Coronado Beach, San Diego

The Famous Hotel Del Coronado at Coronado Beach

Coronado Beach is a beautiful wide swaith  of sand on the Pacific coastline of the barrier island located off San Diego.  The island is shared equally by the town of Coronado, and a massive Naval base.  

To drive to Coronado Beach take Interstate 5  through the city. Turn right onto the impressive San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. Cross the bridge, and carry on through Tidelands Park, then hang a left down Orange Avenue. Continue for a mile to get to the waterfront. There’s a lot of parking alongside Ocean Boulevard, but it can fill up quickly on budy days.

The southern end of Coronado beach is named The Shores, and is the least attractive part of the beach, with its high rise condomium buildings behind the sands.  Though if you ignore the ugly condos, the beach itself is very beautiful, and you can walk for miles along the ocean’s edge.

The main part of the beach, in front of the iconic Hotel Del Coronado is called Central beach.  Here the sands are wide, and soft underfoot.  It’s big enough to avoid a feeling of overcrowding, even at busy weekends.  The swimming is excellent, as is the boogie boarding when the waves are a reasonable size.  There is usually the watchful eye of a lifeguard, who work from some very picturesque lifeguard towers.  There are convenient restrooms, beach shops, and snack food outlets.

Behind Central beach lies the signature Hotel del Coronado.  Their rates currently start from $249 per person per night, which is a pretty good deal considering its reputation for luxury, and its famous history. The building is made completely of wood – not a single nail was used in it construction, just wooden pegs.  The Hotel has a glorious Victorian past, and well-know guests have included Babe Ruth, Charlie Chaplin, and Thomas Edison, not to mention just about every single president of the 20th century.

Beyond Central beach lies North Beach, a gorgeous stretch of sand.  Much of it is designated a Dog Beach, but it’s so large that the dogs will not bother you, even if you don’t care for our 4 legged friends.  Strangley enough, dog surfing is a popular sport around here - amazingly a competition is held here every June.  At the end of the public section of the beach, there is a fence marking the Naval portion (if you stray beyond here an emergency section of SEALS will be detailed to round you up and press-gang you into the navy).  Several copper sculptures hang from the fence, now weathered bright copper green.

If you’ve young kids to look after, a good idea is to abandon the Pacific coastline and instead head to the bay side of the island, where the water is generally calmer an a lot safer.  Glorietta Park, just across Silver Strand Boulevard, has a fun playground area, and a pretty beach with soft sand ideal for play.

It’s a long way south before you get to a better beach than Coronado.  There certainly isn’t one before the border.  Though Baja California has some very beautiful beaches.  The best known are of course Cabo St Lucas, and those around Ensenada, visited by the Mexican Riviera cruiseships which depart from Los Angeles and San Diego (see here for cruise ship schedules  and times).

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 0 stars out of 5, Warm water 2 out of 5, Facilities 4 out of 5. Happy times 4 stars out of 5.

Land’s End Beach, Cabo San Lucas

Land's End Beach, Cabo San Lucas

Right at the end of the 1000 mile long Baja Peninsula lies beautiful Cabo San Lucas and Land’s End Beach.  The spectacular cliffs beside the beach  separate the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf or California (or Sea of Cortés).

Cabo San Lucas Resort (Land's End Beach is at the very end of the peninsula)

Land’s End is a beautiful wide beach made of golden sand which shelves gently into the ocean.  A wonderful place to walk, sun-bath, relax and listen to the sound of the waves.   In the early months of the year be sure to watch out for whales migrating along the coast.

Now for my shocking news – I’m going there this spring, leaving the San Francisco fog behind for a full gloriously long 7 day vacation.  After last year’s luggage disaster, when my checked bag went missing, this year I’m going to travel light, just taking a carry-on.  This idea’s also going to saving me considerably, as United are now charging for checked luggage.

So space will be on the short side, and a little extra planning will be required when deciding what to take.

Right here’s my packing list:

Ella Moss Wrap

For the beach. 

