Around 400 km from Perth, Albany has several beautiful beaches which are clean and unspoiled. Divers love the pristine water — clear and blue — and Middleton Beach is a favorite destination. It’s sheltered and safe, well-suited for swimmers. You’ll find a variety of hotel options there too.

The history of Albany revolves around the deep water port, Princess Royal Harbor, which is the state’s largest natural harbor.Whaling was a major industry in Albany until the late Seventies, and the Whaling Station became a museum after it closed in 1979.

Like so many other parts of Australia, Albany’s history is intimately connected with early settlement by convicts unwillingly transported to Western Australia. Both the Albany Museum, and the Convict Gaol, showcase artifacts and exhibits about the prison, its inmates, and the living conditions there.

While you enjoy your beach vacation in Albany, take time to see the oldest house in the state. Built in the 1830s, Patrick Taylor Cottage shows how the non-incarcerated residents of early Albany lived. Much more spacious than the old Gaol, the cottage has eleven rooms including a nursery, a sewing room, and a parlor. The cottage garden, based on an English model, is not to be missed.

The natural topography of Albany has lent itself to an experiment in wind farming. With twelve turbines, it’s Australia’s largest wind farm and provides most of Albany’s electricity.

Other great beaches in Albany include Two People’s Bay and Frenchman Bay. Confident surfers will enjoy Salmon Holes and Jimmy Newhill’s Harbour — but although the surf’s good, the waves can be quite dangerous.

The Taveuni Island has always been known for its unique and colorful sea life, tropical fish, and amazing varieties of soft and hard coral. The Rainbow Reef, Great White Wall, Purple Wall, and Zoo dive sites are all within easy reach of the Taveuni resort.

The Great White Wall reef offers a tunnel with two exits, one at 33 feet and another at 88 feet. When you swim through it, you’ll notice a white glow that is given off by the soft corals that seem to surround you.

You’ll also find two dive centers that are minutes from Taveuni Palms, which offer you dive equipment and certified diving instructors. From beginners to expert divers, you can have a lot of fun scuba diving on your beach vacation.

Rooms and suites

The two separate beachfront villas at Taveuni Palms in Fiji come with their own staff to help make your vacation a bit more relaxing. The staff will make your dreams come true, as they offer full room support.

Each separate villa offers a pool, two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, two bathrooms, and a very unique indoor/outdoor bathroom. The outdoor deck is equipped with chairs so that you can spend time outside as well, taking in the surrounding views of the ocean. The spectacular sunsets will turn into tropical nights - with stunning starlit skies.

Your personal maid at the villa will provide you with daily cleaning service, laundry service, fresh flowers, and evening turn down. The maids here are very professional, making your stay at the Taveuni Palms in Fiji one you’ll remember for years to come.

The resort will also provide you with your own private chef, kitchen, and bar staff who will provide your daily meals, which are included in the cost of your stay. This way, you don’t have to eat out - your food will be prepared for you at the resort.

Getting to Taveuni

To get to Taveuni Palms, fly to Nadi International airport in Fiji. From there, catch a connecting flight to Taveuni Island where the Taveuni Palms staff will meet you at the airport, five minutes from the hotel.

Located on the northwestern coast of Jamaica, Montego Bay is the country’s second largest city. Montego Bay also happens to be one of the Caribbean’s hottest destinations for family beach vacations. Tourists flock to Montego Bay by air and sea. Many major cruise lines include Montego Bay on their list of ports of call. Hotels offer all-inclusive packages ensuring that travelers’ meals, non-alcoholic beverages, and alcoholic beverage costs are covered.

Montego Bay is packed with exciting charms. There is plenty to see and do during a visit to the island. Dining, dancing, sight seeing, and shopping are among the popular choices. Montego Bay also houses some of the world’s greatest natural attractions.

In February 2004, Half Moon Cove became home to a number of trained dolphins. Tourists have the opportunity to play and swim with dolphins in their natural environment. A dolphin swim can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Heading further inland, Croydon Plantation is open daily. At Croydon Plantation, guests can experience the bustling activity that occurs within a plantation’s grounds. Pineapples and a wide variety of citrus fruits are harvested daily.

