Beach Vacation Ideas by Month.....
The following are some beach vacation ideas by region. Note that this is a living, breathing, flexible list; but the point of this is to help you narrow your search or give you ideas for a vacation that offers beach upside. After you get the country narrowed down, then you can research more in detail (first to ensure accuracy and second to see if its a place you’d like). If one of my guides isn’t produced yet, you can either ask that one be expedited or get rolling on your own research wagon. This list will continue to grow as I visit more beaches and conduct more research. And with that:
Beach Vacation Ideas in December, January, February
Caribbean
If you are looking for the best beaches in the Caribbean, I would recommend you choose one of the following (and I realize that there are lots of very nice beaches in the Caribbean that aren’t on this list, for instance Barbados is a great place to visit if you want a well-rounded destination, it’s just that there are even better beaches on other islands). Also, I have added an asterisk (“*”) to places with good snorkeling. The cheapest option with the best beach would be the Dominican Republic [if you are there in February or March, you can swim with humpback whales during mating season]. Moderately expensive would be the US Virgin Island’s St. John * and Antigua *, followed by Turks & Caicos *, Grand Cayman Island *, the Grenadines *, Anguilla and lastly, most expensive, the British Virgin Islands *.
Guadeloupe, Aruba *, St Maarten *, Grenada, Martinique, Tobago, Curacao and finally, the most expensive by far, St Bart’s would be the next tier I’d consider if focused heavily on beach quality.
As noted, most of the Caribbean has nice beaches, but there are a couple places not to go for beaches. Those would be Bonaire [Bonaire is said to have the best snorkeling in the Caribbean], Dominica, Montserrat, Sint Eustatius and the island of Saint Vincent. However, these all make great diving locations, with Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Dominica excellent diving choices. If you wanted both beaches and diving, I think your best mix is the Grenadines, Turks & Caicos and the British Virgin Islands (excluding Tortola).
Southeast Asia
You might want to consider parts of Thailand (Koh Chang, Phuket) and northwestern Malaysia (Langkawi & Pangkor), the Philippines (check out Boracay and Palawan), India (check Goa to Kerala), the Maldives (easily combinable with Sri Lanka), southern Vietnam (Mui Ne, Phu Quoc), Myanmar and Cambodia’s coastline.
Australia
The central & southern coasts of Australia
New Zealand
New Zealand is a great choice weather wise for December through February. The caveat? School break runs from mid-December through January so you might want to avoid those times.
South America
Uruguay’s coastline offers high-end to super-chill, with the peak being January and February; Venezuela (if the political/social issues don’t scare you off) and Colombia. Note times of peak travel in these places – especially around New Year’s/Christmas and Carnival. December is good for northeast Brazil, as is Rio. (January & February are crowded and very hot in Rio)
North & Central America
Panama (Pearl Islands, Bocas del Toro Islands, San Blas Islands), Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula (which is your Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen’s and so forth) and Pacific Coast, Costa Rica, Belize, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras (the Bay Islands [Roatan great snorkeling], Tela Bay, etc), and Florida in the USA can be potential choices.
Hawaii is good if you don’t mind some rain. This is a good time of year for whale watching and surfing.
Africa
South Africa and the Kenyan beaches (Watamu & Malindi [snorkeling/diving], Diani, the Lamu Archipelago [natural]) make for a good beach vacation in December and January, while Zanzibar [in Tanzania], the beaches of Senegal, and Cape Verde should be good for February as well.
According to CondeNast Traveler, Cape Town beaches can be split as follows: Family Friendly (Clifton 1,2,3,4), Beautiful People (Camps Bay), Surfing (Muizenberg), Chill (Llandudno), Penguins (Boulders), View of Table Mountain (Bloubergstrand), Nude (Sandy Bay).
Beach Vacation Ideas in March, April, May
North America
Hawaii with warm temps and little rain, especially as the springs moves forward, Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Honduras’ Bay Islands (Roatan, Utila, etc)
Caribbean
Generally a great time to visit the Caribbean – off peak, weather is fine (but check your island first). See the listing of islands to focus on in the Caribbean Island summary.
South America
A great time to go to Rio (Brazil).
Australia
Northwest Australia (Broome & the Kimberley) in April & May. The stingers are typically present at the Broome beaches, but there are impressive beaches to the north that are swimmable this time of year. For a remote experience, look at Cape Leveque. In any case, you are just coming out of rainy season, so May is better than April. The upside is that everything will be lush.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia (Bali) is best in later April and May as it is the dry season but before the thick tourist mobs appear, the east coast of Malaysia has shaken itself free of the wet season by March and thus is nice throughout, and the west coast of Indonesia’s is still enjoying the last of dry season into April. March & April would make for a good time to visit anywhere on Thailand’s penninsula, as both coasts should be nice, with May being dry on the Peninsula’s east coast (Koh Samui) but potential quick showers on the west coast. Cambodia should be dry for March, April & May although May it will start to enter rainy season (but the crowds will also be less). Myanmar will also be great for March, April and May – with March being just about perfect and the heat rising through May, the last full month before the wet season arrives.
