Thursday, November 20, 2008

Fort Lauderdale Beach






Fort Lauderdale beach is definitely a huge place to relax. The downside is the $10 minimum to park on the weekends. The plus side are the tons of picnic tables and volley ball nets that are set up right around where we laid out our towels. Across the street was Bahia Mar and right next to us were the last condos in the area. You will get plenty of sun at the beach no matter what. We bet it could get really much more louded and crowded on a busier day. We went on a chili day that scared off most of the locals and tourists alike. Our result was a perfectly clean and empty beach since most of the folks where dodging the cold!


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Friday, November 14, 2008

Golden Beach, FL





This is the king of all Miami-Dade secluded beaches! Technically, as far as we know, Golden Beach is all private property. Its the "back yard" for several gorgeous beach-front mansions. Unless you know someone or are someone who lives on Golden Beach you will never set foot or sun bathe here. The sand is untouched and you can literally tell that there hasn't been footsteps in some parts of this beach for weeks. You'll find random objects washed up onshore whereas a public beach would have cleaned out this kind of debris. It just comes to show you how secluded, unused and private Golden Beach really is. There is no actual public entrance to Golden Beach but if you walk north from Sunny Isles beach you'll find yourself entering this hidden paradise!



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Sunny Isles Beach - Weekend





If you didn't know Sunny Isles Beach exists then you are missing out on a hidden little pocket of sun bathing beauty. But actually getting to this beach is a real pain in the ass! There is a parking lot across the street on AIA but the minimum for the meeter was $10. You have to find the public access walkways between the resorts just to make your way onto the sand. If you happen to be staying at the resorts then you have no worries, the beach is yours. We bet only the resort guests and local Sunny Isles folks actually go through the trouble of using this beach. If you can make it there you'll probably enjoy the quiet, especially on a weekday!


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Haulover Beach Park‎ - Southern Point





Despite prior assumptions that all of Haulover Beach was a nudist beach a good friend of ours actually recommended this park for its seclusion and beauty. I'm pretty sure that nudists must use other parts of this Miami-Dade beach but if you visit the southern most point (use the map as a guide) you can actually sun bathe peacefully with your swimwear on. The parking fee is $5 for the whole day and the beach was quiet, clean and practically all to ourselves! Families and fishermen were seen at this beach on this particular weekend. We bet its even more secluded during the week.


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Saturday, July 5, 2008

South Beach - 6th Street - July 4th






On the 4th of July South Beach was packed at noon. The beach seemed to have more people in the water than it did on the sand... and that's still a lot! You can tell from the photos that the sand was overwhelmed by tourists and locals alike. This is NOT a family beach as there were topless sun bathers around. Trash and litter could be found in the sand and some of it was floating in the water as well. If you're looking for the noise and the crowds then go down to South Beach on 6th and Ocean during these summer holidays, if not then let the photos be your warning. The only way to find seclusion is to swim out to the deep water, away from the floating litter and the crowds. In all it was still a beautiful and sunny day at Miami Beach.


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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Hollywood North Beach - Weekdays





Just south of Dania Beach is this secluded and hidden little gem called Hollywood North Beach. Its further north than what is actually known as Hollywood Beach (the one with busy shops, restaurants and activities... photos coming soon.) This beach is almost always empty on weekdays making it somewhat private and secluded if you are seeking some peace and quiet. There are no shops, stores or hotels nearby so pack your own lunch and escape to this hideout on the other side of a small boardwalk. There is a cool bike trail that many joggers love to frequent and even a local charity is known to feed the furry felines that call Hollywood North Beach their home.


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Deerfield Beach - Memorial Day Weekend




Since it's Hip Hop weekend down in South Beach on Memorial Day weekend, you have to travel elsewhere to take your family (or significant other) for a quieter time in the sun. Deerfield Beach has a lifeguard on duty, a fishing pier, clear waters and unique rock formations closer to the shore. It was still extremely busy on a weekend like this. Scuba divers were seen in and out of this water and one claimed to have seen some turtles while we saw schools of minnows swimming close to the shore around 2pm. There are no high rises to block your sun either, must be nice on a weekday!



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Ft. Myers Beach - Behind Smuggler's Cove





This was back in January, when the rest of the US was suffering from freezing winter temperatures, you can trek down to Ft. Myers Beach on the west coast of Florida along with all of the other snow birds! The sand here is amazingly as soft as baby powder. There are amazing sea shells, sand dollars and other marine life to observe. The many retirees and families that own the condos in this part of Ft. Myers lends a family atmosphere. It's a very nice hideaway. It was cloudy in the afternoon in the photos but the beach was still beautiful.



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Monday, May 19, 2008

Key Biscayne - Lighthouse - Weekend



Another weekend take of the beaches at Bill Bags Cape State Park, this time at the southern-most tip directly next to the lighthouse. On the weekends its really crowded with mostly the locals who live in South Florida. The park that proceeds the beach is full of family parties, volleyball, bar-b-q cookouts, music, etc. The park opens at 8am so we imagine you have to be here bright and early to get a good spot. This is totally a family beach. The water is sometimes calm and shallow at this end, but no lifeguard is on duty. The view from the lighthouse is worth the climb up the winding steps.



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Sunday, May 18, 2008

Hallandale Beach - South Park - Weekdays




Hallandale Beach is a short beach dotted by tall condos (as you can see in the photo.) Most of the folks who frequent during weekdays are the members of the retiree community who stay nearby. Its usually very quiet, empty and occasionally visited by marine life (the lifeguards are always on the lookout). The tall condos will block your sun after 2 or 3 pm, so come early for sunbathing. The further south from the Hallandale Beach entrance you walk the more space you will have to your self if you want to be alone on the sand. The actual strip of sand is very narrow so don't expect much space to spread out. Otherwise its a quiet and calming experience during weekdays!



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South Beach - 14th and Ocean Drive






On a Saturday in May, the busiest time of day on the busiest beach in South Florida we still found a relatively empty spot within the madness that is South Beach! Directly behind the Starbucks coffee on 14th and Ocean, these photos don't tell the true story of how busy and crowded South Beach really is (Family Warning: Topless sun bathers are frequent, take the kids to another beach). Maybe it's because the hotels are all bunched up directly north and south of this spot. Maybe because people are too lazy to walk far before setting out their beach towels. Who knows, but it was a nice day day on a quieter part of what is supposed to be a hectic and touristy beach!




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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Key Biscayne Beach - North Entrance




If you travel down Key Biscayne all the way down to the southern tip you'll discover this hidden beach with it's own lighthouse and cafe. We saw kayak rentals and plenty of covered areas for grilling with the family. On the weekends it gets pretty busy. These photos are of the northern most entrance. So far north that we could NOT see the light house. The beach was short and the water has lots of sea grass for the manatees. We imagine that during the weekday this beach would be a really secluded place to be. Part state park - part hidden tropical hideout.


Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
www.floridastateparks.org

1200 Crandon Blvd
Key Biscayne, FL 33149
(305) 361-8779