Canyon River Whitewater Rafting offers daily outings. Tourists can take a raft ride down Canyon River, which passes through a pristine rainforest. Children four years of age and older are allowed on the rafting trips. All trips include lunch and beverages. This is an excellent way to see a completely different side of Montego Bay.

Montego Bay is home to Mobay Tours, a boating company offering exquisite undersea tours. The semi-submersed boat boasts large glass windows that allow tourists to view the sea from a new angle. Guests to Montego Bay can stay dry while experiencing a colorful array of fish, sharks, and other aquatic life.

Windsor Caves is one of Montego Bay, Jamaica’s hottest tourist attractions. The huge caves are accessible to experienced spelunkers, though other tourists are allowed up to the roped entry. Daring travelers can see huge bats hanging from the cave’s ceiling and stunning limestone rock formations. Windsor Caves boasts the country’s largest bat population and the bat guano is used at many of the plantations as fertilizer.

Montego Bay houses a large number of all-inclusive hotels. Hotels can be slightly inland or right on some of Jamaica’s pristine beaches. The selection is varied and easily booked online.

Tourists heading to Montego Bay should have a current passport. United States citizens are allowed to skip this requirement and instead offer a notarized copy of his or her birth certificate along with a photo identification card.

The Cayman islands in the Caribbean tend to be overshadowed by their bigger neighbors. Christopher Columbus was the first tourist, when he first spotted them in 1503, but they are a United Kingdom territory. Therefore, they drive on the left side of the road. The Caymans are made up of three islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. There is plenty to do here if you want to be active. Personally, I want to sip my Pina Colada at the end of the day, and watch the sun set over the bay.

White sands and duty free shopping are very appealing if you’re planning a beach vacation with your family. Holidaymakers like to shop for crystal, china, perfume, watches and jewelry in the duty free shops. The local currency is the Cayman Islands dollar. Temperatures average 80F in summertime and 75F in the winter. That should be hot enough for most people. A Cayman vacation offers a range of sports, including water skiing, parasailing, board sailing and sportfishing. You can also play tennis or play golf on the Jack Nicklaus golf course. If you’re not claustrophobic, you can go on a submarine descent to 100 feet. I wouldn’t be able to cope with that but there’s something even more ambitious. A two person submarine will take you down to see a shipwreck, 800 feet down.

Grand Cayman boasts the biggest tourist attraction with the Seven Mile Beach. Most of the hotels and resort facilities for a Cayman vacation are here. It’s a favorite destination for snorkelers and you can swim with stingrays. The water is as clear as it gets and scuba divers love to explore the reefs and wrecks here. There’s also the opportunity for horse riding and there is a trail through the forest for hikers to enjoy.

The capital city, George Town, is situated on Grand Cayman and is a large port for incoming cruise ships. There’s lots to see here, including a turtle farm which keeps over 14,000 turtles. Gardeners will love the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and there is a Cayman Islands National Museum. There are designer shop outlets, including Fendi and Gucci, and first class dining. A Cayman vacation should offer some history and there is the ruins of a fort built in 1790 at the harbor called Fort George. Time your trip to coincide with the Pirates Week Festival, which has fireworks displays and mock pirate landings!

Guests of the Cap Juluca resort are accommodated in 18 beachfront style villas which will house no more than six rooms each. The rooms measure at least 700 square feet in size and feature large marble bathrooms, white tile floors, and louvered doors which will open wide to let in the cool sea breezes. During the morning, guests can enjoy complimentary continental breakfast which is served on their own private terrace.

The Cap Juluca also offers six pool villas which are surrounded by foliage on the edge of the beach. The pool villas offer either a private or shared swimming pool, sundeck, and even golf carts to help you travel around the property.

The resort design features exotic arches, domes, turrets, and parapets. The white villas, which are situated along the white sands of the mile long Maundays Bay, is surround by tropical flowers, palm trees, and breathtaking fountains.

This beach vacation also offers a number of great activities which include water sports, croquet, a health club, herb and endangered species gardens, children’s program, nature trails and even tennis. Cove and Maundays Bay offer a mile of beach, where you can enjoy kayaking, sail, snorkeling, waterski, and even windsurfing.

