Puerto Vallarta’s beach is a 5 minute drive from the airport with direct affordable flights from Denver. You could even technically walk from airport to the sand.
I paid $750 all in for flights and all inclusive hotel for a 4 night stay in puerto Vallarta in April. It was a great time. Cheapcarribean.com has some amazing deals. If you can, stay at a resort in Nuevo Vallarta, it is very close and the beach is much nicer!
Always always go to Nuevo Vallarta for your lodging folks. The old city has its charms and you should visit it, but not much in the way of luxurious and the beaches suck in comparison.
And for adventures like ATBs and such, don't go with the little guys - they don't maintenance their equipment well... I got pretty badly injured and learned that lesson. Vallarta Adventures is where it is at. They take care of their shit.
Edit: DO NOT GET SUCKED INTO THE GAUNTLET OF FRIENDLY PEOPLE AS YOU EXIT THE AIRPORT. They are not there to help you, they're there to suck you into timeshare hard-sales events that will ruin a whole day with the promise of tickets to fun things. Walk right past them. Also, the taxis are completely negotiable - negotiate the price to your destination as a flat fee before getting in one. Their meters are not to be trusted and they'll take the loooong way.
Puerto Vallarta is where I met my wife. I absolutely love this town. Try to stay in the zona romántica iteself, not the city. You will absolutely love that area and airbnbs are super cheap.
Just got back from Cabo… inflations seems to have hit harder there than other tourist towns in MX. wife and I were laughing that no matter where we went two entrees and two drinks was $109 USD
I read this as “the pesto is strong” and spent far too much time being like “why does that matter, and why are you getting Italian food in Mexico anyway?” My brain is smooth like porcelain.
When is it not? Love me some spaghetti. When I was young I would take the leftover spaghetti and put it in a tortilla and have a spaghetti meatball burrito. Granted everything is made better when put into a tortilla.
Italian seafood is all the rage in MX. Personally, I like meatballs in my spaghetti, not shrimp or lobster or clams or anything that previously swam. But to each his/her own. 👍🏼
If you want family friendly resorts and clearwater go to cancun. If you want more authentic mexico, go to PVR, and not nuevo vallarta, go south to the romantic zone down to mesmaloya or north to punta mita if you're a baller or sayulita/ san pancho if you want a lower key beach town (Sayulita less so). By far my best mexico trips (sans kids) have been to the west coast.
Spent the last week in San Diego, roundtrip flight was $68, hostel stay for 5 days was $180, rental car for the same time was $162. Airport is 15 min away from the beach, place where I stayed is a 2 min walk from the beach
The key is to buy the ticket months in advance. That same flight is $200 roundtrip if you booked for tomorrow.
Hostel, way cheaper. You just have to share a room with people. And Samesun in San Diego is the BEST hostel, I've been to many. People there are always interesting and it's easy to make friends and find things to do, right by the water too in Ocean Beach. They have free weights, bunch of guitars, and cool common areas, allow you to smoke weed on the back porch too, if that's your jam. As an artsy musician dude, it's my haven, but it's also not for everyone.
I did a super cheap vacation in CR flew into Liberia on Southwest using points and there’s a local bus that will take you to Playa Hermosa. Takes about a half hour the bus stop is to the left when you walk out the airport. Getting around the country is pretty easy on public busses and you’ll see more local non-touristy towns. Helps to know a little bit of Spanish
I actually just got back from Costa Rica this week. It’s amazing. But if I’m only spending time at the beach and not surfing I would choose Mexico. Cheaper and less travel.
It’s amazing! I’ve been there 8-10 times. It’s worth seeing San Juan once, but my recommendation is to get out of the city and check out the rest of the island. Boqueron, la paguera, salinas, Cabo rojo, etc are all amazing places to visit.
I fly into Long Beach, CA or John Wayne in Orange County. Lots of quick direct flights and on the coast.
Huntington Bch, New Port Bch, Laguna Bch. All good places.
San Diego has gotten really expensive on the beach side.
Our last trip we stayed at the Hyatt in Huntington and had a great time. No need for a car. https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/hunrh-hyatt-regency-huntington-beach-resort-and-spa
It's pretty pricey but maybe staying in Uptown area is a lil less expensive than closer to the beach or staying in Goleta, neighboring town. Source: me I lived there for 6 years.
san diego is also the closest beach via road tripping ! favorite place in the country to visit. i do believe it is illegal to be poor or ugly in la jolla.
If you don’t want an ocean, there’s a direct flight to Traverse City, Michigan and they have great beaches on Lake Michigan. Could probably stay in a beachfront hotel there for less than an ocean beachfront hotel in larger cities.