Africa
Off the coast of East Africa, the Seychelles and Mauritius (east of Madagascar) are two great island destinations for the months of April and May, as the wet season dissipates. Egypt (Sharm el-Sheikh), which is known for its diving, would make a suitable choice for March, April & May. Mozambique’s coastline or islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago can make a good option for late-April & May. Cape Verde makes a fine choice in April and May (although March is fine too).
Beach Vacation Ideas in June, July, August
Southeast Asia
Indonesia (Bali), the east coast of Malaysia, the east coast of Thailand’s peninsula (Koh Samui) is nice in June and July (although July will be busier).
Africa
Zanzibar [in Tanzania], the Mozambique coastline
USA
Great time, other than school vacation, to visit California beaches, as well as all the beaches along the eastern seaboard – from Massachusetts (Cape Cod, Nantucket) down to North Carolina (Outer Banks). Further south from there to me, is too hot & humid but if heat is what you want, it’ll be great. Note that water temperatures at any time of year in the northern Atlantic (Maine/Massachusetts/Rhode Island) are what some would consider cold.
Australia
Northwest Australia (Broome), but it is high season.
Pacific Islands
Great time for a beach vacation in one of the many Polynesian islands such as American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and the islands of French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Tahiti, etc.). June is a better value with July & August part of high season (although less mosquitoes).
Europe & the Mediterranean
While accepting that it is high season, most spots around the Mediterranean are experiencing great weather including Spain (Barcelona, Ibiza, etc), southern France, the Greek isles, and the countries in the Adriatic (Croatia, Montenegro). Nightlife in these coastal spots is at its best at this timeframe.
Also check out the Canary Islands where it will be warm and perfect beach weather.
Beach Vacation Ideas in September, October, November
Africa
Zanzibar makes for a good September. South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal coast and Egypt (Sharm el-Sheikh) is good September through November and South Africa’s Cape Town starts getting good for the beach in November. For October and November, you can plan on the Kenyan coastline, as well as off the coast of East Africa, in spots such as Seychelles and Mauritius (east of Madagascar).
On the west coast of Africa, Ghana’s beaches have peak waves for good surfing in September, and off the coast of West Africa, the islands of Cape Verde make for a fine October and November.
Mexico
The Pacific Coast region of Mexico would be good for a beach vacation in October and November.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia (Bali) is best before October due to the oncoming rainy season. Myanmar beaches come back to life in October and are fully rolling by November.
USA
Hawaii or Florida for good weather, low tourist numbers and off-season pricing. Even though it is technically hurricane season in Florida during this time, I wouldn’t be too concerned. California beaches are also great in September, and good in October (earlier the better) as winter is approaching. September is also a good season for the eastern seaboard – from Massachusett’s Cape Cod down to the aforementioned Florida. Obviously, the deeper into September, and the further north you go, the air will be cooler. But usually the water temperatures are near their warmest of the year. With that said, water temperatures at any time of year in the northern Atlantic (Maine/Massachusetts/Rhode Island) are what some would consider cold.
Pacific Islands
Great time for many of the Polynesian islands such as American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and the islands of French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Tahiti, etc.), with November starting to enter the storm period.
Australia
The Sunshine Coast, located on Australia’s northeast coast in mid-October and November, should have good weather. Beaches further south will be getting warmer as Australia gets closer to December. The beaches on the northwest coast (Broome & the Kimberley) in September & October will be hot but generally emptied of the massive tourist wave and relatively dry, but by November – it is not a great place to be as the heat keeps building, the afternoon thunderstorms increase and the stingers return.
South America
Brazil’s southern coastline (Rio & Sao Paulo) can be quite nice for a beach vacation in October and November, before the onslaught of visitors. The northeastern coast (Bahia) is nice during this whole time frame. Also the islands of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil’s northeastern coast are great in September and October.
Caribbean
Generally this is hurricane season in the Caribbean, especially in the September and October timeframe. However, there are exceptions and generally for those it will be any island south of St Vincent’s. These include Aruba, Bonaire, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, Curacao, etc. Barbados is technically in the hurricane belt but generally does not get hit so that is also a good pick. Barbados is great in November.
On this thought-trail, Bonaire is a great pick in September and October if you are looking for a nice shoulder season.
Europe
You could swing down to Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Croatia in September and some of October for beach operations but be forewarned that much of the nightlife that is buzzing in the summer is gone.
The summer crowds have left but conditions are still great for a beach holiday in the Canary Islands
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