#45 BEST OF THE BEACHES
U.S. Virgin Islands, Ocracoke Island, Playa Macao, Cocoa Beach, and Leo Carrillo State Park
Chris
I will never forget the first time I saw two of my favorite things in the world, the beauty of the sea and the majesty of the mountains, merge together in one location. The place was the U.S. Virgin Islands and that is where you will find my pick for the BEST OF THE BEACHES.
The first time I traveled to the islands I was in college and we camped in eco-friendly tents at one of the many beautiful and mostly secluded bays that can be found all around the Virgin Islands. On this trip, we stayed on St. John which is mostly preserved and undeveloped thanks to its designation as a National Park. Listening to the cacophony of tree frogs through the night and waking up to walk down a short path to one of the world’s best beaches is hard to beat.
Slowly and quietly slipping into the clear, blue-green water to snorkel and immediately seeing schools of tropical fish with magnificently bright colors of orange, purple, and yellow as the rising sun begins to hit the water giving clarity and warmth is like a dream. When I first visited, you could easily swim around the coral reefs and encounter parrotfish, barracuda, and an occasional sea turtle passing over the deeper stretches of water.
I returned a few years later, this time for a best friend’s wedding. We spent most of our time on St. Thomas and visited St. John for only a day. One of the best memories I have is when we did a “homemade” nighttime snorkeling expedition. This cheap version of a snorkeling charter consisted of us putting flashlights in Ziplock bags and shining them into the deep, dark waters to see what we could discover. Floating around at night allowed us to see different sea creatures including moray eels, lobsters, and a super cool octopus. When I think about what might’ve actually been lurking around us in those dark waters now from the comfort and safety of my chair, I am a little nervous for my younger self!
On the one day we visited St. John it was still absolutely stunning to look at from the mountain roads circling the island down to the perfect Caribbean blue waters and white sandy beaches. Maho Bay, Turtle Bay and Cinnamon Bay are breathtaking to see in person but when we hit some of the snorkeling trails, I was surprised and saddened. Many of the reefs were dying or already dead due to devastating hurricanes.
Looking at the Virgin Islands National Park website this week, it appears many reefs are still in a state of recovery. Nature has an incredible way of renewing itself and hopefully combined with good stewardship, these beaches and the underwater life near them will continue to be restored.
Michelle
Chris and I have been going to the beach together since we were teenagers. He would often come along with my family when we would take day trips to the Outer Banks. He even spent a week with us in high school when we rented a house in Corolla. We swam, rode boogie boards, marveled at the wild horses, fished and just kept falling in love right there with the ocean always as a witness to it all. We haven’t visited the Outer Banks much with our own kids, but we did finally venture all the way to Ocracoke a couple of years ago and the ferry ride out there was totally worth it.
I love the beach road when you get past the touristy parts of Nags Head and onto the long stretches of nature that haven’t been manhandled by buildings only shaped by hurricane winds. It feels almost like you're driving on the beach itself as you make your way further from the anchor of the coastline, driving out into the ocean itself impossibly and dreamily. The world becomes sand, sea grass, and sunlight.
I feel carried away as the world around me is distilled to all things beachy. I feel my whole body relax into the landscape when we drive through the beach road with all my worries unfurling out the open windows blown away from me, out of me because the day ahead is just for play.
Jack
Playa Macao, one of the few surfing beaches near Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, is a refreshing escape from the resort beaches that dominate the area. The locals seem to tolerate the occasional tourists who find their way to it off the beaten path. Freshly made drinks, served right out of a pineapple, and steaming jerk chicken are passed around freely.
The sun beams on beautiful white sands and crystal clear water. And, for a relatively small fee, a relaxing day surfing a decent break awaits. It is the definition of paradise.
Henry
One of my favorite beaches is Cocoa Beach, Florida. On one trip we drove around the whole state of Florida. My favorite part of that trip was surfing with my brother at Cocoa Beach. I remember getting there at around 8 am and when we saw the waves, we begged our dad to go rent surfboards at the huge Ron Jon Surf Shop.
We finally convinced my dad and we went and rented out the boards. I was not expecting to surf that day but we did and it was the most fun and unexpected 3 hours of my life. I think that is the part of traveling I like the most: finding and experiencing unexpected moments. After surfing we went to a snack shack and had a delicious lunch. I asked if we could stay one more day, but we didn’t. So that is the story of my favorite beach and I did not expect for that to be my favorite beach.
Emma
One of my favorite beaches is part of the California State Parks system: Leo Carillo Beach. It is not really a sunbathing beach but more of a natural ecosystem where at low tide, incredible sealife is revealed.
There are so many wonderful surf oriented beaches in California to choose from but only a few with such easy access to nature clinging to rocks and to life. Here you can hike, venture into and out of caves, and find something to discover at nearly every step you take.
I loved this one!!!!! Especially growing up taking trips to the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras! I remember the first time I stopped to drop the air out of the tires of my bronco!! it was the best feeling in the world to drive out onto the sand finally with the big boys ♥️ This made me remember so many things I love. Thank you