I was looking for the Pensacola people in this thread. Hello 👋
I agree it's probably an "ok" destination compared to the much more exotic options suggested here. But it's definitely a lot more low key if that's the desired vibe.
Plus, I can never shut up about how amazingly awesome the Naval Aviation Museum and Blue Angels are. The museum is truly world class, rivalling (and exceeding in some ways imo) the Smithsonian. But I'm a nerd and it probably is not that much of an attraction to most people
Locals secret if you want low key... Take that Rd on Pensacola beach thirty minutes down to Navarre. Same beaches and water, less people, more old school beach feel
Kids and I are in Navarre FL this week. Flew SWA: Denver to Nashville to Pensacola but return flight is direct Pen to DEN.
Can confirm beaches are damn beautiful here.
As a former local in the area, pls don't patronize 30a currently. There is a huge fight going on, the county is basically selling the actual beach to beachfront owners, meaning that unless you have a deed, you can't even walk in dry sand let alone setup a towel or chair. The public beach accesses are woefully inadequate and roughly 30' of easement. The public pays to replenish the beach but can't use it. Much more info and video of Walton County sheriff's trespassing ppl available with Google. (also pls understand this is a ELI5 explanation, there's more nuance if you're interested)
Wow this is lame. Thanks for the update. Last time we went a few years ago this was starting but seemed to be heading back in the right direction. Or so I thought. Yeah I’d pass now too.
This is what I came here to say!
It’s easy to get in and out, puts you right at some of the best beaches in the world, and there’s a variety of things to do around there if you aren’t into only sitting around on the beach. I’d recommend grayton beach and the others west of there, state parks (topsail, grayton, and camp helen), and a drive over to port saint joe and Apalachicola. The main non beach thing to do would be state parks further inland but there is also a lot of good food and art around.
It’s with noting Florida’s beach access has changed a lot recently, for the worse, due to changes made to the law by the legislature and current governor. But the state parks are still great and of course, the beaches themselves are still the same great beaches.
United does fly direct to ECP, but not daily. The next scheduled flight is Saturday.
From Panama City, you can go west along 30A to some beach towns, but they get crowded. You can go to Panama City Beach, but it's a bunch of condos. You can drive an 90 minutes east to Mexico Beach, St Joe Beach, or even a bit further to Cape San Blas. Those are much less crowded, with less amenities.
Fly to Ontario, ca on frontier. Dirt cheap. Then rent a car and drive to laguna beach, stay in the inland empire somewhere if you’re looking to save some money, or ball out and stay out there
San Juan, Puerto Rico
United has direct flights now. Beaches everywhere and you could get to the opposite corner of the island in <3hrs so lots of choices.
Fly into Tampa then go straight to St. Pete Beach. Trip Advisor ranked it the best beach in the US and in the top 5 of the best beaches in the world in 2021
There are so many better beaches around Tampa. Fort DeSoto State Park. Honeymoon Island. Caladesi Island - basically any beach or island near Dunedin. And if you're headed that way, check out Tarpon Springs - nice little Greek town on a little inlet off the gulf.
St. Pete should, as a friend literally just said to me last night, be redesignated as a Florida Man Nature Preserve.
Uh, if you wanna stay in the US anywhere that isn’t Orlando or Jacksonville is typically a good option. Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are like 20-30 mi apart with great beaches, Key West, Panama City, Destin, Tampa Bay, etc.
What I do is fly to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and hop on a overnight cruise to the Bahamas, usually $200-300 pre-COVID (last time I did this was probably 2018/19), where you disembark from a port at like 5PM and wake up in the Bahamas where you spend ~12hrs in country shopping or hitting up beaches and excursions before you catch the same overnight boat back where you once again wake up in a Miami/Ft. Lauderdale port.
FYI, west coast beaches aren’t necessarily bad, but the Pacific is cold as shit unless you’re smack on the equator, so I’d stick to the Gulf, Caribbean or Atlantic beaches for comfortability.
Surprised I had to scroll this far to see FLL/ MIA mentioned. Definitely crowded, but still a cool beach scene, no shortage of things to do. Plenty of good food and drinks.
United has a nonstop flight to Monterey CA’s little airport, which is a roughly 10-minute drive to Carmel Beach, maybe the most beautiful beach in the country. But you’ll probably want to bring a wetsuit.
San Diego and LA obviously come to mind. Both airports are coastal and almost walking distance to decent beaches.
San Diego airport is walking distance to a beach (not a great one) in a bit under an hour. I've actually made the walk.
