Virginia Beach Rating

Beach Personality: Popular, Old-Fashioned Beach And Boardwalk

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is a well-known beach destination due to its 3-mile boardwalk and proximity to Norfolk, Virginia and Washington, DC. The beach is extremely long and relatively wide with clean, light tan sand and clear blue water. The boardwalk brings a lot of personality to Virginia Beach.

In addition to many typical beach boardwalk businesses and activities, there are also some unique aspects to Virginia Beach’s boardwalk. These include lots of public art and the Virginia Legends Walk. The Virginia Legends Walk was built to honor Virginian’s who have made significant differences to our country and the world. Along the walk you’ll find plaques with the name of each person and a little bit of information about what s/he achieved and where they are from. People honored include Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, Edgar Allen Poe, Patsy Cline and Ella Fitzgerald.

Virginia Beach is also the site of many beach-related events. Two annual events are the East Coast Surfing Championships and the North American Sand Soccer Championship. Beach St. USA lists all of Virginia Beach’s events.

Beach Activities:

• Swimming
• Boogie boarding
• Stand up paddleboarding
• Surfing (designated areas apply)
• Pier fishing (for a fee)
• Lounging

Beach Amenities:

• Public bathrooms – Yes.
• Showers – Yes.
• Parking – Yes, for a fee within walking distance.
• Food – Yes. Within walking distance.
• Lifeguard – Yes, from mid-May to mid-September.
• Dogs allowed on the beach – Yes, but restricted to the Tuesday after Labor Day until the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.

Additional Amenities – fishing pier, benches, boardwalk, bike and skating path, handicap accessible, beach wheelchairs, and seasonal amusement park.

Beach Rentals:

Rentals are available within walking distance of Virginia Beach. Items to rent include bicycles, surrey bicycles, rollerblades, boogie boards, strollers, beach chairs and umbrellas.

Directions:

Virginia Beach, Virginia’s beaches run all the way from Croatan Beach at the south end to First Landing State Park at the north end. However, most people consider Virginia Beach to be the 3 miles of beach fronting the boardwalk from 2nd through 41st Streets. Atlantic Avenue is the closest street running parallel to the beach and boardwalk.

To many joyful beach experiences!

— Lisa Dworkin

Photos courtesy of Lisa Dworkin. More photos available on Flickr.

Two Mile Hollow Beach Rating

Beach Personality: An East Hampton Beach With A Cape Cod Feeling

Two Mile Hollow Beach

Two Mile Hollow Beach is in a residential neighborhood only 2 miles from the center of East Hampton Village, yet it has a remote, natural feeling to it. It’s a long, medium width beach with low sand dunes on the western edge of the sand. The sand at Two Mile Hollow Beach is some of the nicest sand around: it’s soft, light tan and extremely clean.

Two Mile Hollow Beach is widely known as a gay friendly beach, however, it’s a welcoming beach for everyone with a wide variety of things to do there.

Beach Activities:

• Lounging
• Swimming
• Walking on the beach
• Surfing
• Boogie boarding
• Kayaking
• Paddle boarding (SUP)
• Windsurfing
• Kite surfing
• Surfcasting

Beach Amenities:

• Public bathrooms – Yes, in-season only.
• Showers – Yes, in-season only.
• Parking – Yes, for a fee from May 15 through September 15. Non-residents can purchase daily parking passes on weekdays. On weekends a total of 40 daily parking passes each day are sold. Non-residents can also buy seasonal parking permits, although you should be aware that they sell out very quickly! For more information see the Village of East Hampton’s website.
• Food – No.
• Lifeguard – Yes, in-season.
• Dogs allowed on the beach – Yes, 6 pm through 9 am only from the second Sunday in May until September 30. Anytime from October 1 until the second Sunday in May.

In-season is weekends and holidays Memorial Day through the last Saturday in June, then daily until Labor Day, and then weekends only until September 30.

Beach Rentals:

None at the beach, however, eastern Long Island rental spots within driving distance of Two Mile Hollow Beach include…

Main Beach Surf and Sport

• Website: http://mainbeach.com/
• Address: 352 Montauk Highway, Wainscott NY 11975
• Phone: 631-537-2716
• Rentals include surfboards, paddleboards (SUP), kayaks, and canoes. They also offer surfing, kayaking and SUP lessons, and kayak and SUP tours.

Amagansett Beach & Bicycle Co.

• Website: http://www.amagansettbeachco.com/
• Address: 624 Montauk Highway, Amagansett New York 11930
• Phone: 631-267-6325
• Rentals include bikes, kayaks, paddleboards (SUP), rowing shells, surfboards, boogie boards, windsurfers, and skates. They also offer kayak lessons and bike, kayak and SUP tours.

