Beyond the beach

Bored with just a beach? If you or your partner love the heat but crave some action as part of your beach holiday mix, choose a destination made for adventures. Here are a few of our favourite sun holidays hotspots with unmissable activities, sights and sounds on tap...

Great Egyptian adventures
If one of you thinks novel reading binges and sunbathing by the pool is action enough, while the other just can’t sit still, Egypt holidays in the Red Sea resorts are tailor-made for happy relationships. The luxury hotels bang on the beach in the resorts of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada offer all you could want from watersports and spas to a wide choice of restaurants and bars. Diving and snorkelling in this underwater wonderland that teems with shimmering fish is the star attraction. And there’s a wealth of diving opportunities, from wreck diving for scuba pros to gentle try-dives for absolute beginners. When you’ve had your fix of the big blue, take an excursion via a domestic flight to Luxor for a work out of the more cerebral kind. In the Land of the Pharaohs, you can take guided tours of the Valley of the Kings, including the famous tomb of Tutankhamun, the Valley of the Queens and the stunning Temple of Karnak.

Miami's best vices
Human zoos don’t come much chicer or hedonistic than South Beach in Miami. For devotees of Heat magazine, star spotting on the beaches and upmarket watering holes can be an occupation that keeps you absorbed for days. And if you’re not into the fame game, there’s so much to do at the beach from volleyball to kitesurfing that you could be forgiven for struggling to tear yourself away. Tranquil, it sure is not. You’ll enjoy sights, sounds and fun with a Latin flavour around the clock in Miami’s legendary nightspots, and a mouth-watering choice of designer shops as well as fabulous dining. And Miami hotels are some of the coolest on the planet - including the art deco styled Albion South Beach and Boca Roton Resort & Club on Ocean Drive, which offer peaceful retreats in the heart of the action.

Caribbean a go-go
Caribbean holidays are not known for anything much more strenuous than raising a glass of cold beer to your lips. The vibe on this string of dreamy islands is so laid back it’s horizontal - but it’s not all snoozes in hammocks unless you want it to be. When in Barbados, you can tee off on championship golf courses, while in Jamaica the star attractions of the active kind include climbs up to the spectacular 600ft Dunn’s river falls, and hiking in the Blue Mountains. You can explore the lush rain forests of Grenada and Tobago, the sugar plantations of St Lucia or visit Salt Cay on Turks and Caicos to see humpback whales. Each island offers its own smorgasbord of natural wonders, foods, culture and sounds beyond the waves. It’s a simple case of picking the one that makes you smile the most.

Beat it to Bali
If you’re dreaming of thatched villas perched atop azure blue waters and poolside waiter service, luxury holidays to Bali deliver in spades. Make your way to Sanur Beach, one of the prime locales on the hip list, where you’ll find some peachy boutique hotels set amongst lush hillside terraces. Among the best upmarket hideaways are the Bali Pavillions - traditional style Balinese villas set a short stroll to Sanur beach, and the Bali Hyatt hotel. But there’s much more to Bali than sandy delights. In Kuta, don’t miss performances of Balinese music and dance, visit Tanah Lot, one of Bali's most important sea temples built atop a huge rock, or explore Ubud's Purl Lukisan museum, which has a stunning collection of modern works of Balinese art. And before the sun goes down, join a tour-guided bike ride through charming villages, past exotic temples, freewheeling between rice paddies to really discover what makes the island and its people tick.

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