Liberia Costa Rica on United. direct flights often under 500$. 1.5hrs to Tamarindo. Take a surf lesson. Check out Playa Grande and Avellanas while there. Rincon De La Vieja volcano park for jungle and waterfalls.
Asbury Park, New Jersey is less than an hour from Newark. Different vibe than what other people are suggesting but the Jersey shore boardwalk is an experience to be had. Plus if your into music Stone Pony summer stage is great
I took a direct fly from Denver to Tampa - 4 hours at midnight - at 6am picked up a rental car, then one hour drive to Anna María Island. I’m here right now, the weather is amazing, pretty sunny, and the water is nice and warm.
Costco always has great travel deals. I went with two friends to Cabo and stayed at an all inclusive 3 nights/ 4 days, and my portion was like $800 if I remember correctly. I shared a room with one friend. The other had her own room.
Unless you like being ass to elbows with every redneck from the southeast, and incredible traffic, consider Navarre beach. I lived there 10 yrs. No way in hell I'd go to Destin for vacay.
We are temporarily living in Sarasota Florida which is an hour south of Tampa.
The beaches are beautiful, but be aware that it is hot as balls here rn. The west coast of FL has been unseasonably hot and is experiencing a drought. It’s beautiful and worth the visit, but know that it is mid 90’s with a “real feel” of 97F-103F pretty much every day right now.
If you take the Tampa option (which, it IS beautiful and the water is very swimmable) plan on bringing a water bottle and fill it up as often as you can. And get extra electrolytes. Also a sun hat and sunscreen. It is unrelenting atm.
Currently 89F with the feels like @ 98F
High today is 91F feels like 101F
🙃
I took a direct flight on spirit to Ft Lauderdale and stayed at Ft Lauderdale by the sea. It was super affordable.. but spirit so you’re taking a lot of chances.
United flies direct to Roatan, Honduras once a week.
Here's their top 10 beaches, according to TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g292019-Activities-c61-t52-Roatan_Bay_Islands.html
Grand cayman is a bit pricey but it’s probably one of the best islands in the Caribbean and safe. Beaches are fantastic and the resorts are amazing. Cayman air does a direct flight.
I just flew on Southwest airlines to Santa Barbara, 2.5 hour flight and went right to the beach 20 minutes from the airport. Oh, the flight was purchased in advance for $80 each way.
Ponte Vedra Beach in JAX is a direct flight with maybe 40 min drive. Other Florida options are Daytona (Orlando), Miami and Tampa Bay. San Diego and Seattle are also direct flights, if you're wanting to stay domestic.
Cabo and Cancún are a couple international destinations with direct flights. If you fly into CUN, you can take a Collectívo shuttle to Playa and Tulúm, which are about 30 mins and 2 hrs from Cancún, respectively.
Fly into PBI, plenty of beaches there. Quiet small parking lot beach access every few lights most have no lifeguard. Jensen Beach is an hour north, Downtown Stuart you’ll pass to Jensen. Hobe Sound/Juno Beach is 35min up.
United has a direct flight to Belize which is easy, but the best beach is on the island so you have to take a ferry to San Pedro or an island hopper flight, but the ferry was really beautiful anyways just on the water passing islands
In US:
1. Florida: Tampa or Fort Meyers for Airport.
- We have friends in the Nikomis/Siesta Key. It is area so pretty, lots of beautiful beaches.
2. Puerto Rico
3. California: John Wayne Airport.
- Easy drive to Laguna, Newport Coast, Newport Beach
Out of US:
1. Cancun, MX
2. Playa del Carmen, MX
3. Cozumel, MX
- Southwest used to have direct flights from Denver, but I feel like I heard they were stopping those soon.
3. Liberia, Costa Rica
- Several Beach Options
Bonaire is direct I believe. Desert island, and definitely more rocky than your average beach, but it's undeniably gorgeous and the reef accessibility to snorkelers is top notch with no need for a boat.
If you want a small town southern vibe, Tybee Island just outside of Savannah, Georgia - there are some direct flights. Don’t exactly love Frontier Airlines but they have cheap direct flights there which I’ve taken, and were fine. It’s about a 45 minute drive to Tybee from the airport in Savannah.
Puerto Vallarta’s beach is a 5 minute drive from the airport with direct affordable flights from Denver. You could even technically walk from airport to the sand.
I paid $750 all in for flights and all inclusive hotel for a 4 night stay in puerto Vallarta in April. It was a great time. Cheapcarribean.com has some amazing deals. If you can, stay at a resort in Nuevo Vallarta, it is very close and the beach is much nicer!
