Thursday, February 24, 2011

Top 10 Caribbean Beaches - Visit the Best Beaches in the Caribbean

1.Shoal Bay, Anguilla

Once a secret hideaway, Anguilla has come into its own as a Caribbean hot spot for Hollywood starlets and honeymooners alike. Filled with beautiful beaches, posh resorts and overall laid-back charm, Anguilla's popularity is certainly well-deserved. There are 33 beaches on this 16-mile stretch of island, and the best part is that they are all open to the public. Shoal Bay is among the most popular with 2 miles of pearly-white sand on the Atlantic side that has a convenient equipment rental on-site for visitors.This is a stunning beach. The sand is beautiful, the water warm. You can have a wonderful day by visiting Tropical Sunset

2.Eagle Beach, Aruba

One of the nicest beaches in Aruba is Eagle. With miles of clean shores, tranquil waters and picture-perfect weather year-round, Aruba sees its fair share of tourism. Eagle Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island with its wide swath of powdery sand and gentle surf perfect for swimming. The beach is a bit quieter than some of its neighbors, but still free to the public like all of Aruba’s beaches. Sleep across the street from these serene shores at the Dutch-influenced Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort.

3.Trunk Bay, St. John

Nearly 50 years after Laurance S. Rockefeller donated Trunk Bay to the National Park Service, the beach and offshore coral reefs remain among St. John's most breathtaking and well-preserved attractions. Trunk Bay's clear, warm waters and silky coral sands draw tourists in droves, and its well-maintained facilities include chair and snorkel equipment rentals and showers. Visitors can bask in the tropical sun, snorkel the 225-yard-long Underwater Trail of reefs, or try their hand at underwater photography -- the clean water and variety of colorful sea life promise spectacular photo opportunities.

4.Crane Beach, Barbados

Barbados is a distinctive island, both in its natural beauty and fun-loving culture. This West Indies gem is actually a coral island. The sandy beaches are made up of pulverized coral, which makes for fine, soft sand. Just off the coast, there are coral reefs that tempt snorkelers and scuba divers with their exotic underwater life. Crane Beach is known for its great waves, and the waters are filled with surfers and even some body surfers, though the rough waters are appropriate only for strong swimmers.

5.Palominos Island, Puerto Rico

Palominos Island is a 100-acre private beach getaway off the coast at the northeastern tip of Puerto Rico. Adding to the island’s allure is its air of exclusivity as it’s only available to guests staying at the El Conquistador Resort and Golden Door Spa. Those lucky VIPs board a fast-moving catamaran for an 8-minute ride to this retreat for a day of snorkeling, wind surfing or riding wave runners or embrace the island paradise by simply lounging in a hammock with a frozen cocktail.

6.Philipsburg, St Maarten

St. Maarten is a cosmopolitan beach destination with European flair on the Dutch and French sides of the island. Phillipsburg is the capital of the Dutch side and the island’s hub of activity with cruise ships coming and going and visitors strolling along the brick-lined Great Bay Beach Promenade. This busy beachfront runs for nearly 2 miles with colorful umbrellas dotting the wide sandy shores. For a completely different experience, head to Cupecoy Beach, a clothing-optional spot beneath golden sandstone cliffs.
7.Nassau, Bahamas

While Nassau’s beaches are certainly lovely, the allure for many is the spectacular diving just off the sandy shores where visibility can reach up to 100 feet. Explore the Blue Hole, a natural hole 100 feet across and 200 feet deep full of large schools of fish. Trinity and Piece of Cake caves both have openings large enough to swim through and are home to some large lobsters. There are also countless shipwrecks that have occurred along the reefs surrounding the islands of the Bahamas that make for some very exciting underwater adventures.

8.Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands are made up of a collection of smaller islands, each with its own unique topography and island vibe. Virgin Gorda, 1 of the largest islands, is a popular tourist spot with posh resorts, pristine beaches and great sailing. Virgin Gorda is probably most famous for the Baths, a unique national park on the island's southwest coast with white sandy beaches framed by gigantic granite boulders, some of these with diameters reaching 40 feet. Bring along your water shoes, a snorkel and a waterproof camera and explore the series of caves and grottos created by these irregular boulders.

9.Harrismith Beach, Barbados

Spend the day like a castaway on the remote Harrismith Beach in the Parish of St. Philip in Barbados. Though it’s just a short walk from Bottom Bay, this sandy paradise is far removed from the resort scene at the more developed beaches. The beach is accessible by a flight of stone steps carved into a cliff overlooking the sea. The cliff-top ruins of an old plantation house add to the romantic air. After descending the steps to the shore, enjoy a picnic, search for shells or relax with a book—but swim at your own risk as there’s no lifeguard on duty at this hidden gem of a beach.

