removed from the mainland. Rather, these are "low-country", the local term for this part of South Carolina, barrier islands - unless you have a good map, you really could not tell you were on an island.

Seabrook Island and the beach are one of these low-country islands. Seabrook is located about 30 minutes down from Charleston, South Carolina; you may have heard of Kiawah Island, which is the next island closer to Charleston. Seabrook is an affluent area that is a private gated community - to visit the beach you need to be on the pass list of one of the owners or be renting one of the vacation homes. The Seabrook Island development is very nice - the homes are very upscale, they have a golf course and equestrian center, there are various community pools and a beach club. These houses are not inexpensive rentals, as an Internet search on Seabrook Island vacation homes will certify.

Since the community is residential in nature, the majority of vacationers bring in groceries - there is a great shopping spot, just a bit up the road from the main entrance - Freshfields Village. The junction includes a wonderful high end grocery store, a couple of nice restaurants and some local clothing boutiques - it is very close, so making a quick snack run is no big deal.

The beach at Seabrook Island is what I would call a nature beach - here the focus is not really on the beach, because it is really not a great beach. The sand is a dark gray, extremely fine (very hard to get off your skin) and compacted. The water, maybe in part due to the sand color, is not a nice blue or green, but dark. The Atlantic at this spot, tends to be flat and mostly just a swimming beach - body surfing can be limited. To get to the beach, from the parking areas and beach club, you have to walk on a wood boardwalk that takes you over the coastal plain swamps - Beware - the mosquitoes are everywhere.

The one thing that this beach does have is wildlife - we saw deer on the boardwalk and in the grassy areas around the property, the sea shore was experiencing a turtle hatch because of the time of year and the full moon, there were hawks and bald eagles over head. Out in the ocean, we saw some small sharks, again due to the time of the season. But the most amazing thing was watching the dolphin herd a group of mullet into a shallow cove next to the beach to feed - the dolphin were within 10 feet and in such shallow water they actually were more out of the water than in, during 'lunch' time - an amazing experience.

All and all, I would call Seabrook Island Beach a destination spot - it is a very nice development, 30 minutes from the history and shopping of Charleston, top flight golf course and equestrian center, a long, flat beach to walk upon and the opportunity to see Mother Nature at play. As for a beach, you can do better!

Leblon Beach - The other Rio beach.

I don't know if you could pick a giant city more identified with the beach than Rio de Janeiro - between bikinis, Carnival and supermodels; it seems that Rio is constantly being shown with the beach and someone tan and having fun.

When you hear about beaches in Rio de Janeiro, the two most mentioned are Copacabana and Ipanema. These are both nice spots, but Leblon Beach is my pick for the beach to relax upon while in Rio. Going from east to west on the main stretch of beach in Rio, Leblon beach is a the western end of the three.

Compared to Ipanema and Copacabana, Leblon is a bit more narrow, has a couple of nice surfing spots, is not crowded, away from the mass of roving beach vendors and fronts a residential neighborhood so it generally seems quieter.

The sand on the beach has a nice texture and is a khaki color - the beach is clean and there are plenty of opportunities to break a sweat with beach volleyball and beach soccer courts set up. One thing, if you want to use the beach shower, make sure you find out who 'owns' it and pay them a dollar - seriously, the showers are not public in the U.S. way and somebody will turn on the water so the shower will work, but only after you pay them! Also, at about 50 yard intervals on the cement boardwalk that fronts the beach, there are kiosks that have everything from water, to beer, to coconuts (seriously) to sandwiches.

Leblon is not the young, hip, touristy beach in Rio. Rather it tends to be geared towards locals, families or visitors who just want to hang out on the beach. You still can get anything you want while also grabbing sun or people watching because of the walking beach vendors, but it does not have the steady stream of them like further east.

The water is clean, similar to ocean at Los Angeles - a blue grey color. It can be crisp, much more chilled than I was anticipating. I have been to Leblon in both winter and summer, with the winter water being much colder. Do be aware of the current when the surf is up a bit - even though the waves are further out, the rip current can be strong - I would not be too comfortable with younger kids in the water.

