I loved all of the various beaches I went to at Halkidiki (a series of three peninsulas in Greece) I love the combination of mountains and beach: Click here
Cool. In Colombia theres a town called Taganga where many european go there to have peace and tranquility, theres a combination of crystalin water, mountains and white sand, it looks a lot to Santorini in Greece. You can find the best fish in South America over there.
And of course a little bit of Rio de Janeiro City: Grumari & Marambaia beaches (Southeastern Brazil) right at the geographic center of the metropolis (BTW, where I live):
again, Beachcomber Island, Fiji "The Beachhouse", Coral Coast, Fiji some unnamed beach in southern Oaxaca, Mexico.
Playa Mazunte, southern Mexico Koh Samet, Thailand more pics --> http://aeppler.wordpress.com/round-the-world/
I've been lucky enough to kind of go to a lot of places with nice beaches on account of my work. Here's some of my favorites. Sulphur Bay, Vanuatu Freights Bay, Barbados (also a very good surf break during a N or E swell) Oxwich Bay, Wales
Piton Bay, St. Lucia Kato Sounio, Greece And while I've never pulled into a wave at Pipe, it's a pretty nice beach. I could go on, but that's a good start.
Praia Mole - Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, BRASIL i'd really love to visit the beaches of the Nordeste (Northeastern Brasil) but haven't had the opportunity yet~
Great thread, everyone. As Caesar said, Bell's is awesome. Even if you don't surf, it is amazing. Around Melbourne, there's St. Kilda, Brighton and Frankston beaches which are all quite scenic. In fact, the drive from the Mornington Peninsula end going back towards Melbourne, and through Frankston beach, when you come down off of Oliver's Hill, that's one of the best views you'll ever get. I'll post a photo sometime, but it'll be one of my own, just to do it proper justice. And one other thing... I do miss Santa Cruz, and being so close to that.
Wrightsville Beach in NC is nice - not crowded, great beach, not very expensive. Plenty of stuff to do in Wilmington if the weather is bad.
That's one of my favorites too but I liked Kure Beach better actually. Okaloosa Island is still the absolute favorite.
OK, guys, You gave us marvelous beaches, 99% of them located in wild areas. Let me show you a beach right in the heart of a 13 000 000 people city: Arpoador, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
As a matter of fact the photo is not of the Arpoador itself but is taken from the Arpoador. The wave there is breaking at where was the Pier of the Castelinho in Ipanema. That's a recurrent wave (i.e. it appears and breaks always in the same spot without ever arriving to the beach). Yes, I have a picture from the opposite angle with the 'same' wave. In a second. There we go:
I'd like to see here more urban beaches like that. Wild beaches - the more diverse they are - are always marvelous. Their own 'virginity' gives them a paradisiac look. I'd like to see though beaches located in big urban centers that still maintain those characteristics. The closest I can think of are Capetown beaches (the nicest ones however seem to be relatively close but still not right in the middle of downtown as many of Rio's). I know that's probably due to my ignorance & maybe the people in the thread could bring in more examples of those marvelous beaches encroached in big downtown's urban environments. In the next 2 posts, pics of Rio's & Capetown's urban beaches (2 geologically twin cities in fact: millions of years ago the 2 continents were linked in exactly that same point).