10.Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda

Bermuda's famous pink-sand beaches are considered some of the loveliest seaside retreats in the world, and the shores of Horseshoe Bay are no exception. Wide stretches of the pastel pink sand -- the result of crushed shells, coral and calcium carbonate -- offset by clear blue waves lapping at the shore, create an enticing lure for the scores of visiting beachgoers who descend each year upon the 21-mile-long island. Horseshoe Bay Beach's facilities, lifeguards and equipment rental shops have helped secure its ranking as Bermuda's most popular shore.

Ascension Island here i come

Well here we are on another working trip abroad, this time on the beautiful island known as Ascension Island, which is an RAF base here in the South Atlantic ocean.
Working on a refurbishement of an Officers Mess, early starts, which is good as it is a very warm location, which is something i have never done before always like working in the cold not the heat!!!

First Saturday afternoon, we got taken in the company minibus to an amazing bay at the north of the Island, called funny enough English Bay, beautiful clear blue water, great snorkeling, very hot though, could only manage about an hour then had to cover up, still very enjoyable and thanks to Kevin for taking us up there!

Our first Sunday which is a day off yeah, me and another fellow electrician called Jamie, decided to walk up to the top of the highest point on the Island, known as Green Mountain. The round trip took us approximately 5 hours and it was no walk in the park, i can tell you!
About two thirds of the way up, we came across an amazing old building with a Clock Tower on it, i have taken a black and white picture, which i think turned out quite well.
The climb seem to last for an age, we eventually thought we had reached the top, only to find a path way that had a sign on it saying Dew Ponds this way, so being the fit people we are we went for it.
After another twenty minutes of steep climb, through mud and insects, we found the most beautiful pond, hence this picture you can see here. Surrounded by bamboo and lush green leaves, it was well worth the extra effort required to reach it.
The next picture you can see is one on which got taken on the way down, this Island is made up from Volcanic ash and i beleive there are about thirty four Volcanoes, which i hope are all EX- volcanoes!!!!!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Beach Life at Phuket, Thailand

We left behind Malaysia and flew into Phuket, Thailand. Our hotel was on the southern end of the island, at a beach called Nai-Harn. Home to a Buddhist monastery, Nai-Harn is said to be the least developed of Phuket's beaches. However we were not actually staying at Nai-Harn beach, but at the nearby town of Nai-Harn, which was quite developed, thankfully, with a full compliment of German-Indian and English-Thai restaurants and many many hostess bars and prostitutes.

The beach was lovely, really lovely. The 40 minute walk to the beach from our hotel (said to be 20 minutes by the staff) was not. After hearing of holiday makers suffering real buzz killing moped accidents on Langkawi, and seeing as we had never ridden one, we have decided to never hire a moped. Or even get on one. Ever. So walking in the heat to the beach proved to be a pretty annoying factor about our hotel. But the beach was awesome, crystal clear water, beautiful sand, laid back beach park with Casuarina and Palm trees instead of condos.

After two days there we decided to move. Thought about Patong Beach but thought better. Phuket seems to be populated entirely by fat middle-aged sex tourists and scabby back-packers with ankle bracelets, crap tattoos and 'dreading' hair. From reports Patong beach is the Mecca of this. Instead we headed to Phuket Town. Given relatively short shrift by our guide books, it turned out to be quite a gem. Firstly we had turned up during the annual Phuket City festival, so the streets were full of night food markets, music and Chinese dancing (yes we ended up in ANOTHER Chinatown). Secondly, there were footpaths. And thirdly the food was amazing. We basically attained our goal in coming to S.E Asia in Phuket City, which was to have these little coconut crisp things with coconut marsh-mallow and shredded coconut soaked in something that makes it orange. We can come home now.
Frank went on a boat trip out to the Phi Phi Islands, which he said was great, although busy and full of Russians. I went shopping and bought cheese, which had been sorely missed. And a special thanks to Miss Wiyada, who made getting around Phuket super easy with her very helpful taxi/tour/everything service.

Swimming with crocdiles at Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo, Mexico


our hotel and beach from the boat
Saturday

I've been able to swim at least once a day now, swimming in warm salt water is one the best things ever.No one else seems to swim.They wade or paddle a bit in the edge. The water gradually deepens...it isn't over my head until I am 50 feet out....

Besides general relaxing, we've been playing cards, and trying new restaurants...and today we took a boat trip. It was the classic "see some birds, look for dolphins, see some more birds, go to a well worn local attraction". There was a bit of a surprise at the local attraction, at least....see the photos! We shared the boat with a couple from Chicago and a very well-traveled family from Denmark.

Monday

Not much else to report...just more beautiful beach views, swimming, eating...


Right now, we're sitting in the beach chairs under a palm tree in the late afternoon, drinking cold Negra Modelos (beer) and reading (or writing)and people watching. White, puffy clouds obscure the sun from time to time....birds fish out in front of us...the breeze keeps it from getting too hot. One more day and then back to snow and rain....