Having visited during both seasons, the summer months tend to be more humid and rainy - of course the winter is not as hot, but not as much as I was expecting. All and all, the year round weather makes going to the beach possible, with each season a pleasant experience. Rest assured, if it is sunny, you will be warm and you will get good tan.

The touristy things in Rio are all very condensed - the other beaches, Sugarloaf, the Cristo statue - while everything is close, the traffic can be brutal because the physical layout of Rio is in and among mountains - tough to jam 8 million people into a small place!

Even though Leblon is a residential area, there are a few hotels in the neighborhood and many, many more as you make your way east through Ipanema and into Copacabana. I stay at the Promenade Palladium Hotel, which is just a few blocks inland from the beach. It has simple, clean rooms, a nice pool/sun/outdoor shower area, it is not too big and the staff all speaks English. I have heard that on the east side of Ipanema, there are also some small, good hotels.

A negative about Leblon Beach, and for that matter Ipanema and Copacabana, is the muli-lane road (basically a freeway) that runs along those beaches and is a thoroughfare to the big cities that border Rio's east side. They turn the lanes to head into Rio in the morning and out of Rio in the afternoon - it is not quiet and with all the cars, you can smell the exhuast.

Rio de Janeiro is known as the most expensive city in Brazil - especially along the beaches; they are not shy about making money from the tourists (I hear more German/French, than English spoken when I am there). With the current exchange rate being so poor for the Dollar - Rio is even more expensive - so much so, I would not take a pure vacation there because of the costs associated with the exchange rate.

If you are down south on business and want to spend a mellow day on the beach, then Leblon Beach is the place to go!

Black Rock Ka'anapali Beach - A great spot!

Ka'anapali Beach on the Island of Maui is a very popular and many times, crowded stretch of sand. Just up the coast from Lahina, Ka'anapali Beach is easily the new Waikiki Beach of Hawaii. The hotels sit right on the sand and run for miles up the beach line - any simple Internet search on Maui hotels will bring up numerous choices, along with time shares, private owner vacation rentals - the choices range from ultra lux to cheap digs.

The views off shore are incredible - the water quickly gets to a deep blue, as the depth of the water drops fast and in the distance the Island of Lanai is just beautiful. Inland from Ka'anapali Beach, the pineapple fields run up to the mountains in a quilt pattern of various hues of green. By and large this is a safe destination for families or those not looking for a high energy Hawaiian vacation - there are plenty of pools, choices of hotels, restaurant, golfing, spas, etc.

The good and the bad of Ka'anapali Beach is the sand. The texture is wonderful and it is a pleasant color, but there is not much of it. At times the beach can seem downright narrow, especially with all the tourists during the peak travel times. Since the beach runs a long ways up the coast, you would think you could find a nice place to hang out, but there is so much hotel, restaurant and shopping development, that a lonely spot is tough to come by.

The one spot that we were able to find was at Black Rock, which is the lava outcropping at the northern end of the beach. Sheraton has a huge, sprawling complex right at the sand, but it is the last of the hotels on Ka'anapali Beach and a bit of a walk for many of the tourists to get up to this location. At this position, the beach is just a bit wider and can accommodate more folks.

The beauty of Black Rock is what the lava creates - safe waves and a mini aquarium. Since the lava juts out into the Pacific with a bit of a hook to it, it creates a natural shelter from the surf and any currents. When I first went into the water, with a local buddy, we were just 'whomping' in the smaller shore pound waves - these sets had some strength to them, but nothing compared to the pounding 100 yards south on the shore. The blocked swells were just right to body surf up to the sand and then slide right back with the returning water!

When we got our fill of the waves, we grabbed a couple of masks and swam out about 10 yards past the shore break - I was at first curious about what we were going to see, because I thought the wave action and force of the water would push everything out - but was I wrong. When we got under the water, the amount of fish and undersea activity was amazing - probably magnified because I was not expecting not much. There were fish everywhere, of every size and color imaginable! The natural shape of the lava had created a perfect shelter for all the fish to call this spot home and were to be seen from the wave line, all the way up to the lava at the ocean - Just amazing.