You can also arrange for island tours at the Cap Juluca in Anguilla to explore the many beaches, go scuba diving, or even deep sea fishing. When it comes to fun on the water, this resort has something to offer everyone in your family.

The spa services at the Cap Juluca include specialized treatments such as Cap Juluca for two, a Thai massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, and even kinesiology.

Cap Juluca offers guests two restaurants and a 24 hour room service. One of them, George’s, features pool and beachfront dining, serving guests contemporary tropical cuisine that includes salads, seafood, burgers, and even sandwiches.

The other restaurant, Pimms, is decorated with white Moorish arches and serves French-Asian cuisine within walking distance of the Caribbean Sea.

If you’ve been looking for a great beach vacation, the Cap Juluca in Anguilla will provide just what you need. There’s something here for the entire family, no matter what your family likes to do.

Waking up on an island with the ocean at your back door is truly an amazing feeling - which is what Cap Juluca is truly all about.

Ideal for beach lovers, Caneel Bay offers seven secluded beaches - Honeymoon Beach, Caneel Beach, Little Caneel Beach, Paradise Beach, Scott Beach, Turtle Bay Beach, and the Hawk’s Nest Beach. The resort is set on its own peninsula and also surrounded by both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

There are many different things to do here while on your beach vacation, including snorkeling, nature walks, hiking, sailing, kayaking in the sea, wind surfing, scuba diving, and swimming. You can also order a private massage, take lessons in watercolor, or just sneak away for a picnic. The resort also offers you a fitness center and 11 outdoor courts for tennis.

The resort of Caneel Bay offers 166 guest rooms and cottages furnished with hand crafted furniture, woven fabrics, natural wood, and native stone. The guest rooms also offer patios and balconies that overlook the beaches or resort gardens.

You can dine in several restaurants and bars that range from fine dining to casual meals. The restaurants include the Turtle Bay Estate House, Beach Terrace, The Equator, Starlight Terrace, and the Caneel Bay Bar.

For those who are looking to work on their beach vacation, Caneel Bay offers a business center complete with computers, high speed internet access, printers, data ports, and even telephones that offer free local calling.

Offering you everything for vacation bliss, Caneel Bay is one place you’ll be glad you found.

There is some oil processing, gold mining, agriculture and industry but the main enterprise by far is tourism and an Aruba vacation is extremely popular with Americans, Canadians and Europeans. It’s also a frequent destination for honeymoons. The Queen Beatrix International Airport carries flights to several American cities, and Europe can be reached via the Netherlands.

Tourists love the sunny climate of the island, which boasts an 82 F temperature for most of the time. There is very little rainfall to spoil long days on the white sandy beaches. Sheltered beaches are mainly on the western and southern coasts. For people interested in geology, there are some interesting rock formations to explore, and plant lovers will like the various cacti on show. The airport is situated near to the capital city of Oranjestad. January and February are good months to go for an Aruba vacation, when the carnival season is on and there is a grand parade at the close of the season.

The residents of the island are very friendly and welcoming; in fact, part of the official Aruba crest shows a handshake. Because of the large amount of American visitors, there is a US influence but an Aruba vacation has an atmosphere all its own. It’s perfect for beach lovers and fans of wind surfing and other water sports. The surrounding countryside has two major hills but is predominately flat and extremely arid.

The standard of living on the island is the best in the Caribbean. There is very little hardship and the employment level is almost full. The economy, which runs on the Aruban Florin, is subsidized by the Netherlands government. Although Aruba is part of the largely protestant Netherlands, the population is mainly Roman Catholic. A number of different countries have contributed to the island we see today and there is an evident cosmopolitan culture. A beach vacation on Aruba is the perfect way to leave the rest of the world behind and watch the blue ocean with a long cool, drink in your hand.

There is such a lot to see and do on these islands. You can charter a boat and go on an island hop tour. That should keep you busy, since there are over 700 islands at the last count. There are many ways in which to explore on a Bahamas vacation. You can rent a car, scooter or a bicycle (British driving regulations apply), or take a taxi. There are ferry services, including a fast service, and it’s also possible to take the slow route on the mailboat. Guided tours can be arranged.