Uihlein’s Marina

• Website: http://www.uihleinsmarina.com/
• Address: 444 West Lake Drive, Montauk New York 11954
• Phone: 631-668-3799
• Rentals include boats, jet skis, kayaks, and tubes.

Springs General Store

• Website: http://www.springsgeneralstore.com/
• Address: 29 Old Stone Highway, East Hampton NY 11937
• Phone: 631-329-5065
• Offers kayak rentals, tours, and lessons.

Weekend Warrior Tours

• Website: http://www.weekendwarriortours.com/
• Address: 8 Main Street, Sag Harbor NY 11963
• Phone: 631-725-5950
• Rents kayaks and paddleboards (SUP). Also have kayak and SUP lessons and tours.

Paddle Diva

• Website: http://www.paddlediva.com/
• Address: Lincoln Avenue, East Hampton NY 11937
• Phone: 516-383-229661
• Specializes in working with women with paddleboard (SUP) rentals, lessons, and tours.

Directions:

Two Mile Hollow Beach is located on Two Mile Hollow Road where it ends at the Atlantic Ocean in East Hampton, New York, 11937.

To many joyful beach experiences!

— Lisa Dworkin

Photos courtesy of Lisa Dworkin. More photos available on Flickr.

Georgica Beach Rating

Beach Personality: Popular Surfing Spot in Well-Heeled East Hampton

Georgica Beach

Georgica Beach is only 1.5 miles southwest of East Hampton’s Main Beach so you could easily walk from one to the other. It’s also one of three East Hampton beaches with lifeguards. The other two are Main Beach and Two Mile Hollow Beach. In recent years Georgica Beach has experienced a tremendous amount of beach erosion.

The sand at Georgica Beach is light tan, very clean, squeaks a little when you walk on it, and is mostly soft with a few spots of coarse sand interspersed throughout. The water is clean, but cold with a fairly consistent surf break making it a popular beach for surfers.

Beach Activities:

• Lounging
• Swimming
• Walking on the beach
• Surfing
• Boogie boarding
• Kayaking
• Paddle boarding (SUP)
• Windsurfing
• Kite surfing
• Surfcasting

Beach Amenities:

• Public bathrooms – Yes, in-season only.
• Showers – Yes, in-season only.
• Parking – Yes, for a fee from May 15 through September 15. Non-residents can’t park by the day: they must buy seasonal parking permits, which sell out early in the year. For more information see the Village of East Hampton’s website.
• Food – No.
• Lifeguard – Yes, in-season.
• Dogs allowed on the beach – Yes, 6 pm through 9 am only from the second Sunday in May until September 30. Anytime from October 1 until the second Sunday in May.

In-season is weekends and holidays Memorial Day through the last Saturday in June, then daily until Labor Day, and then weekends only until September 30.

Beach Rentals:

None at the beach, however, eastern Long Island rental spots within driving distance of Georgica Beach include…

• Main Beach Surf and Sport
• Website: http://mainbeach.com/
• Address: 352 Montauk Highway, Wainscott NY 11975
• Phone: 631-537-2716
• Rentals include surfboards, paddleboards (SUP), kayaks, and canoes. They also offer surfing, kayaking and SUP lessons, and kayak and SUP tours.

• Amagansett Beach & Bicycle Co.
• Website: http://www.amagansettbeachco.com/
• Address: 624 Montauk Highway, Amagansett New York 11930
• Phone: 631-267-6325
• Rentals include bikes, kayaks, paddleboards (SUP), rowing shells, surfboards, boogie boards, windsurfers, and skates. They also offer kayak lessons and bike, kayak and SUP tours.

• Uihlein’s Marina
• Website: http://www.uihleinsmarina.com/
• Address: 444 West Lake Drive, Montauk New York 11954
• Phone: 631-668-3799
• Rentals include boats, jet skis, kayaks, and tubes.

• Springs General Store
• Website: http://www.springsgeneralstore.com/
• Address: 29 Old Stone Highway, East Hampton NY 11937
• Phone: 631-329-5065
• Offers kayak rentals, tours, and lessons.

• Weekend Warrior Tours
• Website: http://www.weekendwarriortours.com/
• Address: 8 Main Street, Sag Harbor NY 11963
• Phone: 631-725-5950
• Rents kayaks and paddleboards (SUP). Also have kayak and SUP lessons and tours.

• Paddle Diva
• Website: http://www.paddlediva.com/
• Address: Lincoln Avenue, East Hampton NY 11937
• Phone: 516-383-229661
• Specializes in working with women with paddleboard (SUP) rentals, lessons, and tours.

