Most Secluded Beaches
Jul 18th, 2011 | 02:55 PM
#1
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Most Secluded Beaches
I will be taking an extended vacation this Fall, in the name of preserving my health and sanity. I'm looking for a coastal area with secluded beaches for long, undisturbed walks and solitary contemplation. I'll be looking at warm weather locations, primarily on the Gulf Coast and Southern Atlantic Coast but will consider locations as far north as Virginia.
It would be ideal if I could find a place where there is a low cost of living with affordable lodging and/or affordable long-term rentals, as this place may eventually become a new base for working vacations, a second home or even a place to eventually retire. Also, it would be nice if there were nearby venues for laid-back nightlife. Close proximity to a vibrant small to large-sized city would be a nice bonus. I'm looking for a place where misfits are welcome or at least not hassled.
Key West comes to mind immediately but the cost of living is prohibitive.
I know I'm what I'm looking for is hard to pinpoint but if such a place exists, you folks would know about it.
My sincere appreciation for all responses and suggestions!
It would be ideal if I could find a place where there is a low cost of living with affordable lodging and/or affordable long-term rentals, as this place may eventually become a new base for working vacations, a second home or even a place to eventually retire. Also, it would be nice if there were nearby venues for laid-back nightlife. Close proximity to a vibrant small to large-sized city would be a nice bonus. I'm looking for a place where misfits are welcome or at least not hassled.
Key West comes to mind immediately but the cost of living is prohibitive.
I know I'm what I'm looking for is hard to pinpoint but if such a place exists, you folks would know about it.
My sincere appreciation for all responses and suggestions!
Jul 19th, 2011 | 04:50 AM
#3
Joined: Dec 2005
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You are really looking for three things: peaceful beaches, nightlife/culture/restaurants, and affordability. In season, you can only find one of those things. Off season, you can have two. You will almost never find all three.
The SC islands south of Charleston like Edisto offer two unspoieled beaches but an hour is a very long time when you have to drive it both ways to go to a concert or art show.
The SC islands south of Charleston like Edisto offer two unspoieled beaches but an hour is a very long time when you have to drive it both ways to go to a concert or art show.
Jul 19th, 2011 | 06:21 AM
#4
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Well, I can give you the secluded beaches and reasonable price but can't give the larger city. We spend our winters on Cape San Blas on the Florida gulf. It is beautiful and offers many oceanfront cottages. We go thru VRBO.com The nearest town is 14 miles away, Port St Joe, but it is a coastal town, really no night life that I know of. In the other direction is Appalachicola, 30 miles away and it does have a small theater. I'm including a link to a trip report I wrote 3 yrs ago after our first winter there. http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...as-florida.cfm
Jul 19th, 2011 | 07:45 AM
#5
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"birgator on Jul 18, 11 at 10:45pm Edisto Island, SC. The last unspoiled beach on the east coast, or close to it. Long term rentals in off season can be surprisingly affordable. Less than an hour to Charleston."
Hi birgator,
Thank you for a really great suggestion! I'd identified some places on the west end of the gulf but really wanted something to the east, as well. Seems like there are potentially, a lot of good choices there but wasn't sure which ones would really suit my needs and am not very familiar with the southeast region, though it is high on my 'want' list.
Looking at the map, I really like the proximity to two of the most gorgeous and unique cities, Charleston and Savannah. Seems like everything I'd read about the cost of living in places like Charleston and Beaufort, indicated that they were pricey. Is the Edisto Island area substantially different in that regard?
Hi birgator,
Thank you for a really great suggestion! I'd identified some places on the west end of the gulf but really wanted something to the east, as well. Seems like there are potentially, a lot of good choices there but wasn't sure which ones would really suit my needs and am not very familiar with the southeast region, though it is high on my 'want' list.
Looking at the map, I really like the proximity to two of the most gorgeous and unique cities, Charleston and Savannah. Seems like everything I'd read about the cost of living in places like Charleston and Beaufort, indicated that they were pricey. Is the Edisto Island area substantially different in that regard?
