Beach
An honest take on beaches
Profile: Barbara Ann Weibel worked in corporate marketing and public relations for more than 20 years before leaving to pursue her true loves of travel, writing, and photography. In 2007 she strapped on a backpack and traveled solo around the world for six months, visiting 17 countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Pacific Rim, Africa, and Europe, blogging about her experiences along the way. These days, Barbara divides her time between her popular travel and life blog, Hole In The Donut, and writing freelance articles for a variety of traditional magazines and online entities. She travels six months each year and is currently writing a memoir about her extensive travels. Barbara’s Favorite Vacations: I prefer to travel without reservations or a concrete schedule, which allows me to take advantages of opportunities I would otherwise miss if I had to stick to an itinerary. Hostels are my favorite places to stay, because backpackers are an invaluable source of information about undiscovered destinations where I can have a “real” travel experience. I love Spain, New Zealand, Bali, and Italy, although Thailand remains my all-time favorite destination, and I found living with the Maasai in Tanzania to be an eye-opening experience that put me fully in touch with my gratitude.
Posts by: Barbara Weibel
Palm Island Beach, Cape Haze, Florida
Nov 04, 2009; No CommentQuite simply, Palm Island is paradise. Creamy white sand beaches that descend gently into the ocean. Water so clear you can see ripples on the sand bottom in ten feet of water. Billowy clouds drifting over seas that transition from turquoise to sea-green... Read more »
Port Charlotte Beach Park, Port Charlotte, Florida
Oct 28, 2009; 1 CommentCharlotte Harbor and the Gulf Islands of southwest Florida comprise an area of 693 square miles with 830 miles of shoreline. With so much surrounding water, the area has a plethora of beaches from which to choose. Visitors are delighted by miles of unspoiled... Read more »
Manasota Key, Florida – Stump Pass State Park
Oct 21, 2009; No CommentStump Pass State Park, the most remote of the four beaches on lovely little Manasota Key, consists of the southernmost mile of Manasota Key, Peterson Island, Whidden Key and the protected channels between them. Although numerous beaches are found throughout... Read more »
Manasota Key, Florida – Englewood Beach at Chadwick Park
Oct 14, 2009; 2 CommentsManasota Key, a beguiling barrier island off the southwestern coast of Florida, is in perfect harmony with its surroundings. There are no traffic lights or high rises, just a narrow two-lane canopy road leading past the pure white sand of the island’s... Read more »
Manasota Key, Florida – Blind Pass Beach
Oct 07, 2009; 1 CommentIt was no mystery to me how Blind Pass Beach got its name. I approached from the north, on the narrow, two-lane road that runs the length of Manasota Key. Vegetation grew thickly along the road, blocking any view of the ocean. Where the road took a sharp... Read more »
Manasota Key, Florida – Manasota Beach
Sep 30, 2009; 6 CommentsPretty little Manasota Key, located midway between the larger cities of Sarasota and Fort Myers on Florida’s Gulf Coast, boasts some of Florida’s least crowded beaches. Fewer than 1,500 people live on this 2.7 square mile barrier island. There... Read more »
Banzai Pipeline at Ehukai Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii
Sep 23, 2009; 1 CommentThe real name of this famous Hawaiian beach is Ehukai Beach Park, but almost everyone calls it Banzai Pipeline, a nickname that refers to barrel-shaped waves that form just offshore. This legendary wave draws surfers from around the world who consider... Read more »
Madeira Beach Park at John’s Pass, Tampa Bay, Florida
Sep 16, 2009; 1 CommentMadeira Beach bills itself as “an island two miles long and a smile wide.” Others refer to the island as “Grouper Capital of the World,” since it is host to the annual Grouper Fest, held the last weekend in October. Call it what you will,... Read more »
Nha Trang Beach, Vietnam
Sep 09, 2009; 1 CommentPalapas, chaises, and hammocks dot the red sand beach in Nha Trang Despite Vietnamese travel operators who gush about the loveliness of Nha Trang beach, I wouldn’t rank this beach anywhere near the top ten, or even the top one hundred beaches in... Read more »
Warren Dunes State Park, Sawyer, Michigan
Sep 02, 2009; 1 CommentClimbing Mount Randall sand dune I first visited Warren Dunes State Park as a child of nine or ten. My grandparents had retired to the country, purchasing a home just a few miles from the park. With each visit, my sister and I begged to go to the beach.... Read more »