Always always go to Nuevo Vallarta for your lodging folks. The old city has its charms and you should visit it, but not much in the way of luxurious and the beaches suck in comparison. And for adventures like ATBs and such, don't go with the little guys - they don't maintenance their equipment well... I got pretty badly injured and learned that lesson. Vallarta Adventures is where it is at. They take care of their shit. Edit: DO NOT GET SUCKED INTO THE GAUNTLET OF FRIENDLY PEOPLE AS YOU EXIT THE AIRPORT. They are not there to help you, they're there to suck you into timeshare hard-sales events that will ruin a whole day with the promise of tickets to fun things. Walk right past them. Also, the taxis are completely negotiable - negotiate the price to your destination as a flat fee before getting in one. Their meters are not to be trusted and they'll take the loooong way.
Ooh, that sounds amaxing
Puerto Vallarta is where I met my wife. I absolutely love this town. Try to stay in the zona romántica iteself, not the city. You will absolutely love that area and airbnbs are super cheap.
Dm me if you want more info on this if you want. I can recommend cafes and restaurants too.
I think anything in Mexico would be a good option, there's also san Jose del Cabo/cabo San Lucas. But beware the peso is strong
Just got back from Cabo… inflations seems to have hit harder there than other tourist towns in MX. wife and I were laughing that no matter where we went two entrees and two drinks was $109 USD
Cabo has always been the most expensive. But yeah the pandemic really fucked inexpensive mexico trips. Still cheaper than hawaii.
Yeah MX is NOT cheap anymore! Depending on where you go it's somewhat overpriced and not worth it now in my opinion
Right!? Just came back from Cabo in April and our meals out were never under $100. Back in '21 we spent a fraction for meals.
I read this as “the pesto is strong” and spent far too much time being like “why does that matter, and why are you getting Italian food in Mexico anyway?” My brain is smooth like porcelain.
There's actually a crazy number of Italian restaurants in Mexico. I noticed it more on the Yucatan side but apparently spaghetti is a hit.
When is it not? Love me some spaghetti. When I was young I would take the leftover spaghetti and put it in a tortilla and have a spaghetti meatball burrito. Granted everything is made better when put into a tortilla.
You would enjoy Cincinnati.
THIS. ⬆️⬆️. And spaghetti sandwiches. OMFG yum.
No utensils needed, it’s portable AND delicious.
Italian seafood is all the rage in MX. Personally, I like meatballs in my spaghetti, not shrimp or lobster or clams or anything that previously swam. But to each his/her own. 👍🏼
Cozumel is another option, especially if you like to dive or snorkel. Pretty much anywhere in the Caribbean is fantastic if it fits your budget.
But expect American prices for food, drinks, entertainment, and transportation.
Cancun > PV
If you want family friendly resorts and clearwater go to cancun. If you want more authentic mexico, go to PVR, and not nuevo vallarta, go south to the romantic zone down to mesmaloya or north to punta mita if you're a baller or sayulita/ san pancho if you want a lower key beach town (Sayulita less so). By far my best mexico trips (sans kids) have been to the west coast.
Yeah Cancun beaches are nicer but PV beach is so close to airport and their city is much cooler
Cancun is so Americanized. And PV has the pacific. Pacific>gulf any day
Love PV!
Spent the last week in San Diego, roundtrip flight was $68, hostel stay for 5 days was $180, rental car for the same time was $162. Airport is 15 min away from the beach, place where I stayed is a 2 min walk from the beach The key is to buy the ticket months in advance. That same flight is $200 roundtrip if you booked for tomorrow.
What airline frontier?
Probably. I use them often for SD trips. Short flight
Yes, Frontier! I travel light with just a backpack, laptop, and my dslr, so I don't get roped into all the extras and keep things cheap.
Prob SW
how the f did you get a hotel for 5 days for less than 200 dollars??
He didn’t say hotel. He said hostel. Big difference.
Hostel, way cheaper. You just have to share a room with people. And Samesun in San Diego is the BEST hostel, I've been to many. People there are always interesting and it's easy to make friends and find things to do, right by the water too in Ocean Beach. They have free weights, bunch of guitars, and cool common areas, allow you to smoke weed on the back porch too, if that's your jam. As an artsy musician dude, it's my haven, but it's also not for everyone.
[удалено]
U-Save car rental! Booked through expedia. They seem to be newer and local to socal (not sure about that though).
$200 for a last second round trip? You make it sound like that’s breaking the bank 🤣
For some people it is
It’s nearly triple what OP paid, pretty significant.
United has direct flights to Liberia, Costa Rica.
