Jaunted - Tag: Beach Towns

Brighton: Brighton Rocks: Rick Steves Finds Solace in London's Beachy Getaway

Victor Ozols — 2009-10-03T15:36:27-05:00

One of my favorite travel-related novels is Graham Greene's 1939 murder mystery Brighton Rock, because Greene summarizes better than any other writer why people go through the trouble of traveling. In its first pages, he describes the difficulties lower-class Londoners went through for a day at the beach, standing in packed carriages from Victoria and returning home in the bleary hours of morning.

In one of the most beautiful sentences I've read, he explains why they do it:

"With immense labour and immense patience they extricated from the long day the grain of pleasure: this sun, this music, the rattle of the miniature cars, the ghost train diving between the grinning skeletons under the Aquarium promenade, the sticks of Brighton rock, the paper sailors' caps."

Bocas Del Toro: The Five Best Beaches in Bocas Del Toro

BS — 2009-03-27T09:16:28-05:00

Our own Brendan Spiegel is down in Panama this week and will be reporting back on all that he's seen and done. Whether or not he's wearing a Panama Hat, we can't say. But if you have any questions or suggestions for him, let us know.

As we mentioned earlier in the week, Bocas Del Toro is home to the best island living Panama has on offer—this tiny strip of islands has a laid-back, good times beach vibe that is so relaxed you'll inevitably feel the pull to stay indefinitely (and many people do).

But the only problem with Bocas Town (where most of the hotels and restaurants are), is that it's gotten so built up there's barely any beachfront to speak of. You can have your morning espresso and then leap right off the coffee shop's deck into the Caribbean, but serious beach time—sand, waves, long walks and all that—requires a bit more of a trek. So we've spent this week hard at work scouring Bocas in search of its best true beaches (try not to feel too bad for us). After the jump, our take on Bocas' most idyllic beach spots.

Bocas Del Toro: This is Panama's Version of 'Pura Vida'

BS — 2009-03-24T10:02:56-05:00

Panama has its fair share of high-end beach resorts, with more coming soon from folks like Nikki Beach and Trump. But for those seeking beachcomber's paradise without the fat expense account, the clear answer is Bocas Del Toro.

This idyllic Caribbean archipelago is the closest thing Panama has to a Costa Rican-style pura vida backpacking scene. It's the kind of place where you run in to everyone from five-year-old Panamanians hawking homemade jewelry to ex-pat American yoga instructors to rowdy spring breakers who maybe were looking for the other Panama City. But whoever you are, the only requirement is a solid "chill out" vibe.

Punta del Diablo: Uruguay Field Trip: PdD's Best Beach Bar

pbb — 2008-03-27T16:30:01-05:00

If there's any sign that Punta del Diablo is about to become an It spot for backpackers in South America, it's the supremely well-done Diablo Tranquilo Bar, right on the beach. The satellite food and booze spot for the hostel up the road, it's got great service, great design, a great menu and tons of cold beer. If that's not enough, did we mention it's right on the beach?

Though it's only been open for a few months, there really isn't anything bad to report. The place is simply one of the best hostel-affiliated bars we've ever seen--and we've done a lot of boozing at hostels.

Also worth checking out: the panoramic view of PdD from the third floor. Be sure to take your cocktail and that cute surfer chick from across the bar.

Related Stories:
· Uruguay Field Trip coverage [Jaunted]
· Uruguay coverage [Jaunted]

Punta del Diablo: Uruguay Field Trip: Punta del Diablo

pbb — 2008-03-26T12:05:01-05:00

After a couple days in vacant-for-Holy-Week Montevideo, we were ready to hit the beach. And while we could've gone the easy route and skipped over to Punta del Este, we decided to get ambitious. So we loaded up the iPod and bought bus tickets for a five-hour haul out to Punta del Diablo, a village not far from the Brazilian border.

It's your standard sleepy fishing town--except people are sleepy because they were at the beachfront disco El Pico until 6 am. Most people visiting rent a cottage--which locals call cabanas--and stay for a week or more, self-catering their trip. We could stay only a couple days, so we shacked up at the Diablo Tranquilo hostel. (It's brand new and nice.)

Besides sitting on the beach and drinking big frosty bottles of Patricia beer, there's not much to do. And that's just fine.

Related Stories:
· Uruguay Field Trip coverage [Jaunted]
· Uruguay coverage [Jaunted]

Old Orchard Beach: America's Almost Extinct Honky-Tonk Beach Towns: Old Orchard Beach

markj — 2007-07-16T15:52:06-05:00

Honky-tonk beach towns like Old Orchard Beach are on travel's endangered list. The nearly extinct American beach towns can be easily identified in the wild -- these towns are located directly on a beach, cook fried dough, employ C-list musicians, offer carnival style rides, give away large stuffed prizes, and are usually ghost towns October - April.

Despite their lack of external charm, these towns have an incredible ability to evoke childhood memories in many people.

No, global warming has nothing to do with wiping out these towns, this is all about money. While some honky-tonk beach towns are cherished by their residents, and have achieved historic status and protection of some sort, many of these towns referred to pejoratively as "white trash towns" are suffering an onslaught of condo developers who are selling residents on "upscaling" their not-always-so-beloved beach towns.

This month, we are taking a look at America's best honky-tonk beach towns and mapping them for you. If you want to visit, you better hurry, many of them may not exist in a couple years.

America's Honky-Tonk Beach Town Map :: Old Orchard Beach Story