If you are avoiding the touristy stuff, which we tend to do, then Ka'anapali Beach on Maui should not be one of your destinations. But, if you do like your vacation to be a destination with no surprises and want to see something other than tourists on the beach, head north to the big Black Rock at the north end of Ka'anapali Beach!

Flamenco Beach - The Carribean mid-week paradise!

Flamenco Beach is located on Culebra Island, which is about 10 miles east of the east coast of Puerto Rico. I believe that Culebra and Vieques Islands are called the Spanish Virgin Islands (since the US and British Virgin Islands are in the same neighborhood).

First things first - how to get to Flamenco Beach: You can take a ferry or fly out of Fajardo, Puerto Rico (about 30 miles east of San Juan). When we went over to Culebra we took a puddle jumper plane flight - wooden bench seats (with seat belts!), a dog, and the pilot walked out of the airport bar into the plane! The flight only took about 15 minutes and featured a dive bomber approach to the Culebra runway. Once we landed on Culebra Island, in the City of Culebra, we took one of many taxis that show up at the airport to greet arriving planes.

From the airport it is just a 10 minute drive over a couple of low hills to an unreal beach! By the way, on the way back, the plane was full, so we took the ferry back to Fajardo. This was a fraction of the price, but took 2 hours to get back - but, you are looking at the Caribbean the whole time, so it is not unpleasant!

Flamenco Beach is simply put VERY NICE! The sand is almost pure white and incredibly soft. The beach is very wide and very flat - finding a good spot is as easy as sitting down. The water clarity is just silly - you can walk out to your neck, look down and see your toes perfectly clear!

We were there in the summer, so there was not any north side swells out in the Atlantic - because of this and the shape of the bay, the water was glass. In the winter, much like Hawaii, the north facing beaches can get some action. Being out in the water was like being in a huge, perfect, sand-bottomed swimming pool - just crazy!

There are only two options at Flamenco Beach to spend the night - one is the Flamenco Beach Villas (Google search) at east end of the beach and a public campground at the west end of the beach. We stayed at the Villas, which were very basic, but worked. Initially, we had some issues because we got booked into the main building or lodge in a first floor room, which was really a basement room - very poor. After some Spanglish by me and another manager who knew a touch of English, we got relocated to one of the bungalows (Villas is a bit generous).

If you are staying at Flamenco Beach, make sure to bring your food and water, because the little beach bar/snack shack at the Villas has unpredictable hours. Most of the local tourists, bring over their supplies, but you can stop in Culebra to stock up.

On this side of Culebra Island, the only thing to do is the beach - it is an early to bed and early to rise type of arrangement. Very family oriented and mellow - not party central.

The reason it is mid-week paradise, is because of the proximity to Puerto Rico; all the San Juaneros jump over on the weekend. Flamenco Beach and Culebra Island get very full on the weekend with all the city folks from Puerto Rico getting away to the beaches. During our stay at Flemenco, we only had 10 other people on the entire stretch of beach and when we did a little impromptu hiking, we did not see anyone else.

On the way out of Culebra Island, because the flights were full, we took the ferry. The ride was mellow and inexpensive, but we left 45 minutes late. It was a Friday afternoon when we departed, and the incoming ferry was PACKED with tourists - they were unloading pets, coolers, fishing poles, beach volleyball equipment, just everything - even with using two exit ramps, it took over an hour to empty the ferry! When we departed, it was only us and about 5 other people.

If you want to make a quick escape from Puerto Rico and the crowded cities, especially on the east side of Puerto Rico, then Flamenco Beach is the mid-week ticket. For simple paradise on the beach, you can't beat it!

Waimanalo Beach - My #1 Beach!

Picking a favorite beach is a cool thing - it is like picking a favorite luxury automobile, it is hard to make a bad choice. My Rolls Royce of beaches is Waimanalo Beach in Hawaii.

Waimanalo Beach is located on the eastern side of Oahu and it is easily missed because of the other fine beaches and tourist attractions on the island. Specifically, Waimanalo Beach is just south of Bellows Air Force Station (which I really don't think is in use, because I never see planes coming or going) starting at Waimanalo Bay State Recreation Area and going down to the Waimanalo Beach Park - at this point the Kalanianole Highway (try to say that one fast) starts running right on the Pacific Ocean. From a broad perspective, Waimanalo Beach is between the Kailua/Lanikai area and the southeastern point of Oahu.

