Jaunted

Tags: St Lucia Field Trip / SCUBA / Scuba Dives / Jetblue St Lucia Inaugural / St Lucia Travel / Caribbean Travel / Beach Travel / Water Sports / Amy Winehouse / → All Tags

How To Scuba Free And Easy In Saint Lucia

Now that all the hubbub surround Jetblue's inaugural flight to Saint Lucia is over, we're free to focus on the important things, like getting on the beach and into the warm Caribbean waters, and that's exactly what we did yesterday afternoon during a scuba dive at the northern tip of the island, from the Cariblue Beach at the BodyHoliday LeSPORT resort.

It's weird to think that we've been diving for over 11 years now, and yet we learn new things each time we let out all the air and sink beneath the surface. And so for all you seasoned and wannabe divers, we'll let you in on a few things you've just got to know about diving here in the southern Caribbean, but specifically Saint Lucia because duh—we've got the recent firsthand experience.

Our top tips for free and easy SCUBA in Saint Lucia, after the jump.

more ›

Tags: Travel Deals / Hawaii Travel / Honolulu Travel / Beach Travel / Beaches / → All Tags

It's Friday; Go Ahead And Daydream About 5 Nights In Hawaii For $499

Whenever we're stressed and have to go to our happy place, we picture the beaches of Hawaii. But now, probably thanks to how hard the recession has hit tourism to the islands, everyone has a chance to actually go there, thanks to Travelzoo's $499-for-five-Hawaiian-nights package.

The deal includes round-trip airfare to Honolulu, where you'll be greeted with a lovely-smelling lei and thus the right to brag that you got "lei'd" in Hawaii, like tourists do for days after their arrival. Your accommodations will be at the Castle Ocean Resort Hotel Waikiki. And if you want to upgrade to an ocean-view pad, the hotel gives you the option for $25 and up per person.

more ›

Tags: Travel Deals / Spain / Spain Travel / Beach Travel / Beaches / Travelzoo / → All Tags

Escape Cold Temps On Spain's Costa del Sol For 5 Nights At $499

When January comes around with its hella freezing weather, you'll be dreaming of sunny beaches; shoot, we're doing that now. To prevent seasonal affective disorder, you'll need a dose of Costa del Sol, or "Coast of the Sun." According to Travelzoo, the beachfront locale has more than 300 days of sunshine each year. The company's offering a package to the Spanish coastal region along the Mediterranean for $499, which includes a five-night vacay with airfare, but you have to book by Oct. 28.

The deal includes round-trip airfare from NYC to Malaga, Spain. You'll also spend five nights at either Sol Principe or Cervantes, both of which are four-star hotels. If you opt for Cervantes, you'll get free breakfast daily. And if you're the type to tire from frolicking on the beach all day—crazy talk, we know—you can add day tours to Cordoba, Granada or Tangier to the package for an additional $71 to $91.

more ›

Tags: Killer Beachers / Sharks / California Travel / surfing / Beach Travel / → All Tags

There Are Sharks On And Off LA's Sunset Boulevard

Since summer is over, we naturally assume that shark season is over. But of course not, since these beautiful beasts of the sea frolic and hunt close to some coasts throughout the year, and southern California is just as pleasant a vacation for them as it is for those of us who head to warmer climes in winter.

Thank to an excellent photo capture by Randy Wright on Surfline, of a white shark (not a Great White, just a white) breaching along an LA beach, we realize that it's not only visor-wearing tourists who flock to Sunset Boulevard; this shark jumped near the end of Sunsert Boulevard, at Sunset Beach. The road goes from the sharks of Hollywood to actual sharks, it seems.

If you find yourself tempted to swim in the waters here, but are deathly scared of seeing a fin emerge from the water near you, then we might suggest a little activity on dry land, like the nearby Getty Villa. Once you turn on the Pacific Coast Highway from Sunset and head north, it's only one mile further up in Malibu. Keep in mind that the museum is closed on Tuesdays and requires advance ticket reservations, which you can make here. Tickets are free!

