I'll say one thing though. If you're traveling with people other than your direct family members, you learn a lot. It's weird adjusting to an unfamiliar routine. I'm accustomed to awaking around 9ish, nibbling on a tiny breakfast, and hitting the beach for a couple hours.....that is, until lunch time. Lunch usually consists of shrimp, fruit, the reapplication of sunscreen, and a quickie bathing suit change. Then, we're sunning or floating the waves until 5:30 shower hour, which is soon followed by a departure to a local seafood joint. Some nights, my family would just stay in, eat more seafood, and watch a movie. Almost every night involves an evening beach-walk.
However, this time, I taught myself to have brunch, then a late dinner...and believe me, I was reeling with hunger on that first full day. Playing out in the waves will tire you out. Sure, vacation is supposed to be relaxing, but when you're lugging two beach chairs, an umbrella, a beach bag, and a radio down two flights of stairs, across the court, through the gate and across the wide expanse of pristine-white sand, you realize "Omg, this is more of a workout that I expected."
While at this beach, I tried something new. Beach bikes! If you haven't done this on vacation before, I highly recommend it. As you can see, this is no racing bike, just a leisure little coasting machine. Some areas on our beach were hard-packed enough for a smooth ride, but I'd say the easiest way to avoid ramming down a newly-constructed sandcastle would be to try the sidewalks. During my rides, I discovered many new condos and beach houses, and stunning floral details that car-rider can't experience. Running reveals similar finds, but for a hotter, sweatier, more miserable price. Yeah, I definitely left my running shoes at home this time!