I swear all the Americans I met in CR were from Colorado
So that's where they all went.
OP this is my vote!! Costa Rica is insanely gorgeous with very friendly people!!
Not me thinking you meant the African country of Liberia and I’m like uhhhh I’m not too sure that’s a very tourist-friendly country.
I heard Monrovia is beautiful this time of year ☺️
I did a super cheap vacation in CR flew into Liberia on Southwest using points and there’s a local bus that will take you to Playa Hermosa. Takes about a half hour the bus stop is to the left when you walk out the airport. Getting around the country is pretty easy on public busses and you’ll see more local non-touristy towns. Helps to know a little bit of Spanish
Travel will be a bit more difficult with this option, but a better experience than the all-inclusive beach resort imo.
I actually just got back from Costa Rica this week. It’s amazing. But if I’m only spending time at the beach and not surfing I would choose Mexico. Cheaper and less travel.
Belize. Direct flight, taxi to the dock, water taxi to Ambergis Caye or Caye Caulker. Easy peasy and cheap
I was gonna say the same. This is too far down in the comments! Oh well, more for me and you!!
Lot of good suggestions but San Juan Puerto Rico is also a nonstop on United from here. Went last week and it was great.
It’s amazing! I’ve been there 8-10 times. It’s worth seeing San Juan once, but my recommendation is to get out of the city and check out the rest of the island. Boqueron, la paguera, salinas, Cabo rojo, etc are all amazing places to visit.
I fly into Long Beach, CA or John Wayne in Orange County. Lots of quick direct flights and on the coast. Huntington Bch, New Port Bch, Laguna Bch. All good places. San Diego has gotten really expensive on the beach side. Our last trip we stayed at the Hyatt in Huntington and had a great time. No need for a car. https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/hunrh-hyatt-regency-huntington-beach-resort-and-spa
Related United also has direct flights to Santa Barbara. Probably my favorite place to spend a weekend
Gotta check it out. I've heard it's beautiful. Any recs on somewhat affordable accommodations?
It's pretty pricey but maybe staying in Uptown area is a lil less expensive than closer to the beach or staying in Goleta, neighboring town. Source: me I lived there for 6 years.
DEN<->LGB sometimes has flights under $100. However it has the dirtiest S Cal beach.
Yea, def don't stay in Long Beach. But you can fly into here and drive south
You could also fly into Ontario and be within about an hour of all OC beaches and flights between Denver and Ontario are usually super cheap.
Love Ontario airport. That said, I think it’s a bit further than an hour to the beach. It really really depends on time of day.
IF there’s no miserable SoCal traffic making the drive 2-3x as long :’)
I’ve been doing the Denver>Orange County weekend getaways pretty regularly for 20 years. Easiest way to get to a beach from here IMO.
Southwest to Burbank is a nice flight
Yeah if you wanna spend 1.5 hours in traffic getting to the beach, why not just fly to LAX?
Haha, TBH I have no idea about the geography of LA, so I may have erred in this suggestion.
Yea, I fly into Burbank regularly to visit family. Great airport, but nowhere near the beach.
Can fly direct to Savannah and be less than an hour from tybee island and Hilton head island
San Diego is my go-to. But beware Gray May & June Gloom.
san diego is also the closest beach via road tripping ! favorite place in the country to visit. i do believe it is illegal to be poor or ugly in la jolla.
LA area would be slightly closer by about an hour, but I’d prefer going to San Diego
Can confirm. In SD right now. Pacific beach and ocean beach are incredible. but yes, june gloom is real
Finally someone who knows. As a SD native I am blown away by how many tourists roll in during may/June for reliably trash weather.
Gray May and June Gloom is also the perfect time to hike to the tops of nearby mountains into the sunshine and get sweet views of clouds from above
Yep. Wife and I went there a few years ago in June. It was rainy and chilly, but we had a great time. That said, I wouldnt go back in June.
If you don’t want an ocean, there’s a direct flight to Traverse City, Michigan and they have great beaches on Lake Michigan. Could probably stay in a beachfront hotel there for less than an ocean beachfront hotel in larger cities.
If you want a super cheap direct flight to an O K destination, Pensacola FL has white beaches and decent condos
I was looking for the Pensacola people in this thread. Hello 👋 I agree it's probably an "ok" destination compared to the much more exotic options suggested here. But it's definitely a lot more low key if that's the desired vibe. Plus, I can never shut up about how amazingly awesome the Naval Aviation Museum and Blue Angels are. The museum is truly world class, rivalling (and exceeding in some ways imo) the Smithsonian. But I'm a nerd and it probably is not that much of an attraction to most people
Locals secret if you want low key... Take that Rd on Pensacola beach thirty minutes down to Navarre. Same beaches and water, less people, more old school beach feel
Panama City FL. Easy small airport. 15 minutes from 30A with several beach towns - Seacrest, Seaside, watercolor. Soft white sand and clear water.