Related Stories:
· White Shark Breaches In LA [Surfline]
· The Getty [Official Site] · Sharks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Surfline.com]

Tags: Dangerous Travel / Wild Animal Travel / Sharks / Cape Cod Travel / Beach Travel / → All Tags

Late-Summer Arrival To Cape Cod Beaches: Sharks!

After a quiet summer, the sharks are taking their revenge: The normally bucolic beaches of Cape Cod have been cruised by up to 20 sharks looking for a delicious seal dinner and scaring the living daylights out of the last summer's swimmers.

There has not been a fatal, unprovoked shark attack in U.S. waters since last year, and no attacks recorded this year in Massachusetts at all. But a seal colony in the town of Chatham, Mass. has caused the city to close their beaches indefinitely since Labor Day because great whites can't resist those baby seals—and both species are protected, so they can't be moved from their habitats anyway.

more ›

Tags: Twitter Travel / Sports Illustrated / Swimsuit Issue 2010 / Beach Travel / → All Tags

Where In The World Is Sports Illustrated Shooting Its 2010 Swimsuit Issue?

It's swimsuit weather in the Northern Hemisphere, but also in the minds of the editors of Sports Illustrated. Seems like only yesterday we were greeting model Bar Refaeli at LaGuardia Airport for the launch of the 2009 Swimsuit Issue, complete with semi-controversial plane wrap. Nonetheless, SI is already working on next year's blockbuster with a shoot last week in an "unnamed Asian paradise," and you can follow along all on Twitter.

Before they even left New York, assistant editor Darcie Baum mentioned the stress of packing for a fashion shoot even when the clothes are teeny. Senior associate editor MJ Day tweeted through the mystery trip, including photos of models Refaeli and Brooklyn Decker, as well as tease photos of the other two "rookies" appearing in the magazine for the first time. (Day appears to be heading out on another trip soon; more recently she griped about getting working visas for 18.) And behind-the-scenes photographer Randall Grant picked up a nasty sunburn and more stamps in his passport.

more ›

Tags: Celeb Travel / Kanye West / Miami Travel / Beach Travel / New York City / → All Tags

Kanye And Amber Rose Have A Revealing Vacation In Miami, Not Barcelona

'Tis the season for skinny dipping! Yesterday, rapper Kanye West caused quite a stir on both Miami Beach and the internet as his model girlfriend Amber Rose stepped just short of nude.

For most of last night, it was believed that the mini peep-show occurred on a beach just outside of Barcelona, Spain, when actually the couple was just underneath our own American noses, turning their hotel beach into a skin show straight out of Europe.

While Kanye seemed upset with the paparazzi as usual, Amber however smiled and bared more and more skin, eventually going full topless and making search engines go crazy with terms like "amber rose bikini beach pics" and "barcelona kanye girlfriend nude." It only came out this morning that they were in fact in Miami, and had just as quickly returned to New York. This is what happens when you become famous, people; you get to take quick mid-week trips to the beach and frolic with your nude girlfriend. We need to start getting famous.

Related Stories:
· Kanye upstaged by cheeky girlfriend as she frolics in orange bikini [Daily Mail]
· Celeb Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: BigPicturesPhoto]

Tags: Sharks / Killer Beaches / Animals / Dangerous Travel / Beach Travel / California Travel / → All Tags

Sharks Close Down Cali Beaches, But Not On Porpoise

For those planning to splish splash with their flippy floppies this weekend in Santa Cruz, the plans have changed. Apparently Shark Week just doesn't want to end, but instead of it being in high definition, it’s being played out for real off the coast of the Golden State.

This week, a hungry shark proceeded to nom nom nom on a porpoise. The poor porpoise washed ashore, and researchers are trying to figure out what kind of finned critter exactly was responsible for the attack. Obviously with beach visitors spotting sharks off shore, people are being kept out of the water.

more ›

Tags: Guidebook Says / Australia Travel / Beach Travel / Dog Travel / → All Tags

Guidebook Says: Visit Perth For Their Dog Beaches?

