Beaches | Wander With Wonder

Photo of the day: on the beach in the French Riviera

Jan 25, 2012 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Culinary, Destinations, Photographs, Restaurants, Vacations 1

The South of France is my favorite place in the world. A small restaurant on a stretch of beach known as Plage Keller, provided an almost perfect wow moment.

Shorebreak Hotel Exterior Huntington Beach

Top hotel room: Shorebreak Hotel Huntington Beach

Jan 26, 2011 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants 2

Staying at Shorebreak Hotel, on the Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the ocean and the Huntington Beach, California pier is like living the American Dream.

Top hotel room: Breezes Grand Negril Jamaica

Jan 04, 2011 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Vacations 1

My room at Breezes Grand Negril in Jamaica was a beach front junior suite with French doors that opened to a small patio, with the beach just a few steps away.

Top hotel room: Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe

Jan 03, 2011 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Vacations 0

Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe Resort is in Riviera Maya, Mexico south of Cancun. My Junior Suite Ocean View Club Premium room is on my top hotel room list.

Playa Vida beach house in Rocky Point Mexico

Dec 30, 2010 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Destinations, Vacations 1

Playa Vida is a welcoming beach-front rental home in Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico on the Sea of Cortez, about 4 hours south of Phoenix.

Franklin County Florida: Oil-free beaches welcome vacationers

Jun 23, 2010 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Vacations 2

The Gulf oil spill is an astronomical environmental disaster. Yet there are miles of pristine Florida coast untouched by oil. Some of the most breathtaking and tourist-friendly are the beaches of Franklin County, Florida.

Coombs House Inn offers Victorian elegance in Franklin County, FL

Jun 22, 2010 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Hotels and Resorts, Vacations 1

The Coombs House Inn is an elegant historic inn set in the center of a quaint seaside village on the Florida coast in Franklin County. The town of Apalachicola is just minutes from the pristine white sands of St. George Island. The regal Coombs House Inn provides the perfect respite for visitors to Florida’s true natural escape in Franklin County.

Beach front at Esencia Estate, Mexican Riviera

Esencia Estate in Mexico’s Riviera Maya is a more affordable luxury

Aug 21, 2009 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Vacations 1

Esencia Estate is a 50-acre seaside estate in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, just 46 miles south of Cancun, Mexico. It is the essence of elegant simplicity. Located on a perfect two-mile strand of white sand beach, Esencia was the former home of an Italian Duchess.

Chateau de la Messardiere St. Tropez France

Fairytale castle in Saint-Tropez: Chateau Hotel de la Messardiere

Jul 21, 2009 | Susan Lanier-Graham | Hotels and Resorts 0

One of the most incredible hotels in the South of France is Chateau Hotel de la Messardiere. The Chateau sits amid the pinewoods on a hillside overlooking the Bay of Saint-Tropez, the Ramatuelle vineyards, and the beaches of Pampelonne.