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When this hostel advertised how close to sandy South Beach they were, I must admit I was sceptical – but when I arrived I was soon corrected!
A mere block from the fun and sun of the beach resort, they are also ideally situated for the shops, restaurants and nightlife in the Art Deco district which attracts travelers from all over the world.
Dorm beds are surprisingly cheap considering all rooms have their own bathroom and staff are friendly and helpful.
There’s also a lot going on here…tours in the day, events at night and other travelers chilling out in the bar. So much so that you could enjoy Miami without even leaving the hostel.
www.jazzhostels.com
321 Collins Ave Miami Beach, FL 33139
+1 (305) 672-2137
Google map: bit.ly/17qjFvF
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/usa/miami/19690/
This restaurant specialising in fresh seafood offers a unique experience of dining in style, whilst practically sitting on a beach. The Seafood Platter consists of an impressive variety of locally caught delicacies, served attractively in stunning surroundings.
Beach Rd., Fish Hoek, Cape Town
Tel.+2721 7823354
www.fishhoekgalley.com
We stay in Polzeath every year, for the last three years we have been sea kayaking with Sam from Cornish Coast Adventures - amazing scenery, great local guides, always different and exciting!
Based at Port Quin, five minutes drive from Polzeath www.cornishcoastadventures.com
Cuncun is a fantastic place with beautiful sandy beaches and sky blue seas! I spent my honeymoon there and to have 'real mexican' food every day...what a treat!
You want to experience Barcelona in a completely different way? Then participate at one of Cooltra's City tours on a scooter. I have done that on my last trip in this beautiful city and it was crazy! It is like being a local person, driving to places you couldn't reach normally and a great alternative to the tourist bus. You should live this experience, I recommend it!
Have a look at www.cooltra.com
You can find the Cooltra Motos Shop right in front of the Barceloneta Beach.
Pg. Joan de Borbó, 80-84
08039 Barcelona
Tel.: (+34) 93 221 40 70
Fax: (+34) 93 221 62 39
Móvil: (+34) 687641 388
Email: info@cooltra.com
Open daily from 10am to 8pm
A self-catering apartment for two people, set in a tropical garden of a family house, 150 metres from a two-mile long paradise beach protected by a coral reef, fringed by a casurina forest.
Beautiful walks in every direction, loads of safe snorkelling, diving, boat trips. Definitely the best beach on the island we saw in a great district with everything you'd want.The apartment is in a quiet place as close to the beach as you can get and is roomy and secure with parking for a hire car. It was everything we expected and more from a tropical island holiday.
I know a lot of people in the UK are still nervous about visiting Egyptian resorts, but I'd highly recommend it. Sharm El Sheikh is perhaps the best-known diving town, but it is not the only option. Hurghada is also an excellent place to visit.
The town is growing quickly and is becoming more and more popular from year to year. A lot of building work is also going on in the town and it is becoming a popular area for people looking for property investments. I'd recommend visiting.
Hurghada, Egypt
www.hurghada.com
I came across this company during my long travels in south-east Asia. Tao Expeditions is a small eco company that takes travellers (3-5 days) by boat to the hundreds of remote islands of north Palawan. Visiting fishing villages, secluded beaches and beautiful islands.
The whole trip is all about the raw experience of island living, adventure of the wilder kind and balanced with good soul food and massages on board. I am pretty amazed with their project of helping out communities to have a part in their business with employments, accommodations, food and services for the trip.
They are a small quiet company who wants to take the right people to this remote area, having been with them three expeditions already, I can't help but spread this small secret to others- it can only attract the right people, the more they grow the more of their goodwill and campaign spreads and thus helps preserving this development hotspot.
Daily tours run by local volunteer enthusiasts from the South Beach architectural preservation society. Excellent on history of art deco buildings and styles, visits to some buildings and gives a great intro to SoBe.
Ocean Drive, South Beach
We found this quiet oasis, close to Ognina, that provided us with an ideal base for visiting Siracusa, the surrounding countryside and beaches. We thoroughly enjoyed the large beautiful garden (including a massive swimming pool) and the relaxed atmosphere - much appreciated after a hard day's sightseeing! The family were delightful and the breakfasts excellent.
Via Ognina, 45 - Siracusa
Tel. 0931.794516 (mobile 3394902782)
www.asparano.it
email: info@asparano.it
Simply the most beautiful place on earth! Unspoilt beach, clear and warm waters, nice restaurants nearby, not crowded. If you want to relax, enjoy a nice afternoon with sun, beach and peace, try Cotovelo beach. It is about 15 minutes from Natal town centre.
One of my favourite beaches is South Beach in Studland, the last stretch of sand before the chalk cliffs, where you can get a real mug of tea from Joe's cafe and take it down to the beach.
Head further west along the Isle of Purbeck to the Square and Compass pub in the village of Worth Matravers, an old whitewashed beer and table skittles pub, where you can enjoy a homemade pasty and views to the sea between the East and West Man.
Once described in Penguin's 1949 guide to Wilts and Dorset as having 'some reputation for providing a bit of local colour', it is full of character and charm not least provided by the free roaming hens clucking around your feet.
It's a cross between a hotel, a youth hostel and a summer school for families and adults into sustainable living. They run brilliant Family Weeks and workshop courses on environmental issues like composting, preserving, finding wild food and a few more whacky ones like Sacred Trees and Five Rhythms Dance.
