Sunday, December 20, 2020

Jolly Beach Antigua- July 31, 2017- Solid 9!!!!!!

 






Pic 1

















-          Size of beach

o   Length of shoreline

§  Approximately 2 miles

o   Distance from water to sand

§  50 feet

-          Sand type

o   White

-          Water Appearance

o   Blue

o   Transparent to how many feet

§  At least 10 feet depth- there are buoys which denote where the water loses its transparency

-          Cleanliness

o   The beach is completely clean. It is a marvel!

-          Water Temperature

o   Warm, not even cold when you first enter

-          Shade availability

o   Seating and Resting available

-          Safety

o   There are no lifeguards but there are no dangerous riptides. No dangerous animals either

-          Available Activities

o   Swimming distances

§  YES

o   Free diving

§  YES

o   Surfing

§  No- no waves to speak of

o   Snorkeling

§  Yes

o   Scuba

§  NO

o   Partying/ beautiful women congregating

§  No. This is an intimate family beach

o   Food and drink/ disposal

§  Yes. The beach remains completely clean

o   Sports

§  Soccer and volleyball are both available and arranged

-          Level of Calm

o   Swimming great- no surfing possible light waves

-          Animals

o   Are there fishing birds

§  YES

o   Are fish visible

§  YES

o   Jellyfish

§  NO

o   Sea eggs

§  NO

o   Crabs

§  NO

o   Horseshoe crabs

§  NO

o   Turtles

§  NO

o   Sea ants- other biting animals

§  NO

o   Barracuda

§  NO

o   Sharks

§  NO

o   Coral- sharp or otherwise

§  YES but not sharp

-          Plant Life/ Other

o   Seaweed/kelp

§  NO

o   Sharp stones

§  NO

o   Sharp shells

§  NO

o   Coconut trees/ providing shade but also crabs

§  NO

-          Access

o   Is it public/private

§  This is a public beach but it adjoins an all-inclusive hotel and resort. I was staying at the resort and had ready access.

-          Price

o   Free

-          Land Pests

o   None

-          Other

-          Overall Beach Vibe

o   This is my first beach review in years and I picked the perfect beach. Jolly Beach is a delight! It is 2 miles of white sand and truly transparent, calm, waters. This really is almost the ultimate cozy beach and its natural beauty actually surpasses that of the beaches found in Tobago. People wax poetic about the Mona Lisa or the works of Picasso or Raphael but those works pale in comparison to what God created when he made Jolly Beach.

o   First, the sand is pristine. Despite the numerous hotels abutting the coast, there is no trash anywhere on the sand or in the water. The water is stunningly azure and once you submerge yourself, it drapes over your body like a diaphanous gown.

o   When the sunlight hits this beach, you will believe that you are in a computer simulation. Especially if you are unfamiliar with Antigua, you will not believe that beaches can become this beautiful. This beach is simply breathtaking.

o   I stayed here as part of an all-inclusive resort. The beach is a 5 minute walk from my room and the hotel provides towels and chairs. At any time, there are maybe 30 people sharing this 2 mile space so this is almost an ideal intimate beach for families or lovers.

o   I want to give this beach an unequivocal 10 out of 10; however, there are some small issues.

o   First, there are jet skis that sometimes approach relatively close to the shore, and this can be annoying. Also, on the beach there are solicitors selling jet-ski trips, trips circumnavigating the island, horseback riding, and other similar eco-tourist opportunities, and these solicitations get old fast.

o   However these are slight annoyances and ultimately weigh little against the seductiveness and beauty of jolly beach.

o   PROS

§  Spectacular beauty that left me breathless and happy to be alive for quite a while.

§  Easy accessibility from the adjoining resort.

§  Free for Antiguans and tourists alike

o   CONS

§  People trying to sell all kinds of stuff

§  Antiguans can be more blunt and aggressive than tourists are used to.

§  There is a bit of competition between the resort and local people who are competing to sell catamaran trips around the island and shuttles to different places, which makes for awkward explanations when you ask the hotel for details.


Varadero Cuba- April 2016 Varadero Bay 7 out of 10

 



This is a stock image, because for some reason I could not upload the actual picture I took while at the resort.

-          Size of beach

o   Length of shoreline- 2 miles

o   Distance from water to sand- about 200 meters

-          Sand type

o   White and artificial

-          Water Appearance

o   Blue but not transparent and with seaweed

-          Cleanliness

o   It is clean with numerous trash cans and people patrolling

-          Water Temperature

o   Super nice

-          Shade availability

o   Benches and shade available everywhere

-          Safety

o   Not safe for swimming long distances. In addition, there are free drinks available everywhere including 100 feet from the edge of the water so swimming for a long time is not recommended.

-          Available Activities

o   Partying/ beautiful women congregating

o   Food and drink/ disposal

o   Sports

§  Soccer and dancing led by hotel staff

-          Level of Calm

o   Current too strong for swimming

-          Animals

o   I did not see any

-          Plant Life/ Other

o   Seaweed/kelp

o   Coconut trees/ providing shade but also crabs

-          Access

o   Is it a private beach and the Cuban police do not play

-          Price

o   Included in the resort

-          Land Pests

o   None

-          Other

-          Overall Beach Vibe

o   This beach is something of a conundrum in that the water is blue but it is not transparent. Also, the Cuban government transported the sand from Havana to Varadero, which has altered the quality of the beach, and makes the sand rock hard past 6 inches. Also, this beach is attached to an all-inclusive resort, so free drinks, and cups and straws, abound. The staff is diligent about keeping the beach clean but there is still some trash as there is in all party beaches. That said, the partying is off the chain.

o   The reason that I rank this beach lower than Maracas in Trinidad is that the government restricts access to this beach to tourists who are there specifically to party. Maracas is mostly for Trinidadian people who are not there only to party. It is more of a mix of the general population. There are very few Cubans who are not working for the resorts on this beach.

o   Here, the reason this party beach is actually so good is because people visit specifically to party and the drinks are free and ubiquitous. Moreover, although a tourist CANNOT hook up with a Cuban woman or man in Varadero, the police explicitly forbid this, people go there to party and hook up.

§  PROS

·         Blue waters

·         Free drinks

·         Friendly people there to party

§  CONS

·         Seaweed

·         Strong current

Restricted beach access

 


Hawaiian Beach