It's hard to know whether the experts are giving you useful information or just the same old song and dance. That's why we're introducing Guidebook Says to commend or correct other travel media. Feel free to commend or correct us in the comments below! This week, we zero in on Perth, the quiet but cool capital of Western Australia.

Guidebook Says: "This sunshine capital is also home to a thousand mining and exploration companies, which bring a touch of the Outback to the city. It's a friendly city, partly because of the outdoor openness and partly from the Outback influence." -- Frommers

Jaunted Says: Fact: Mining and exploration companies abound in Perth. Fiction: we've never found the touch of the Outback they bring. They seem to be about flashy skyscrapers and rich fly-in, fly-out workers and we seriously doubt any tourist would take much notice of them. The Outback's about as far from Perth as Uluru is from the ocean (that's pretty far), so we really don't know what this guidebook writer was on about.

more ›

Tags: Beach Travel / Paris Travel / Events / → All Tags

Forget The Riviera; Paris Has The Hot Beaches This Summer

By now, we're pretty familiar with the fact that cities like New York, Amsterdam and Paris love to take a break from the hot, urban grind to get down by the shore of their rivers (or canals, in Amsterdam's case) and pretend for a moment that they're on the riviera.

Instead of pouring a dumptruck-full of sand onto the banks of the Seine in Paris, this year the City of Light is kicking it up a notch by having a whole month (July 20 to August 20) of beach atmosphere, water sports, and resort culture along a few patches of the river. Called "Paris Plages," which simply means "Paris Beaches," the event brings in 1,350 tons of sand, 250 sun loungers, 350 deckchairs, 200 tables, 800 chairs, 250 sun umbrellas, 50 palm trees, 40 hammocks… you get the idea.

There will of course also be cafes, sidewalk vendors, various swimming pools, and activities like kayaking, sailing, pedal-boating and hamster-balling (those inflatable wheels pictured above).

more ›

Tags: Yelp / Events / Beach Travel / New York City / Review Websites / → All Tags

Yelp Rewarding New York Reviewers With Free Beach Party

To you and me, the crowd-sourced review site Yelp is just one of many stops on the information superhighway before we decide on a restaurant for dinner, but for others it's a lifestyle. No matter how earnestly you use the site, you're welcome to Yelp's big beach bash at Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City, NY, with the Manhattan skyline and East River as a backdrop.

True to the yelping tradition, this won't just be a barbeque and beer shindig; guests who RSVP will enjoy "Hula Hoop girls, popsicle purveyors, sunscreen, masseuses, a shaded relaxation lounge, games, prizes, a Yelp photobooth and much, much more." Not to mention that everyone will be able to share their choicest review vocabulary during a sampling and judging of ten drinks in The Ultimate Summer Cocktail Competition.

more ›

Tags: Chicago Field Trip / Chicago Travel / Beach Travel / Beaches / Lists / → All Tags

Sun, Sand and Deep-Dish Pizza: Chicago's Top Three Beaches

When you think of Chicago, LA-style beach culture isn't usually what comes to mind, but boy oh boy are the Lake Michigan beaches buzzing during the hottest days of summer. And they're true sand beaches even, with volleyball courts, snack stands and families toting mini Weber grills. With the expansive shoreline that Chicago has, it can however be difficult to settle on exactly which beach you'll be wiling away the day. We're going to help you make some decisions with our list of The Top Three Chicago Beaches:

3. Montrose Beach
Skirt the lakefront by driving north on LakeShore Drive to Montrose Harbor, and you'll discover the north side's best sandy secret: a stretch of beach frequented mainly by locals and friendly to dogs. There's easy free parking at the beach and harbor, and it's one of the surest stretches for some secret after-hours skinny dipping.

more ›