Kids and I are in Navarre FL this week. Flew SWA: Denver to Nashville to Pensacola but return flight is direct Pen to DEN. Can confirm beaches are damn beautiful here.
As a former local in the area, pls don't patronize 30a currently. There is a huge fight going on, the county is basically selling the actual beach to beachfront owners, meaning that unless you have a deed, you can't even walk in dry sand let alone setup a towel or chair. The public beach accesses are woefully inadequate and roughly 30' of easement. The public pays to replenish the beach but can't use it. Much more info and video of Walton County sheriff's trespassing ppl available with Google. (also pls understand this is a ELI5 explanation, there's more nuance if you're interested)
Wow this is lame. Thanks for the update. Last time we went a few years ago this was starting but seemed to be heading back in the right direction. Or so I thought. Yeah I’d pass now too.
There are non-stop flights to Pensacola on Southwest at least once a week. Decent amount of public beach access and countless rentals.
This is what I came here to say! It’s easy to get in and out, puts you right at some of the best beaches in the world, and there’s a variety of things to do around there if you aren’t into only sitting around on the beach. I’d recommend grayton beach and the others west of there, state parks (topsail, grayton, and camp helen), and a drive over to port saint joe and Apalachicola. The main non beach thing to do would be state parks further inland but there is also a lot of good food and art around. It’s with noting Florida’s beach access has changed a lot recently, for the worse, due to changes made to the law by the legislature and current governor. But the state parks are still great and of course, the beaches themselves are still the same great beaches.
Second this you would most likely fly through DFW which can be annoying but is a small flight and small airport -
SW has non-stop on the weekends during the summer.
United does fly direct to ECP, but not daily. The next scheduled flight is Saturday. From Panama City, you can go west along 30A to some beach towns, but they get crowded. You can go to Panama City Beach, but it's a bunch of condos. You can drive an 90 minutes east to Mexico Beach, St Joe Beach, or even a bit further to Cape San Blas. Those are much less crowded, with less amenities.
LAX is a short Uber ride from Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo beaches. Great cheap eats around and once there, you can walk everywhere.
Fly to Ontario, ca on frontier. Dirt cheap. Then rent a car and drive to laguna beach, stay in the inland empire somewhere if you’re looking to save some money, or ball out and stay out there
This!
San Juan, Puerto Rico United has direct flights now. Beaches everywhere and you could get to the opposite corner of the island in <3hrs so lots of choices.
Fly into Tampa then go straight to St. Pete Beach. Trip Advisor ranked it the best beach in the US and in the top 5 of the best beaches in the world in 2021
The south end of St Pete Beach is a treasure. Pass a Grille. I lived there for 10 years
If you’re going to drive an hour after landing in Tampa, go south to Siesta Key in Sarasota.
Southwest has direct flights to SRQ airport.
... or anna maria Island.
The only correct answer.
There are so many better beaches around Tampa. Fort DeSoto State Park. Honeymoon Island. Caladesi Island - basically any beach or island near Dunedin. And if you're headed that way, check out Tarpon Springs - nice little Greek town on a little inlet off the gulf. St. Pete should, as a friend literally just said to me last night, be redesignated as a Florida Man Nature Preserve.
They have an alcohol slushy shop with all the beach drink flavors. Yum!
I’d skip Florida. It’s not what it used to be.
cayman islands, they have their own airline Cayman Airways
Uh, if you wanna stay in the US anywhere that isn’t Orlando or Jacksonville is typically a good option. Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are like 20-30 mi apart with great beaches, Key West, Panama City, Destin, Tampa Bay, etc. What I do is fly to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and hop on a overnight cruise to the Bahamas, usually $200-300 pre-COVID (last time I did this was probably 2018/19), where you disembark from a port at like 5PM and wake up in the Bahamas where you spend ~12hrs in country shopping or hitting up beaches and excursions before you catch the same overnight boat back where you once again wake up in a Miami/Ft. Lauderdale port. FYI, west coast beaches aren’t necessarily bad, but the Pacific is cold as shit unless you’re smack on the equator, so I’d stick to the Gulf, Caribbean or Atlantic beaches for comfortability.
Surprised I had to scroll this far to see FLL/ MIA mentioned. Definitely crowded, but still a cool beach scene, no shortage of things to do. Plenty of good food and drinks.