Beautiful space - an amazing gothic Victorian building with great views, 11 acres of land, organic walled garden (lots of the food is grown on site) and a farm - and a really good atmosphere. It's three miles from Charmouth and Lyme Regis for seaside fossils and swimming. You can also go there as a volunteer - help out in return for free board and lodging.
www.monktonwyldcourt.org
monktonwyldcourt@btinternet.com
Tel 01297 560342
Kingsand is an undiscovered gem - which is why C4 are making a documentary about it! Unspoilt beaches, very kid friendly, stunning walks overlooking Plymouth Sound, tons of art exhibitions, but very low key and fun. Try Westcroftguesthouse.co.uk. Owners Sarah and Dylan have an art gallery as well, and the accommodation is lovely, overlooks the sea and the organic breakfasts are to be recommended. Perfect bolthole break!
westcroftguesthouse.co.uk
Kingsand is on The Rame Peninsula, near Torpoint, Stations: St Germans or Plymouth mainline
Wetsuits for kids in Devon and Cornwall are cheap, they don't need top of the range (usually £35), just get the cheap ones (probably £10 or less). They give them sun protection, keep them warm if they are in and out of the water all day and give a bit of added buoyancy when they are learning to swim.
Get the ones with short arms and legs, you get more use out of them when they are growing fast, but remember to sun cream the lower arms and legs, or do like my kids do and wear a long UV sun suit underneath. Watch out if it's hot, especially if the kids are not going in the water much as they can get very hot with the black neoprene absorbing the heat.
They were the best things we ever bought, my daughter learned to swim in the sea when she was 4 in hers as she felt so confident.
You can buy them in surf shops (expensive), but also in most beach kiosks, bucket and spade shops in town and also in some supermarkets in beach towns. The ones from Decathlon in France are really good, and only 10 Euros.
A very long strip of beautiful sand. When the tide is out it is a very long walk to the sea itself! Don't bother stopping in the town of Burnham On Sea as it is thoroughly disappointing.
Brean / Burnham On Sea, south of Weston Super Mare
Carruan Farm is a working farm overlooking Polzeath Hill on the North Cornish coast. Carruan boasts a farmhouse kitchen, farm shop and outdoor eating and play area, all new in the past two years. They have also introduced a mail order business so you can enjoy their produce from all over the country.
Your hosts are Mike and Clare Parnell who wholeheartedly share their farm with you with true Cornish warmth.
What a find! We make our annual trip to the beautiful West coast of Cornwall and always make a point of going to Carruan.
Picture it - a hard day's play building castles and moats on the sands at Polzeath or catching the waves. It leaves you with an appetite for good homemade food. You must enjoy one of their farmhouse suppers or outdoor summer barbecues in the evenings. Absolutely beautiful and more often meat used that they have reared on the farm. Makes my mouth water thinking about it!
A totally child friendly paradise. Fantastic play area, tractor trips around the farm and meet the farm animals. Often evening activities are focused around the children including Punch and Judy shows, storytelling and laser tag. You must see the sheep racing - great fun.
Simply visit Carruan and enjoy. I guarantee you will want to return.
Carruan Farm Centre
Polzeath
Wadebridge
North Cornwall
PL27 6QU
Tel: 01208 869 584
Email: enquiries@carruan.co.uk
Take a look at their website. Their question and answer page with worth a browse
There are wonderful unspoilt beaches all around the West Country coasts, with no 'facilities', no development and few if any visitors. To find them, get a large-scale Ordnance Survey map (1:25,000) and look for beaches with no parking and no road nearby.
Providing you have to walk for 30 minutes to reach your beach, often down an old smugglers' path flanked by tall hedges alive with birdsong and wildflowers, at the end you should find, if you have chosen well, a little sandy cove surrounded by rocks and cliffs, with barely a soul in sight.
Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset
Tofino is on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island. The area is formed of temperate rainforest and white sandy beaches which stretch for miles. Beyond its unbelievable natural beauty, it offers a rare thing in North America: harmony. The indigenous First Nations people, aided by eco-warriors, made a stand against the loggers in the 1980s and since then it has been given UN status as a natural wilderness.
The high-priced resorts dotted along the beaches are best avoided, especially in summer. To see the real Tofino go there in May (shoulder season) and stay in the town. The Tofino Motel offers great views at around $85 (£40) a night per room. If you like seafood Shelter and Schooner restaurants are a must, but for something more funky try Raincoast.
There are three impressive beaches nearby. Tonquin is but a short walk from the town and is good for a post-prandial stroll. Chesterman beach is a short drive away and is full of spirits and driftwood and as the site of First Nations resistance has great historical resonance. Long Beach is, well, just long. The caveats to all this are that because this is the raincoast it rains a lot. However, much natural beauty comes from this rain.
The First Nations people run several businesses in town offering whale watching, bear watching (you park near a beach and watch the bears forage for food) as well as trips to hot springs. The botanical garden are like nothing else, blending sculpture and nature. Getting to Tofino is easy. You can fly from downtown Vancouver from around $250 (£120) return by sea-plane, but the best way to travel is to take the Harbour Lynx from downtown Vancouver and then the Tofino bus across the island. Even though this journey takes around six hours, don't fall asleep. Remember you're going to paradise.
The West Country has the largest number of naturist beaches for skinny-dipping and sunning au naturel anywhere in the UK. Slapton Sands near Dartmouth is one of the finest and is easy to access. It's also very family-friendly.
It's on the A379 Dartmouth to Kingsbridge road. Park at the Strete Gate beach car park and walk 500 metres north along the shore to relax au naturel. There's a photo on the cover of the Bare Britain guidebook www.barebritain.com
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