World beaches | best beach websites

surfing hawaii book cover.jpg As long as I can remember I've always loved the beach. Especially during my youthful surfing days I developed a special fondness for beaches. Of course, when I was in high school, I had no doubt that once free of that dreaded school schedule, I'd spend the rest of my days on a palm-covered island in the South Pacific, surfing, fishing, picking fruit, drinking coconuts, and weaving useful things from palm fronds. It somehow never occurred to me that someone might already own all those fruit trees and coconuts. After reading Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki, and Fatu Hiva, I was ready to set sail. One of the guidebooks I had for Hawaii is pictured at left: Surfing Hawaii by Bank Wright (1971). Well, life intervened, but I did manage to enjoy some time on the very beautiful and tropical island of Trinidad, in the West Indies, but as yet I've not made it to the South Pacific, or Hawaii. But I can still dream, and plan. So can you.

I've put this page together for all the dreamers out there, who may someday soon become doers and happy travelers, discovering their own special corner of paradise on earth.

Hawaii Beaches

Well you know I had big plans to go to Hawaii and live off the land back in the late 70's. I read Euell Gibbons' Beachcomber's Handbook detailing his years on Hawaii and I had all the surfing magazines with photos of Sunset Beach, Pipeline, Waiamea Bay, etc. Sure looked good. Still haven't been, but I recently met someone who lives there and has a GREAT website on Hawaii Beaches. Richard Young has put together a really nice site that gives a dreamer a lot to grab onto whether its fishing, kayaking, shore fishing, catch and release fishing, kite surfing, wind surfing, sailing, body surfing, body boarding, Hawaiian art, places to eat, business opportunities, beach safety--Richard has info and photos on it. If you like fishing, you'll definitely want to visit his page on kayak fishing in Hawaii. Check it out. He also has a newsletter and a beach blog and reveals his favorite Hawaii beaches. Info from someone who lives there is always worth checking out.

Bondi Beach, Sydney , Australia

Sokehs Rock, Pohnpei, Micronesia

Above photo: This is a photo taken by Dr. Alexander M. Kerr in 2005 of Bondi Beach in Sydney Australia. Doesn't this look like a classic beach town? With all of the homes overlooking the beautiful crescent-shaped beach I can imagine that life in this town revolves around the beach and ocean. Dr. Kerr is a marine biologist and was with James Cook University in Australia when he took this photo. Dr. Kerr is now teaching and researching at the University of Guam. He does a lot of work with the evolution of coral and sea cucumbers, among other things.

Above photo: Another photo by Dr. Kerr. This one is of Sokehs Rock on the island nation of Pohnpei, the largest and tallest island in the Federated States of Micronesia. Pohnpei doesn't have any famous beaches, but it is famous for its fantastic diving opportunities.

Dr. Kerr and I were best buddies in high school, and thanks to email we've been able to keep in touch across the years and the miles. I'll probably have more of his photos and more info about his research in the coming weeks as this site continues to expand.

Does your dream house have a fantastic view of the ocean? Who wouldn't want to wake up to the ocean breeze? If you want to fulfill your beach house fantasy, do your research to find the best beach house rentals available. Whether you want to be on the Atlantic or the Pacific, beach house rentals are in abundance! Renting a beach house is affordable and practical!

Boracay Island - Philippines Beach Capital: - a travel guide covering Boracay Island Philippines in great details. Essential information provides readers all they need to know about Boracay, one of the world's best beaches!

Yap Island - Federated Islands of Micronesia - check out the great photos my friend Dr. Alexander Kerr and his students (at the University of Guam) sent to me of some beaches on Yap including some great underwater photos.

Anguilla Beaches (Caribbean)

Many beach vacation destinations have become overcrowded, overrated, overpriced, and well, cliché. The Caribbean island of Anguilla does not fall into any of those categories. I'd never really paid much attention to Anguilla until I found the website by Nori Evoy, providing a tremendous amount of excellent information for anyone looking for a great Caribbean beach vacation. Anguilla could be just the thing you're looking for. If you are looking for a great Caribbean vacation, be sure to check out Anguilla Beaches and get Nori's personal recommendations for the best beaches, best places to stay, best places to eat, most interesting things to see and do, what tours to take, and even how to buy real estate, do business, or form an offshore corporation for business or investment.

Vieques Island and Puerto Rico

This is an outstanding site by native Puerto Rican Louisa Cupeles. It has information and photos of Vieques Island and Puerto Rico. Whatever you could need to know, this site has it. Plenty of info on beaches, restaurants, and very specific information on where to stay. For those who may not know, Vieques Island is a small island 6 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. It is south of Isla Culebra. This site also has info on Puerto Rico weddings, honeymoons, learning Spanish and lots of other great info and plenty of photos.

Explore Vieques Island, Puerto Rico - Vacation guide includes photos, hotels, villa rentals, real estate, wedding information, and history. Read hotel reviews, find books about Vieques and get free Vieques Newsletter.

Cabo Rojo Puerto Rico

Louisa also has a site about Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, the town where she was born. It is full of information on beaches, vacations, and everything a visitor would need or want to know. If anyone can be trusted with information about a place, it would be someone who was born there, no?

Cabo Rojo PR.com - The first and only Cabo Rojo vacation guide which includes photos of attractions including beaches, lighthouse and the town. Find hotels, paradores and small inns, real estate and a Cabo Rojo PR directory.

Dominican Republic Beaches

Some websites are purely commercial, others are clearly a labor of love and reflect the personality of the creator(s). This site on the Dominican Republic was created by two sisters, Ruth and Esther, who live in the Dominican Republic and they tell it like it is. They tell you about the beauty and fun to be enjoyed, but remind you of the economic realities that the citizens of the Dominican Republic face daily. If you are considering a visit to the Dominican Republic for a vacation, a wedding, or to do business, be sure to visit this site before going. It really will make your Dominican Republic vacation planning much easier!

Italy Vacation Rental

Italy vacation villa apartment

Listings of Apartments, Farmhouses and Villas, and Hotels in Italy. Descriptions, photos, rates. Italy has beautiful coastal towns and beaches. This site will help you locate the perfect place to enjoy your vacation in Italy.