Don't worry if you have never heard of Waimanalo Beach - we only found it by accident; we got a bit lost and being in Hawaii, we found a beach to re-group at!

Like almost all Oahu beaches, Waimanalo has a beach park which contains a picnic gazebo, kids play area on grass, restrooms and outdoor showers - the Kailua and Waikiki beach parks are a bit neater, but the Waimanalo one gets the job done.

In terms of the beach and water, the sand at Waimanalo is very deep and a nice golden color - it is a larger grain of sand, so it brushes and rinses off easily. Since this is a rather unpopulated area, the palm trees come right up to the sand and create many shady spots to escape the sun. Waimanalo Beach itself is not overly wide and tends to be steeper than Kailua or Lanikai - from this perspective it is what I picture as a tropical beach in my mind.

The water is an amazing color and probably one of the reasons this beach is my favorite; somehow the water is a silvery-sky blue tone that I have not seen anywhere else.

The off-shore reefs in Waimanlo Bay are not as significant as at Kailua Bay, so the waves tend to be a bit larger than Kailua or other east Oahu beaches. This is nice on minimal swell days, as there will be enough size to the waves to at least get some fun body surfing in - on the larger days, if you are not an experienced body or Boogie board surfer you may want to stay out the water at times. Since it is a sandy bottom, if you get rolled, you should just come up covered with golden sand, not cuts or bruises.

I have yet to see Waimanalo Beach crowded, even on weekends during the Holidays. If you want to get away from anyone, literally anyone, just walk a hundred yards away from the beach park and you will be alone! This is the place to go for beach solitude in Hawaii - another reason for my #1 ranking.

This part of Oahu is not very populated and in fact, can be a bit rough - it is not as polished as Kailua or Hawaii Kai. This is a Locals area - local Hawaiian folks who have not bought into the whole tourism trade and if you grew up in Waimanalo, you would be one tough dude! There are no hotels and very limited vacation rentals in the small grouping of houses that is Waimanalo Beach. If you want something to eat, you need to drive north a few miles to Waimanalo where there is a L and L's Drive In (Local food which is AWESOME) and couple of fast food places and small grocery stores - this is definitely not Waikiki! Again, another reason that this is my #1 Beach - it is old school Hawaii.

Make sure that you plan on arriving early to Waimanalo Beach, because the Koolau Mountains on the Oahu east side seem so close you can touch them, which makes for an early shadow coming across the beach. In a sense this is nice, because the late mornings can be very hot, but since the afternoon shade comes quickly, you can enjoy the waves without getting a nasty sunburn!

Even though Waimanalo Beach is mainly a drive to beach, the water is unreal, there are good waves to enjoy, the beach is amazing and it is uncrowded - what else could you want in a beach?

Hermosa Beach - The Best Beach in Los Angeles

Hermosa Beach is the best beach in the greater L.A. area. There are so many good beaches up and down the southern California coast line, but with regards to the general Los Angeles County region, Hermosa is numero uno.

Hermosa Beach surrounds the Hermosa Beach Pier, running from 27th street down to the marina at 1st street in the City of Hermosa Beach. In general, the beach is long and wide, with plenty of room for anyone and everyone. If you want to play beach volleyball, there are many courts up and down the beach to choose from. Surfers and Boogie boarders can pick any spot they want, with room to spare. Family picnics, quiet suntanning, watching the waves - whatever you want to do at the beach is there.

I feel that the sand of Hermosa Beach is the softest and most beautiful in all of southern California. It is a light golden color, brushes off easily and never gets too hot. Because LA County does a great job of beach maintenance, the beach is always clean - it is rare you see any trash.

The water is relatively clear; after all, we are talking about a beach located at one of the biggest cities in the world. The waves are fun and long rolling, so it is a nice spot to do some body surfing. The water temperature can be a bit crisp, especially in the spring, but by mid-summer it is refreshing.

