Where is your favorite beach location, other than Sowal?

[Mango]

Barbados is my favorite beach aside from Sowal. The Bajan people are really nice, so if you do venture out of your hotel, you won't have much worries. There is crime like any other place, but for 1 hour more on the flight, you will have a much better time than Puerto Rico, IMHO.
There are green monkeys, which make things interesting, and really cool excursions. They all pick you up from the hotels, so no need for a car; besides, you do not want to test your driving skills on the left side of the road on vacation. There is a 4 wheel excursion into a jungle of sorts and down to the opposite side of the island, the Atlantic side. Most people stay on the Caribbean side, near Speightstown. The snorkeling is great, the food is wonderful, decor (British Isles), etc.

I have been to Puerto Rico. I stayed at a hotel on the Caribbean side which also was on a desert which met the Caribbean, which was pretty cool because I had never seen anything like that. HOWEVER, you do not want to venture out of your hotel there, either. The roads are never finished. The people are nasty and drive like lunatics. Cows eere crossing the road at some places and no lights of any sort. We almost got shot at at a gas station who didn't want our travelers checks, cash only and I had to go to my car for cash, but they wanted me to put everything back first I was going to buy, then come back in with the cash. When I ignored them, they chased me with a gun. It is HOT as all hell in PR. There are some really cool things to see there, like the rainforest, rare light up plankton, and the observatory, but due to the above, they are hard to get to.
if you stay in San Juan, there's lots of gambling and some old buildings, but that is it, as far as I know.

We were supposed to stay longer, but I couldn't get home fast enough and changed my flight.

 

[seacrestgirl]

Barbados is my favorite beach aside from Sowal. The Bajan people are really nice, so if you do venture out of your hotel, you won't have much worries. There is crime like any other place, but for 1 hour more on the flight, you will have a much better time than Puerto Rico, IMHO.
There are green monkeys, which make things interesting, and really cool excursions. They all pick you up from the hotels, so no need for a car; besides, you do not want to test your driving skills on the left side of the road on vacation. There is a 4 wheel excursion into a jungle of sorts and down to the opposite side of the island, the Atlantic side. Most people stay on the Caribbean side, near Speightstown. The snorkeling is great, the food is wonderful, decor (British Isles), etc.

I have been to Puerto Rico. I stayed at a hotel on the Caribbean side which also was on a desert which met the Caribbean, which was pretty cool because I had never seen anything like that. HOWEVER, you do not want to venture out of your hotel there, either. The roads are never finished. The people are nasty and drive like lunatics. Cows eere crossing the road at some places and no lights of any sort. We almost got shot at at a gas station who didn't want our travelers checks, cash only and I had to go to my car for cash, but they wanted me to put everything back first I was going to buy, then come back in with the cash. When I ignored them, they chased me with a gun. It is HOT as all hell in PR. There are some really cool things to see there, like the rainforest, rare light up plankton, and the observatory, but due to the above, they are hard to get to.
if you stay in San Juan, there's lots of gambling and some old buildings, but that is it, as far as I know.

We were supposed to stay longer, but I couldn't get home fast enough and changed my flight.

That's what we did in Aruba.....hated it! Came home early...

 

[RiverOtter]

I really haven't been to that many beaches but of the ones we've been to Sanibel is really cool. Very tropical and the water is pretty too. Cancun was awesome but I would like to at a Cancun beach without the high rises.

 

[Minnie]

The Caymans

 

[Beach Runner]

Oh, I forgot about Bermuda. We've been there quite a few times because it's only a two hour flight from Atlanta. The water is so clear, and the fish that you swim with are absolutely gorgeous (check out http://www.google.com/search?q=berm...JoXw2gWA9vTwDg&ved=0CIMBELAE&biw=1366&bih=599). I love the architecture and native plants.

 

[bluecat]

It certainly isn't tropical,but the coast of Oregon is breathtaking.We were there the first of June one year,was quite chilly ,but very enjoyable.

 

[BeachSiO2]

How do you get there from ATL? Delta?

 

[Beach Runner]

How do you get there from ATL? Delta?

Yes. The MARTA of the skies. That being said, hubby travels so much on business that we can fly anywhere Delta goes for free in business class using mileage. I am thankful for that.

 

[SHELLY]

One of my fav beaches is on the Big Island of Hawaii...but with the limited amount of time you have, and the fact that you don't want to travel far--I'll second the suggestion for St Augustine (if you haven't been before)...it's close by; has lots of charming architecture; tons of history; many beaches--including Anastasia State Recreation Area, natural with no development; has a beautiful lighthouse; good food, bars, cafes with music; a sizeable premium outlet mall; lots of quirky places to visit (life-sized statue of David; and old jail; Fountain of Youth etc); and a pretty decent hop-on-hop-off trolley system to get around town. If you're going mid-week while kids are still in school, it might not be so crowded.

If you run out of things to do (I doubt it) you can also drive up the coast and check out Daytona Beach--take a drive along the beach or go to the "no drive" area of the beach and rent some bicycles and cycle along the ocean (the sand is so packed you can bike on the beach--try that in SoWal!).

 

[Paula]

I love the coast of Maine but it may still be cool in May. MacKinac Island in northern Michigan is awesome. Sanibel near Fort Myers is great for shelling and is a charming romantic (pricy) little island.