dears, the ol' man and i had wanted to do something extravagant for our 30th, which is this summer. and we shall, although not the greece or ireland that we had in mind (we'll get there, but the finances are a little tight this year and we'd rather wait than skinflint it.)
so it's a domestic trip, but it's still our 30th and we want a good 'un. and it's been a few years since i marinated my aging bones in Mother Ocean. i want me some beach.
i'm pretty spoiled, having grown up in bermuda with the best beaches in the world, but home is too expensive this year. we've done the local (MD, DE, NJ) ones to death.
so we're thinking either the carolinas or the florida keys.
for those of you who've been to these beaches, what do you see as the pros and cons?
we're looking for quiet, don't need night life or entertainment. just bags of sea and sky and as few humans as possible.
:) khairete
S.
omg, you guys are the BEST!!!
JB, your lyrical description is making my mouth water. sanibel is on the top of my list at the moment. and in an interesting coinkydink, that was big daddy's baby name for me, which adds a note of sweetness.
i'd love to experience the wild wonderful west coast beaches, but for this trip i really, really want to waterlog myself. once i get into a warm ocean i can stay there for hours, and i've been missing it a lot lately.
i don't want to cruise. might somewhere one of these days, but when i'm bermuda-bound i want to be there, not spend precious vacation days getting there.
i'm printing all these out to show my DH. we'll start checking out tripadvisor soon and narrow it down, and i'll for sure post when we've decided.
thank you all SOOOO much!
:) khairete
S.
The beach that has my heart is my hometown of St. Augustine, FL. Not only will you get the beach, but you'll feel like you're in Spain. It's the nation's oldest city and I love it!
We love love love the outer banks. Been to several areas there. Nags head is bigger and can be crowded, but if you go out to cape hattaras (my favorite) or a smaller one like Avon it's just you and the sand and other peeps who want quiet time too. A small general store to pick up essentials. Ferry to Ocrecoke. Rent a cottage on the beach in rodanthe maybe. Kitty hawk is nice too, the dunes and wright brothers museum are fun walks. The salty smell of the ocean is awesome.
We used to go for a week or two at a time. Moved to WA recently and we will definitely miss the Obx.
Sounds delightful!
Love beach vacations! I grew up in FL and we vacation on Sanibel Island (we stay at Casa Ybel Resort) every year. Gorgeous beaches and very laid back (perfect for the sea and sky you're hoping for)! Certain parts of the keys nice. Key West is not known for beaches--but there are lots of other things to do!
We went to Dauphin Island, Alabama last summer and it was gorgeous and EMPTY! We were so isolated that we were able to put a canopy out on the beach and felt comfortable leaving it out all week with our chairs and beach supplies out all week without worry. No one touched a thing. We could walk for miles without having to move out of anyone's way. There were other people there, but there weren't many. They have the white, sugary sand beaches of Destin and the clear blue water, but none of the crowds. We loved it!
Happy Anniversary!
I think Maine might be your style.
Congrats on your anniversary!! We love the Outer Banks but it can be crowded...the one road gets backed up. The beaches are not crowded though. My stepsister loves Watercolor, Florida. I bet there are so many nice quiet beach towns in Florida...you got some great answers below. I have to add this..my friend is talking today about how awesome Sanibel Island, FL is. Now I really want to go. Just an idea for you.
I've had three great beach vacations in Florida - a couple of years ago, we spent 4 days in Sanibel/Captiva and I never wanted to leave. We went in August, which is the off-season, so we spent next to nothing on lodging and got great deals on outings. We stayed at a great, inexpensive little resort called the 'Tween Waters - if you went out the front of the property, you were swimming in the Gulf an out the back was a bay with manatees. They also had a couple of nice pools onsite. It was hot, and the ocean water was actually hotter than the air temp on our first day there so the pools were refreshingly cool. I spent every night on my enclosed balcony looking over the bay, reading a book and sipping wine while the nighttime thunder storms rolled through. My kids and their dad went shark fishing, we hired a boat to take us on a tour of the bay and got dropped off on an island, spent a day on jet skis and the like, etc. It was so relaxing and fun!
Another great spot in Florida, sort of in the same area, is Lovers' Key - it's either a state or national park with the most amazing beach - white sand, warm blue water...just amazing.
