city at night

city at night

Thursday, October 22, 2015

On the Beach

To each his/her own, but I have never understood people whose idea of a vacation is to simply spend one or two weeks sitting on a beach.  Yes, I realize that being by the water can be stress-relieving therapy, but after a day or two relaxing on a tropical beach I start to get antsy, and I want to do some sightseeing.  I want to visit museums, clamber over ancient ruins, or just wander the streets of an interesting town.  For me, the colonial city of Mérida, Mexico and its nearby archaeological sites hold much more appeal than the beach resorts of the Mayan Riviera just a few hours down the highway.

That said, I do admit that Puerto Rico has some lovely beaches.  One of the most famous beaches is Luquillo Beach.  On one trip to Puerto Rico I took a guided bus tour (ugh!) of El Yunque rainforest and Luquillo Beach.  I was disappointed that more time was devoted to the beach than to exploring the rainforest.  On a later trip, a friend and I rented a car and drove to the town of Luquillo where we stayed for three nights.  We used Luquillo as a base for spending an entire day at El Yunque.  The next day we spent an afternoon on the beach.  It was very pleasant, but after a few hours I had my "beach fix", and I was ready to move on. 

Everyone has their own concept of the ideal vacation.  For those of you who yearn for tropical waters and swaying palm trees, here are some photos of Luquillo Beach...





 
The dark mountain in the background is the location of El Yunque tropical rainforest which I discussed in an earlier post.
 
 
 
Oh my!  Yours truly 25 years ago!


7 comments:

  1. I think I'm pretty much with you on the question of beach vacations. Though I've spent time in Cancún, after a couple of days, we went to Mérida, Chichén Itzá, and other places of interest. While I can swim and snorkel for hours, I don't like to just sit on the beach because I tend to burn and it's often too hot anyway. Generally, if I'm going to the beach, I like to go in the very late afternoon, say 4:30 or so, since the sun is so much less intense then.

    But to each his own.

    Saludos,

    Kim G
    Boston, MA
    Where we live a couple blocks from the beach.

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    1. To me the absolute worst is the idea of going to an all-inclusive resort and never venturing beyond the protective bubble of the resort.
      Saludos,
      Bill

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  2. You have a second reader nodding in agreement. If there are some big waves to muck about in, or some coral reefs to snorkel through, I can enjoy a few days at the beach. Otherwise, I'd usually rather be somewhere else. Preferably somewhere less humid, and where the ground doesn't work its way into every bodily crevice. I'm not fond of sand.

    I live next to the UKs finest stretch of beach. The humidity is rarely a problem, of course. And I actually prefer it in winter, when the beach is empty and I can take long walks along it in peace and quiet.

    As a plus point that you might appreciate, our coast here is the famous UNESCO heritage site, the Jurassic Coast. With lots of ancient fossils waiting to be discovered.

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    1. Looking for fossils sounds interesting, and, although I am not an expert swimmer, I have enjoyed a bit of snorkeling in Mexico. But just vegetating on the beach is not my cup of tea.

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  3. And please switch to Disqus! Pretty, pretty please! With cherries on top! Honestly, it really is quite simple!

    :)

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  4. I never was one for beach vacations either until I traveled to Vieques this year. I think I just needed the right kind of beach: exotic locale, white sands, glassy water, solitude, and knowing that it was about 20 degrees F (or less) back home. Of course, I also spent a lot of time playing the water, which made a huge difference. I spent my actual *beach* time under an umbrella, hiding from the sun and applying copious amounts of sunscreen. I will never be a sunbather. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree. The beaches at Vieques are definitely very special!

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