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Golf enthusiasts will find plenty to love at Pompano Beach Club—the family-owned resort is practically next door to the world-famous links of Port Royal. But the former fishing club is also a haven for anglers of every stripe: You can grab a complimentary rod from the hotel staff and wade out nearly 400 yards on the nearby sandbar to cast for bonefish and—what else?—pompano, or charter a vessel to catch yellowfin tuna and mahi-mahi on a deep-sea voyage. Back on land, the 75 guest rooms provide laid-back ambience thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows perfect for enjoying panoramic ocean views. Better still, retire, rum swizzle in hand, to the terrace of the appropriately named Sunset Lounge to take in the postcard-worthy vistas.

Each time I visit this beach, I am enchanted anew. These beautiful sands, sea, and cliffs are exotic. I sit on the sand watching swimmers, surfers, boaters, and fishermen. I watch the birds happily flying around. I stare at the brilliant blue sky with its puffy clouds gliding by. And I gape at the huge cliffs that tower over all of us.I collect the rare rocks with white stripes running through the stone that are unique to the area. This is Castelejo Beach on the western coast of Portugal where there are many rugged, wild beaches. From Lagos, you go west to Vila do Bispo and follow the signs to this beach. The road is rugged and narrow and ends just above the beach with a parking lot. Get a good map of the area at your hotel. Hungry? The Castelejo Restaurant is at the top of the path to the beach. This restaurant serves octopus dishes and other fresh seafood. If you are there at sunset you will be lucky enough to see this gorgeous beach bathed in glowing light. Try to visit this beach when in the western Algarve.

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel sits on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast. Beautiful sandy beaches cater to sun worshipers while the proximity to Waimea and Kailua-Kona make it a great place for travelers who seek ocean sports, coffee culture, or horseback riding. After absorbing the sun, snorkeling, and surf, a trip to the beach bar is the perfect place to enjoy a bit of shade while sipping on cold, refreshing, tropical drinks. An evening at the beach bar with a Dirty Hula Girl may be the perfect ending to a day at this beach hotel.


The sweet smell of plumeria floats on gentle trade winds into each guest room at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. When entering the room, you may be surprised that floor-to-ceiling picture windows and a beautiful private lanai (patio) beckon you to step back outside—closer to the rhythmic surf and paradise in nature. In the hotel’s main building, each morning you can wake up to warm accent colors in your room that recall the previous evening’s sunset. Natural light fills the entire space and you can brew a lovely cup of Kona coffee before leaving your room to face the world. A 2009 remodel of the main building rooms along with a 2013 beachfront wing renovation enable guests to unwind in the comfort of updated interiors that still remain true to Laurance S. Rockefeller’s original vision.


Local beach access at the Mauna Kea Resort: If you go early (7:30 a.m.) there are only 40 parking spots open to get to this hidden gem. Locals know that you say “beach access” at the imposing gate for those who want to swim in its clear blue water; check it out in North Kohala. Spectacular white sand beach with some shade trees. The 40 parking spots get filled by 9 a.m. or sooner so go early. It’s also good for boogie boarding.

PropertyThe architecture at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel certainly evokes Laurance S. Rockefeller’s sense of outdoor space with breezy landscaped covered walkways and a sparkling blue tile floor in the lobby that seems to bring the calm waters of Kaunaoa Bay right into the hotel. Another not-to-miss feature on the grounds includes the Collection: a fascinating assortment of Pacific and Asian art. More than 1,600 museum pieces blend into the hotel’s ambiance so well that you will always find new treasures on each visit. Better than a museum, these pieces of history are tangible to guests who want to inspect the stitches in a quilt, photograph the colors in a carving, or feel the texture of embellishments on a statue.


After absorbing the sun, snorkeling, and surf, a trip to the beach bar is the perfect place to enjoy a bit of shade while sipping on cold, refreshing, tropical drinks. An evening at the beach bar with a Dirty Hula Girl may be the perfect ending to a day at this beach hotel.
Vino and Vinyasa (Friday evenings): Follow your sun salutations with sauvignon blanc and your planks with pinot noir at this weekly class-slash-happy hour held ocean-side on Friday evenings. It’s only fitting that the sessions focus on Vinyasa, a yoga style that synchronizes movement with breath, because you’ll want to inhale the salty sea air deeply as you gaze at a fiery Big Island sunset.


Glow Stand-Up Paddling and Canoeing: Kauna’oa Bay’s large plankton population attracts manta rays, and you’ll find yourself gliding alongside them during this nocturnal excursion. Thanks to LED lights carefully strapped on your board, your hour-long jaunt may also include a parrotfish sighting (they’re intrigued by the boards’ shimmery glow.) You can treat stand-up paddle boarding as a workout, or simply stargaze as you float. New paddlers can take an introductory canoe ride while more seasoned guests can explore the Kohala Coast’s caves and coves on a private group charter.

Among vacationers who’ve been coming to Grand Cayman forever, there’s a whole faction that essentially camps out at Rum Point all day every day, and you’ll understand why as soon as you see the place. Tucked away, super low-key, and graced with a ridiculously photogenic pier—its perfectly weathered planks cutting a striking figure against the tranquil, turquoise surroundings—this beach is the ultimate spot for settling into a lounger or hammock between water-sports outings. Rum Point’s namesake booze—which used to wash ashore by the barrel, according to legend—is available in all manner of cocktails here, of course. But order at least one mudslide at its spiritual birthplace: the beach’s beloved Wreck Bar.