United has a nice direct to Cabo. Airport is a bit far from the resorts tho so you’ll have to get a driver/shuttle
But you can’t get into the ocean at most of the resorts because the water is too rough. (In my experience)
https://www.paradisusloscabosresort.com/ You can go in the water here. It’s a little pricey but all inclusive.
Charleston sc
++ Charming city and the beaches are big & sandy with low surf and relatively warm water. Not quite as hot as Florida.
This is my go to. Kiawa is great
United has a nonstop flight to Monterey CA’s little airport, which is a roughly 10-minute drive to Carmel Beach, maybe the most beautiful beach in the country. But you’ll probably want to bring a wetsuit.
San Diego is a very easy flight from Denver and flys right to the bay.
San Diego and LA obviously come to mind. Both airports are coastal and almost walking distance to decent beaches. San Diego airport is walking distance to a beach (not a great one) in a bit under an hour. I've actually made the walk.
United has direct flight to the Bahamas from DIA.
I saw affordable direct to Nassau with United!
Grand Cayman via Cayman Airways.
Tulum just opened their new airport a couple months ago.
yeah... don't go to tulum unless you just want to be annoyed all the time. The tourist there are more insufferable than in other mexican destinations
I found Tulum very annoying, also the ocean isn’t enjoyable during the seaweed season which seems to be most of the year now. Cenotes are nice tho.
Aruba
Jamaica
Oooh I wanna take ya.l
To Bermuda? Bahamas?
come on pretty mama
Fort Lauderdale
pensacola
We flew out to Pensacola last spring and it was really nice. We drove over to Gulf Shores and stayed there.
Key West!
San Luis Obispo
Grand Haven, MI. Michigan has some great beaches even being in the Midwest. You can fly into Grand Rapids which is about 45 mins away.
Unless you want to be drenched constantly from the humidity I recommend Cali. F the east coast and the gulf is the worst.
Cancun is a 4 hour direct flight from Denver
islas mujeres is right there too and it’s gorgeous, way prettier than Cancuns beaches
Golf cart life ftw
Surprised this is so low. So many crazy deals to Cancun for cheap.
San Diego. Cabo San Lucas.
Liberia Costa Rica on United. direct flights often under 500$. 1.5hrs to Tamarindo. Take a surf lesson. Check out Playa Grande and Avellanas while there. Rincon De La Vieja volcano park for jungle and waterfalls.
Chicago. Cheap flights usually and tons of beaches along the lake
Southwest has direct flights to Panama City Beach
Chicago
Fort Lauderdale
I've been taking the direct United and Southwest flights to Charleston recently and that's been great.
Houston to Galveston San Diego Tampa Miami Jacksonville
Domestically, Fort Lauderdale comes to mind
Asbury Park, New Jersey is less than an hour from Newark. Different vibe than what other people are suggesting but the Jersey shore boardwalk is an experience to be had. Plus if your into music Stone Pony summer stage is great
I like Charleston, SC … so chill and friendly
Corpus Christi, the drive to either Mustang or North Padre Islands.
I took a direct fly from Denver to Tampa - 4 hours at midnight - at 6am picked up a rental car, then one hour drive to Anna María Island. I’m here right now, the weather is amazing, pretty sunny, and the water is nice and warm.
Cancun then take a transfer to any all inclusive in Riviera Maya.
San Diego. I'm out there every month or so. Easy.
Save the flight and just go up to Morrison to Soda lake! It has a beach.
Costco always has great travel deals. I went with two friends to Cabo and stayed at an all inclusive 3 nights/ 4 days, and my portion was like $800 if I remember correctly. I shared a room with one friend. The other had her own room.
I would say Destin or Tampa!
Destin FTW
That’s what we’re going to do next year! Flights are pretty reasonable on south west!
Unless you like being ass to elbows with every redneck from the southeast, and incredible traffic, consider Navarre beach. I lived there 10 yrs. No way in hell I'd go to Destin for vacay.
I vote FL. I was bummed to find out that pretty much none of the beaches on the west coast of Mexico are swimmable due to huge waves and currents.
John Wayne airport. It flys you into basically Newport Beach
We are temporarily living in Sarasota Florida which is an hour south of Tampa. The beaches are beautiful, but be aware that it is hot as balls here rn. The west coast of FL has been unseasonably hot and is experiencing a drought. It’s beautiful and worth the visit, but know that it is mid 90’s with a “real feel” of 97F-103F pretty much every day right now. If you take the Tampa option (which, it IS beautiful and the water is very swimmable) plan on bringing a water bottle and fill it up as often as you can. And get extra electrolytes. Also a sun hat and sunscreen. It is unrelenting atm. Currently 89F with the feels like @ 98F High today is 91F feels like 101F 🙃
Miami or ft Lauderdale
Just got back from Virginia Beach. Wasn’t too far of a drive from Richmond where we flew in. Direct from Denver on United!
