Ogunquit, Maine

The majority of the world's best beaches can be found in Earth's southern hemisphere. As we have seen in my previous posts, many of the best beaches are located in or near the Caribbean.

Well, what if the Caribbean isn't for you? Or, what if you do not have the time to acquire a passport before your next trip? Then I would suggest you check out Ogunquit, Maine. Yes, Maine.

According to TripAdvisor.com, Ogunquit, Maine was ranked number 15 in the Travelor's Choice awards for the Top 25 Beaches - United States. As you can imagine, the top 10 include destinations like Hawaii and Florida, but why not discover one more hidden gem? I have never been remotely close to Maine, so I thought this would be fun!

Ogunquit is located in the southernmost part of Maine, only an hour and 20 minutes driving from Boston.

If you are traveling to Maine from somewhere else in the United States, then you will not need a passport. Most travelers fly into Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine. You will then need to travel 45 minutes to Ogunquit.

Ogunquit, which means "beautiful place by the sea", offers three and a half miles of sheltered, sandy white beaches.

In addition to the beach, Ogunquit also offers a lot of activities. Travelers can take a walk along the Marginal Way, a path that winds along rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean, or explore the town center on the local public transit - an old fashioned trolley. With art galleries, fresh seafood, and the summer stock at Ogunquit Playhouse,“America’s Foremost Summer Theatre", the town of Ogunquit has something for everyone. 

The best time to visit Ogunquit is from June to September, when Maine is enjoying its summer weather.

Nevis, Caribbean

I am sure that many of you have either heard of or traveled to one of the beaches I have discussed in my first seven posts, but today we are truly going to discover the unknown.

Every year the travelchannel.com releases the Best Beaches Awards chosen entirely by the votes of the people. The beaches are separated into different categories, some of which include: Best Family Beach, Best Party Beach, Best Romantic Beach, etc. The Travel Channel also features a category named Best Beach You Haven't Heard of... Yet.

So today, we are going to explore the winner of the Best Beach You Haven't Heard of... Yet aware. Let's 'sea' Nevis.

Nevis is a 36-square-mile island that lies near the top of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 200 miles south of Puerto Rico, and just west of Antigua. This secret island is only seven miles long and five miles wide.

If you are flying to Nevis from the United States, the easiest way is to first fly in to San Juan, Puerto Rico. From there you can get a direct flight in to Nevis. You are required to show your valid passport.

According to nevisisland.com, "Nevis is truly one of the remaining unspoilt places and proudly carries the name, 'Queen of the Caribees'."

The small Caribbean island boasts crystal clear seas and white sandy beaches. In the distance there are beautiful green hills in which you can hear monkeys chattering.

According to travelchannel.com, "Most of the hotels have been transformed from 200-year-old plantation homes and estates. The entire island is eco-friendly, with the goal of making all fossil-fuel electricity extinct (currently, wind turbines can produce up to 20 percent of the island's power). There's hiking, sulfur springs and intimate beaches. But it's the accommodations, all very unique, that give Nevis character."

If you are lucky enough to stay at the Four Seasons when you visit Nevis, you will get to claim bragging rights to a sublime beach, steps away from Sunshine's, an iconic beach bar known for its signature drink, Killer Bee.

I am sure you will agree with me when I say that that Nevis just climbed to the top of my list of places I want to go. I hope I get to 'sea' it in person!

Cancun, Mexico

Welcome back, fearless travelers! I know it has been a while since my last post, but we are going to get right back at it today.

Here in wonderful Illinois we are just a few inches shy of setting a record for most snowfall (inches) in season. While that may sound pretty cool, I assure you it is not. If I see one more snowflake, I might have a breakdown. The first day of spring is one week away and I am hopeful that warmer weather is on its way. In the meantime, why not day dream about somewhere warm? Somewhere with margaritas and Coronas? Somewhere like Cancun, Mexico.

I am sure many of you have heard of Cancun, Mexico before. It is one of the most commercialized destinations in Mexico, but people continue to go back, so that must be a good sign. 

Cancun has a tropical wet and dry climate, according to Wikipedia.com. This means that it generally is hot but does have specified rainy seasons. The tropical storm season lasts from May to December, and the rainy season extends into January with peak precipitation in September. February to early May tend to be drier with only occasional scattered showers. 

Cancun is located in southeastern Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea.

The green arrow points to Cancun's location.

If you are thinking of traveling to Cancun, you will want to fly into Cancun International Airport. Please have your passport ready!

According to AllAboutCancun.com, the city features a ton of different accommodations. In my opinion, I always enjoy the all-inclusive resorts, as I feel you get more bang for your buck. Currently, AllAboutCancun.com shows Riu Caribe as the featured hotel.

The all-inclusive resort overlooks gorgeous Caribbean waters and offers three swimming pools. There is nightly entertainment for adults and daily activities for children. The resort features fancy restaurants and swim-up bars.

So who wants to take me? On second thought,  I'll 'sea' you there!

Bora Bora

Anyone who has seen the 2009 film Couples Retreat has dreamed about traveling to Bora Bora. Honestly, until now, I could not even tell you where Bora Bora is located, but based on what I saw in that movie, I definitely want to go there. So please, help me 'sea' Bora Bora.

A scene from the movie Couples Retreat

According to Wikipedia.com, Bora Bora is located in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef, and lies just northwest of the island of Tahiti close to the equator.

