Best Getaway Beaches

I love the beach, especially getaway beaches with no crowds. I’m going to show you my pictures and describe what I like about my best getaway beaches!

Cape Verde

Have you heard of Cape Verde (also called Cabo Verde)? It’s a remote set of 10 volcanic islands situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. I went there a few years ago to experience the golden sand and crystal blue waters.

This special destination makes my list of the best getaway beaches because you won’t find crowds here, especially at the time of year we went in March. It was warm and sunny, but it is always windy on these islands. That’s what makes Cape Verde a perfect place for water sports such as windsurfing and kitesurfing.

We took long relaxing walks on the beach from where we stayed in the town of Santa Maria on the island of Sal. We chose this island because it was easily accessible by flights from Europe.

On Sal island, you can visit the old salt mines and swim in a salt lake (reason why the island is called Sal, meaning salt). The dominant language on the island is Portuguese but many people speak English or German.

You will find different hotel restaurants along the beach for a nice outdoor lunch. We enjoyed a refreshing pitcher of sangria while watching the waves and people practicing the water sport activities. If you live near Africa or Europe, you may want to consider this destination for a different beach vacation away from the crowds. We stayed in the Hotel Morabeza, but you can find a list of hotels in Santa Maria with this link.

Florida, USA

I have to include Florida in my best getaway beach list. I grew up near Atlanta, Georgia, and we went to Florida each summer with my family. My mom and sister moved to Panama City Beach several years ago, and I enjoyed visiting them for family reunions and also for relaxing on the fabulous white sand beaches.

The water in the Gulf of Mexico has different colors depending on the season and the winds. Sometimes the water is emerald green and other times it is a turquoise blue. If you are looking for waves, you won’t find that many in this part of Florida. It is still relaxing to walk out into the warm gulf waters for a refreshing dip.

You can walk for miles along the flat beach and see lots of birdlife. We took a sunset walk one night and got some good shots of the cranes. At one end of the beach, there is a state park called St. Andrews Park. This is a beautiful area where you will find wildlife, including cute raccoons crawling on the rock jetty.

I love to sit on the balcony of our beach condo and watch the V-shaped formations of the pelicans flying over. They look so small from a distance but are very large birds up close!

Needless to say from my photos here, there are amazing sunsets to watch with long fishing piers jutting out into the gulf. I’ve been to many different places in Florida, but there is nothing like the powder sugar sand in Panama City Beach.

If you are looking for where to stay in Panama City Beach, I can recommend the resorts Tina’s Treasure Island Beach Condo and Seychelles Panama City Beach. Otherwise, here is a list of hotels and resorts in Panama City Beach.

Maldives

Another one of my favorite beach destinations is in the Maldives. The Maldives is a nation of 1192 small islands in the Indian Ocean that stretch across the equator. The weather is perfect at any time of year there.

I’ve been there 3 different times and I will never tire of this unique place. Most of the 90 tourist islands are tiny (average size less than 2 km / 1.2 mi) with few tourists compared to other beach locations. This is why I call it a true getaway beach vacation.

We stayed on a different island each of the times we were there. All of the resorts were perfect in their own way. I found the best option in the Maldives is to stay in a water bungalow. You are further from the majority of tourists who stay in the less expensive beach bungalows and feel even more secluded.

If you choose one of the smaller islands in the Maldives, you can take a walking tour of the island in 15 to 20 minutes. Some may find this size a bit too small and land-locked for their taste, but I truly loved the remote intimacy of these locations.

I rank the Maldives as one of my favorite places in the world. You can read more about the paradise in my post Here they are… my Top 5 Destinations!

Portugal

Portugal is a close destination for us since we live in Switzerland with only a 2-hour flight. The most beautiful beaches and coastline can be found on the southern coast called the Algarve region.

I’ve been to the Algarve a few times and always find it spectacular. In the summer months, there are more tourists, but you can always find remote beaches to spend your days.

What makes this area of Portugal so special are the rocky cliffs and caves along the coast. You can take an inexpensive boat trip that winds along the coast and weaves in and out of the many caves.

The most amazing cave I experienced was called the Benagil Cave. The boats can enter and drop off the tourists to walk around on the sandy beach inside the cave. This limestone cave has an opening at the top, called the ‘skylight’. It is very stunning to see!

Some of the beaches along the Algarve coast are only accessible by foot or boat. You will find many young people jumping and diving off the cliffs into the water. Not my cup of tea but fun to watch!

If you want to see a video of our last Portugal trip, check out my dedicated Portugal page!

Seychelles

The Seychelles Islands are a special getaway destination. Many people go here for their honeymoon due to the romantic nature of the surroundings. Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa.

I’ve never seen so many large smooth boulders along a beach. Most of the beaches are not very long, but you can walk next to the turquoise blue waters to take in the beautiful scenery.

We made an effort to visit many remote beaches among the islands. You will find huge driftwood formations that offer the perfect photo opportunity.

If you like to body surf (like my partner Mike), there are some great places to swim and enjoy the waves. We found some private beaches that belong to hotels, but they don’t always check if you are a hotel guest. It is well worth trying to sneak onto these pristine beaches!

The nicest part of visiting Seychelles was that we were on our own and explored 3 of the islands independently. I did my research and designed our itinerary to see the maximum variety and the highlights of the islands.

We started on the island of Praslin for a few days and did a one-day excursion to the picturesque island of La Digue. We then came back by boat to the island of Mahe for a few more days. I recommend the hotels we stayed in – Coco de Mer on Praslin and Avani Seychelles Barbarons Resort on Mahe. I also recommend renting a car to get around the islands to do hikes and visit different beaches.

You can read more about this type of independent tour in my post Tour Packages – Pros and Cons. You can also see all of my photos from this trip on my Facebook album!

What are your favorite getaway beaches?

Are you looking for getaway beaches this year? Maybe you have some of your favorites you’d like to share in the below comments! I hope some of my favorites beaches have intrigued you to find quieter and secluded getaway places.

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!