A couple of nice things about Hermosa Beach that sets it apart from other LA County Beaches: 1) There are numerous meter parking spots to choose from, 2) Varied restaurant options are right at the edge of the beach, 3) Even though you have businesses near the sand, it is still a residential area so it is quiet, 4) Unlike some of the coastline, the Hermosa Beach area is relatively flat going into the land, so it is easy to get around by bike, car or foot.

Let's not forget the Strand - for those of you that have been to Los Angeles and not hit a South Bay beach (as opposed to the beaches in Santa Monica or the Westside of LA), the Strand is a very wide sidewalk (and sometime two side walks) that run from the Redondo Marina all the way up to Marina Del Rey. This makes for some excellent bicycling, rollerblading, jogging or walking. It is great to just cruise along, take a break to watch some surfing or beach volleyball and then jump right back on!

Even though Los Angeles is famous for its wonderful weather and each Rose Bowl football game seems to show 85 degree temperatures in January, the winter and spring weather at the beaches can get chilly. The marine fog, that burns off in the mornings for the summer, will easily hang on all day during the non-summer months. You can be driving down the 405 freeway and it is 75 degrees, but when you come over the hill going to the beach, you will hit the beach fog and it is only 60 degrees!

If you are planning a family vacation to Los Angeles and want to make it a beach trip, try to go from July to October - this will keep you away from the beach fog and the rain (yes it does rain in LA!).

I am always amazed by just how uncrowded the Los Angeles beaches are, even on weekends. Hermosa Beach is simply a wonderful beach. If I was in Los Angeles for a business trip or family vacation, I would definitely pick Hermosa as my beach destination.

Santa Barbara's East Beach - Good Sand, Bad Water

East Beach of Santa Barbara is a well known spot of sand in Southern California. It is located at the southern end of the Santa Barbara coastline, just before you get into Montecito.

East Beach is known for its sand and the number of volleyball courts that line the beach. The sand is soft and deep, with a nice texture. There are no shells, but you do have some wood debris from the nearby trees - nothing dangerous, but just a bit annoying. With its golden color, the sand can get a bit toasty on hot summer days.

With the 15 or so volleyball courts, East Beach is a center of the beach volleyball world. A number of current AVP Pro Beach players practice here and the amateur tournaments that are held here during the summer weekends attract large numbers. During the weekday afternoons, you can find many of the UCSB college athletes playing games.

The edge of the beach has a number of trees upon a grassy area and picnic benches. This allows East Beach to really be perfect for families. On weekends the beach can get a little full with picnics and families just having fun. There is plenty of room outside the courts to toss a Frisbee and run around.

Three things that a new visitor needs to know about - Parking, the ocean and weather. During the week, parking is no problem, but the weekends can be another matter. The street that fronts the beach has parking on one side and many times you can park right there, along with a paid parking lot just up from the beach that is a 1 minute walk. But, on weekends, you have to get lucky to find anything close, because many of the area parking spots are taken up with people going to the local parks and Santa Barbara Zoo.

The ocean at East Beach is probably its worst feature. The sand is a dark gray color from the dredging that goes on in the bay (to keep it deep enough for boats). The water is cold, and I mean cold enough to take your breath away when you get in. Because of the way the bay is shaped, there are virtually no waves to play in, but it does make for a good kayak spot. Finally, because of the numerous off-shore and local coastal oil drilling operations, you will have many instances of tar/oil on your feet and clothes at the shoreline - not good.

Weather wise, Santa Barbara is much colder than one would expect. With its proximity to Los Angeles there is the belief the weather is similar, when in fact, it is noticeably cloudier and colder. Since Santa Barbara is on the water and surrounded by mountains, combined with the geographic layout of the coastline (great for vineyards!), you will get many, many overcast and cool days with beach fog. Unfortunately, this weather is not confined to winter/spring, but often occurs into June and July. If you are scheduling a trip, I would look at August and September as your best weather months.

East Beach has a number of hotel options along East Cabrillo Boulevard, the street that fronts East Beach. These places run from name brand to local flavor and a simple Internet search will list them for you. What is nice about the hotels along E. Cabrillo is the location - they are near to East Beach, across from the Santa Barbara Pier with great restaurants, on the weekends the beach side of E. Cabrillo is filled with local art work for sale and in 5 minutes you can be on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

I will caution you, Santa Barbara is not a cheap place to visit. The hotels are expensive, private vacation rentals are expensive, the gas is outrageous and the food is spendy. Santa Barbara and East Beach, with its location on the Pacific Ocean, the view of the Channel Islands and backdrop of the mountains is absolutely beautiful - this is why Ty Warner (who has bought about half of Montecito) and Oprah call it home. Just make sure you bring your wallet!

