Beaches in the Americas

The closest beach from the airport is not far away. A five minutes walk from the arrival hall and you will be standing with sand between your toes on Store Bay Beach. It's a rather short beach where deck chairs, parasols, jet ski, and glassbottom boat trips are offered by an army of Rastafarian hawkers. However, most people would probably prefer Pigeon Point Beach a short walk further north.

Long beaches, sand dunes, sea lions and a lighthouse, that's what Cabo Polonio is all about! There are only a few hostels, all small wooden houses on or close to the beach with very basic electricity. Thanks to the fact that Cabo Polonio is a protected area, it can maintain its small size and basic lifestyle. There isn’t much to do except relaxing and going for (beach) walks, but that is exactly the reason for coming to this chilled place. To get there you have to take the park’s 4x4 truck on a sandy road, which already makes for half the fun. It builds up the excitement of getting there and you can do some bird watching in the meantime.

Punta Del Diablo is the largest of a number of small beachside towns located on the east coast of Uruguay. Still largely fishing villages, these rural, sand-street communities of laidback locals live a life of seafood, Uruguayan meat and warm weather. Considered the Miami of the area, Punta del Diablo during the summer months of December and January is very popular with Argentines, Chileans and Montevideons. The beach is deserted before 3 pm but, in typical South American fashion, it is jam-packed by 5 pm with scantly clad, bronzed bodies taking in the warm Uruguayan sun. Small, wooden bungalows and beach shacks are scattered throughout the sand dunes home to a mix of fishermen and hippies. Further south in Valizas, there is a more relaxed vibe where reggae music and meat platters are in abundance. A 4-hour walk further south along the beach, secluded by the sand dunes, is Cabo Polonio. With only one road in, it has not been overrun by summer-sun searchers and still has that beach hide-away charm.

There are many holiday towns along the west coast of Florida, but Daytone Beach is one of the most famous ones. A long wide sandy beach with a equally long row of highrise holiday complexes are the main features. Beach driving is allowed and is one the things that have made Daytona iconic. Most of the year the town is favoured by retired seniors and families on vacation, but at spring break the place get cramped. Though Daytona no longer is as popular as it once was in 1980s, when more than 350,000 students came every year, it still manage to attract about 15,000 party-goers in the crazy week of spring break.

The Florida Keys are that string of coral islands that drips south of the tip of Florida. More than 40 bridges, some very long, connect the main islands, which are as tropical as you can imagine with palms, beaches, and aquamarine water. The most famous island is, of course, Key West, which is not just the most western key, but also the most southern point in the continental United States – a fact they have turned into a smooth tourist machine. Once, Key West town was the largest city in Florida and later a hub for drug smuggling. Maybe due to that, Key West has attracted prominent people through time, Hemingway being the most famous – something they also have turned into a tourist attraction today, along with rum distillation, lime pies, you-name-it. So yes, Key West is very touristic and a magnet for seniors, but it's easy to escape the crowds, just pick one of the 1700 other keys. The fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, diving are as good here and as a sign says "why pay Key West prices?".