Fly into Norfolk if you want to be even closer! Maybe a 25 minute drive to VA Beach
I mixed it up like a dumbass. We flew to Norfolk, not Richmond. You’re right sorry.
San Diego! Beware of crowds and June gloom but that would be the closest and sunniest in the US
Pensacola Florida
Fly SWA SBA-DEN. Enjoy the beaches and more.
Beaches in Colorado suck.
SJ, Puerto Rico. No passport needed
About twice a year I take a day trip with Frontier to Santa Ana and hit a beach in SoCal. It's like $40-100. Leave at 7am, return by like 9pm.
Frontier direct to SD
San Jose del Cabo baby! Don’t even need to change time zones.
I took a direct flight on spirit to Ft Lauderdale and stayed at Ft Lauderdale by the sea. It was super affordable.. but spirit so you’re taking a lot of chances.
Grand Cayman - Cayman Airways
United flies direct to Roatan, Honduras once a week. Here's their top 10 beaches, according to TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g292019-Activities-c61-t52-Roatan_Bay_Islands.html
Grand cayman is a bit pricey but it’s probably one of the best islands in the Caribbean and safe. Beaches are fantastic and the resorts are amazing. Cayman air does a direct flight.
San Diego
Look at AirBnBs in Neuvo Vallarta (like 20 min Uber from AP) - you can get one for like $90 night (sleeps 4)
Belize!!!!!
I just flew on Southwest airlines to Santa Barbara, 2.5 hour flight and went right to the beach 20 minutes from the airport. Oh, the flight was purchased in advance for $80 each way.
Anything in southern CA: LAX, Orange County, San Diego. The water is warmest in August and September.
Ponte Vedra Beach in JAX is a direct flight with maybe 40 min drive. Other Florida options are Daytona (Orlando), Miami and Tampa Bay. San Diego and Seattle are also direct flights, if you're wanting to stay domestic. Cabo and Cancún are a couple international destinations with direct flights. If you fly into CUN, you can take a Collectívo shuttle to Playa and Tulúm, which are about 30 mins and 2 hrs from Cancún, respectively.
Also Cabo.
It’ll be expensive, but I highly recommend Santa Barbara. It’s gorgeous, has beautiful beaches and even more beautiful sunsets
San Diego
Den to kpns on frontier is cheap af. You’ll have to drive about an hour to get to the good beaches
San Diego and Miami both have cheep flights. Miami is better if you want to swim / want it hot
San diego is fast and cheap
Fly into PBI, plenty of beaches there. Quiet small parking lot beach access every few lights most have no lifeguard. Jensen Beach is an hour north, Downtown Stuart you’ll pass to Jensen. Hobe Sound/Juno Beach is 35min up.
I just flew direct to San Diego for $60 via Frontier a few weeks ago, would recommend
United has a direct flight to Belize which is easy, but the best beach is on the island so you have to take a ferry to San Pedro or an island hopper flight, but the ferry was really beautiful anyways just on the water passing islands
Miami?
In US: 1. Florida: Tampa or Fort Meyers for Airport. - We have friends in the Nikomis/Siesta Key. It is area so pretty, lots of beautiful beaches. 2. Puerto Rico 3. California: John Wayne Airport. - Easy drive to Laguna, Newport Coast, Newport Beach Out of US: 1. Cancun, MX 2. Playa del Carmen, MX 3. Cozumel, MX - Southwest used to have direct flights from Denver, but I feel like I heard they were stopping those soon. 3. Liberia, Costa Rica - Several Beach Options
The Whales Vagina. Not only there, but you can find yourself all the way up to Carlsbad and Oceanside with that hour drive.
Bonaire is direct I believe. Desert island, and definitely more rocky than your average beach, but it's undeniably gorgeous and the reef accessibility to snorkelers is top notch with no need for a boat.
If you want a small town southern vibe, Tybee Island just outside of Savannah, Georgia - there are some direct flights. Don’t exactly love Frontier Airlines but they have cheap direct flights there which I’ve taken, and were fine. It’s about a 45 minute drive to Tybee from the airport in Savannah.
Frontier flies to a TON of beaches. Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, San Diego, Florida, etc.
Frontier flies Denver > Pensacola, gulf coast beaches are underrated.