101 Things to Do Before You Die: Beautiful Beaches by The TI Review Team
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La Passion Hotel
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Walk on the Wild Side in South Africa by Barbara Erasmus
South Africa: A rusted off-shore wreck gives the only hint of why this stretch of the Transkei is known as the Wild Coast. The solitude is comprehensive. Dense tropical vegetation crowds on the fringes of an endless beach unmarked by footprints. The silence is broken only by the sound of waves – deceptive tranquillity in a sea feared for greedy currents, lurking winds.…
Island Hop in Croatia by Cameron Wilson
From memory, the curtain of islands sheltering Croatia's Dalmatian coast runs to about 1,400. But who cares about the facts and figures when the water here is clearer than the South Pacific on its best day, and the possibilities for sailing and island-hopping are arguably the best and almost certainly the safest in the world. And because it's Europe, you can swim nude even around the populated islands, because nobody gives a toss. There's surely no harm either in a steady diet of octopus salad and Italian gelato.
Go Two Weeks Without Shoes by Tim Elliott
Bury your valuables in the sand and go two weeks without shoes at Colombia’s wild and woolly Parque Tayrona.
See the Coromandel Sea by Claire Gervat
Mahabalipuram, India. Watch the sun rise over the Coromandel Sea, lighting up the curious, wind-weathered spires of ancient shore temples; then lazily explore the rest of this laid-back village of stonemasons.
Visit a Small Beach Front just North of Kaikoura by Andrew Ferree
Hugging the south east coastline of the South Island in New Zealand you'll come across a reason to pull on a handbrake and throw a car into reverse. Pulling up, at first, you see what seems to be stalligtites reaching from the earth... but upon closer inspection you'll see... rocks...stacks of them...literally. A small beach front just North of Kaikoura, is now covered with pebbles stacked upon each other, like a house of card, as far as the eye can see. Walking through them a task in itself, let alone finding a place for your own small kingdom of rocks to rise from the sand. Spend some time there, and at best I can tell you that the thoughts of all else in the world will cease.
Visit Magens Bay by Andrew Ferree
After many years of travelling, this island and its many beaches proved to be stunning. "Magens Bay" has been voted one of the top 10 in the world.
Visit a Moonlit Beach in Senegal by Annabel Skinner
Senegal: Dance with children in the moonlight on a Senegali beach, while men bring new life to ancient rhythms from their echoing drums.
Catch the Wind in a Dhow by Annabel Skinner
Kenya, Lamu: Catch the wind in a dhow on the Indian Ocean, cutting through sparkles of sun, then dive the pristine depths of the reefs.
Travel to Aitutaki by Mark McCrum
Cook Islands, Aitutaki: Have your breath taken away by the lagoon, which truly deserves the cliche ‘breathtaking’, dwarfing the island with its shimmering turquoise loveliness. Do the cruise out to One Foot Island, even if it seems corny. You can fly in from busier Rarotonga on a day trip, or better, stay over, and hang out for a day or two at Sam’s on Ooti Beach.
See the Blue Huts of the Xhosas by Mark McCrum
See the little rounded blue huts of the Xhosas dot the hillsides that run down to The Wild Coast of the Transkei in South Africa. Still largely only accessible by poor quality dirt roads, this is not a stop for the unadventurous. There are hotels of sorts at Coffee and Mazeppa Bays, and a wonderful lodge at Wavecrest where you can wake to a lonely dawn in a hut on the beach.
Trek to a Luminous Aquamarine in Thailad by Sue Carpenter
Bask in the sea at Pra Nang, near Krabi, southern Thailand, after a strenuous hike up to the High Viewpoint. This is The Beach territory, only somehow the film managed to make it look less cinematically stunning that it actually is. Luminous aquamarine, milky soft, caressingly warm water, lapping up to a perfect powdery sand beach. Bliss.
Visit Hot Water Beach by Yvonne Van Dongen
Camping at Hot Water Beach, Coromandel, New Zealand at Christmas. Dig your own hot water spa pool in the sand at low tide, wait for breakers to destroy it at high tide, then swim or surf on any one of the golden sands, red-blossomed pohutakawa-lined beaches along Coromandel peninsula.
Eat Fish and Chips on the Coast of Suffolk by Christopher Somerville
Sit on the beach wall at Aldeburgh on the east coast of Suffolk, England, listening to the music of waves on shingle and eating a greasy paper of the best fish and chips in the world.
Drink a Beer on a Rock Ledge by Andrew Ferree
Drink a beer on the rock ledge looking over the ocean at Lands End, England. After walking the Cornish coastal path, stop and watch the waves slam onto the shore. On a medium wind day, the spray from the impact rivals a firework show. On a day of a fierce storm, you shouldn't be there...unless you brought more beer.
Interested in a change of scenery? Head over to Travel Intelligence's 101 Things to Do Before You Die: Amazing Views