Prada beach bag. Donna Karan Sunglasses, D&G sunhat, Herve Leger teeny bikini, Oscar de la Renta one piece, my beautiful monokini by ‘Sun King’ Amir Slama,  2 x Ella Moss wraps,  and a good-size beach towel (thinking about it will borrow one from the hotel rather than carry one).  Roberto Cavalli flip-flops.

Plus Jurlique sun lotion and sun cream, Clinique after sun, Frederic Fekkai Shampoo for Color-Treated Hair, Conditioner.

Christian Laboutin Heels

For the evening.  2 x strapless dress (my Kay Unger and Cynthia Vincent), Christian Louboutin heels,  Giordano flats.  

Boring stuff.  5 sets of underwear, 3 bras.

 Passport, purse and travel insurance.  Clear plastic bag for toileteries. 

My friend has  just booked our tickets with United.  Just checked their carry on restrictions, and they’re pretty generous.  Now for the missing piece in the puzzle, a good carry-on bag.  Lots everywhere, so difficult to choose.  But like the Brids Riley at Carry On Luggage Reviews.  

Vacation vows - meet lots of hot single guys, get some serious tannage, don’t get tooo wasted!

Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe

Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe

Mark Twain, when ’roughing it’ on Lake Tahoe’s shore, summed up the natural beauty all around him with the words ’I thought it must be the fairest picture the whole earth affords’.  A large part of this fair picture are the picturesque beaches that dot Lake Tahoe’s shore.  Many are composed coarse sand, rough underfoot.  But to the north-east lies a jem, Sand Harbor Nevada.

Here the sand is very fine, floated in by the predominant westerly winds and swell.  So relax on the beach and take in the magnificent view laid out before you. A big wide sky, beautiful mountains, majestic fir trees, and the deep blue, crystal-clear waters of the lake. The beach is part of Nevada’s Lake Tahoe State Park, and can be very popular on hot summer weekends.  There’s a full range of facilities.  Showers, restrooms, a boating area, and a picnic area.  The on-site food facility, the Harbor House Bistro, serves reasonably-priced good quality food.  There’s also a visitor center, which opened in 2007.

To investigate a little more of the shoreline, take the Sand Harbor to Memorial Point trail which heads off by the boating area.  The path (about a mile to the Point), opens onto a whole series of beautiful views onto the lake.

Sand Harbor is home to an annual Shakespeare Festival – well-loved Shakespeare plays are performed by a professional cast in the outdoors.  If you do go to a show, remember to take a cushion (the seats can be a little hard).

To get to Sand Harbor, head south down  State Route 28, for about 3 miles past Incline.  A big sign is sited at the park’s main entrance. 

Best Beach’s (from 100 Best Everything) rating : Wilderness feel 3 stars out of 5, Warm water 2 out of 5 (on a hot summer’s day), Facilities 4 out of 5. Happy times 3 stars out of 5.

Main Beach, Laguna Beach, California

Thanks to MTV’s hit reality TV series, everyone’s now familiar with Laguna Beach.  The titles credits sequence mixes up shots of the beautiful cast, pricey real estate, and some tantilising glimpses of Laguna’s wonderful scenery, with steep hills dropping to the gorgeous coastline.  The  expensive lifestyle may be out of reach, but thankfully  the best things in life are free - the superb beaches. 

Overall Laguna has over 7 miles of breathtakingly dramatic coastline.  Right in the middle, at nearly a mile and a half long, is Laguna Main Beach.   There’s no allocated parking lot (wake up town planners!) but it’s not too difficult to find somewhere to park close-by (but nearly everywhere is metered).  If you’re on vacation, a good idea is to pick a beach front hotel, so as to totally avoid the parking problems.  (Laguna Beach is one of the few towns in SoCal where you can find great beach-side hotels).

Main Beach offers the usual facilities, ie restrooms, showers and picnic areas.  The beach is well patrolled by lifeguards – their headquarters is the quaint white tower at the back of the beach constructed in 1929 – yes, things were nearly as busy then.  The lifeguards are sometimes called to action – the ocean waves can be big and powerful, occasionally catching a poor swimmer off-guard.  But it’s great for all types of boarding – skim-boarding, body-boarding and surfing.  The local skim-boarders claim the sport was invented at nearby Aliso beach, but I get the feeling that hundreds of kids all over the world would strongly disagree.

