Visit these amazing and unique coastal escapes at least once

There are some of us in sun-soaked and coastally located Southern California who have come down with a severe case of “beach fatigue.” Seen one; seen ‘em all – it’s just sand and water. And our region does have its share of diverse coastal landscapes, from rugged cliffs to endless tabletop shores that can blunt the mythos and majesty from other beachy locations.

A healthy reframe is in order. Beach trips to amazing and stunning locales draw in visitors of all kinds and are certainly not a “one-size fits all” vacation. Explore some of these most unique beaches on the planet and fall in love with the surf all over again.

Paradise on Coral: Addu City, Maldives

The nation of The Maldives in the Indian Ocean is already one of the most beautiful and picturesque places on Earth, so it should go without spilling additional ink that the beaches are pretty nice, too. In fact, the coral atoll that makes up Addu City is mostly beaches, given the sea-level height of the island (and most of the country).

What this means for the visitor is beach time, and a lot of it. It also means that one’s accommodations are likely to be coastal, if not actually IN the water. Find yourself in a cozy pier cottage in the tide and get rocked to sleep by the sound of the surf under tropical stars. For beach day, all one has to do is swim out to find white sands and endless, impossibly blue skies. In addition, western-facing locales like Usgandu Beach offer once-in-a-lifetime sunset vistas.

The island's coral reef makeup also provides for snorkeling and diving experiences that are second-to-none, so whether you’re looking for serenity in nature or wanting to spy sea life close-up, you’ll have options in Addu.

A Beach Surrounded by Towering Sentinels: Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

Who said a beach has to be at the ocean? Tahoe, the alpine lake famed for its deep blue waters and stratospheric mountain surroundings, also features gorgeous beaches to enjoy. Principal among them are the “secret” beaches of Emerald Bay – the shores of the inlet are only accessible by trail or boat – for a serene and unique view.

From the shores, gently lapped by the water, visitors are surrounded on all sides by stillsnowy mountain peaks and afforded a straight-on look at Fannette Island, the only such outcropping in the vast lake. Eagle-eyed beachgoers can spy the remains of the Fannette Island Tea House nestled among the evergreens from the shore.

Discovering A “Hidden” Gem: The Philippines

The Philippines offers tropical style sand strips that are exemplary of what a beach should be. This, of course, means these serene locales can be anything but relaxing during peak season. For those looking for solace, Hidden Beach on the island of Palawan is just that. Surrounded on all sides by towering limestone cliffs, the beach is found through a natural cut in the outcropping; it’s accessible through a literal hole in the wall, creating an otherworldly sense of serenity and privacy (the white sand and crystal clear waters pull their weight as well).

Another benefit of escaping the crowds is the chance to commune more closely with nature. Hidden beach is a prime place to see tropical fish darting in the shallow waters and hear seabirds singing in the distance.

Tiny Creatures; Big Impact: Pink Sands Beach, Bahamas

The myriad of photos online aren’t doctored; Pink Sands Beach is really that color, contrasting heavily with the aquamarine tint of the Atlantic Ocean. On Harbour Island, one of the Bahamas Out Islands, Pink Sands Beach is famed for its unique tint. The “why” as to its unique color is because of tiny single-celled organisms that build protective shells around themselves using available minerals: in this case, those minerals have a pinkish hue. They wash up on shore, and us lucky humans get an amazing and unique beach to enjoy. Photographs can’t really do it justice, so you’d better start planning a trip.

Harbour Island has several gorgeous resorts along the beach as well, so you can take in a pink beach from your room window for maximum enjoyment.

Beauty Born of Blunder: Glass Beach, Ft. Bragg, CA

This Northern California beach, if you could believe it, used to be a landfill. The loggers, townsfolk and others who lived in the region did not have the regard for coastal ecosystems that we now do (this coastline, along with all others in California, are protected from such malfeasance by the California Coastal Act). However, from this deep misstep came something unexpected. The wave action and rocky shoreline smashed, shaped and smoothed the copious glass trash waste left in the tidal zone, creating a multicolor mosaic of sea glass.

What visitors are left with is a rainbow in the sand, with brown, blue, green and clear orbs of long-discarded bottles, jars and other early 20th century trash renewed into beauty among three former dump sites near the town. While these beaches may not be as “glassy as they once were, since visitors removed handfuls of the unique glass to take home (this is now forbidden), it remains one of the most unique – if not infamous – of California beach areas.

A Surfer’s Paradise and a Cultural Center: Hanalei Beach, Kauai

It’d be hard-pressed to not include a Hawaiian Beach on a must-visit list, but which one? Hanalei, considered one of the world’s best beaches, represents an easy choice. A two-mile crescent of sand on Kauai’s North Shore, the beach is a favorite for swimmers, surfers, beachcombers, locals and visitors alike. For good reason, too: The waters are warm, the waves set perfect, and the surroundings are as lush and beautiful as one would expect from the Garden Isle.

Hanalei is an important part of the state’s culture as well. Ancient Hawaiians grew taro near the shoreline, and Hanalei town remains a hotbed of native Hawaiian culture, food and festivities that will bring visitors insight into the traditions and importance of Indigenous cultural preservation.

Walk on the Path of the Ancients: The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

Okay, it’s not a “beach,” per se. There are no umbrellas, no tropical drinks or white sands – heck, there’s rarely any sun. But the Giant’s Causeway, a truly eye-popping set of geometric basalt columns jutting from the Northern Atlantic, looking like they were placed by titans of yore, is a truly unique coastal location that is worth the extra layers to explore.

Of course, stories abound concerning the formation, for one, that a giant was responsible for creating the larger-than-life steps, but the features were actually created by geologic processes 60 million years in the making. The result is a truly unique part of the globe that offers that sense of “smallness” in an individual that is principal to awe – the region has been attracting the agog for centuries. It’s also proof that you don’t need a bathing suit to enjoy the planet’s amazing beaches; simply a sense of adventure and curiosity is all you should pack.

-Alan LaGuardia

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