Search results for "bay"

A nude beach in Santa Cruz seems fitting, given the area's tolerant, bohemian lifestyle. Just six miles north of the city, the private Red, White and Blue Beach has been the choice of Bay area naturists for more than 30 years. And, because the area is privately owned, visitors are welcome to cook, play and even park their cars in the buff. Recreation options at Red, White and Blue Beach include volleyball, whale watching (in the spring) and overnight camping.

Many visitors to Puerto Rico never leave the streets and plazas of San Juan, and that’s understandable, because this most beautiful of Caribbean cities can charm you in a way few tropical getaways can. Walk along the narrow cobblestone lanes and gaze at the wrought-iron balconies, archways, and plazas, and you are in an 18th-century Spanish colonial city, alive with antique shops, art galleries, and small cafיs. By night, this is a city that lives by its after-hours diversions, set to the rhythms of hip-swiveling Salsa. But there are also other, less familiar Puerto Ricos. Sun-and-sand love...

An unspoiled corner of Fiji, Kadavu is a beautiful mountainous island with waterfalls, rounded hilltops, outstanding beaches and high rocky cliffs. It offers interesting bush walks, charming rockpools, luxuriant native trees and fascinating birdlife, particularly the famous red and green Kadavu parrots. Kadavu (pronounced Kahn-da-voo), has a population of approximately 8700 and lies only 88 kilometers south of Suva. Kadavu is approximately 48 kilometers in length and varies in width from 365 meters to 13 kilometers. Its area is 411 square kilometers, just a bit less than Taveuni. Kadavu ha...

Most people who come to Sanibel and Captiva, twin barrier islands off Florida's Gulf Coast, share a single passion: seashells. This is, after all, the home of the “Sanibel Stoop,” a posture folks assume while scouring the sandy shoreline for the more than 200 varieties of shells that wash ashore after storms. Streets here are named for shells, and the leading cultural attraction is a museum devoted to them. In fact, the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum is the only one of its kind in the United States, with a remarkable collection not only from Southwest Florida but also from around the world. ...

This is an Ile des Pins story: During the world windsurfing championships held in New Caledonia in 1999, board sailors suddenly stopped in the middle of the competition and dropped their sails to take in the sheer beauty of the Isle of Pines…Yes, another contender for the most-beautiful-island-on-the-planet title. Capt. James Cook named it in 1774 for the tree-rich landscape, but it’s the gloriously clear waters offshore, bordered by some of the most stunning beaches (Kuto and Kanumera are the best known) in the entire South Pacific, that enthrall travel-weary visitors. This is an island m...

Three hundred years ago a small band of English pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, landed on this island and gave it the ethereal name, Eleuthera, which means "Freedom" in Greek. The name seems to be as apt today as it was then. Eleuthera, delivers on its initial promise by bestowing its gifts upon the lucky who've stumbled upon it, or the smart who know to go there. Miles of glistening pink and white sand beaches, serene colonial villages, and the rolling acres of pineapple plantations make Eleuthera an island of the most casual sophistication. The cool laziness of Eleutherean life and ...

Largest of the many Islands of The Bahamas (104 x 40 miles), mysterious, mangrove-choked Andros is also the least explored, which means that you'll be sharing space with more terns and whistling tree ducks than humans--and maybe even a chickcharnie or two, those mischievous mythical inhabitants that are exclusive to this island. Reputed to be elfin creatures with three fingers, three toes, and red eyes, chickcharnies bring lifelong good luck to anyone lucky enough to see one. Andros even has its own "Loch Ness Monster," a dragon-like sea monster called the Lusca. No wonder the island was c...

Mu Ko Similan National Park: Similan is a Yawi or Malay word, which means nine or a group of nine islands. This is located in Tambon Ko Phra Thong, Amphoe Khura Buri, occupying an area of 32,000 acres. It was declared a national park on 1st September 1982. Similan is a small group of islands comprising nine islands stretching from north to south, respectively, namely: Ko Bon, Ko Bayu, Ko Similan, Ko Payu, Ko Miang (two adjoining islands), Ko Payan, Ko Payang, and Ko Huyong. The National Parks office is located on Ko Miang. Similan is highly praised for its beautiful scenery, both onshore and...

Look around at the elegant resort hotels, golf courses, casino, marinas, and shopping malls of Freeport/Lucaya – and you may find it hard to believe that none of this existed when JFK was president. Faster-paced than Nassau, this cosmopolitan "second city" of the Bahamas is really only four decades old, a monument to modern tourism. But what makes Grand Bahama special is the fact that while you can play, shop, gamble, and boogie the night away to your heart's content in American-style comfort, much of the island remains as it was before the resort revolution. That includes miles of uncr...

Jamaica is greater than the sum of its parts. But for many visitors, the only part they see is one of four major resort areas. There's always-lively Montego Bay, with its beaches, golf, shopping, and nightlife and Ocho Rios, known for its beaches and upscale resorts, while Negril, aka Beach Party Central, pulls in the younger set, and Port Antonio is a lush, quiet getaway. Visitors who explore find a beautiful island, a vibrant culture that goes far beyond reggae, and endless opportunities to play under the sun. You can golf, horseback ride, or dive (on wrecks and among the ruins of a ...