Directions:

Georgica Beach is located at the end of Lily Pond Lane where it meets the Atlantic Ocean in East Hampton, New York, 11937.

To many joyful beach experiences!

— Lisa Dworkin

Photos courtesy of Lisa Dworkin.

Nickerson Beach Rating

Beach Personality: Large Beach Park Rich With Amenities

Nickerson Beach

Nickerson Beach is a very long, wide beach, which means you never have problems with crowds. The sand is light tan and really soft (think good calf workout) and the water is dark green. There tends to be a little seaweed collected along the tideline, but it isn’t in any way excessive.

In addition to the beach, Nickerson Beach Park has numerous other activities and amenities. These include a campground, athletic fields, a skate park, swimming pools, a playground and more. Most of these things are included in your park admission (the parking fee), but a few – for example, the campground and some picnic areas — cost extra and need to be reserved in advance. Call 516-571-7701 for more information and to make reservations.

Beach Activities:

• Swimming
• Boogie boarding
• Body surfing
• Lounging
• Volleyball

Beach Amenities:

• Public bathrooms – Yes.
• Showers – Yes.
• Parking – Yes, for a fee in season. Free the rest of the year. The season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
• Food – Yes. In season only.
• Lifeguard – No.
• Dogs allowed on the beach – No.

Additional amenities – basketball courts, tennis courts, skate park, baseball field (permit required), playground, soccer fields, picnic areas, barbecue equipment, campground (April through November), swimming pools (in season), cabanas (in season), and lockers (in season).

Directions:

Nickerson Beach is located at 880 Lido Boulevard in Lido Beach, New York, 11561.

To many joyful beach experiences!

— Lisa Dworkin

Photos courtesy of Lisa Dworkin. More photos on Flickr.

Pacific Beach Rating

Beach Personality: Home to a Historic Pier and Hotel

Pacific Beach

Pacific Beach is physically very similar to the nearby Ocean Beach, but with less tideline debris. The sand is light tan and soft and the water is a deep, clear blue.

Along with all the things to do at the beach, there is a lot of activity along the paved oceanfront walkway. You can walk, run, bike, rollerblade and skateboard here, which is a rarity on most pedestrian paths.

The most unique thing about Pacific Beach is the historic Crystal Pier Hotel. The hotel is a collection of cottages directly on Crystal Pier, and if you are staying there you can drive onto the pier and park right outside your own little cottage. The location can’t be beat and the novelty factor is high too.

Beach Activities:

• Swimming
• Surfing
• Boogie boarding
• Body surfing
• Skim boarding
• Paddle boarding
• Pier fishing
• Lounging

Beach Amenities:

• Public bathrooms – Yes.
• Showers – Yes.
• Parking – Yes, limited free parking on the street.
• Food – Yes, within walking distance of the beach.
• Lifeguard – Yes.
• Dogs allowed on the beach – Yes. Dogs are allowed on the beach 4 PM to 9 AM from November 1 to March 31. From April 1 to October 31, they are allowed on the beach from 6 PM to 9 AM.

Additional amenities – drinking fountains, paved path, benches, grassy park, pier, and handicap accessible beach.

Beach Rentals:

Crystal Pier Bait and Tackle on Crystal Pier rents poles and everything else you need to fish off the pier.

Boogie boards, surfboards, wetsuits, bikes, beach chairs and umbrellas are available for rent at various stands along the oceanfront path.

Directions:

Pacific Beach is located at Grand Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in San Diego, California, 92109.

To many joyful beach experiences!

— Lisa Dworkin

Photos courtesy of Lisa Dworkin. More photos on Flickr.

Ocean Beach Rating

 TO  

Beach Personality: Nirvana for Dogs (and Their Owners)

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach tends to attract an eclectic, local crowd. Maybe it’s because Ocean Beach is a residential neighborhood or because of the dog beach. Whatever the reason, they’re the type of people you’re most likely to share sand with at Ocean Beach.

Personally, I love Ocean Beach and that’s why for the first time ever I couldn’t choose a fixed rating. If beach ratings were strictly based on my preferences, I would give Ocean Beach a 5 because I prefer local beaches, love dogs, and found a great café across the street from the beach. But, I have an unbiased rating system that I use to rate beaches and based on that system Ocean Beach rates a 4.

Physically, Ocean Beach is a medium wide, long pocket beach split down the middle by a rocky outcropping. Surfers congregate between the pier and the rocks for the beach’s best waves. As you move further north along the beach the waves become smaller. The sand is gold and soft with a fairly large amount of debris at the tideline. One thing I didn’t like about Ocean Beach is because it’s close to San Diego International Airport planes fly overhead regularly and they are low enough to be very noisy.