Jul 19th, 2011 | 08:58 AM
#6
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"Ackislander on Jul 19, 11 at 7:50am You are really looking for three things: peaceful beaches, nightlife/culture/restaurants, and affordability. In season, you can only find one of those things. Off season, you can have two. You will almost never find all three.
The SC islands south of Charleston like Edisto offer two unspoieled beaches but an hour is a very long time when you have to drive it both ways to go to a concert or art show."
Thank you, Ackislander.
I do realize that I'm 'reaching' a bit to try to fulfill all my criteria. Also, it seems that any location I might choose will have the seasonal characteristics you mentioned. I guess that the best I can do is find a place that meets my criteria to the greatest extent possible and compromise where I must.
Thank you for the suggestion of the Edisto Island area. Seems I'd read an article that had good things to say about Kiawah Islnad with regard to my criteria, as well.
I really don't mind an occasional long drive. I enjoy the scenery. If I didn't feel like driving back the same night, I could stay in a hotel. I wouldn't want to live much closer than an hour from a big city anyway, though I don't think I would mind living in a place like Charleston or Savannah.
Would you mind elaborating on the mix of peaceful beaches, nightlife/culture/restaurants and affordability and their respective seasonality and best specific location for each? For example, do all these things increase in cost during tourist season? If I managed to arrive well before tourist season to take of advantage of off-season rental rates, would my rent then, increase with the arrival of tourist season?
I'm wanting to find a place where I could potentially, really unpack and put down roots if I decided to, at some point. Is this whole area overrun with tourists for more than three months out of the year and how disruptive is their presence?
The SC islands south of Charleston like Edisto offer two unspoieled beaches but an hour is a very long time when you have to drive it both ways to go to a concert or art show."
Thank you, Ackislander.
I do realize that I'm 'reaching' a bit to try to fulfill all my criteria. Also, it seems that any location I might choose will have the seasonal characteristics you mentioned. I guess that the best I can do is find a place that meets my criteria to the greatest extent possible and compromise where I must.
Thank you for the suggestion of the Edisto Island area. Seems I'd read an article that had good things to say about Kiawah Islnad with regard to my criteria, as well.
I really don't mind an occasional long drive. I enjoy the scenery. If I didn't feel like driving back the same night, I could stay in a hotel. I wouldn't want to live much closer than an hour from a big city anyway, though I don't think I would mind living in a place like Charleston or Savannah.
Would you mind elaborating on the mix of peaceful beaches, nightlife/culture/restaurants and affordability and their respective seasonality and best specific location for each? For example, do all these things increase in cost during tourist season? If I managed to arrive well before tourist season to take of advantage of off-season rental rates, would my rent then, increase with the arrival of tourist season?
I'm wanting to find a place where I could potentially, really unpack and put down roots if I decided to, at some point. Is this whole area overrun with tourists for more than three months out of the year and how disruptive is their presence?
Jul 19th, 2011 | 10:33 AM
#7
Joined: Dec 2005
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Kiawah Island is a pretty but artificial golfing community built by a development firm from Kuwait. I don't think it meets any of your criteria.
You would be better arriving after the season than before. Where I live, which is a place with beautiful beaches, good restaurants, independent bookstores, etc., affordability is the problem. Working people do the "Shuffle." They can get a lease from mid-September to mid-June, but they have to move out of their houses for the other three months of the year.
But they have to be here for those months because the season is when they earn the money to live here the rest of the year, when there is no work! 95% of people who think they will make a living doing crafts or art wind up waiting on tables or stocking supermarket shelves or landscaping, many of them doing two or more jobs in the summer to make it through the winter. So they move in with friends, and six or eight or ten people will share a house to survive.
If you don't need to work and have money and want to live cheaply, you can spend the winter on Cape Cod or on the Maine coast and spend the summer in South Florida -- beautiful beaches, etc, in both places and cheap when they are very hot or very cold!
