Beach and Spoke Vacations - Groups today are always looking for more options and less regimentation. They want to do their own thing, but want to have plenty of choices of things to do. And of course everyone enjoys waking up to the sound of the surf or watching the sun rise or set over the sparkling water. Lets look at some popular beach destinations that offer an array of options for your travelers.

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach, S.C., for example offers plenty to do. In addition to its wellknown Grand Strand and many theatres, there are many local options. Tour the low country in a 14-passenger safari jeep. Enjoy a cruise on the Suncruz Casino Boat. Pirates and Ghosts along the Coast includes the historic communities of Murrells Inlet, Huntington Beach and Pawleys Island, all of which have histories that predate the Revolutionary War. Pine Trees, Cotton, Tobacco and Now Y’all visits Horry and Marion Counties to learn how the lumber, cotton and tobacco industries each once flourished in this area that is now fueled by tourism. Other options include coastline cruises, city tours, golf or a basket-weaving workshop. Pickups and drop-offs are provided for individuals within your group for any of these.

A favorite side trip from here is to nearby Florence. Its War Between the States Museum includes artifacts and memorabilia from 1850-1900, including items from the Florence Stockade, a Union prison camp. Florence National Cemetery has veterans from five wars buried in this thirty-acre shrine, known as South Carolinas Little Arlington. The Dooley Planetarium at Francis Marion University features a 33-foot dome with 2300 stars projected. The Florence Railroad Museum includes a restored caboose and box car filled with railroad memorabilia.

Or consider Georgetown. The Hopsewee Plantation is the birthplace of Thomas Lynch Jr. a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Its grounds feature two original slave cabins and a beautiful view of the Santee River.

Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island, S.C., and the nearby communities of Beaufort, Bluffton and Daufuskie Island offer wonderful beaches, along with rich history and culture. The Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island offers a great way to become familiar with this history and culture. In addition to its indoor and outdoor exhibits, the museum offers 11 different tours and cruises to highlight the areas African American, Native American and Civil War history, along with the areas diverse ecology. The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina features visual and performing arts, including theatre, music and dance. There are also a number of sightseeing cruises available from the marinas, to watch dolphins or eagles, pull crab pots, view oyster beds or just watch the sunset.

The historic town of Bluffton features a variety of art galleries and shops in its downtown area. The charming and historic town of Beaufort offers the Arsenal, historic churches and dozens of historic homes dating back to the early 1700s.

While Hilton Head Island and the surrounding communities offer days of options, its proximity to Savannah and Charleston also make it attractive. Charleston is 75 miles away and Savannah is only 45 miles away, making each very feasible for a side-trip. An interesting option for Savannah would be to go by boat, a trip that is touted as being faster than driving.

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach offers 35 miles of beaches and 121 navigable miles of waterways. Its historic Boardwalk stretches for three miles and bustles with bicyclists and walkers who enjoy the many outdoor cafes and three oceanfront stages. The Virginia Aquarium here is one of the countrys finest with 70,000-plus gallons of aquariums, live animal exhibits and over 300 exhibits. The fishing is great year-round, with rich waters for both inshore and offshore fishing. In the winter boats go whale watching for humpback and fin whales and in the summer they are replaced by bottlenose dolphins.

This article is sponsored by: www.grouptravelblog.com

Virgin Islands Top Resort Honeymoons Is Peter Island - The Virgin Islands Top Resort for Honeymoons has to be Peter Island.

Any visitor here would describe Peter Island as one of the very top Caribbean beautiful small island vacations, with just cause too!!

To be on your honeymoon on Peter Island, is just a dream come true, because as well as being a top Caribbean resort, it is probably the most romantic hotel in the Caribbean.

Honeymoons should always be romantic, and whilst it has to be said that what Peter Island is not, is that it could never be described as one of the most romantic affordable honeymoon ideas, because it is definitely not cheap, however it is one of the two most romantic vacations spots for me.

The first being when my husband proposed to me!! ………………

Enough of that, now what about Peter Island as the most romantic hotel in the Caribbean?

This was our first trip to the Caribbean, although we are very familiar with top class resorts, beautiful white sand beaches, and delicious food, but we were not prepared for some of the most beautiful beaches on Peter Island. It really is a top resort in every sense of the word. The sea is so clean and clear, and if you enjoy snorkelling, which we do, then the beaches we tried snorkelling from were excellent. There were plenty of opportunities to indulge on the water as well with hobie cats, sunfish, windsurfing, sailing, sea kayaking.