Further north on the beach there is a second rocky outcropping that separates the main beach from the dog beach. Since I’m a confirmed dog lover, I spent a lot of time at the dog beach watching the dogs play in the sand and water and missing my doggies back home.

By the time I left the beach I was hungry and needed to catch up with some writing, so I went into the nearest spot, Newbreak Café. What a lucky find! The Café was filled with people chatting, reading or surfing the web. If I lived near Ocean Beach I know this would be my go-to place.

Beach Activities:

• Swimming
• Surfing
• Boogie boarding
• Body surfing
• Surf fishing
• Lounging

Beach Amenities:

• Public bathrooms – Yes.
• Showers – Yes.
• Parking – Yes, free parking on the street and in two parking lots. Arrive early for a spot in the summer and on weekends all year.
• Food – Yes, on the pier at Ocean Beach Pier Café and within walking distance of the beach.
• Lifeguard – Yes.
• Dogs allowed on the beach – Yes. Dogs are allowed on the main beach 4 PM to 9 AM from November 1 to March 31. From April 1 to October 31, they are allowed on the beach from 6 PM to 9 AM. Dogs are allowed on the adjacent dog beach to the north at any time.

Additional amenities – drinking fountains, fire pits, small grassy park, picnic tables, and grills.

Directions:

Ocean Beach is located just west of Abbott Street between Voltaire Street at the north end and Niagara Avenue at the south end. It’s in San Diego, California, 92107.

To many joyful beach experiences!

— Lisa Dworkin

Photos courtesy of Lisa Dworkin. More photos on Flickr.

Mission Beach Rating

Beach Personality: Party Beach

Mission Beach

Mission Beach is a very popular beach in San Diego. It has a lot to offer in addition to the beach. There are restaurants, shops, entertainment and an amusement park directly east of the beach. Belmont Park is the name of the amusement park and Wave House San Diego is the center of the action.

The beach itself is very nice. It’s a long beach of medium width. The sand is light tan and soft with a moderate amount of natural debris at the tideline. The sand is also rather firm at the tideline, so it’s a good beach for people who like to run or walk in the sand. When I was there, on an off-season weekday, volleyball poles were set up in the sand, but there were no nets.

Beach Activities:

• Swimming
• Surfing
• Boogie boarding
• Body surfing
• Kite flying
• Lounging

Beach Amenities:

• Public bathrooms – Yes.
• Showers – Yes.
• Parking – Yes, free parking in a beachfront parking lot. Arrive early for a spot in the summer and on weekends all year.
• Food – Yes, within walking distance of the beach.
• Lifeguard – Yes.
• Dogs allowed on the beach – Yes. Dogs are allowed on the beach 4 PM to 9 AM from November 1 to March 31. From April 1 to October 31, they are allowed on the beach from 6 PM to 9 AM.

Additional amenities – drinking fountains, paved path.

Beach Rentals:

Hamel’s rents boogie boards, fins, bikes, rollerblades, wetsuits, skateboards, surfboards, beach chairs and umbrellas.

Directions:

Mission Beach is located just west of Mission Boulevard at Ventura Place in San Diego, California, 92109.

To many joyful beach experiences!
— Lisa Dworkin

Photos courtesy of Lisa Dworkin. More photos on Flickr.

This is my first view of the beach once I check into my hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica:

Photo courtesy of Vitra Singh. All rights reserved.

Lush green coconut trees, an ocean with vibrant shades of blue, and white sand. Closing my eyes, and breathing in the clean Caribbean air, my mind and body forget the stress of everyday hustle and bustle.

It feels as though a great weight has been lifted off my shoulder – I am exactly where I should be: a serene and beautiful beach.

The soft sound of waves getting closer and closer to shore whisper coyly in my ear – enticing me to forgo all other excursion and remain a loyal devotee in my beach chair.

The flirtatious motions of the trees dancing in the tropical breeze provide me with the right amount of shade to keep me comfortable and happy.

And that rich, salty taste of ocean water on my lips … who knew it could be so desirable?

How wistful I am with the setting of the sun each day, as yet another day gone means another day closer to the inevitable departure from this bliss.

For now, I will not think of it. I soak in the beach – it becomes a part of me, and I bask in colors, sounds, tastes, and sweet air on my skin.

Many thanks to Vitra Singh, author of Living Life for Yourself, Not Your Job and LaDolceVitra.com. Photos courtesy of Vitra Singh. All rights reserved.