Explore the Beaches of Chicago

by Roberta Stuart

Lush sandy beaches are not what travellers usually associate with the likes of an American city such as Chicago! But you may be surprised when you begin travelling in Chicago at the vastness of the city's shoreline and the bonus of more than 30 beaches to laze on.
This wonderful American city bucks the trend, given its long industrial past, in offering a stunning coastline with fantastic opportunities for walkers and bikers alike. With a clutch of golf courses along the way, anyone travelling in Chicago should encompass these particular beaches when exploring the outer reaches of the Windy City.

North Avenue Beach
If you're looking for a beach day away from the city, try heading to the most favoured city beach locale of North Avenue. Featuring fantastic facilities for all, the beach, located in the Lincoln Park neighbourhood, gives you the chance to watch volleyball tournaments and water-related shows. The seven-mile long coast also enables you to explore Lincoln Park, the city's largest public park, which also features a zoo, public art exhibits and landscaped gardens.

Montrose Beach
For those looking for space and privacy, Montrose Beach - the largest along the shoreline - has bundles. In the city's Uptown district, the beach offers the opportunity for you to enjoy kayaking right onto Lake Michigan as well as trekking and running trails. It is used annually for the 4th of July fireworks and is home to soccer tournaments too.

63rd Street Beach
Travelling in Chicago will inevitably see you come up on Jackson Park, the city's iconic green space, which was created by the designers of New York City's Central Park. While the park offers many interesting aspects, such as the Japanese strolling garden, a relic from the park hosting the 1890 World Columbian Exposition, its beach is a favoured weekend getaway for city-dwellers. The beach also hosts the ever-popular bathing pavilion, the 63rd Street Beach House.

Loyola Park
For a fascinating day out, peppered with people-watching and just observing how the city ticks, a trip to the beach and area around Loyola Park will offer everything you could want. Recreation is a by-word in this district with many courts and gyms. You'll also be able to take in the 100ft abstract concrete sculpture, Windform; designed by artist Lynn Takata it is inspired by the movement of water.

North Island
If you tend to appreciate the gentler things in life, you may well want to head over to the Northerly Island Prairie, where sailing and boating are the mainstays of this beach location. Boasting a 30-acre prairie, you can see several species of resident birds or simply stroll around the area and soak up the atmosphere.

Rainbow Beach
When travelling in Chicago you may well come upon one of the newest beaches opened to the public. Rainbow Beach is located in the south area of the city and hosts more than 50 acres of gardens - some of the oldest in the city - as well as fitness areas, Wi-Fi spots and a sand dune habitat.

Looking for a hotel for when travelling in Chicago? Roberta Stuart is the Travel Manager for Worldhotels, a company offering the best rooms in a selection of unique four and five star hotels around the world.

Top 10 beaches in Tenerife

by Travel Guru

Tenerife is a Spanish island located on the Atlantic side of Spain, and is the largest of island in the Canary Island chain. Tourism is the number one industry and millions visit Tenerife each year. It is a favorite with Europeans with the UK and Germany leading the pack, and Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, and all of Scandinavia following. Tenerife is known for its fantastic beaches; the following are the 10 best beaches in Tenerife.

Torviscas and Fañabé
These two beaches actually join together to become one. They are connected by a long promenade that runs along a beautiful azure beach. Located along the coast of Costa Adeje these two beaches have relatively calm waters and are great for families on vacation.

El Bullullo
(La Orotava) This is a clean, very nice man-made beach that is located east of Puerto de la Cruz. There is a nice place to get drinks here and the waves are great.

Playa San Marcos
This beach is located west of Puerto de la Cruz and is a small fishing village. This is a black sand beach that is usually peaceful without many people during the weekdays. Weekends tend to be a little crowded. Apartment and Condo rentals are available and there is a full compliment of tourist services.

Playa Del Roque (Taganana)
This is a dark sand beach with beautiful clear waters and is a favorite of sun worshipers, surfers, and photographers.

Playa del Médano
This is perhaps the longest, natural sandy beach in Tenerife. There are many good fish restaurants here because this used to be a fishing village. The windsurfing here is great and the waters are usually fairly calm making this a great spot for families with young children.