The best thing about the beaches apart from the sand and the sea was the fact that there were never many people there. We mostly went to Deadman’s Beach which runs from close to our room, past the beach restaurant

The island itself is a tropical paradise, palm trees, lush green vegetation, and VERY private. No streets, no taxis, no shops, no cruise ships, airports, time share salesmen, not even houses. This is a privately owned island, and it will stay that way – pristine, unspoiled paradise, and very very private.

The accommodation is probably understated, but we were lucky indeed to get an upgrade to a beachfront junior suite.

It was quite amazing, beautifully furnished, a huge bathroom with a double Jacuzzi, and shower. The view from this 1st floor suite was unforgettable, and incredibly you could walk out straight onto the beach without using the stairs or the front door.

I did like all the extras in the suite, the robes, flip flops etc, but the best thing to me was the fact that the radio in the room took CD’s and I always take some away with me, so we could listen to our favourites when we were dressing or just relaxing.

Finally the fridge in the suite was well stocked, and the prices remarkably cheap.

I come now to the food, and with it the service, and this is really where Peter Island has rightly established itself as the Virgin Islands top honeymoon resort, because if ever a girl wants to be pampered it is on her honeymoon!!

Well the food at Peter Island is extremely good, and loving my food as I do, this was a foodie paradise. Breakfast, lunches down on the beach, dinners were all delicious, and I can’t remember a bad meal.

The service was mostly superb, the staff went the extra mile many times for us, and were very good at remembering our names, and supplying us with things like snacks when we wanted them even if we had only casually mentioned the subject.

The total highlight for me was the spa. My husband and I both had massages for the first time, and we loved the pool at the spa with the best views.

Peter Island certainly lived up to its reputation as top Caribbean small island vacation, and will always be on my list of most romantic getaways, but as it is not cheap, whilst most romantic it was not my most affordable honeymoon idea – but who cares – I loved it!!

Canary Islands - A Great Vacation Paradise For Beach Bums - Having a vacation with the family is a great thing to do. I will enjoy a holiday cruise anytime of the year. I especially like great beaches with the blue skies. Of course, it helps, when the people are friendly too.

When I travel for leisure, the Canary Islands off Spain is never far from my mind. You can get there by cruise. If you choose to do so, remember to go to a cruise-only travel agent or an online agency that specializes in cruise vacations. They probably can give you better cruise holiday deals.

You can also get there by air. All the islands have airports. Most international flights and those from mainland Spain goes to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote. You can also fly to the Canaries from most European cities. If you are flying from North America, flights usually go to Madrid, where you can get a connecting flight.

An unknown North African aboriginal group originally inhabited the Canary Islands. Later, in the 15th century, a Frenchman Bethencourt discovered the islands. Some popular Canary Islands destinations to explore are: Fuerteventura, Gomera, Grand Canary, Lanzarote and Tenerife.

If you want an all-out summer holiday with sand, beaches, and babes, the Canary Islands is a good choice for travel. There are numerous activities here. The mini golf course will give you hours of fun. There are also many tracks for biking and hiking.

One of my favorites is the Teide National Park. It is a marvel of nature with its stunning volcanic landscape. It is also home to Spain's highest mountain, the dormant volcano Teide. There are numerous walking trails and a cable car to the top of the volcano. Truly awesome!


You can't talk about the Canary Islands without talking about the Bahia de Pozo Izquierdo which is the best beach on Gran Canaria. It is great for windsurfing, deep sea fishing and sailing. When you snorkel or scuba dive, you will probably see grouper, barracuda, turtles, rays, tropical fishes and the occasional shark.

If you are at Gran Canaria, a hotel to stay is "ClubHotel Riu Vistamar". It is well maintained, and the service is good. Although the pool area can be crowded, the food more than makes up for it. You get pancakes, cereals, toast and even champagne for breakfast! On certain days, you'll even get smoked salmon. Quite frankly, I don't mind having it everyday! Remember to attend the 6:30pm dinner to enjoy the night entertainment too.

The Canary Islands has a population of 1.84m people, most of whom are Roman catholic. The weather is generally warm and sunny all year round. If you hate winter, this is the best place to be a lazy beach bum, and have nice and friendly people around you!

Beautiful Indonesia -- Straddling the Equator, and stretching across 3,500 miles of Pacific Ocean from East to West, Indonesia is a country of more than 17,000 islands. Many of these outposts are so remote that they support little or no human habitation. As a result, Indonesia is home to many of the world's absolutely finest diving locales, with new sites still to be discovered. Indonesia's unique location places it at the epicenter of our planet's marine biodiversity. Its waters are home to everything from great whale sharks to the world's tiniest seahorses. Because Indonesia's water temperatures are typically a bit cooler than other Pacific regions, the effects of global warming have not yet taken their toll. Indonesia's coral reefs are still rich and vibrant, and its waters home to some of the most amazing marine creatures you will ever see.

