World’s Best Islands Based on “Activities, Beaches, Culture/Sites, Lodging, Restaurants and Scenery”

by Willy Volk on

For me, a dream vacation involves a wide, white, sandy beach for relaxing on; bathtub-warm, blue water for scuba diving in (or sailing over); a very funny book for transporting me a bit further from home; and a bar nearby that serves frozen drinks — for all the rest of the time. While I certainly enjoy active vacations, I also enjoy laying around a bit. Consequently, I’m always on the lookout for ideas about islands worth visiting.

According to this list, the Top 20 islands in the world — based on Activities, Beaches, Culture/Sites, Lodging, Restaurants, and Scenery are:

  • Bali
  • Kauai
  • Maui
  • Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
  • Mount Desert, Maine
  • Tasmania
  • Hawaii
  • Galapagos
  • Santorini
  • Santo Stefano
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Thatch Cay
  • Blue Lagoon
  • Grand Bogue Caye
  • Allan
  • Caritas
  • Cerralvo
  • Pakatoa
  • Isla de sa Ferradura

The site provides details about what makes each island special, though some of the descriptions are as spare as the islands themselves. Nevertheless, the list makes a nice jumping-off-point if you’re dreaming about island travel…

Best Nude Beaches

by Willy Volk on

I visited one nude beach, once.

Cape Town’s secluded Sandy Bay is a wind-protected cove that our friend told us was great for letting it all hang out. After spending a few days at the gorgeous, trendy, topless-friendly (but ridiculously overcrowded) Clifton Beach, we decided to mix things up and head farther afield. Sandy Bay was, as promised, remote, quiet, and pristine. It was also filled with creepily bronzed, withered middle-aged men who were so evidently trying to ogle my junk that I couldn’t relax. In short, it was fun, it was different — but it was time to go.

If the thought of getting your daily dose of Vitamin D in the buff titillates you, you might want to check out USA Today’s picks for the world’s best nude beaches:

  • Hawaii’s Little Beach
  • Vancouver’s Wreck Beach
  • France’s Cap d’Agde
  • Antigua’s Hawksbill Bay
  • Miami’s Haulover Beach
  • Oregon’s Rooster Rock State Park AND Collins Beach
  • St. Martin’s Orient Bay
  • Australia’s Samurai Beach
  • San Diego’s Black Beach

Prefer your nudism a little more active? Why not try nude skydiving, nude dining, nude discoing, nude bungee jumping, or nude running?

Keep Your Gadgets Charged on the Beach

by Justin Glow on

Reware is selling what they call the “world’s first heavy-duty solar beach tote” called the Juice Bag. The tote has an ultra-thin solar panel built into the side which harnesses the power of the sun and converts it into juice for your cellphone, digital camera, sombrero, or other gadgets you may bring to the beach to ruin with sand. Unfortunately it will not charge your laptop, as the solar panel’s power ratings are too low to feed the juice a laptop requires. As a bonus, you can remove the solar panel from the side and use it independently from the bag.

$249 from Reware. [via]

Tiny Island Nation Seeks Tourists

by Willy Volk on

Love beachside bungalows? Does the thought of few (or no) other travelers excite you? Lemme guess: you like friendly locals? If this combination sounds too good to be true, it’s not. I’ve got one word for you: Principe.

Located off the coast of western Africa, Principe — the sister island of Sao Tome, and uttered almost always together, as in “Saotomeandprincipe” — is covered with dense, tropical jungle; ringed by khaki-colored beaches; and surrounded by warm, turquoise water. Located in the Gulf of Guinea, this volcano-tipped island also boasts desperately few — only 20 per week! — tourists. Moreover, as the local population hovers near 6000, you’re not likely to bump into many Principe-ians, either (if you don’t want to). In other words, the island is scenic, serene, and solitary. To me: the ideal vacation destination.

According to this piece in CNN, Principe is working hard to become the latest in a long line of underdeveloped African nations that have reinvented themselves as rich, wildlife-packed, ecotourist hotspots. Featuring opportunities to scuba dive, hike protected forests, and soak up year-round sun, Principe believes it can learn from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya — a country whose high-volume, low-cost tourism led to massive exploitation of resources, both natural and human — and become the next off-the-beaten-track “must visit” for adventure-minded travelers.

Today, the capital boasts two hotels. A Dutch woman is busy transforming two other buildings into hotels, and a casino complex is in the works. If you want to be among the first to visit this still-pristine wonderland, check out the excellent piece from CNN, which provides tips on when to go, where to stay, and what to do. Way to go.

[Via Sk*rt]

Protecting Electronics at the Beach

by Dave Luna on

More and more people rush to the beaches with iPods, mobiles, and cameras in tow, and it seems these people have bigger concerns than which level sunblock to wear. The question on their minds: “How do you keep those electric doodads safe from sun, sand, and surf?” The Associated Press’ Jackie Farwell answered with some tips to keep your electronics safe at the shore:

  • Carry your devices in air-tight cases. These enclosures can protect from the big three beach baddies: moisture, sand, and dust. (Such cases are available from Pelican, Otterbox, and Anvil.)
  • Keep your electronics out of the sun. Direct sunlight can make electronics overheat causing possible damage, so keep your devices in cool, shady areas. The article recommends buying a tiny umbrella, but that’s just silly.
  • Cover any open ports. Plug up any holes because ports like headphone jacks and DVD drives are vulnerable to vicious sand attacks.
  • Clean with compressed air. If sand does get into an open port, blast the area with a puff of compressed air to dislodge any stray beach particles.
  • Wipe your hands clean. Your iPod’s worst enemy could be you! Be sure your hands are clear of any lotions that could discolor rubberized skins.
  • Let your toys cool down. Bringing a hot device into an air-conditioned room might cause condensation inside the case. Let your items settle to room temperature before bringing them across extremes.

I can vouch for the water-proof cases. I once lost a camcorder and a cell phone to a rogue wave from a wakeboarder. It was a drench and run.

Heed these warnings and stay safe this summer!