Las Galletas
This is a charming fishing town that has quaint little inlets that have beaches very kind to beginning surfers. Having been a favorite of Jacques Cousteau and his son for diving, Las Galletas offers a wonderful opportunity to do scuba diving.

Torviscas
This is a golden sand artificial beach located on the Adeje Coast. This beach is a favorite and has many tourist activities and services available. A great beach for a vacation, Torviscas has a great nightlife. 

Los Cristianos
This is a popular beach located near the southern airport on Tenerife. There is easy access to the nearby AquaPark Octopus and Tenerife Zoo for the kiddies. Offered for the whole family there are fishing excursions, glass bottom boats, and many eateries and pubs. There is also a great nightlife here. A popular choice for Tenerife holidays.

Los Gigantes
Located in west Tenerife, this is a good beach for sunbathing. There is the small town of Cueva del Polva nearby and also nearby are the imposing and famous Los Gigantes cliffs. This is a Blue Flag beach, which meets the highest quality standards in the European/World travel industry.

Las Gaviotas
Beach This last beach in the Top Ten Beaches of Tenerife is not necessarily a family beach. This beach is a nude beach with a section that is also frequented by gay tourists.

Top Five Beaches to Visit on a Holiday in North Cyprus

By: Sarah Arnesen

The Mediterranean has sun, sea and sand in abundance, and boasts some of the world’s best beaches. Several of these are in North Cyprus, and if you go on holiday there you’re in for a treat. The problem is that you are spoilt for choice. With so many beaches on offer, which ones should you visit or stay close to? We count down the top five to help with your choice.

• Silver Beach, Famagusta

Silver Beach is south of the ruins at Salamis, and those who want a varied holiday in North Cyprus can combine the joys of this beach with the history and culture on offer in this famous area. The beach is also varied in terms of activities, with a reef that is great for snorkelling and exploring; there are huge numbers of fish and interesting types of marine life to be discovered among the ancient jetties in the cove. The cove is also suitable for younger children due to the shallow shelving of the sand, so the whole family can enjoy the area at any age.

• Glapsides Public Beach, Famagusta

A short drive from Nicosia, Glapsides Public Beach is great if you are staying in the capital and looking for an accessible beach. It has excellent facilities, with local a mini market, bar, restaurant and showers, as well as dolphin rides designed to make any holiday to North Cyprus special. The beach is busy, but the atmosphere is friendly, with the beach’s users being mainly young people and families. There is also dance and club music played by DJs on the beach for people who like to party in the evenings.

• Alagadi Turtle Beach, Kyrenia.

Alagadi Turtle Beach is for those who want to experience the natural side of North Cyprus beaches. Holidays to Kyrenia are enhanced by visiting this beach, where you can see green and loggerhead turtles come and lay their eggs in the summer; there are cordoned off areas of the beach where you can enjoy the sea and sand as usual while protecting the ecology of the local area.

• Escape Beach, Kyrenia

Escape beach is interesting from an enjoyment and historical perspective. The beach is known as Yavuz Cikarma Plaji, the area where the Turkish Troops landed during the Peace Operation in 1974, but is now carefully landscaped with lush grass and beautiful flowers.
On the beach proper there are a plethora of water sports available, from jet skiing to banana ride, canoeing to pedal boats and from snorkelling to scuba diving. The beach also has a volleyball area, restaurant and bar, with all the facilities you could ask for. The beach has an incredible mix of activities and history for you to enjoy on your Holidays in North Cyprus.

• Karpaz Beaches

Our number one beach is less one specific beach and more a series of remote beaches. The Beaches in Karpaz are more secluded, and appeal more to those on luxury holidays to North Cyprus because of their isolated and much more exclusive nature. Each beach in the area has its own charm; the beach at Kasa was an ancient harbour called Karpasia; Yeni Erenkoy is a public beach with showers and hot food available; and there are small coves along the Karpaz peninsula itself that offer utter seclusion. Karpaz has the greatest variety of beaches available, and staying on or near the peninsula gives you complete choice while on holiday in North Cyprus.


Author Resource:->  Sarah Arnesen is the Marketing Manager for Anatolian Sky, a company offering incredible holidays in North Cyprus (http://www.anatoliansky.co.uk/Home/Holidays-in-North-Cyprus.aspx). They provide holidays to the entire Anatolian region, including Asia Minor, Cyprus, and Turkey itself.


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