Boracay is a tropical island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

The island was originally home to the Ati tribe. Boracay is part of Aklan Province, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956.Formerly undiscovered, it wasn't till the 1970s that tourism began to develop in Boracay,and the island became popular with backpackers in the 1980s.

Years ago, Boracay Island was a well-guarded secret, almost possessively so that only a few knew of its existence.
It was only in the 70's when, it is said, a foreign movie crew accidentally "discovered" this island paradise. Others maintain that it was the German traveller, Jens Peters' book, which included rave reviews of Boracay that changed the island’s pace from that of being a quiet secret to eventually being voted (like many other beaches in the Asian region) as having the best beach in the world.

Whichever story is true, it was around this time that Boracay Island slowly ceased to be a private travellers hangout and eventually became a favourite tourist destination in the Philippines. In a span of a mere 10 years, the whole world, it seemed, discovered Boracay and the once, nearly deserted stretch of beach became a teeming vacation and leisure spot for upscale tourists from all parts of the world.

The coastline of Sicily measures some thousand kilometres and offers great variety of wide sandy beaches, remote tiny beaches, sheer cliffs, famous resorts, an atmosphere of ancient civilizations and the survival of centuries old traditions. Almoast all what i listed before we should live through visits Eraclea Minoa.

This secret place - Eraclea Minoa is 30 km faraway from Agrigento, near Capo Bianco hill. The area of Platani and Capo Bianco rivers stretches on a rocky promontory, once home to greek colonies. Territory around Heraclea Minoa is also an interesting archaeological park with beautiful long beaches. The wooded area is inhabited by foxes, weasels and duck-hawks.

From Agrigento to the coast of Eraclea Minoa:

From main road Agrigento - Sciacca turn to the left in direction of coast and camp Eraclea Minoa - 5 km. Westward up the coast you can see the ruins of Eraclea Minoa and white cliff of Capo Bianco. Camps are situated under with cliff in sparse pine forrest near sea. Perfect place for your picnic out on a carpet of fine sand. Near camp is a small shop with excellent bread from the local bakery.

Morning is the best time for trip. Capo Bianco is within easy reach in a half hour by walking the beach in the northwest direction. The ascent to the top of cliff is easy. From here is beautiful view to the sea and place for enjoy peacefull. The teritory belongs to the Nature Orientated Reserve of Torre Salsa. This is an uncontaminated territory with cliffs of gypsum intervene with limestone marl which are covered with layers of clay. The sea is crystal clear while its shallow waters are blooming with typical flora and fauna. The ancient watch-tower of Torre Salsa is situated in the very heart of the Reserve and dominates the top of a promontoryl.

Next place worth visiting are ancient ruins with great theatre. See also description bellow. After straining exploration sourroudnes of Eraclea Minoa it is finally time to cool off in the sea.

Ko Phi Phi Leh (or Ko Phi Phi Ley) is an island of the Phi Phi archipelago, in the Andaman Sea. It belongs to the Krabi province of Thailand.
Ko Phi Phi Leh is the second largest island of the archipelago, the largest one being Ko Phi Phi Don. The island consists of a ring of steep limestone hills surrounding a shallow bay, the Mahya Bay.

Mahya Bay (or Maya Bay) is popular for diving, and has become even more popular after the 2000 movie The Beach was filmed there. According to the Lonely Planet's Thailand guidebook, the 2004 tsunami dramatically improved the look of Maya Bay. This was due to the fact that the high waves had cleaned up the beach and removed all the landscaping the Fox production team had added.

Controversy arose during the making of the film The Beach due to 20th Century Fox bulldozing and rescaping of the natural beach setting of Ko Phi Phi Leh to make it more "paradise-like". The production altered some sand dunes and cleared some coconut trees and grass to widen the beach. Fox set aside a fund to reconstruct and return the beach to its natural state, however lawsuits were filed as many believed the damage to the ecosystem is permanent and restoration attempts failed.

The lawsuits dragged on for years. In 2006, Thailand's Supreme Court upheld an appeal court ruling that the filming had harmed the environment and ordered that damage assessments be made. Defendants in the case included 20th Century Fox and some Thai government officials.

Prior to 2004 the island had avoided development. However, it is now a part of Phi Phi National Park and has since begun to see the beginnings of development and some clearing of natural plant life. There are current plans to build bungalows on the island and as of 2004 an entry-fee of 40 Baht has been charged; as of February 2007 the charge for private visitors has been raised to Bt200 per person. There are now permanent basic facilities on the island - toilets, a snack bar and camping sites.