The other great vacation was to the Miami area without kids. I found South Beach really crowded in terms of the beach itself, but there was lots to do in the area. We took a day trip down to one of the Keys (not Key West...maybe Key Largo?) and chartered a sail boat for a day. The captain took us all around, into the everglades where we were able to hop in a raft and go paddling through the mangroves, cooked us lunch, and we spent almost 7 blissful hours just relaxing and enjoying the sun, water, beautiful scenery, good conversation, took a nap, etc. Key West is beautiful but very crowded.
Marco Island in FL, it's gulf side so the water is great
Personally, I do not like Myrtle Beach. We have been twice but I don't know why. One of the dirtiest beaches I've been to and crowded. Lots of garbage and cigarette butts. We spent very little time on the beach. Neither place we stayed was very nice. Lots of junky tourist things.
My cousins have been to Sanibel Island and love it. It's on my list. When my brother lived in Florida they loved St. Augustine.
Ha! I was going to suggest Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda :). I lived there for 3 years and can't wait to get back. We lived right on Annie's Bay, across from Clearwater and at the base of the runway.
We LOVE Myrtle Beach and OBX. Myrtle Beach is more commercialized, so there is more touristy stuff to do. OBX is a much more relaxing vacation. We also really enjoy VA Beach, and go there over OC. I actually live in Southern Maryland and have never been to OC...because I like VA Beach that much and it's the same distance. But we vacation in OBX every other year-ish and Myrtle beach we did in 2012 and 2014.
But if you want quiet...I recommend OBX, try going out to Corolla, or even Hilton Head. I haven't been there but hear it's also very relaxing.
Added: YES to the wild horses in OBX. You can go on a W.H.A.T. (Wild Horse Adventure Tour) and you will see tons - plus it's a crazy cool experience.
Happy Anniversary!
3 years ago went to Hilton Head Island (with the kids).
Cons- food a bit pricey, some places hard to find ( they don't have bright lights because of sea turtles), not too many seashells
Pros- quiet beach, clean beach, beach is shallow for awhile, enough of a nightlife to be social but low key enough to relax, everyone rides bikes, cool restaurants, "homey" shops, warm beach water
We enjoyed it.
Congrats again and have fun planning!
My vacation this past fall was North Redington Beach, which is on the gulf coast of Florida. We loved it! Much much quieter than MD/DE/NJ. We stayed at a Doubletree property right on the beach. There was a sandbar just out a bit in the water, and lots of fish swimming around us, the pelicans were fishing, etc.
I love the Keys, but they are not good beaches. They are fun, and there is good snorkeling and diving. But you don't go there for the beach.
I also like Myrtle beach, but it is crowded and touristy, especially in the summer.
In comparing the gulf vs the Atlantic, the Gulf water is cleaner and warmer than the Atlantic. Based on your description of what you want, I'd lean towards a Gulf coast beach.
for sc i so recommend hilton head or murrel's inlet (fantastic places). for florida i will recommend jupiter, fl (plam beach gardens, north plam beach, west plam beach areas) (where my hubs and kids were born/heaven on earth). we have been to marco island and for me it was just okay.
another one that i like is key west.
but if you ever can manage, do go to greece. the only major expense for us are the darn plane tickets. otherwise, everything else there is so cheap, and so good. and nothing beats vacationing on the adriatic or ionian sea.
Well I say Florida, but I live here and that's probably why. :-)
I hear on the radio the other day that Clearwater was rated the best beach in Florida, not sure if it was locals that voted on that but most of the beaches here are lovely and the weather is nice 95% of the time.
My favorite beach to visit was St. Augustine, but I love all the history there (it does get cooler there in the winter months).
Been to both and hands downs I
LOVE the keys. If you want a beautiful place, look on Marathon. It's half way between key largo and key west. It has a wonderful turtle rescue hospital. If you're feeling adventurous you can go down to key west and watch the sunset at Mallory square. I have been several times and have lots of good info if you want to pm me once you've decided where you're going. If you're wanting a lot of waves, it's not a good fit. Waters have always been calm. Cons - 35 mph traveling through the keys and huge fines if you hit a key deer.
My next favorite beach is Virginia beach. You would love their Boardwalk and they have a huge sculpture of Neptune. Lots of waves and neat things to do.
I don't care for myrtle beach at all. Too commercialized.
I like the Outerbanks. It's a beautiful place. Lots of neat places around there.