Floridana Beach - South Melbourne Beach, Florida

When I first visited this beach, it seemed okay, but after time it really grew on me. Floridana Beach is at the southern end of the long stretch of sand mapped as all Melbourne Beach - From the Melbourne Causeway (Hwy 192) going south to the Sebastian Inlet bridge, a run of about 20 miles of beach.

My initial impression of the beach was underwhelming - there is limited foliage and hardly any trees, an unusual mix of housing types and quality that come right up to the sand, the water tends to be a grayish color and since it is an Atlantic Beach there is a fair amount of debris and trash.

Yet, after spending a number of weeks at Floridana Beach, along with seeing the shoreline up to the Melbourne Causeway, I really began to enjoy my experience.

The sand is very soft and a silvery color. There is an abundance of shells, that can run down the beach in long parallel lines as a result of the tide leaving - but just when you think there are too many shells stacking up on the beach, a big swell will come in and wipe the beach clean. The water is pleasantly warm and it is a soft sand bottom (once you get past the first few feet of the shore, where shells sometime pile up).

Two things that I found to be very interesting; One, the beach and water change daily - it is rare that the beach and water look the same for two days in a row; it always has variations in shells, softness of the sand, color of the water, etc. Secondly, the abundance of wildlife in and about the shore.

Of course there are the usual sand crabs and seagulls, but I was not expecting to see flamingos cruising over head, enormous pelicans diving for fish while scooting within inches of the water, manatees moving along the shore, sport fish (tuna, mackerel, jacks) feeding on the bait fish near the waters edge, dolphins playing in the waves - it was always cool to see something each day.

With the beach being an Atlantic Beach, the water can be a bit unpredictable. I don't know how comfortable I would be with young kids in the water by themselves. On days when the wind is down and there is no swell, it is very safe, but on days with waves and winds, you should be careful as there are no lifeguards on the Floridana Beach. Of course, the beach is perfect for all kids, as there is plenty of room to run, explore for great shells, see the sand crabs and watch the birds!

Since Floridana Beach is at the southern end of Melbourne Beach, it is away from any and all hotels, thus away from people. There were many days, when we could only see one other person on the beach and they were so far away you could only see a body. Even on the Memorial Day Holiday, we could only see 20 people the length of the shore in each direction!!!

If you want to stay this far south in Melbourne Beach, then you need to rent one of the hundreds of private vacation rentals available on the beach or on the bay (just across Hwy A1A, on the Indian River) - just use the Internet and search south Melbourne Beach or use of the rental agencies that will be listed in the search. The selection is huge and the rents are very reasonable, because there are a ton of houses for sale - after the last hurricane went through, so many folks bailed out of the area, that they are just trying to sell their houses or pay the mortgage by renting them out!

For hotels, you need to look up near Hwy 192 and north of the Melbourne Beach Causeway. Here you can find all the chain hotels, but you will also find all the tourist stuff - bikini shops, souvenir stores, fast food restaurants - basically the tacky Florida stuff you can find just about anywhere.

Now, if you are staying up near Melbourne Beach proper and want to get away from some of the crowds, just start driving south. The county has done a fantastic job of providing numerous small beach parks, with showers, covered picnic areas and ample parking about every three miles all the way down to the Sebastian Inlet Park. Also, on a rainy day, go visit the Melbourne Beach Library, which is brand new and located about 3 miles south of the Causeway. It has free Internet access, is very open and has a nice children's section!

If you can stay in Floridana Beach, there is a new Publix supermarket just 10 minutes away and 2 golf courses that are great. Since it is such a residential area, there are limited restaurant options. The best bet is just to buy up some groceries and hang out at the beach.

All and all, I was pleasantly surprised with Floridana Beach/south Melbourne Beach - it was nice sand, an ever changing sea shore and it is tucked nicely between some of the tacky Daytona Beach influences and the snobby Palm Beach scene.

