These are a few of my favorite...beaches! by Sophia Sasson


As hot summer days reluctantly give way to incoming Fall breezes, I hunger for salty ocean air. I can almost hear the roar of the waves and feel the grit of the sand on my skin. It’s my happy place. So I thought I’d revisit the beaches I’ve been fortunate enough to visit in my life. 

My favorite is St John, in the US Virgin Islands. I married my husband here in Hawksnest beach. The island has been devastated by Hurricane Irma and my heart and thoughts are with those who are on the long and difficult journey to recovering their lives and homes. St John is 70% national park so it’s one of those few places in the world where natural beauty dominates and tall resorts don’t mar the landscape.  It’s as close to a deserted island as you can get and still have cell phone reception.

A close second favorite is Breach Candy, Mumbai, India. 
I was born in Mumbai and it’s a throbbing city more congested than New York City. You’d be hard pressed to find elbow space on the streets, or a breath of fresh air in the hot humid weather. I grew up near Breach Candy and remember it as an oasis from the hustle of the city. There is nothing more therapeutic than sitting on the black boulder rocks and taking in a deep cleansing breath as the sound of the waves crash underneath your feet. And if you walk a few feet to the nearby children’s park, there is amazing street food to be had. If you have the stomach for it J


I can’t pick a third, fourth etc so here are a few more in no particular order.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. 
The canary islands belong to Spain but are located off the cost of North Africa. My parents lived there for 13 years so I spent my summers on these beaches. Back then, there wasn’t much development on the island, now it’s a holiday hot spot for Europeans. I’ve only gone back once as an adult but what I remember is the feeling of total isolation. It’s so far away from the U.S that I still remember the feeling of awe at how big the world is. The real vacation benefit of this location; it’s volcanic and Mount Tiede is so tall that all of the rain leaden clouds dump on the North of the island. So you’re guaranteed sunny days if you stay in the South.

Acajutla, El Salvador. About 90 km from San Salvador. We all understand low and high tide but at a resort on this West coast of El Salvador, we got to experience it's true vastness. Our entire swimming beach would disappear at low tide. We could walk the ocean floor a mile out. Then at high tide, water would rush in over a few hours filling the tidal basin past the breakwaters with more than six feet of water.  It’s best seen in aerial view. The water recedes past the rip rap in low tide (see picture on right) and comes all the way into shore at high tide.


I could go on for days about beaches but one more. Two Lovers Point. Guam. Those of you who’ve read Mending the Doctor’s Heart know the fable that gives this location it’s name. But my love for this island reaches beyond just the beautiful beaches. My heart has been forever changed by people who live here, the bonds of family and culture that unite them, and the strength and resilience of their society. It was the inspiration for my book.


In fact, the Art Director at Harlequin was taken by this picture I sent her with my art cover sheet for the book and incorporated the location into the cover.

So how can I leave and not mention some of my other favorite beaches; Maui Hawaii, Ochos Rios, Jamaica, St Thomas USVI, Ocean City, MD, Myrtle Beach SC, Destin FL, all of the FL keys. I could go on. On my bucket list for beaches is Tahiti, the Maldives, Alaska, Thailand, the West coast of South America…..so many beaches so little time and money so lets stop here for now.

I love hearing from readers so email me at Sophia at SophiaSasson.com, feel free to sign up for my newsletter or follow me onTwitter or Facebook

Don’t forget to check out the amazing line up of September heartwarming releases  from Betina Krahn , T. R. McClureEleanor Jones and Janice Carter.


So tell me, what’s your favorite beach? Or what beach is at the top of your bucket list?

Comments

  1. I can see why these are some of your favorite beaches, Sophia. The ocean is my happy place, too. It's where I'm most at peace. One of my favorite beaches was in St. Lucia and another is Captiva Island in Florida. One day, I'd love to visit Costa Del Sol. I'm heading to North Myrtle Beach next week and I'm so looking forward to it.

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    1. You'll love Myrtle Beach and I agree with you on St Lucia. I'll have to add Costa Del sol too.

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  2. You have been to many amazing beaches, Sophia, all over the world. What wonderful adventures you must have had in those places. I have some great beach memories from childhood, many involving finding strange creatures or 'treasure' washed ashore. My brother and I once dragged a dead, bloated carp back to the cottage my family was renting. My mother wasn't pleased. :). Thanks for the shout-out to our Sept. releases!!