Bora Bora's economy is driven almost solely by tourism. Thirty years ago, Bora Bora became famous, as the Hotel Bora Bora introduced the first over-the-water bungalows; now a standard feature for most resorts on the island.

The Four Seasons Bora Bora has become the luxury resort for guests to stay at while visiting the island. Please be prepared to spend roughly $1,200/night not including airfare. The island is served by Bora Bora Airport on Motu Mute in the north.

Four Seasons Bora Bora

As you can see from the above image, the water is crystal clear and absolutely breathtaking.

The best time to travel to Bora Bora is during the Polynesian winter, which runs from May thru October according to boraboraisland.com. While rates will be higher at this time, it is much better than travel during their rainy season.

If you decide to go to Bora Bora, please bring me with! After all, I did help you discover it.

'Sea' you next time!

Egremni Beach, Greece

According to CNN.com, Egremni Beach in Greece falls in to the number twenty-four spot on their list of the best beaches in the world. Given they are in the top twenty-five out of 100, I figured they were worth exploring; especially since I am a little obsessed with Greece after watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Who wouldn't want to go fishing in Greece with Kostas? (The cute Greek boy from the movie!)

Anyways, let's get back to exploring Egremni Beach. According to Wikipedia.com, "Egremni is a remote beach located on the south-western coast of the Ionian island of Lefkada in north-western Greece. Since the creation of a sealed road in the 1990s, this remote location has become one of the most popular beaches through all of Greece and even Europe. 

Remember, Egremni is located on the island of Lefkada,


Egremni Beach is most well-known for its dramatic sunsets, electric-blue water and enough room for everyone: stretching for more than 2.5 km. Interestingly enough, the central part of the beach is often occupied by nudists, according to CNN.com.

Egremni Beach

You will want to consult with a travel agent to decide which international airport you should fly into. However, once you have arrived you should know that you can drive your rental car to Egremni Beach, but once you reach Athani Village, you will have to park your car and walk down 347 steps to reach the beach. How's that for a remote location? From what I have heard, the walk is well worth it!

If you want to be close to Egremni Beach during your trip, you can book an apartment, villa or studio in the nearby village of Athani, a quiet place with taverns and wonderful picturesque views of the surrounding area. 

There is limited information about Egremni Beach on the internet, but I personally think that makes the island that much more desirable! Happy travels.

'Sea' you next time!

Airlie Beach, Australia

Howdy, Sheila! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie before we discover one of the most wonderful places in the world: Airlie Beach, Australia.

The town of Airlie Beach is located in the northeastern part of Australia known as the Whitsunday region. Located on the Pacific Ocean, Airlie Beach serves as one of the most popular jumping off points for the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system.

 

For those wishing to visit Airlie Beach, you will need to fly into Proserpine Airport (PPP). However, it seems that you will first need to fly into the larger Brisbane Airport (BNE). Please expect to find some very long layovers at very high costs. If you want to visit the largest coral reef system in the world, then you have to pay for it!

See the image below to decide the best time for you to travel to Airlie Beach.

Maximum and Minimum Average Temperatures in Airlie Beach (Fahrenheit)

		JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
	MAX	87	87	86	82	79	75	75	77	80	84	86	87
	MIN	77	77	75	73	68	62	62	62	66	70	73	77
	RAIN	10	13.82	10.67	8.07	5.08	3.78	2.4	1.81	1.14	1.89	4.41	8.19

Now although the Great Barrier Reef is the main attraction in the Whitsunday region of Australia, Airlie Beach has so much more to offer.

The well-known travel site, Trip Advisor, shares with us that Airlie Beach offers, "constant comings and goings of travelers make for a vibrant nightlife scene bursting with pubs and clubs.

In addition, Whitehaven Beach, located in Airlie Beach, was voted Australia's number one beach by Trip Advisor. "The sand is pure white against the crystal clear blue water, and the beach is pristine. A piece of heaven," claims the travel site.

Now if you are looking for the best place to stay, the Martinique Whitsunday Resort has received the highest ratings and Certificates of Excellence from Trip Advisor for the past three years. The resort contains 20 different apartment units consisting of either three, two, or one bedroom.

Oh! That view is breathtaking! I hope you enjoyed discovering Airlie Beach as much as I have. 'Sea' you back next Wednesday for another journey.

Lampedusa, Islands of Sicily

As promised in last week's "Sea the World" post, today we are traveling somewhere new. Somewhere that is not in the Caribbean. Somewhere like Italy.

More specifically, we are going to explore Lampedusa, the largest of the Pelagie Islands. According to Wikipedia.com, the Pelagie Islands are a group of three small islands located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily, the southernmost part of Italy. If you are knew to traveling, like me, then you have never heard of Lampedusa either.

Now, I don't know about you, but just thinking about Italian food excites me. I cannot imagine Italian food plus an Italian beach.

Yum! Anyways, let's get back to discovering Lampedusa.

Lampedusa has a semi-arid climate, meaning it has very mild winters with moderate rainfall and very hot, dry summers. According to tripadvisor.com, the best time to visit is between May and September.

Lampedusa offers Caribbean-esque waters, white sand and a very unique setting. Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa's hot spot, was voted #1 on the 2013 Travelers' Choice Top 25 Beaches of the World. 

Rabbit Beach, also sometimes referred to as Rabbit Island, is actually one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for the endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle. The beach and a neighboring island are actually part of a nature reserve. So if you are a turtle fan, this is definitely the spot for you!

'Sea' you all next week for a new adventure!