America's 10 Best Winter Beach Retreats

White sand and warm waters are closer than you think. When winter's chill sets in, escape to one of these laid-back, sun-drenched spots—no passport needed.

In Kauai, Hawaii, winter temperatures remain in the high 70s. The horseshoe-shaped, secluded Hanalei Bay is the best beach for swimming and lounging on the golden sand. This stretch is located near casual Hanalei Inn, with rooms from $139.

Kauai has managed to stay a little more under the radar than other Hawaiian islands, and that's what makes it so appealing. At the northernmost point of the island sits Kilauea Lighthouse, built in 1913.

In the midst of winter, nothing seems cheerier than the idea of Puerto Rico, where temperatures rarely dip below the 83-degree mark. On the west coast, Rincón's beaches are the surfing community's best-kept secret.

Casa Isleña Inn, in Rincón, Puerto Rico, is a Spanish-style house with nine guest rooms and a terrace overlooking the water—perfect for spotting humpback whales in the winter.

Ocean Beach, in San Diego, where temperatures stay in the 60s all through the winter and the crashing waves of the Pacific create a quintessential-American-beach-town vibe.

With its modern, glass-box look and hip indoor/outdoor restaurant and bar, Tower23 Hotel on Pacific Beach is a welcome departure from the outdated beach shacks that dot San Diego.

In Laguna Beach, Calif., La Casa del Camino has a range of accommodations, from a Craftsman-style cottage to the impossibly cool rooms designed for the 2010 Casa Surf Project, including the Billabong Suite shown here.

Done the right way, Laguna Beach (made famous by a reality show of the same name) can be incredibly down-to-earth. Beaches fill up during the summer, but in the winter months they're blissfully crowd-free

Pier 61 in Galveston, Tex., where winter temperatures hover in the low 60s and savvy travelers head to secluded West Beach to troll for shells or soak up some sun.

The historic tall ship Elissa in Galveston, Tex. Nearby is the revitalized Strand district, where buildings from the 1800s have been restored and now house restaurants, antiques stores, and many galleries full of fine art and photography.

Nine-mile Orange Beach, Ala., has everything you need—lots of room to spread out your beach blanket, warm waters as blue as any you'll find in Florida, and snow-white sand that's 95 percent quartz.

The beachside, 346-room Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Ala., is like a community unto itself, with four restaurants, an indoor/outdoor pool, hot tubs and tennis courts.

One of four islands that make up Georgia's Golden Isles (a collection of barrier islands just off the southeastern coast), St. Simons Island is known for its historical landmarks, white-sand beaches, and 99 holes of golf.

The oak trees on St. Simons Island, Ga., are so treasured that the charming Village Inn & Pub was built around them—not one tree had to be cut down during construction.

Clearwater Beach, near St. Petersburg, Fla. The warm Gulf waters are a popular hangout for dolphins—spot one from a three-person WaveRunner, a Hobie sailboat, or a kayak.

The year-old Postcard Inn on the Beach has been the talk of St. Petersburg, Fla., lately. In the courtyard, a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs is the perfect place to wind down after a day at the beach.

In the winter, the population of Grand Isle, a barrier island off Louisiana's Gulf Coast, shrinks back down to 1,600 permanent residents from its summer high of 14,000. But temperatures remain warm enough to sunbathe, and you can do so without the crowds.

Anglers adore Grand Isle, La., thanks to the more than 280 species of fish in the surrounding waters, and many flock to Grand Isle State Park to fish in its calm waters.

Smack in the middle of the Florida Keys, you'll find tiny Long Key, just over two miles long from end to end. The isolated island is made up almost entirely of Long Key State Park, where the one-mile beach is perfect for tent camping.

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Top 10 Most Beautiful Places in HAWAII

Lanikai Beach

Translated into English Lanikai means “heavenly sea,” which is exactly what it is. Locals and visitors alike marvel at the picture perfect white sandy beaches and clear turquoise waters.

Hilo

Hilo is a coastal Hawaiian town with something for everyone. This town features multiple museums, a beautiful historic theatre, golf courses and downtown area filled with shops and attractions.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, situated on Big Island, is one of the most visited spot in the entire state of Hawaii. It has trails for hiking, beautiful sights to photograph, and two record holding volcanoes.
Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge

 In a comfortable 203 acres of land on the North shore of Kilauea, the Kilauea National wildlife refuge is the place to go when you want to see and learn about Hawaii’s exotic wildlife.
Molokini

 The Molokini Island is widely known for having the clearest waters in Hawaii, and offers from 80 to 200 feet of crystal clear waters. This also makes Molokini the location for Hawaii’s best and most beautiful snorkeling.
Waimea Canyon

 Mark Twain once called this beautiful canyon in Koke’s State Park the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”. Over 3,600 feet depth, a mile wide, and 10 miles long, this canyon is both inspiring and stunning in its mass and beauty.
Waikiki

With beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and trails, Waikiki offers all the grander of nature that other Hawaiian islands boast. It also has great shopping opportunities including fine art, custom jewelry, designer clothing, and local music.
Gardens of Kauai

 The island of Kauai, known as the garden island, will leave you breathless from the moment you set eyes on it.
Haleakala

 Haleakala is not only one of the largest mountains in the world, but it is also a massive dormant volcano. Seen from miles away, Haleakala is hard to miss, and even harder to look away from.
Polynesian Cultural Center  

It should be no surprise that the Polynesian Cultural Center makes the list. Every visitor of Hawaii should visit this culture-rich center to not only learn about the island and local inhabitants, but the center also hosts one of most authentic luaus in Hawaii.