You would be better arriving after the season than before. Where I live, which is a place with beautiful beaches, good restaurants, independent bookstores, etc., affordability is the problem. Working people do the "Shuffle." They can get a lease from mid-September to mid-June, but they have to move out of their houses for the other three months of the year.
But they have to be here for those months because the season is when they earn the money to live here the rest of the year, when there is no work! 95% of people who think they will make a living doing crafts or art wind up waiting on tables or stocking supermarket shelves or landscaping, many of them doing two or more jobs in the summer to make it through the winter. So they move in with friends, and six or eight or ten people will share a house to survive.
If you don't need to work and have money and want to live cheaply, you can spend the winter on Cape Cod or on the Maine coast and spend the summer in South Florida -- beautiful beaches, etc, in both places and cheap when they are very hot or very cold!
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Jul 19th, 2011 | 10:33 AM
#8
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,169
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Kiawah Island is a pretty but artificial golfing community built by a development firm from Kuwait. I don't think it meets any of your criteria.
You would be better arriving after the season than before. Where I live, which is a place with beautiful beaches, good restaurants, independent bookstores, etc., affordability is the problem. Working people do the "Shuffle." They can get a lease from mid-September to mid-June, but they have to move out of their houses for the other three months of the year.
But they have to be here for those months because the season is when they earn the money to live here the rest of the year, when there is no work! 95% of people who think they will make a living doing crafts or art wind up waiting on tables or stocking supermarket shelves or landscaping, many of them doing two or more jobs in the summer to make it through the winter. So they move in with friends, and six or eight or ten people will share a house to survive.
If you don't need to work and have money and want to live cheaply, you can spend the winter on Cape Cod or on the Maine coast and spend the summer in South Florida -- beautiful beaches, etc, in both places and cheap when they are very hot or very cold!
You would be better arriving after the season than before. Where I live, which is a place with beautiful beaches, good restaurants, independent bookstores, etc., affordability is the problem. Working people do the "Shuffle." They can get a lease from mid-September to mid-June, but they have to move out of their houses for the other three months of the year.
But they have to be here for those months because the season is when they earn the money to live here the rest of the year, when there is no work! 95% of people who think they will make a living doing crafts or art wind up waiting on tables or stocking supermarket shelves or landscaping, many of them doing two or more jobs in the summer to make it through the winter. So they move in with friends, and six or eight or ten people will share a house to survive.
If you don't need to work and have money and want to live cheaply, you can spend the winter on Cape Cod or on the Maine coast and spend the summer in South Florida -- beautiful beaches, etc, in both places and cheap when they are very hot or very cold!
Jul 19th, 2011 | 11:08 AM
#10
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Joined: Jul 2011
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"cd on Jul 19, 11 at 9:21am Well, I can give you the secluded beaches and reasonable price but can't give the larger city. We spend our winters on Cape San Blas on the Florida gulf. It is beautiful and offers many oceanfront cottages. We go thru VRBO.com The nearest town is 14 miles away, Port St Joe, but it is a coastal town, really no night life that I know of. In the other direction is Appalachicola, 30 miles away and it does have a small theater. I'm including a link to a trip report I wrote 3 yrs ago after our first winter there. http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/a-short-report-on-cape-san-blas-florida.cfm"
Hi cd,
I've been involved in this project for a long time now and I've gotta say that Florida has consistently knocked my socks off with the sheer number of places that meet my practical criteria, (a longer and more detailed list than I've presented here). Of course, there are some negatives, (like demolition derby traffic), I want to avoid but all things considered, the positives are too numerous and promising to be overlooked.
I enjoyed your report on Cape San Blas. You really have a talent for this! I think I'm definitely going to have to check it out. Thanks for giving yet another great place to consider in Florida!
Hi cd,
I've been involved in this project for a long time now and I've gotta say that Florida has consistently knocked my socks off with the sheer number of places that meet my practical criteria, (a longer and more detailed list than I've presented here). Of course, there are some negatives, (like demolition derby traffic), I want to avoid but all things considered, the positives are too numerous and promising to be overlooked.
