Quick Beach Getaways

We have had a few cold bites around here the past few days. First we almost hit a record high last week and now we're almost hitting record lows…wft Mother Nature!!! With these cold fronts moving through it definitely makes me think of the beach and Hawaii (and how their temperatures only fluctuate 10 degrees year around). So here are some quick beach destinations, enjoy!

Sint Maarten/St. Martin

Direct flight: American Airlines, New York (JFK) to St. Maarten (SXM) — 4 hours, 20 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 10. Your plane will fly right over the clear turquoise waters and white sands of glistening Maho Beach.

Eleuthera, Bahamas

Direct flight: United Airlines, from Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) to North Eleuthera Airport (ELH) — 70 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 15 or less, and the beaches between the airport and nearby Gregory Town are pristine.

{Eleuthera in the Bahamas. (Photo trishhartmann  Flickr)}

Providenciales (Provo), Turks & Caicos

Direct flight: Delta Airlines, Atlanta (ATL) to Provo (PLS)—3 hours, 5 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 15 to Grace Bay.

Puerto Rico

Direct flight: JetBlue, from Washington DC (DCA) to San Juan (SJU)—3 hours, 45 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 10, if you run.

{Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. (Photo cogito ergo imago - Flickr)}

Big Island, Hawaii

We love The Big Island for its geographically diverse and unspoiled land. The Kona-Kohala (western) side of the island is the sunny and contains some of the state’s top beaches: Hapuna and Mauna Kea (we stayed at Hapuna and loved it!). 

Sample direct flight: Alaska Airlines, Seattle (SEA) to Kona (KOA)—6 hours, 25 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 20 or less to Kona’s coves, but the northern beaches are more impressive, about a 30-minute drive.

{Our trip in 2011}

Bermuda

Direct flight: United Airlines, Newark (EWR) to Hamilton (BDA)—2 hours, 10 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 30, if you start with the best—Horseshoe Bay Beach and Elbow Beach.

Grand Cayman

Direct flight: Cayman Airlines, Miami (MIA) to Grand Cayman (GCM)—1 hour, 20 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 15-20, to Seven Mile Beach.
Stay: The Ritz-Carlton sprawls across either side of the road that runs parallel to Seven Mile Beach, with the Residential Suites and swimming pool on the Caribbean side. A few hundred yards inland are the lobby, golf course, guest rooms, and Blue restaurant, overseen by Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin fame.

Dominican Republic

Direct flight: JetBlue, New York (JFK) to Samana (AZS)—under four hours.
Minutes from airport to beach: 25 minutes to the sandy crescent at Las Terrenas; more to the hidden, rustic beaches.

Barbados

Direct flight: American Airlines, New York (JFK) to Bridgetown (BGI)—4 hours, 45 minutes.
Minutes from airport to beach: 15 minutes to Crane’s Beach; 30 or more to the so-called Gold Coast western strands.

Oahu, Hawaii

Direct flight: American Airlines, from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL)—6 hours.
Minutes from airport to beach: 25-40 to Waikiki, traffic depending. If you have to jump in the Pacific before then (or do some paddle boarding in the designated, jetty-protected lanes), Ala Moana Beach Park is on the way.