WHEN it comes to beaches, the landlocked city of São Paulo obviously suffers in comparison to Rio de Janeiro, where the famed Ipanema and Copacabana beaches are just across the street from some of the city's top hotels. But, in fact, the beach scene near São Paulo can be just as inviting as Rio's — if a little harder to get to — and offers a glimpse of Brazilian life away from the country's chaotic urban centers.
The Litoral Norte, or North Shore, begins less than an hour's drive from the city at the town of Santos, and about an hour later, the SP-55 highway (also known as Rio-Santos) is tracing a beautiful coastline of lush but rugged green hills towering over a shoreline of rocky coves and sandy beaches.

The beaches of the Litoral Norte are extremely popular on the weekend, which can mean long traffic jams along the highway and crowds angling for open space on the beaches. But travelers from abroad are not tied to the Brazilian workweek, and thus can go when the crowds are still at home. Midweek is the perfect time to rent a car for two or three days and relax on the beach before returning for a raucous weekend in the city. And in many hotels along the coast, prices go down midweek, making it an economical time as well.

Some of the most sought-after beaches are within the municipality (more a county than a city) of São Sebastião. Until the Rio-Santos highway was completed in the 1970's, the oceanfront communities were fishing villages where Caiçaras, the descendants of Portuguese and indigenous people, had lived for centuries. It is now ruled by another people, called veranistas by the locals and loosely translated as summering city slicker condo owners.
But there is a scene for everyone, from the energetic, youthful resort town of Maresias, to the idyllic beaches tucked into the hills at Toque Toque Grande and Toque Toque Pequeno, to the unpretentious colonial center of São Sebastião that also serves as the ferry station to Ilhabela, a green Goliath of an island that looms just off the coast, full of upscale restaurants and hotels.

And there is no reason to choose among them. A traveler can easily stay in São Sebastião, hit the beach in Toque Toque Grande, dine and party in Maresias, then hop the ferry the next morning for a day in Ilhabela.

Since SP-55 goes straight through Maresias about 60 miles from Santos, it is not as picturesque as the smaller towns beyond it. But its long, clean beach, youthful vibe, occasional (Brazilian) celebrity-spotting and good seafood restaurants make up for it. On most menus is the local Caiçara dish called azul marinho, grouper cooked with banana and spices that takes on a bluish hue. A nightclub, Sirena, attracts electronic and techno music fans from the city.

After Maresias, the road heads back into the hills, offering dramatic views of upcoming beaches from high above. About six miles down are Toque Toque Pequeno and Toque Toque Grande, accessible by steep but easily navigable roads off SP-55. Despite their names, Toque Toque Pequeno is actually the bigger of the two and has the only lodging. The Pousada Aparas is run by a German family whose English is good. You can swim in the pool, request a private barbecue, rent canoes and get massages, but the real attraction is the beach, a 30-second walk away. Guests not wanting to drive into Maresias for dinner can try the Barracuda Beach Bar, right across the street

Toque Toque Grande is equally charming, a perfect cove with Toque Toque Island offshore, and lumpy green mountains and at least one waterfall behind. But it has no lodging beyond homes rented out by the veranistas.

Down the winding road, past a few more beaches, is São Sebastião's center, a charmingly unpretentious collection of brightly painted colonial-era buildings with red-tiled roofs and a church in the center. Unlike Paraty, a tourist magnet a few hours east, São Sebastião feels like a working town, not a museum. The best place to stay is the Pousada Ana Doce, in a purplish colonial building whose 16 rooms surround a lusciously green garden.

Ana Doce is perfectly set between the town's picturesque central square and a seaside row of seafood restaurants and ice cream parlors offering Brazilian flavors like brigadeiro (named after a fudgy condensed milk and cocoa powder candy) to the understated, refreshing graviola, one fruit that's a sure bet in a land where choosing from a list of strange-sounding tropical treats can be a game of chance.

From São Sebastião you can pop over to Ilhabela on the frequent ferry (free for passengers, 10.7 reais, about $4.85, at 2.2 rais to the dollar, for cars). Ilhabela, with a population of 22,000 people, 360 waterfalls and 40 beaches, has endless restaurants, from Deck, which has several eating areas offering, among other dishes, sushi as well as goulash with spaetzle, to a restaurant at the southern end of the main road oddly named Nova Iorqu"I" (New York, more or less) with a stunning sunset view and horrendous miniature copy of the Statue of Liberty. (The story behind the name is complex; best just to enjoy the seafood and powerful passion fruit caipirinha.)