I enjoyed your report on Cape San Blas. You really have a talent for this! I think I'm definitely going to have to check it out. Thanks for giving yet another great place to consider in Florida!
Jul 19th, 2011 | 12:23 PM
#12
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Joined: Jul 2011
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"Ackislander on Jul 19, 11 at 1:33pm Kiawah Island is a pretty but artificial golfing community built by a development firm from Kuwait. I don't think it meets any of your criteria.
You would be better arriving after the season than before. Where I live, which is a place with beautiful beaches, good restaurants, independent bookstores, etc., affordability is the problem. Working people do the "Shuffle." They can get a lease from mid-September to mid-June, but they have to move out of their houses for the other three months of the year.
But they have to be here for those months because the season is when they earn the money to live here the rest of the year, when there is no work! 95% of people who think they will make a living doing crafts or art wind up waiting on tables or stocking supermarket shelves or landscaping, many of them doing two or more jobs in the summer to make it through the winter. So they move in with friends, and six or eight or ten people will share a house to survive.
If you don't need to work and have money and want to live cheaply, you can spend the winter on Cape Cod or on the Maine coast and spend the summer in South Florida -- beautiful beaches, etc, in both places and cheap when they are very hot or very cold!"
Yeah, sounds like I'd want to avoid Kiawah Island. I don't like cold weather at all, so no Cape Cod or Maine coast for me. Don't really like very hot weather either but, imho, it is better than cold.
Thanks for explaining the seasons and the housing situation. I've moved way too much in my life - no more 'Shuffle' for me. I will need to work. I have a hobby that I believe will eventually produce an income for me but it requires solitude, so no six or eight or ten roommates for me, either. I'm getting the impression that the economy is pretty much based on tourism and I'll bet there's a lot of competition for those waiter, stocker and landscaping jobs.
Thanks for giving me an accurate perspective.
You would be better arriving after the season than before. Where I live, which is a place with beautiful beaches, good restaurants, independent bookstores, etc., affordability is the problem. Working people do the "Shuffle." They can get a lease from mid-September to mid-June, but they have to move out of their houses for the other three months of the year.
But they have to be here for those months because the season is when they earn the money to live here the rest of the year, when there is no work! 95% of people who think they will make a living doing crafts or art wind up waiting on tables or stocking supermarket shelves or landscaping, many of them doing two or more jobs in the summer to make it through the winter. So they move in with friends, and six or eight or ten people will share a house to survive.
If you don't need to work and have money and want to live cheaply, you can spend the winter on Cape Cod or on the Maine coast and spend the summer in South Florida -- beautiful beaches, etc, in both places and cheap when they are very hot or very cold!"
Yeah, sounds like I'd want to avoid Kiawah Island. I don't like cold weather at all, so no Cape Cod or Maine coast for me. Don't really like very hot weather either but, imho, it is better than cold.
Thanks for explaining the seasons and the housing situation. I've moved way too much in my life - no more 'Shuffle' for me. I will need to work. I have a hobby that I believe will eventually produce an income for me but it requires solitude, so no six or eight or ten roommates for me, either. I'm getting the impression that the economy is pretty much based on tourism and I'll bet there's a lot of competition for those waiter, stocker and landscaping jobs.
Thanks for giving me an accurate perspective.
Jul 19th, 2011 | 12:45 PM
#13
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"cd on Jul 19, 11 at 1:49pm As I said above, Cape San Blas meets your needs, even in the summer the beaches are not crowded and if you don't mind driving an hour for a city, that would be Panama City."
Yes, I think you're right. Researching Panama City, it is smaller than I thought. For some reason, I thought it was around 100,000 population. The reason I mention the latter is that, for reasons uncovered in the discussions re: the Edisto Island, SC area, wherever I decide to settle, my best approach may be to live in one of the nearby cities till I can develop more permanent living arrangements in a place like Port St. Joe or Edisto Island.
