My wife and I are searching for a place with a small private beach. We have been to many in the Fla Keys and want to try a new area of the US, but keep that small cosy feel of the keys.
Thanks,
JP

Sanibel Island?

How about St. George Island on Florida's "forgotten coastline"? It's in the Panhandle area and I'm told that it's unspoiled and very non-commercial. There is a 9 mile beach on "forever wild" state land which takes up one third of the narrow island and the balance is housing but no real commercial development at all.

If you are seeking another part of the US to visit a nice, small beach, may I suggest any beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Very quaint and the area has a true cozy New England feel.

JP:

I think I know what you're talking about: the kind of fringe beach at Boca Cheeca Lodge or Little Palm Island. A small resort is behind you, and the beach is uncrowded, just the resort guests. Right?

Bermuda abounds in such places; several of the cottage colonies have exactly that kind of beach. I've stayed at Lantana Colony Club a few times and found their beach offered that superb privacy.

In the U.S.... nothing else in Florida comes to mind, through there are some beautiful, deserted beaches with nary a highrise in sight. (The John Lloyd State Recreation Area just south of Ft. Lauderdale offers two miles of pristine, pre-Flagler coastline beach and it draws about 25 people on an average day).

The Outer Banks offers some possibilities; the area around Duck, N.C. is both beautiful and sparsely populated. The resorts there are small. It's not the Keys, but it's close.

Farther up the coast, Watch Hill, RI offers wonderful beaches and great privacy. If you don't live there or you're not staying at one of the handful of inns, you're out of luck, because there's no parking for the daytrippers.

And then there's Maine, especially the area above Portland along the coast, where there are isolated beaches and small resorts. No, Idon't have a name to offer, but some web sufing ought to produce some starting points.

Does this help?

There's a couple of places on the east coast that come to mind. I've stayed at Seabrook Island, which is right next to Kiawah in South Carolina. It's small, the beach is wide, beautiful and great for shelling, and the people are gracious. We've referred many people there and they've all loved it; some are thinking about buying retirement property there. It really is beautiful. You might also want to think about Boca Grande (Gasparilla Island) on the gulf coast of Florida. We have relatives that live there and own a popular restaurant on the island. It's probably closer to the "Keys" feeling that you're looking for. Accommodations, however, are somewhat limited. Most people are locals, shelling is phenomenal, everything is laid back. If you're interested, E-mail me and I'll see if I can find a condo for rent for you. There's only one motel on the island, and it's right by the bridge.
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Well, if you want to come to the West coast the Hotel Del Coronado has a gorgeous beach. Took my nephew from Holland to it last week and he was in heaven as he lives on an island. He really missed the sand and the sea. The sand was clean, the coastline and sky gorgeous and I was proud to show it to him. He says he is going to get a job at the Hotel Del! Another fun spot is Santa Catalina Island. Some of the better hotels there have private beaches, jacuzzis, beach chairs, etc. And there is a beach wherein you pay to go to and I found it by accident last time I was there. It has a bar where you can sit and sip and watch the ocean. We stayed at a hotel with a rooftop jaccuzzi and looked down on the beach and swimmers. May not compare with Florida- I don't know- but I like em!