Hawaii

Can't imagine your vacation without soaking up some sun, listening to the waves, and sipping a refreshing drink? Or maybe surfing, snorkeling, kayaking and diving is your favorite pastime? Then the following brief sketch of the hottest beach vacation destination might help you when planning your next getaway.

Oahu

The fabulous beaches of Hawaii, with the gorgeous view of majestic emerald mountains, sapphire waters and turquoise waves offer phenomenal beach vacation. If you are a sun loving person and want to spend your vacation on the beach, try surfing, windsurfing or scuba diving in Waikiki. Waikiki Beach is shallow enough and the water is calm most of the year, especially in the winter when the surf stays under two feet. So it is perfect place if you are just beginning to master the art of surfing or traveling with kids.

Wet you appetite with phenomenal surfing at Oahu North Shore, which lures big wave surfers from around the world to compete in professional and amateur competitions. The big waves come pounding each winter onto Oahu North Shore. Resembling salt-water breathing dragons, the rollers can mount up to 20 to 30 foot walls, and, if that is the case, in a one split second the competing champions will be defeated, the crowds will be drawn to excitement and lifeguards will become real heroes.

Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach

Kailua is a quintessential beach town which is blessed by two gorgeously beautiful beaches known all over the world - Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach. A perfect golden beach stretching along the shore, Kailua Beach is generally safe with mostly calm ocean and ideal for snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing, kitesurfing, swimming, boogie boarding and sailing. If you add to this the bird sanctuary rising in the distance and a protective group of reefs, fringing the shore, you will have a vivid picture of this amazingly beautiful place. Lanikai Beach is famous for its transparent turquoise water and a long stretch of powdery white sand beach. Its setting is really gorgeous with palm trees that rim the background and the magnificent view of nearby twin islands of Mokumanu and Mokukua drifting offshore in the distance.

Wailea, Maui

If you want to see and be seen, there is nothing better than Wailea Beach. The fine golden-sand crescent of sparkling jewels all along the Wailea coast is postcard material inviting for phenomenal swimming, sunbathing and snorkeling. So grab your beach towel, pack your snorkel gear and enjoy the good life.

Another popular beach in Wailea is Ulua Beach. In high season (from Christmas to May and from June to August) the beach is so crowded by guests of nearby resorts that you are hardly to find a vacant spot of sand to lay your towel on. With Kahoolowe and Molokini at the backdrop and straight on sunset view, it is no secret why it has been attracting tourists from the whole world. But this is not its only advantage. If you don a mask and hit the water you will understand why the snorkelers favor this place. Ulua Beach has the best easy access snorkeling in Wailea. Snorkelling is excellent on the reef between Ulua and Mokapu Beaches, and a second deeper reef, about 100 yards offshore, provides excellent viewing opportunities for scuba diving. You can often spot green sea turtle at both reefs and humpback whales frequently transit the deeper waters beyond the reefs. The waves here are the right size for bodysurfing and boardsurfing during summer South swells.

Green Sea Turtle

If you are itching to try out your underwater gear, go to Molokini islet where warm transparent waters are teeming with marine life. About 3 miles off Maui shore, Molokini is a world-class snorkeling and diving spot, that has more than 100 feet of visibility. In the center there is a lush reef area with excellent viewing, another hot place that is worth visiting is Turtle Tower, a home of large colony of Green Sea Turtles.

Maui Big Beach

Tired of civilization? Then the South end of Maui resort coast is for you! If you are eager to see wild, dry countryside of green kiawe trees, go to Makena, Beach, with it’s huge territory of 1,800 acres and just a couple of first-rate golf courses and a number of perfect beaches. Makena Beach, which is a collective name of Big Beach and Little Beach, is a wonderful hideout and runaway from all civilization facilities, hustle and bustle of the urban world, noise and big crowd. Maui Big Beach is remarkable of its gorgeous beauty, fringed with magnificent palms and grainy sand sparkling in the bright sun, surrounded by two black lava points. Sheltered by the rocky headland and shaded by adjacent trees, Little Beach is probably one of the most idyllic swimming spots on Maui, with gorgeous views of Molokini and Lanai.

California

Best known for its benign climate and fabulous beaches, California is one big outdoor playground, ideal for unforgettably enjoyable beach vacation. You can swim and surf at Long Beach, a perfect destination for your coastal vacation. It is the place where action begins and the fun never ends. Centrally located, it is also close to the airport, and just a short drive from Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and everything that Southern California has to offer. From Long Beach you can easily get to Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific, fabulous Broadway shows, museums, live music venues and the best dining establishments.