Yes, I think you're right. Researching Panama City, it is smaller than I thought. For some reason, I thought it was around 100,000 population. The reason I mention the latter is that, for reasons uncovered in the discussions re: the Edisto Island, SC area, wherever I decide to settle, my best approach may be to live in one of the nearby cities till I can develop more permanent living arrangements in a place like Port St. Joe or Edisto Island.
Jul 19th, 2011 | 03:47 PM
#14
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Port, we don't go into Panama City often because we love the laid back life the Cape offers. We do go to Port St Joe everyday as we have our mail delivered to a PO box there and we walk the treadmill at a gym there. We also buy our fresh oysters there to take home and cook unless we decide to have them at one of the restaurants in Port St Joe or Appalachicola.
Regarding your decision, why not spend time in both areas to see where you SEE yourself living?
Regarding your decision, why not spend time in both areas to see where you SEE yourself living?
Jul 20th, 2011 | 05:59 AM
#15
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"cd on Jul 19, 11 at 6:47pm Port, we don't go into Panama City often because we love the laid back life the Cape offers. We do go to Port St Joe everyday as we have our mail delivered to a PO box there and we walk the treadmill at a gym there. We also buy our fresh oysters there to take home and cook unless we decide to have them at one of the restaurants in Port St Joe or Appalachicola.
Regarding your decision, why not spend time in both areas to see where you SEE yourself living?"
I think I'd prefer to spend most of my time on the Cape or in Port St. Joe too but looking at a bigger place too out of necessity for the purpose of finding work. It does seem like Port St. Joe has a lot to offer for a town with a population of less than 4,000 but I wouldn't have expected a gym. That's a nice surprise!
Wow! I love oysters! I remember reading something about being able to get them raw or steamed in your report. I live in a landlocked place now and what oysters we have access to are probably nothing like those available in coastal areas. I'm really looking forward to some fresh oysters!
Yes, I think ultimately, I must spend some time in all my places to make a decision. So far, I have only visited one of the coastal places I was considering and though I thought it was beautiful, it just didn't "grab me" like I'd sort of expected.
Regarding your decision, why not spend time in both areas to see where you SEE yourself living?"
I think I'd prefer to spend most of my time on the Cape or in Port St. Joe too but looking at a bigger place too out of necessity for the purpose of finding work. It does seem like Port St. Joe has a lot to offer for a town with a population of less than 4,000 but I wouldn't have expected a gym. That's a nice surprise!
Wow! I love oysters! I remember reading something about being able to get them raw or steamed in your report. I live in a landlocked place now and what oysters we have access to are probably nothing like those available in coastal areas. I'm really looking forward to some fresh oysters!
Yes, I think ultimately, I must spend some time in all my places to make a decision. So far, I have only visited one of the coastal places I was considering and though I thought it was beautiful, it just didn't "grab me" like I'd sort of expected.
Jul 21st, 2011 | 11:46 AM
#16
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Thanks to all who have responded, thus far. Does anyone have any observations regarding long-terms visits in the following places:
* Galveston, TX
* Freeport, TX
* Port Isabel-Boca Chica Beach-South Padre Island, TX
* Gulf Shores, AL
* St. Simons Island, GA
* Fernandina Beach-Amelia Island, FL
* New Smyrna Beach, FL
* Titusville, FL
* Rotonda-Englewood, FL
* Palmetto, FL
* Tarpon Springs, FL
* New Port Richey, FL
* Port Charlotte, FL
Any other suggestions are welcome too.
* Galveston, TX
* Freeport, TX
* Port Isabel-Boca Chica Beach-South Padre Island, TX
* Gulf Shores, AL
* St. Simons Island, GA
* Fernandina Beach-Amelia Island, FL
* New Smyrna Beach, FL
* Titusville, FL
* Rotonda-Englewood, FL
* Palmetto, FL
* Tarpon Springs, FL
* New Port Richey, FL
* Port Charlotte, FL
Any other suggestions are welcome too.