Nassau, on New Providence Island, is the exciting capital city. It’s a casino town and there is plenty of nightlife with live shows and clubs, and opportunities to learn about the history of the islands. There’s some great restaurants and hotels too.

The islands are a paradise if you want a sporty time. Keen scuba divers and snorkellers love to go on a Bahamas vacation. There are 29 different locations where divers can take advantage of the visibility in the water. They’re rewarded with fabulous reefs, caves and numerous shipwrecks. Sharks are a common sight and you can go on trips for swimming with dolphins.

Fishing is another favorite activity here, including deep-sea fishing, flat fishing and bonefishing. You can charter a boat or stay in a fishing lodge. It’s worth noting that spear fishing and spear guns are against the law here on a Bahamas vacation.

There are plenty other sports to pursue including golf on some of the finest courses. A Bahamas vacation is ideal for any sort of water sport, yachting or tennis. There’s even a Conch Cracking Championship held every year!

The Exumas is a favorite haunt for yacht enthusiasts and sport fishermen. It has been the location for two James Bond films, Thunderball and Never Say Never Again. Christopher Columbus landed on San Salvador in 1492, on what was the top of a submerged mountain. It’s a good location for experienced divers, looking for wrecks. Bird watchers like to go to The Berry Islands, where pelicans and terns nest.

I personally appreciate using a travel agent. However, in more recent years I have found that it is just as productive to take advantage of online deals and packages that travel agents don’t seem to find. Granted, a travel agent can use his or her own experiences and feedbacks to recommend places that may make your Aruba vacation much more pleasant, but that would be your call. It is also nice to have someone to vent to if your vacation doesn’t turn out to be enjoyable. If you book everything online, you are solely responsible for any mistakes or misunderstandings that may lead to a less enjoyable Aruba vacation. The choice is yours on who you want to blame should things go sour.

Any reputable travel site will be able to put together an Aruba vacation package for you. The sites can arrange everything from your departure flights to your activities while on the island. Make sure if you do decide that booking your Aruba vacation online is the way to go, that you do your research thoroughly. Don’t accept a hotel just because a site says it is wonderful. Find some reviews on that hotel, or get vivid details and photographs. Always keep in mind, however, that photographs can be very deceiving. Trust me on that statement.

You may also find that if you are flexible with your itinerary or want to book a last minute vacation, you may find many more deals. Often times, flexibility will allow you to save some additional money, as will last minute travel. If you are lucky enough to decide to plan a last minute Aruba vacation and can leave within a few weeks, you will notice that the prices of packages available for last minute purchase are usually unbeatable.

With some careful thought, detailed researching, and some daydreaming - your ideal Aruba vacation is only a few steps away from becoming reality. Don’t forget to pack the sunblock!

Waikiki Beach is also known for its gentle waves which are ideal for beginning surfers. You can rent surfboards and gear on the beach, and even take lessons if you have never surfed before.

Catamaran rides to and from Diamond Head are also offered by several different companies as well, with departure times varying. Other activities on your vacation include kayaking, swimming, and outrigger canoeing.

Restaurants

There are several restaurants located right on Waikiki Beach, such as Duke’s Canoe Club and the Surf Room. When the evening sets in, you can enjoy a romantic dinner while you watch the sun set over the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Waikiki Beach hotels

As you travel along the beach from west to east beginning in Diamond Head, you’ll encounter several first class hotels such as Hilton Hawaiian Village, Sheraton Waikiki, Outrigger Hawaii, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and several others.

The Waikiki difference

While there are several other spots for your beach vacation, few manage to capture the beauty and tranquility that Waikiki offers. Hawaii has long been known as a tropical paradise, with Maui being an excellent example. Hawaii offers several beaches, with Waikiki being one of the best.

If you’ve been looking for the ideal place for your beach vacation, you shouldn’t hesitate to go to Waikiki. You can find discounts on hotel rooms at different times of the year, making it the perfect opportunity to check out everything Hawaii has to offer.