For the beach scene you can also check out Santa Monica, Venice Beach and all the great spots to soak up the rays, work on a tan, read a book or people watch. Los Angeles sells some of the best swim fashions in the U.S. and they sell them all year long, primarily at the beach. That's the place to pick up your surf wear, or buy a custom surfboard shaped by local surfers who take pride in their creations.

San Diego

San Diego boasts a profusion of perfect coastal beaches with scenic ocean views and a bunch of top surf spots. There is hardly a better place for picnicking and surfing than Del Mar City Beach. Here, in Del Mar you will find the best dining as well a good selection of exquisite wines. Coastal area is all lined with luxurious hotels and resorts. In the seaside village of La Jolla you will find world-class accommodations, gourmet dining and wonderful family entertainment opportunities. Award-winning resorts, beautiful beaches, golf courses and tennis clubs makes this place a perfect vacation destination.

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach has long been a perfect beach vacation destination with its 30 jewellike beaches, some of which are hidden at the foot of steep bluffs. What makes Laguna beaches unique is their tourist and hotel friendly locations. With properties erected on and near the beach, with the mansions and quaint cottages lining the bluffs, you may see some spectacular hotels and resorts sitting right on cliffs above the ocean. Of all the Orange County cities that range from San Clemente, Dana Point, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach and Surfside, Laguna Beach offers the most beach hotel rooms directly on the sand without crossing Pacific Coast Highway. For example, Montage, the luxury resort property, is spectacular with its views, pools, lawns and beaches that are open to the public. You'll be hard pressed to find a more luxurious resort destination than Laguna Beach.

Corona Del Mar, Dana Point

Corona Del Mar offers beautiful sand beach and coves that look like they come right out of a movie set. At the foot of rocky cliffs lies Corona Del Mar State Beach which is a popular place for swimmers, surfers and divers. Children especially love the tide pools at Little Corona Beach, also featuring volleyball courts and restrooms. Corona Del Mar boats stunningly beautiful ocean views, one of the most picturesque in all of California.

Dana Point offers lots of spots perfect for swimming, diving and just relaxing on the sun. Just South of Laguna Beach is Salt Creek Beach, an 18-acre park popular with surfers, boogie boarders, bodysurfers and tidepoolers. The park features picnic tables, grills, restrooms and showers all located within the shadows of the bluff-top Ritz Carlton. Adjacent to the Southern border of Dana Point Harbor is 62-acre Doheny State Beach, with 170 picnic tables, 99 grills, volley-ball courts and a butterfly exhibit. It also allows beach camping and is voted as the best camp site of the country. With over a mile of whitewashed sandy beach and some of the warmest water and best swimming and surfing in California, it's no wonder that people return here year after year to vacation.

Florida

An absolutely great beach vacation destination, Florida is all about the sun, the sea, the sand and fun. Blessed with year-round mild climate and sparkling waters that lure vacationers from around the world, Miami offers action-oriented visitors some of the world top golf, tennis and sporting facilities. A resort mecca of Miami, Miami Beach is home to hyper trendy South Beach. 10 miles of South Beach, often referred to as the American Riviera, are known for its shopping, dining, eclectic nightlife and celebrity sightings.

Experience Key West Paradise, famous its fabulously beautiful sunsets and offering endless recreational opportunities. It is where you can have some of the finest saltwater fishing and deep sea fishing offshore. Or enjoy a relaxing trip on a smaller charter to view dolphins in the wild or Kayak in the backcountry off Key West. Diving and snorkeling the coral reefs and wrecks around Key West are just fantastic. If you are interested in wreck diving, there are only a few around Key West that are available to visitors, but those few are world class! For instance, seven miles off Key West is the Vandenberg, an artificial reef lying 140 feet under the water. Some of the dive boats in Key West also offer night dives so that the vacationers can observe the fabulous nightlife on the reef.

St. Augustine

The Gold Coast North of Miami is all a sun-kissed and glitzy playground for the rich and famous, featuring dozens of fabulous beaches, fantastic shopping, dining, entertaining, boating, golfing and tennis. One of the most charming cities in the country, St Augustine is actually the oldest city in the country, featuring 43 pristine miles of beaches. There is the right type of beach for everyone: some permit vehicles and dogs while others allow only pedestrians. Some of the area beaches produce abundant shelling opportunities, while others are covered only in luxurious fine, golden sand.