There’s a different way to see the African wildlife in their natural habitat than a safari and it’s called Boulder Beach. We ventured to the Eastern side of the Peninsula (Indian Ocean) to meet and spend time with the locals, Cape Town‘s penguin colony. Following the wooden boardwalks, you gain access to Foxy Beach, a sheltered cove with soft white sand, crystal clear water, massive granite boulders, and birds in butler-style tailcoats. Its nothing short of an Instagram-worthy photo op but I recommend climbing atop a boulder and spending time to take it all in. It’s impossible to capture how majestic this destination truly is.

Psarou Beach is posh rather than party, ringed by upscale hotels and beach clubs and punctuated with a scuba center. The sand is white and the water is turquoise. Restaurants and bars are expensive here, as are the waterside amenities like chairs and umbrellas, but the ambiance is clean and very stylish. Beach dwellers tend to be fit and fabulous so bring your A-game beach attire.

Guadeloupe’s outdoor markets are an important part of daily life and a sight for sore eyes. Fragrant cooking spices compete with colorful bottles of homemade rhum, women in traditional madras head ties smile at passersby, zouk music or gwo-ka drums blast in the background, and the calm Caribbean Sea is the backdrop. Saint-Anne Market, on Grande-Terre Island, is a favorite. It borders a beautiful white-sand beach, steps from a row of casual restaurants and bars.

The unmistakeable beach-bistro atmosphere makes the Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar one of the best places to eat in Langkawi. With two floors of seating, the ambiance changes in each room and even stretches out onto the beach. Dine on the sand under palm trees, at the casual bar downstairs, or near the large windows upstairs for a birds-eye view. Both their Malay and Mediterranean meals are tasty but you’re there for the ambiance (well worth it!).

If all you really want to do on your Bahamian visit is relax on the beach, this is the spot for you. A short ride from downtown Nassau (every taxi driver knows where it is), it has everything necessary for a fun morning or afternoon in the sun: a stretch of powdery white sand, calm waters that are perfect for swimming and surrounding resorts where you can stop in to get a bite, order drinks and rent water-sports equipment.

Old San Juan may look, at first glance, like a few other charming cities built during the height of Spanish colonialism—Havana or Santo Domingo, for example—but what sets it apart is the extent to which its architectural infrastructure from that era remains visible. It’s the only city that has its original colonial wall almost entirely intact, and both of its principal forts are in excellent condition, remain accessible to the public, and offer panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean (so bring your camera). Both El Morro and Fuerte San Cristobal are run by the National Park Service; guided tours will leave you with greater knowledge about the era, as well as the forts’ construction and their role in Puerto Rican history. (There are other, smaller forts in and around the capital, next to the Caribe Hilton, and in Luís Muñoz Rivera Park, plus Fort San Juan de la Crúz in the nearby town of Cataño.)

The Alley on Bitters is a great place to wander. It occupies the land where a 19th century dairy farm once stood, and there’s still a great deal of character and old school charm. Meander past arts & crafts shops, antique dealers, and boutiques, and maybe even stay for a meal at Meadow Neighborhood Eatery + Bar, which serves seasonal Texas and Southern dishes.

This atmospheric all-inclusive resort opened in 1986 on the white sands of Little Cayman’s Preston Bay and consists of eleven rooms in wood and stone cottages, some of which are oceanfront. Guests, mainly advanced divers and repeat visitors, come for healthy corals, diverse marine life, and the hospitality. Since 2015, owner and manager Susan Howard has carried forward the legacy of her mother and the original owner of Pirates Point Resort, Gladys Howard, by fostering an “Island Home Away From Home” vibe. In addition to complimentary bicycle rentals and island-wide conservation efforts, Howard opens up her home on Friday nights for a champagne and sushi cocktail reception.

The resort operates on a safari schedule with wake up and breakfast bells, daily and untimed dives at numerous sites, and hearty lunches upon return to the lodge around 3pm. The hotel sea front view is lovely, with hammocks strung on the white sand beach and easy, protected swimming and snorkeling within the barrier reef.

It’s not quite Providenciales’s celebrated Grace Bay—the Atlantic surf rolls in with a little too much force for that—but North Beach, on remote, undeveloped Salt Cay, is one of the prettiest stretches of sand in all of the Turks and Caicos. Salt Cay also has the advantage over its more famous counterpart in that just about the only thing on it is the tiny Castaway, whose guests almost always have miles of pure white sand and turquoise ocean entirely to themselves. About a mile and a half from “town” lies a scattered settlement of fewer than 150 people who make up most of the island’s residents. Castaway, which consists of four suites in two beachfront cottages, offers a Crusoe-like experience, except with private dining and Wi-Fi. Each suite has a king bed, to which two more single beds can be added, a full kitchen, and a deck where in season it is possible to watch migrating whales parade by.

Crete has an abundance of shoreline, and its Elafonisi Beach is one of the best in Greece. This sprawling piece of pink and white sand opens up to the turquoise sea. Lifeguards keep a constant watch, and so the beach is suitable for all ages. You can come here on a day trip from Chania. Also nearby is the Chrysoskalitissa monastery, and the Agia Irini lighthouse.

Sealine Beach is located just 30 minutes to the south of Doha, close to the town of Mesaieed and its Sealine Beach Resort. This long stretch of beach offers a variety of water sports equipment for rent. For those who prefer to play in the sand, dune buggies and quad bikes are available for hire at the resort, where visitors can have lunch, drinks, or book a room for the night.