Most Romantic Beaches

By Chase Long

Is there anything more romantic than a sunset walk along a sandy beach? Palm trees silhouetted against a fire-red skyline, warm air, cool sand, with breaking waves shooting ribbons of water up under your bare feet?

Or imagine running together, holding hands, charging into the surf, diving into a breaker, letting the force of the wave roll your bodies together as it propels you back onto the beach.

Memories of a recent trip to Florida flood my mind: the smell of the ocean, the taste of the saltwater and the warmth of sunshine on skin.

Florida offers a smorgasbord for beachcombers. It claims more beach than any other state in the US, and the majority of its shoreline is accessible to the public. It is hard to go wrong when you plan a Florida vacation. You can usually get great deals on airfare. There are plenty of posh resorts and excellent restaurants. Many areas offer exciting nightlife and a myriad of other activities available to entertain when you come away from the water.

Florida's Fort DeSoto Park North Beach is the top-ranked public beach in the country, according to Dr. Beach, a researcher who has made a name for himself by compiling an annual list of the best beaches in America. It is located in St. Petersburg.

Two other Florida beaches were included on the good Doctor's top 10 list. Caladesi Island State Park, Clearwater, ranked #4 and Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, came in #8.

The number two beach is Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina, according to Dr. Beach's ranking.

Three beaches in Hawaii made the top 10. They are Hanalei Bay, Kauai, at #3, Fleming Beach, Maui, at #5, and Hamoa Beach, Maui, at #10.

Only one California beach made the list: Coronado Beach, San Diego. See the full list.

This list got me thinking about my own favorites, and the criteria I use to judge them. What makes a beach romantic? Here are some of my ideas:
1. Visually appealing (beautiful)
2. Clean sand and water
3. Relaxed atmosphere
4. Chance for solitude

It's pretty difficult to find a beautiful, clean, deserted public beach on the US coastline. I don't mind if there are other people around, but I don't want to be tripping over them. My companion and I prefer beaches where we can get off by ourselves. We don't expect total privacy but we'd like a little space.

I spent a week in Florida in July and I took the opportunity to tour as many beaches as possible. My group included some who where making a first trip to Florida and they wanted to hit both the beaches and the theme parks. They were able to do that successfully - we stayed in Orlando and they were able to drive to a couple central Atlantic coastline beaches. I prefer to avoid theme parks and so I spent my time traveling to specific spots I wanted to explore. I covered a good part of the shoreline from Coco Beach on the central coast to Jacksonville on the north.

Coco is one of Florida's more famous beaches and it deserves its reputation as an exciting party spot. It offers miles of beautiful, sandy shoreline and some of Florida's best surfing water. I was surprised to find that it's beaches close at dark. Public access gates are locked and the beaches are deserted after the sun goes down. The shoreline slopes sharply into deep water; waves pound the beach and create strong rip tides; swimming is dangerous after dark. Shark attacks are also more likely during nighttime hours.

Coco has an attitude. It's a resort spot that caters to the surfer crowd. It's lively and exciting. We enjoyed the beach, the water, and we enjoyed stopping at the infamous Ron John's Surf Shop. Ron John's is a huge shop full of T-shirts, swimwear, souvenirs and all kinds of surf supplies. Just visiting the shop is an enjoyable experience.

The Datoyna area offers mile after mile of nice but crowded beach. Resort condos and motels are built right on the water's edge and there are people everywhere.

The beach at St. Augustine's was my favorite on this trip. Palm trees and other vegetation grown along the beach. Soft white sand covers the shoreline. The waves are strong, but not as powerful as those at Coco. And this beach isn't overcrowded - there are plenty of people around but it was easy to find our own space where we didn't feel anyone was encroaching.

When I travel I like to talk to people and listen to their ideas. It's particularly interesting to hear ideas from locals. When I asked people to name the beach they thought was most romantic, I got a wide variety of answers. The only place mentioned more than once was Florida's Hollywood Beach. I'll have to visit it next trip.