Where can I rent a house on a desolate beach for a week?

March 12, 2004 9:26 AM

I would like to rent a house for a week in June on a desolate beach somewhere. Any suggestions?

I would prefer not to deal with heavy rains or hurricaines. I'd love to find some surfable waves. Somewhere in Puerto Rico would be nice, but I dont have any familiarity with that country.

posted by mert to Travel & Transportation (15 answers total)

When you said desolate, I wanted to suggest the Oregon coast or the Olympic Peninsula. Sounds like what you want is just a semi-unpopulated beach? You don't want something that helps you write poetry about suicide, right? You want more of a Jimmy Buffett type of feel?
posted by Hildago at 9:33 AM on March 12, 2004

Response by poster: Yes. I'd like situate myself away from the suicide end of the spectrum, preferably somewhere warm. And by desolate, I guess I mean 'no big hotels or development,' though I've always romanticized complete and utter desolation. With plumbing.
posted by mert at 9:45 AM on March 12, 2004

Hanalei, Kauai
posted by scottymac at 9:56 AM on March 12, 2004

Sozopol. Bulgaria.
posted by zaelic at 9:56 AM on March 12, 2004

The Black sea. I'm not kidding. You can rent a house for forty bucks a day. Or a room for ten. It will cost you $800 to get there. The money evens out, and you can take a bus and visit Istanbul for $30 if ya want. I do it every summer. Black sea fried fish $2 and Bulgarian mastica ouzo $2 a bottle.
posted by zaelic at 10:00 AM on March 12, 2004

Sanibel Island, Florida. Small, bikeable, kinda quiet, just damn nice.
posted by mkelley at 10:30 AM on March 12, 2004

Chesterman Beach on Vancouver Island. Not exactly desolate, but pretty quiet nonetheless. It can be rainy, though.
posted by timeistight at 10:43 AM on March 12, 2004

Prince Edward Island. May-June is peak lobster season in the Maritimes, and since it's too cold for swimming the rates are off-season.
posted by PrinceValium at 10:47 AM on March 12, 2004

Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks. You won't have a house on the beach -- you'll have a house (or one of a few condos) in the village on the south end of the island. But when you leave the house, you go to the ~15 miles of National Seashore with not a house, condo, hotel, or anything in sight. And the island is reachable only by ferry.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:13 PM on March 12, 2004

tharlan: we went in late September (2002), during the mussel harvest, and stayed here on the north shore, near the town of Morell and the Greenwich Dunes. They told us that July and August are the only warm swimming months - indeed the rates at the cabin spike from June 20 through Sept. 5. When we went we had some fierce wind storms, though everything was beautiful nonetheless and the temperature fairly moderate. Not sure if the south shore or western section of the island is any different. The provincial biking trail is meticulously maintained and is a wonderful ride.
posted by PrinceValium at 1:58 PM on March 12, 2004

Just coming in to the wrong time of year but New Zealand has stunning coastline & not many people around, esp. in the South Island.

Thailand, despite having lots of visitors, still has deserted beaches in the more inaccesible beaches around islands, eg Koh Pan Ngan.

Sri Lanka. Good surfing too.

If you want any specifics, drop me an email. I'm on the road at the moment so posting to MeFi is a bit limited...
posted by i_cola at 7:46 PM on March 12, 2004

trharlan - I went in the end of september/beginning of August, and the water was still warm. The bed and breakfast's were very cheap ( 1/2 to 2/3 full season price ) too.

The very top and east of PEI seem to have the warmest and nicest beaches - but I didn't explore the west side much.

Plus, you can sleep at the many superb PEI oceanside parks for very little ($8-$15 Canadien). Clean spacious, fires allowed, bathrooms and showers even.

Then again, the Black Sea sounds rather nice. And then there i_cola.........
posted by troutfishing at 11:43 PM on March 12, 2004

Cabbage Key, on the West Coast of Florida about eight mi N of Sanibel. Island accessible only by ferry, stay in 1930s era guesthouse/lodge thingie. Rent small boat to explore nearby uninhabited, deserted (mostly) islands, with miles of empty beaches.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:00 AM on March 13, 2004

Garden City, SC: If you rent a house on the far end on the peninsula (labeled Inlet Harbor on the map), you will left pretty much alone. Large wide beaches and only a few other people out and about. My family has held family reunions there for the last 16 years and have loved it. You are also on minutes away from extraordinary seafood restaurants in Murrells Inlet. This area is far enough away from Myrtle Beach that it doesn't feel to commercial or overrun (although close enough that you can drive in for a night or two if you are so inclined).
posted by mmascolino at 9:12 PM on March 13, 2004

Response by poster: thanks!
posted by mert at 8:49 PM on March 16, 2004