A wide wooden boardwalk runs behind the beach.  If you have slight voyeuristic tendencies (as I suppose we all have), this is a great place to people-watch as there’s an eclectic variety of interesting people about.  On a balmy summer evening street perfomers set up shop either side, often making for great entertainment.

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 0 stars out of 5, Warm water 2 out of 5, Facilities 4 out of 5. Happy times 4 stars out of 5.

Point Dume Beach, California

Point Dume Beach CA is a magificent wide sandy beach set at the heart of the Malibu coastline.  Behind the beach sit very expensive properties – fortunately these man-made intrusions cannot be seen from the sands.   To the north of the beach lies well-known Zuma beach, and to the south imposing Point Dume. 

The beach provides all kinds of leisure activities, from a lazy time for those pursuing some serious tannage, to an activity-filled day for surfers, hikers or scuba-divers.

Surfers will like the consistent break off the Point – though some prefer the busier vibe of Zuma.

Hikers will love the Zuma-Dume trail, which winds its way along the bluffs behind the beach before ending up at Point Dume.  The Point offers magnificent 360 degree views, taking in Santa Monica bay, the Santa Monical hills, and Catalina Island far out to sea.

The beach is a popular from-shore dive spot – the Dume submarine canyon runs just a couple of hundred yard offshore, giving exciting diving along the steep drop-off.

The beach is a State Beach, and equipped with the standard facilities – showers, restrooms, picnic table and bbq pits.  There is a lifeguard during the day.

To get to Point Dume take Pacific Coast Highway north-east out of Santa Monica.  After 19 miles turn left to Zuma beach.  Go past Zuma, continuing along the coast.  A mile later you’ll find the lot for Point Dume.

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 1 stars out of 5, Warm water 2 out of 5, Facilities 4 out of 5. Happy times 4 stars out of 5.

Corona Del Mar Beach, California

Corona Del Mar State Beach is the next beach down as you travel downwards from Balboa beach, but it has its own unique flavor because of tall rocky cliffs behind the southern end of the sands.

The beach has a real laid-back vibe, perfect for relaxing on a warm summer’s day.  Though it can get very busy at weekends and holidays.  There’s a whole range of facilities, from BBQ grills, picnic tables, volleyball nets, food concessions and showers/restrooms.

The beach forms a lovely curve of sand, between Newport breakwater to the north (very good fishing), and rocky Inspiration Point to the south (some forearm-pumping bouldering for climbers).

In the summer months, the water touches 70F, so is pretty reasonable for swimming. Lifeguards are normally on duty.  Don’t forget to bring your boogie board, as the surfing is great if the waves are anywhere near half-decent.

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 1 stars out of 5, Warm water 2 out of 5, Facilities 4 out of 5. Happy times 5 stars out of 5.

Makalawena Beach, Hawaii

To reach Makalena Beach requires a bit of a trek, which on hot days can be hard work. Before you set out to visit this magnificent beach, pack a backpack with plenty of food and water – there are no provisions available at this remote beauty spot.

In your car, take Route 19 northwards from Kailua-Kona, then turn left onto the rough access road for Kekaha Kai State Park (after mile 88). After a rough 1 mile, the road reaches a crossroads. Park your car on the small area available next to the intersection. Follow the path that leads right from the crossroads. (Straight on leads you to Mahaiula beach, left goes to Makolea beach – both are also worth a visit).

After a few minutes, you’ll arrive at the coast, where you can pick up the coastal trail. Turn right, to head north. The path now leaves the coast, across a rugged patch of black lava. It takes about 20 minutes to cross the lava, then you arrive at the southern end of Makalawena beach.

Phew! No wonder you’ll often have the beach to yourself. But the hike-in’s well worth it, because you’ve arrived at one of the most beautiful beaches on the Hawaiian islands.

