Beaches in the Americas

The closest beach to downtown Nassau is Junkanoo Beach. It’s small, crowded, and lined with food shacks and beach bars. The setting isn’t particularly pretty among shabby buildings, but it’s a popular place to have the first drinks of the day.

Accra Beach / Rockley Beach is a long popular beach flanked by a car park, facilities, and hotels. There are plenty of sunbeds under parasols, which seem equal popular with locals and tourists alike. There are some rocks at both ends of the beach, but snorkeling should be best at the south end. You can take a stroll along the waterfront to the next beach further north, and the next one too.

On Barbados it’s hard to tell when one beach starts and the other ends. Brandons Beach and Brighton Beach are two of those which blend together. Brandens is the closest beach to the cruise ship harbour in Bridgetown, meaning you might need to share it when a cruise ship is at port. Else, it’s can be very deserted.

There are so many beaches on Barbados, all public. Strangely, they are not that different. All have the finest white sand and aquamarine blue waters. So it's more of a choice whether you prefer secludedness or a crowd. If you want to be a true local, head to the Hot Pot at the north end of Brighton Beach. A natural pool with particularly warm water as the cooling water from the nearby power plant flows out here – but be careful, there can be a strong current.

Mullins Beach is a slim slice of sand right next to the road. It has a lot of "fun in sun" at offer (jet ski, inflatable playground, etc.) which the keen vendors will keep remind you of. There are so many sunbeds squeezed in, that there is not much space around. This will appeal to beach-goers who don’t mind a crowd, or maybe even prefer one.

St. Lawrence Gap is small chilled tourist zone with resorts, a strip with restaurants and bars, and of course some gorgeous beaches. But just one lane inland it gets very local with wooden residential houses in pastel colours and rastas resting under shady trees. It’s also here you find some of Barbados few budget guest houses.

Klein Bonaire ('Little Bonaire' in Dutch) is yet another example of Bonaire's commitment to preserving nature and keeping development as minimally invasive as possible. This little island one kilometre west of the main island is home to the best beach in all of Bonaire (sand beaches are extremely rare here) and, up until 1999, was privately owned but still undeveloped. When the owners presented plans for developing the island into a huge resort with hotels, yacht clubs, malls, theatres and whatnot, the Bonairians stood up and said "No!". The ecological disaster was forever prevented when the island was bought back by the government. Today, the only structure on the island is a small open shelter on the beach (with one rubbish bin). Great diving sites are all around the island while drift snorkelling (sea turtles included most of the time) can be done along the main beach, which is also a favourite among kitesurfers. Water taxis run from Kralendijk to the beach and back several times a day.

Once a quiet fishing village, Trancoso has been transformed into a popular tourist destination but has managed to retain its beauty and charm. In the centre of the village, the old fishermen’s houses have been beautifully renovated into quaint shops and restaurants and at the end of the square sits the perfect white church that overlooks the beaches.
The beaches are long and not too crowded. You can go for long hikes on the beaches, go horseback riding or sip a beer or Caipirinha at a beach bar. If you are lucky, you can catch a performance by the locals doing capoeira.

If running off a list of 'beach holiday destinations', Canada would probably be near the bottom of the list. But with more coastline than any other country on Earth, it would be logical that Canada has some darn fine beaches. And they don't come much finer than those in Pacific Rim National Park on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The village of Tofino was once, not long ago, a tiny rain-soaked fishing village at the end of the Trans-Canada Highway. But these days, the ultra-cool surfer hippie scene has taken over. The waves, along the seemingly endless stream of pristine beaches, are finally attracting world wide attention. Although the summer is the busiest season, a visit during the wintery rainy season can be cool too. And storm watchers are rewarded with some of the wildest weather conditions.

This small settlement is the laid back alternative to popular beach town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. Here in Cahuita the Afro-Caribbean people still outnumber the expats and the parque central consists of one big tree. The attractions is the few dusty roads and the long gorgeous coast line. The biggest decision will be whether to take a stroll in the black sand at Playa Negra north of town or explore the white sand in Parque Nacional Cahuita in the south end of town. And if it all gets too stressful, do as the town sloth, find a shady place and chill out.