Kailua Beach, Hawaii (Oahu) - Could be Perfect.

Kailua Beach is located on the Eastern side of the Island of Oahu and I have been lucky enough to have spent many, many days on its beautiful sand. It is away from the tourist craziness of Waikiki, it does not have the surf culture of the North Shore and it is very green with the back drop of the Koolau Mountains. From Waikiki/Honolulu, depending on traffic, you can jump over on the Pali Highway or LikeLike Highway and be sitting on an uncrowded Kailua Beach in 30 minutes.

Kailua town has grown a bit more touristy in recent years, with trendy shops and eateries encroaching upon the local vibe, but you can still get anything you need without having to venture into Honolulu. Honestly, it is probably the all around perfect beach for anyone and everyone.

Since Kailua Beach is an east facing beach, the sun comes up early and ducks behind the Koolau Mountains early - this means that if you want maximum 'sunage', you should get there earlier than you think; by 3 p.m. the beach is in shadows.

Let's start with the basics - the sand is soft and clean, and a near white color. The beach itself is not too wide, but wide enough to find a good spot to set up your stuff and still have some room to play. The shape of the beach is a long, easy crescent that starts approximately at the Kailua Beach Park and runs around the bay (it is technically a bay) to the rocky rise that leads up to Kaneohe Marine Corp Base - don't worry, all the military stuff is the beyond the hill that is miles away.

The waves are minimal at best, never big enough for anyone to get up on a surfboard, but at the turn of the beach (mid point of the crescent shape of the beach), there is always some decent body-boogie board surfing waves on even the flattest day. On days where there is a swell coming in on the east shore of Oahu, the waves may be good enough to body surf on a number of spots along the beach. But, because of the big off-shore reefs, the real waves never make it into the beach - you can only see them crashing off in the distance.

Another aspect that I like about Kailua Beach, and almost all Hawaiian beaches, is that motorized water craft are not allowed - you don't have to deal with the noise and smell of those toxic Jet Skis or water-ski boats. The only thing you will see out on the water are small Hobie Cat sail boats, windsurfers and kite surfers. This has made for many peaceful days of sitting in the sun.

The water is warm, but not as warm as the southern beaches of Oahu, and very clear. There is no reef or rocks under your feet, but an occasional piece of coral. You can easily swim out 40 years and pick out the shells on the sea bottom. It is a GREAT place for families with young children, as it is extremely safe. On non-windy days, the water is as flat as a pool - great spot to get kids comfortable swimming in the ocean and floating on a boogie board.

The reason I noted in the title, that it 'Could be Perfect' depends on two situations - 1) The Wind - this is the windward side of Oahu and the Hawaiian Trade Winds (www.wikipedia.com) blow in from the Pacific in this direction. It is great if you are into windsurfing, but it can tend to chop up the water a bit and bring a fair amount of morning/evening rains to this side of the island. 2) The Jellyfish. A few days after each full moon, there is a jellyfish bloom, where the jellyfish will move into the bay and when a windy day corresponds with a bloom, there can be many of these stinging bubbles around. I say bubbles, because they actually look like a light blue bubble that you would blow with bubble gum. When you see these in the water and on the shore, don't worry about the bubble, that does not sting you, rather is is the tail or tentacle that can trail 3 feet beyond the body of the jellyfish that hurts. Just bring vinegar with you - it takes away the sting. Or better yet, go to the south or west side of Oahu - there won't be nearly as many.

As for accommodations - there are no hotels. This is one reason the beach is rarely crowded, even on weekends during the tourist seasons. If you want to stay in the area, and this is the area that we always stay in when we visit, just go to the Internet and search under Kailua Beach vacation rentals - you will have many, many options that are better than just about any hotel.

Since this is a residential area, there are limited places to park, even though State Law says ALL beaches are public. There is the larger Kailua Beach Park at the beginning of the beach, near to Lanikai Beach, and then Kalama Beach park at approximately the mid-point of the beach. All in all, parking is not a big deal and walking to a perfect spot is very easy.

If I could only visit one beach each year, I would probably pick Kailua Beach each time.