Oh, how I love the beach! I will never have an answer to the mountains vs. beach debate, but at certain times of the year I definitely have a preference. And during this time of year, it’s the beach for the win! Last year I devoted an entire blog post to my love of the mountains so I think it’s time to show a little love to the beach. 🙂

Sunrise, Cocoa Beach, Florida

I am blessed to live in Florida where a beach is never more than an hour or so away. I can be found on many weekends throughout the year heading to the coast for a few hours of fun in the sun.

Growing up, my family would take a nearly annual vacation to the beach during the summer. We visited many sandy spots in Florida including New Smyrna Beach, Vero Beach and Miami Beach, but I think our favorite place to really get away from it all is North Captiva Island.

This island, not to be confused with its southern neighbor Captiva Island, is located just off the western coast of Florida and is only accessible by boat or plane. The only modes of transportation once on the island are golf cart, bike, or feet. 🙂

There are no hotels here, only privately-owned homes and miles of sweet, white sand. Homes on the island are part of one of two “clubs”: the North Captiva Island Club and the Safety Harbor Club. We’ve rented from both but I think our favorite is the North Captiva Island Club as there are more amenities included.

This is Florida beach living at it’s most relaxing! Days are spent sunning, swimming, kayaking, biking, fishing, bird watching, shell collecting and sunset viewing. And, of course, eating and napping. 🙂 I love it!

The Florida beach I frequent the most, however, is Cocoa Beach. Or, more accurately, Cape Canaveral which is just outside the Cocoa Beach city limits and a bit less crowded.

Spending a day or a weekend here completely relaxes me! It also really makes me want to live by the sea. 🙂 I love the sound of the ocean, the salty smell of the sea, the feel of the warm breezes…ahhhh!!

Left: Cocoa Beach – Middle: Castaway Cay – Right: Hawaii

This past weekend I enjoyed a girls beach weekend with some of my best buds! We went to Daytona Beach (I hadn’t been there in years!) and had such a fun time! It was also my birthday weekend so double the fun! 😀

Five of us arrived in Daytona around lunchtime on Friday. We checked into our hotel and immediately changed into swimsuits and headed down to the water. The weekend was forecasted to be cloudy and rainy but we enjoyed sunny skies and not a drop of precipitation!

We met up with three more of our friends for dinner that evening and enjoyed some major laughs and good Italian food.

The following day, after enjoying breakfast on our balcony :-), we went back down to the beach for a few hours of sunning, swimming and strolling.

That evening we headed to Our Deck Down Under for dinner where we waited in line for nearly an hour and a half (!) to order our food, but it was well worth the wait! Yum!!

I’m never ready to head back home after spending time near the sea and this weekend was no exception! It’s a good thing I always leave feeling refreshed and relaxed. 🙂 And I always leave looking forward to my next visit.

You might also enjoy:

• A Weekend in the Florida Keys (and a Half Marathon)
• Hawaii Beach Time!
• Paradise Found on a Greek Isle
• Highlights from My Solitude on an Island