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Pakistani Style Tram in Australia

Vehicles of transport have long been celebrated in Pakistan, adorned with elaborate decorations to keep good spirits with the journey. A fleet of particularly vibrant mini-buses ply the Karachi route called W-11, characterized by stainless-steel panels, brightly colored plastic collages, flashing light patterns, music beats and exuberant conductors. As part of the Commonwealth Games, a group of Pakistani bus decorators transformed a Melbourne Tram into what you would expect to see on a Karachi bus routes.

Decorated trams are nothing new to the people of Melbourne, but this tram is different, it's not about advertising, it's about celebrating life. As the words written in Urdu and translated in English emblazoned down the side read "Love is Life". A ride on this tram is not about getting somewhere; it's about really being moved.


And the people of and visitors to Melbourne can't get enough of it! So what does the tram look like? Based on the decorated buses that traverse the city of Karachi, the tram is covered in brightly colored self-adhesive stickers that have been cut out by hand and make intricate patterns.

No part of the tram has been left undecorated as there are beads hanging from the ceiling and even multi-colored tassels hanging from the rear view mirrors. A Each seat also has a cover with a design that incorporates both the Pakistan and Australian flag representing the relationship between the two countries.

Responsible for the initiative were Wajid Ali and his team of decorators, who spent four months in Karachi cutting out the stickers and putting together the decorations. They came to Melbourne and spent another six weeks at the Preston Tram Workshops applying the decorations to the 30-year-old Z class tram which is just about to be retire.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful art from outside and inside of the tram.

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8000 Mile Trip By A Plastic Bottle Ship

Sailors hail the good ship 'Plastiki': Boat made from 12,500 plastic bottles completes 8,000-mile Pacific journey
A boat made out of 12,500 recycled plastic bottles docked in Sydney Harbour today after four difficult months crossing the Pacific Ocean on a journey meant to raise awareness about the perils of plastic waste.
The crew of the Plastiki, a 60ft (18m) catamaran which weathered fierce storms during its 8,000 nautical miles at sea, left San Francisco on March 20, stopping at various South Pacific island nations including Kiribati and Samoa along the way.
'This is the hardest part of the journey so far - getting it in!' expedition leader David de Rothschild yelled from the boat as the crew struggled to manoeuvre the difficult-to-steer vessel into port outside the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Green message: The 60ft-long Plastiki catamaran, built from plastic bottles, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge 

Excited: Expedition leader David de Rothschild (second on left) and his crew

A crowd of about 100 erupted into cheers after the Plastiki finally docked.

De Rothschild - a descendant of the British banking family - exchanged high fives and hugs with his crew, pumping his fists into the air in victory.

'It has been an extraordinary adventure,' he said.

The 31-year-old said the idea for the journey came to him after he read a United Nations report in 2006 which said that pollution - and particularly plastic waste - was seriously threatening the world's oceans.

He decided that a good way to prove that rubbish can be effectively recycled was to use some of it to build a boat.

Long journey: The Plastiki completes her 8,000-nautical mile trans-Pacific voyage from San Francisco as she approaches the Sydney Opera House 

British adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild sails as the Plastiki arrives at Sydney Harbour

 The Plastiki - named after the 1947 Kon-Tiki raft sailed across the Pacific by explorer Thor Heyerdahl - is fully recyclable and gets its power from solar panels and windmills.

The boat is almost entirely made up of bottles, which are held together with an organic glue made from sugar cane and cashews, but includes other materials too. The mast, for instance, is recycled aluminium irrigation pipe.

'The journey of the Plastiki is a journey from trash to triumph,' Jeffrey Bleich, the U.S. Ambassador to Australia, who greeted the team after they docked, said.

During their 128-day journey, the six-member crew lived in a cabin of just 20ft (6m) by 15ft (4.5m), took saltwater showers, and survived on a diet of dehydrated and canned food, supplemented with the occasional vegetable from their small on-board garden.

'Trash to triumph': During their 128-day journey, the six-member crew lived in a cabin of just 20ft (6m) by 15ft (4.5m)

Divers next to the keel of the boat made from 12,500 plastic bottles

Along the way, they fought giant ocean swells, 62-knot (70mph) winds, temperatures up to 38c (100f) and torn sails.

The crew briefly stopped in Queensland state last week, after battling a fierce storm off the Australian coast.

Skipper Jo Royle also had the particular challenge of being the only woman on board.

'I'm definitely looking forward to a glass of wine and a giggle with my girlfriends,' she said.

Vern Moen, the Plastiki's film-maker, missed the birth of his first child - although he managed to watch the delivery on a grainy Skype connection. He met his son for the first time after docking in Sydney.

'It was very, very surreal to show up on a dock and it's like, "Here's your kid",' he said with a laugh.

Although the team had originally hoped to recycle the Plastiki, de Rothschild said they were now thinking of keeping it intact, and using it as a way of enlightening people to the power of recycling.

'There were many times when people looked at us and said, "You're crazy",' he said.

'I think it drove us on to say, "Anything's possible".

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