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  3. I love your list of beaches, and my daughter and I were just talking about the beaches in St. John--we spent time there when we lived in the VIs in 1981-82. I'm so glad much of it is a National Park. It will take a while for the people and the island to recover. I happened to go to the Canary Islands and had the same reaction to the beaches there--incredibly gorgeous. Haven't been to Guam or Mumbai--although the latter has been on my mind because of their flooding going on during "our" Harvey. There's something so special about beaches--and islands, and it's not surprising they'd be on your mind during these past couple of weeks. Some of my favorite beaches are in my hometown of Chicago. Lots of childhood memories associated with them. Incredible cover, by the way! Beautiful, vibrant colors. Thanks for the post--I hope you see all beaches on your list!

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    1. I lived in Toronto for a few years, so I agree with you that there is something special about the beauty of the Great Lakes.

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  4. I am such a landlocked being. I was born in Nebraska and didn't see an ocean until my junior year of college when I traveled with a friend during spring break. That was my first time on a plane to.

    I love beaches, though, and every summer we go to Carlsbad, California.

    Loved your pictures and want to hear more about the place you were born.

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    1. Thanks. Exploring more of California's beaches it's on my list too.

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  5. While I've been to beaches in Nassau and the Caymens, I think the beach at Clearwater, Florida is my favorite, maybe because it was the first ocean beach I ever saw. :-) I would love to see the beaches you've seen! I hope the islands recover quickly.

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    1. Nassau and the Caymens are beautiful. I haven't been to Clearwater, one more to add to the list!

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  6. I grew up loving to go every summer to the Oregon beaches. Back in the day they were wind-swept and lovely vacant for the most part. Now, not so much. I loved the beach on Oahu when we lived in Hawaii, too. I've been watching news on the Hurricanes and feel so bad for the residents of the islands, the keys, and everywhere hit by hurricanes. You've been a lucky lady to have so many experiences.

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  7. Beautiful! My favorite beaches would have to be on Maui, because we used to take the kids there from Alaska to play in the sand and snorkel. Fun times.

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    1. My husband proposed to me in Maui so that has a special place in my heart too.

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  8. I'm terrified of water. Beaches are these fragile, beautiful front lines that hold back the power and immensity of oceans. Or don't in the case of the hurricanes. Thanks for taking me on a tour of these beautiful slices of our world, Sophia!

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    1. I'm terrified of dogs so I totally understand. Thanks for reading my post.

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  9. What beautiful pictures! I am not much of a beach person and have never had any desire to go to one, but your post makes me want to give the beach another shot. And how wonderful that you've gotten to experience so many places!

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  10. I love Pensacola and I love the Great Lakes beaches in Michigan. There are so many I want to see and now you've shown me more.

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  11. I love the water, not the sand. But I love the sounds and smell of the salt air. If I had a vacation house, it would be somewhere I could hear the waves and smell the ocean.

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  12. Hands down, my favorite is Anguilla. I stayed at Cap Juluca. It was sublime. No one around. Our bungalow was luxe. The sea was turquoise and the sand...well. It was like powdered sugar. After that, Taormina, Sciliy. No sand. All rocky beaches, with umbrellas and lounges stuck along the water's shore. And that midnight blue Mediterranean Sea... well, I still write about it.
    I have to say, Liz is right. There are beaches along Lake Michigan that will blow your mind. I took my son and family up to Indiana Dunes State Park on a chilly May afternoon during the niddle of the week. Lake Michigan was Turquoise. Ryan, his wife and daughter, have snorkeled and scuba dived in just about every Caribbean spot available (following in Mom's webbed footsteps) and they must have taken a hundred photos because they couldn't believe they were at the Great Lakes. Then we climbed the highest dune. I actually made it to the top without a heart attack.

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  13. A favourite is Hyams Beach, not too far from here in Canberra in Australia. After a bunch of testing it now holds the official title of having the whitest sand in the world (it’s in the Guinness World Record Book).

    There’s NO development there at all; all the beachside development is up north in the country. Most of the visitors are young families etc.

    Of course, the problem with such white sand - combined with Australia having the strongest, most dangerous, most cancer-causing sun - is that the sunburn happens fast! The last time I was there it was so bad I needed painkillers for a few days!

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  14. I advise you to read this information if you want to know how to write definition essay. It will help you to achieve academic success

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