B A L I | B E A C H E S

Just got back from my wondrous travels all around the island of Bali. The island has so much to offer from party cities to honeymoon getaways to mountain, hippy towns and all of it is a step away from the beaches! The Bukit Peninsula on the bottom of Bali is home to the most pristine beaches I have ever seen. Some I checked out on the east coast were GeGe Beach in Nusa Dua which had a beautiful barrel ing surf break in the distance. The west coast had Karma Beach. I paid 25 dollars to take a gondola ride  at Karma Kandara Resort down a cliff to a gorgeous secluded beach complete with lounge chairs, umbrellas, towels and the luxury of not having to worry about my stuff being stolen while I went into the ocean. Also, 10 dollars of the beach voucher went to food and I had  delicious pizza for lunch. Another west coast beach is Dreamland that was a large stretch of white sand and we walked a little bit down further to get away from the tourist section of food and shops and lounge chairs. My favorite beach of all though was Padang-Padang (seen above).  A cave-like path filled with monkeys leads you down to the cutest little beach ever that has Bali written all over it. Beautiful water and beautiful surfers made the day easy on my eyes. For more things to do than just swim and tan, we went to Amed for amazing snorkeling. For five dollars we rented equipment and swam out to an underwater temple marked by a buoy. The fish were bright and exotic, but my favorite part were the fifty royal blue starfish that were lining the bottom of the reef.

Beach of the Week: Hot Water Beach, NZ

Hot Water Beach, New Zealand

This is hands down, no doubt about it, by far, the coolest beach I’ve ever experienced solely just on the sand. The Hot Water Beach is on a part of the earth’s crust that is unusually thin. This creates hot springs that happen to run just under the beach. So what happens is you dig a hole into the sand is it fills up with “hot tub” temp water. There are even parts of the beach sectioned off because the water that comes up is so hot it boils. The beach is quite touristy and is well known so it was a bit busy, but a worth while experience. There is a local booth that sells shovels just in case you want to join the crowd and give it a shot.

Beach of the Week: Tortola, BVI

Apple Bay, Tortola

Home of the infamous Bomba Shack, crystal clear water, and amazing white sand beaches, Apple Bay is to die for. The conditions are close to perfect close to all the time. Sebastian’s is a fabulous recommendation for a place to stay or rent a house for the week up the hill to enjoy breathtaking views. The sunset from this beach is full of pinks, but the full moon is when you really want to experience the beach. Full moon parties and a huge celebration in Tortola and you can be guaranteed a fun time  

 -as told by Annabel

        

Beach of the Week: The Baths, Virgin Gorda

The Baths, Virgin Gorda

Quite a touristy venue, but there is no doubt why. As a main attraction to British Virgin Islands, the baths are a beautiful beach where stones (more like boulders) have been smoothed by the waves and pile together to form crevices we named baths. Water washes up and meets the sand to create pools to relax, photograph, and play. I’ve been plenty of times in all types of conditions and there is no saying when a time is best except maybe later in the afternoon or earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds. I’ve even been in the rain and it doesn’t stop the people.

-as told by Annabel

Beach of the Week: Wrightsville Beach

Wrightsville Beach, NC

 There is never a problem in the world that a walk on this beach can’t cure. Sunsets at the south end. Cocktails and appetizers at the Oceanic Pier.  Fishing at Johnny Mercer’s Pier. And lovely long walks down through the north end. It may be full of college students, but we provide for excellent entertainment, Hammocks and slack lining set up under the piers. Surfers galore out in the water, And even a new era of hula hooping amongst the hippies. The college scene is definitely huge but the locals keep it surreal. Its never loud or over run by college drunks with the exception of the beach bar scene.  At about eleven you can find a crowds drinking, listening to live music, dancing to dj’s and the whole works. With a strip of beach bars open until two am and then pizza open across the street, Wrightsville is a recipe for an incredible time for the twenties.

Here's to the Gals of the Beach

Here’s to all the gals with knotted and salty hair- lets face it, its just better that way! Those girls out there with perfectly blow-dried, highlighted, straightened hair are not doing it the right way. Wind is how we dry our hair because we know that blow driers do not travel well and seriously who has time for them?? The sun gives us our your highlights because they are a token and reminder of the hours we spent soaking in the rays. The ocean leaves its waves in your hair. It’s a beautiful thing when the salt holds the waves.

Here’s to the gals with tanned bodies accustomed to random tan lines and those “where’d that come from” scraps and bruises- the bikini’s, sunglasses, rings, bracelets, whatever the tan line is it shows for a winter overcame by summer. As for the bruises and scraps, they build character. Callused feet mean withstanding the hot sands.

Here’s to the gals with eyes that hold a hundred visions- there is nothing more spectacular than women with passions. When people talk to us and the topic hits home, they can see our eyes light up and we cant hold back until our passion become theirs.

Smiles that shine brighter than a thousand sun- because happy girls are the prettiest girls and let’s face it most of us our lucky enough to live on the coast! We might not give ourselves enough credit but our smiles make everyone else around us smile brighter too. We can create our own sunshine.  
And finally here’s to the gals with a craving for the place where the desert meats the sea.  Where the waves can wash away any uncertainty or problem clouding our minds. Where not letting the tide reach our towels becomes a main concern. And where our families push the importance of sunblock and our friends remind us of the meaning of the word carefree.

Beach EssenSHELLS

There are plenty of ways to prepare for the ideal beach day other than having a brilliant group of beach dwellers and surfer boys believe it or not. Let's start with the skin. Coconut Oil does wonders for the rejuvenation of dry and plea skin. It can leave you glowing after just one use. Another suggestion is that big, floppy, and much appreciated sun hat. Not only are they super cute, but protective from those harsh rays of the sun. One last thing we can bring to enhance the day is an oversized beach towel. If you are anything like me, there is no keeping sand completely off the towel so by getting that extra room there is more towel for you once the sand gets on. These three essentials are one time buys that can last you a whole summer of beaching it. So pack your bags, grab your gals, and hit the beach better than ever!