Picking a beach getaway can be tricky. Not all beaches are the same and no two seaside vacations are designed alike. Luckily, there’s a beach out there for everybody! Here’s our breakdown of some of the best destination ideas filled for the perfect beach getaway.

Choosing a Resort

If your ideal beach break includes an infinity pool with ocean views, a steady supply of cocktails and meals coming your way as you lay on a sunny lounge, and plenty of sleep, then you should look into booking an all-inclusive resort vacation. Top choice for you is the Caribbean, famous for good value, high-quality resorts in places like Jamaica, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and many other islands catering to sun-seekers. Of course, there’s Mexico too, with its famed Caribbean resorts of Cancun, Tulum, and more!

Bright Lights and Big Waves

Looking for urban fun in the sun when on vacation? For those keen to hit the beach AND the streets, seaside cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Honolulu, and Barcelona await with everything you expect from a big city plus world-class beaches to wiggle your toes in the sand. Building your trip around a city with a beach means that you’ll probably be able to find a range of accommodation options for most budgets while still enjoying many places to visit should the weather turns on you.

Moonlight Dancing in the Sand

South Padre Island on the Gulf Coast of Texas and Provence Town on Cape Cod are well known stateside beach destinations with plenty of nightlife and opportunities to socialize. Washing up on foreign shores? The all-night celebrations on the beaches of Thailand are legendary, and the same goes for those on the Spanish island of Ibiza and the Greek island of Mykonos. For dancing on the sand to the rhythms of a throbbing techno beat, Croatia is a top choice for many Europeans. Finally, if you’re looking for an exotic edge in a jungle setting, beautiful Bali is bound to please any party animal!

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Sand Castles with the Kids

When considering a family-friendly getaway to the beach, think East. The Carolina Coast – both North and South – offer fun times at affordable prices. North Carolina’s Outer Banks and South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach are particularly welcoming to little ones and folks in search of activities for all ages. On the west coast, the dramatic dunes and the craggy coast of Oregon are great to explore with the whole family. Likewise for Southern California cities like San Diego and Huntington Beach, where attractions such as Disneyland and Sea World are easily accessible, are also a great choice!

Surf and Turf

Can’t think of the seaside without seafood? Then you need a beach within reach of a great restaurant scene. Sure, as we already know, booking flights to Bahamas sounds like a pretty solid plan for anything beach-related. But, for the ultimate gourmet getaway, you might need to widen your reach to good ol’ Europe! There’s the South of France, Cinque Terre and the Ligurian coast of northern Italy, and the Amalfi Coast of southern Italy. Lovers of Latin sabor should keep Peru in mind with its sensational cuisine and its much-lauded restaurants in Lima. In the U.S.A. there’s Pensacola, the city with the highest number per capita of James Beard Award-winning chefs, but also Ocean City and the Maryland coast –home to world-famous crab cakes. Maine, with its amazing lobster rolls, and Georgia, which offers big portions of finger-licking BBQ across its laidback shoreline, are other two great options.

All-Out Adventure

The Big Island of Hawaii (and pretty much all of the Hawaiian Islands), Alaska, British Columbia, the South Island of New Zealand are all gorgeous places with the right type of terrain for outdoors lovers who want to hike, camp, and go wild. The Skeleton Coast of Namibia — with its thousands of seals, shipwrecks, desert landscapes, and African big game (lions, giraffes, elephants, etc) — offers the ultimate surfing safari. If diving is your thing, Australia, Egypt, and Belize are but three of a number of awesome SCUBA-riffic destinations. Nature-lovers should also keep the Galapagos in mind. And, of course, travelers in search of more off-the-beaten-track and unique experiences should put Easter Island at the top of their bucket lists.

How about you? What’s your favorite kind of beach break and where do you like most to be by the sea?