Makalawena beach actually consists of 3 sweeps of sand, separated from each other by lava points. There’s lots of vegetation behind the sand, so if you want it’s easy to find a place out of the sun for your picnic.

The swimming and snorkeling are absolutely super. The water is pleasantly warm and, on calmer days, the underwater visibility excellent. Body and boogie-board surfers head for the last of the beaches – the surf is normally better there.

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 5 stars out of 5, Warm water 4 out of 5, Facilities 0 out of 5. Happy times 5 stars out of 5.

Fort De Soto, Florida

Fort DeSoto Florida is an island located in the center of Tampa Bay. To get there, take 679 off Hwy 682 which heads towards St Pete Beach from St Petersburg.  Fort De Soto is a busy state park – there’s lots to do, including camping, fishing, kayaking, and hiking.

Gorgeous white sandy beaches encircle the whole island.  Two areas are specifically set aside for swimming, with lifeguards during popular times.  One area is the East beach, which faces the Bay, and the other North beach, which faces the Gulf.  If you venture in to swim elsewhere, be careful, as seemingly calm waters may hide strong currents running between the Bay and open sea.

Fervent fishermen will love the two long piers – pick from either the 500′ long Bay pier on East Beach, or the 1000′ pier next to the old Fort.  Both are great fishing venues – you’ll have a great chance of catching a large Red or two.

If you’re camping at Fort De Soto, a good day out is the trip to nearby Egmont Key island.  A boat service operates from the Bay jetty.  On Egmont Key you’ll find the ruins of Fort Dade, a fort dating from the Spanish-American war (now with a fascinating reconstructed guard house).

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 2 stars out of 5, Warm water 4 out of 5, Facilities 3 out of 5. Happy times 4 stars out of 5.  Not surprisingly for many, it’s the Best Florida Beach.

Kua Bay, Hawaii

Many people reckon Kua Bay to be the most beautiful beach on the Big Island, and it’s hard to disagree. The soft white sand of the beach slopes gradually into the turquoise blue seawater. At both ends of the sandy crescent, rocky lava headlands jut out into the water (if you’re snorkelling check out these rocky points – you’ll often see large parrot fish, and even turtles, but take care as it gets a lot choppier out towards the rocks). When you’ve been out in the sun too long, there are a few trees behind the beach which provide shady refuge, but it can be hard to find a comfortable spot, so it’s wise to take a sunshade.

The water’s easily warm enough to make swimming a complete joy – the more energetic can boogie-board, or thrill themselves by jumping into the sea from the small offshore rocks.

Don’t hurry home from the beach in the evening – the sunsets are absolutely magnificent, as bright red and orange colors streak out from the sun and reflect in the clouds.

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 3 stars out of 5, Warm water 4 out of 5, Facilities 4 out of 5. Happy times 4 stars out of 5.

Hapuna Beach, Hawaii

Hapuna Beach Hawaii is a gorgeous ½ mile curve of fine white sand set between black lava points. The far (northern) end of the beach is in front of the swish Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. The hotel complex does tend to spoil the natural beauty of the beach (but if you’re actually staying in the hotel, you’ve a wonderful beach on your doorstep).

The public parking lot for the beach is just next to the sands at the southern end. A large sign on Hwy 19 marks the turn off. It can get very busy, so make sure you turn up early (or late) to be sure of a spot.

The seas off the beach are a water enthusiast’s dream. The swimming is enjoyable, the boogie-boarding exhilirating. Snorkellers will find the best sightings to be around the coral reef off the southern end of the beach.

If you’ve come to the public (State park) part of the beach, you’ll appreciate the useful facilities, including restrooms, showers, picnic tables and snack concession. There are also a number of very rustic cabins – book well before your holiday to secure one of these.

Believe it or not, some people get bored of lounging at the beach. These types might enjoy venturing along the Ala Kahakai Coastal Trail which passes through Hapuna beach. An ambitious target would be the walk to wonderful Mauna Kea beach, about 2 miles north.

Best Beach’s rating : Wilderness feel 2 stars out of 5, Warm water 4 out of 5, Facilities 5 out of 5. Happy times 4 stars out of 5.