Because the beaches of São Sebastião are frequented by Brazilians, not international tourists, there is the occasional lack of English speakers. That's the bad news. The good news is you'll be sharing the beaches with Brazilians. And that's worth the tradeoff.

Bells Beach ( 38°22′01″S, 144°17′05″E) is an internationally famous surf beach in Victoria, Australia, located 100 km south-west of Melbourne, on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc.

The main break is known as the Bells Bowl or Bowl section. It is a point break and works through all tides depending on the size of the swell. It is surfable from 2' up to 15', and a north-west to west wind is optimal wind direction.

Although the beach was 'featured' in the final scene of the film Point Break, the scene was not actually filmed there. Bells Beach is a straight stretch and the beach in the film is a cove with pine trees atop a hill. The actual location of the film was a beach called Indian Beach, in Ecola State Park, located in Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA.

Bells Beach is the home of the world's longest running surfing competition - the Rip Curl Pro Surf & Music Festival. The event was formerly known as the Bells Beach Surf Classic. The competition was first held in January 1961 and then at Easter every year since although occasionally, when conditions at Bells aren't suitable, the competition has been transferred to other breaks such as Johanna.

The beach is named after the family that first took up the pastoral run in the 1840s. As early as 1939 surfers from Torquay made their way to Bells but access was a considerable problem until 1960 when Torquay surfer and Olympic wrestler Joe Sweeney hired a bulldozer and cleared a road along the Bells cliff [1] from the Cobb & Co Road, where the concrete wave now stands, down to the beach. He charged one pound per surfer to recover his expenses. This is now part of the Torquay to Anglesea walking track.

Nearby surf breaks include 'Southside', 'Centreside', 'Rincon', 'Winki Pop' (Uppers and Lowers), Boobs and Steps. Although Bells is known internationally as one of the best breaks in Victoria, 'Winki Pop' often works better under more diverse conditions than the other nearby breaks.

The Ninety Mile Beach is a sandy stretch of south-eastern coastline of Victoria, Australia which separates the Gippsland Lakes region from Bass Strait.

It is believed to be the third longest uninterrupted beach in the world (behind Praia do Cassino on the Brazilian southern coast and Padre Island on the US Gulf Coast) — just over 151 kilometres (94 miles) running northeastward from a spit near Port Albert to the man-made channel at Lakes Entrance, passing the coastal towns of Woodside, Seaspray, Golden Beach, and Loch Sport. For the northern part of its route the beach runs along a sandbar on what amounts to a series of tidal islands and behind which are several large lakes and numerous shallow littoral lagoons. The area comprises the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park.

The beach's length ensures that the waves break too close to the beach for good surfing, and there are strong rip currents and cross-currents making the conditions somewhat hazardous for the inexperienced swimmer. The local authorities recommend that swimmers stay in the patrolled stretches present at the towns on the beach.

Kuta is a town in southern Bali, Indonesia. A former fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist development, and as a beach resort remains one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations. It is known internationally for its long sandy beach, varied accommodation, many restaurants and bars, and substantial Australian population. It is located near Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport.

Kuta was the site of the October 12, 2002 Bali bombing (202 killed) and the October 1, 2005 Bali bombing (26 killed).
Kuta is now the center of an extensive tourist-oriented urban area that merges into the neighboring towns. Legian, to the north, is the commercial hub of Kuta and the site of many restaurants and entertainment spots. Most of the area's big beachfront hotels are in the southern section of Tuban.

Legian and Seminyak are northern extensions of Kuta along Jl. Legian and Jl. Basangkasa. They are somewhat quieter suburbs with cottage-style accommodations, where many of the expat crowd live. Also to the north are Petitenget, Berawa, Canggu, and Seseh - new and quieter continuations of Kuta's beach. They are easy to reach through Abian Timbul or Denpasar and Kerobokan. Several large hotels are located in this area: the Oberoi Bali, Hard Rock Hotel Bali, the Intan Bali Village, the Legian in Petitenget, the Dewata Beach and the Bali Sani Suites in Berawa.

To the south, Kuta Beach extends beyond the airport into Jimbaran. Other nearby towns and villages include Seseh (6.4 nm), Denpasar (4.5 nm), Ujung (1.8 nm), Pesanggaran (2.0 nm), Kedunganan (2.9 nm) and Tuban (1.0 nm).

The Balinese Provincial Government have taken the view that the preservation of the Balinese culture, natural resources and wildlife are of primary importance in the development of the island. To this end they have limited tourist development to the peninsula on the extreme southern aspect of the island; Kuta beach is on the western side of this peninsula and Sanur is on the east. To the north of the peninsula no new tourist development is supposedly permitted.