Have fun planning.
Our neighbors went to Jekyll Island last year and they were very happy there.
It's an island in Georgia, the beaches are beautiful, and not too crowded.
Naples, FL and Marco Island are both amazing along with Sanibel. And in Summer, you'll have the whole place to yourselves and get way more bang for your buck!
Enjoy wherever you go!
I've never been, but the outer banks in nc sounds just like what you are describing, according to friends and family. And they have wild horses!!
Went to key west many yrs ago. Loved it, but beaches were not so great. Happy anniversary!!
ETA: I also agree with Marco Island. We stayed at the Hilton resort and it was wonderful!
original: My daughter and I are going back to Miami for Spring Break.
We love North Miami beach. It's a cab ride to the shopping at Lincoln Rd and the South Beach strip. South Beach can be fun and good food but it's too crowded. The difference between South Beach and North Beach is pretty drastic.
We stay at the Hilton Cabana resort and the beach is not crowded, quiet and beautiful. There's not much around as far as restaurants, shopping etc but we just want to chill out so it's perfect for us. We were there last year and loved it.
We are aware that we are a cab ride from other restaurants, etc. There's a 7-11 in walking distance and we stock up on snacks, fruit and water there.
Happy Anniversary!!
Are you travelling in summer? I would suggest Marco Island - the Marriott resort is great there! Also, Lover's Key is awesome if you can afford it. Sanibel is awesome and off season. I like Sanibel more than Captiva. St. Augustine is also beautiful but more crowded. The Carolinas will be high season and crowded, the Florida beaches will be low season and empty. I think FL is more your speed based on the above. Happy Anniversary!!
Friends of ours went to Sanibel Island over Christmas. Beautiful beaches and very relaxing. They wanted low key and nothing too touristy. Loved it. The pictures I saw were lovely.
It's been years since I've been to either, but I remember Sanibel was beautiful (as mentioned by several below) and Kiawah Island in South Carolina.
The Hamptons in September, after all the summer madness, is a best-kept secret, but might be too far past your target dates.
Happy 30th Anniversary!!!❤️💕❤️
Are you looking for sandy, warm beaches, or are you open to dramatic coastlines that might be a bit chilly, but are gorgeous? I grew up on the east coast going to the beaches from Maryland to South Carolina and loving them. Then I moved west, and discovered the wild coasts of Oregon and Washington. You'll want a hoody rather than a swimsuit on some days, and the water is a bit cold for soaking (think kite flying, tidepool browsing, and picnics), but the Northwest coast in August is somewhere special. Plus, if you're in Oregon, you've got Portland, the Willamette valley (wine!) and the coast all within a few hours' drive. Add to that delicious seafood - Dungeness crab, geoduck clams, and wild salmon.
Or if the budget allows, do what my brother does. He lives on the Outer Banks, so he gets his fill of good beaches anyway. When he wants a beach vacation, he heads for the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The airfare costs, but once you get there, decent accommodations and food are cheap. His favorite part, aside from the lush tropical beauty of the place, is that he can surf both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts in one day.
I can also second the recommendation below for Dauphin Island on the Alabama coast. My best friend and I took 7 kids ages 3 to 15 camping there last summer, and we had an absolute blast. (It was an excellent adventure. I won't call it a vacation, though. Nothing involving 7 kids is a restful experience.)
If you do decide to head for the Carolinas, a word about the Outer Banks - the loveliest beaches there are places like Pea Island, which is in a wildlife refuge area south of the developed strip. The tourist strip will remind you of what you already know well - the mid-Atlantic beach strips. On the north end of the Outer Banks, up around Corolla, there are beaches past the end of the road that you can visit. There are also wild horses out there.
we booked a resort at myrtle beach.in late may. it was perfect! the main vacation season had not started yet so it was not busy, the beach was wonderful. andwe had everything we needed on site so we didn't have to leave (we did just for fun but that was for the kids.
Have you priced a cruise to Bermuda? It's not that much and they have ships going out of eastern ports all the time. I found one that was just a few hundred per person on Yahoo travel. If you go this way all your food is part of the deal and you get hotel too.
My husband lived in Bermuda in 5th and 6th grade while his father was stationed there. It's one of those places I price a cruise to so maybe some day we can go and he can show me where he rode his bike and did stuff when he was a kid.
