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New Smyrna Beach BeachHunter.net Florida beaches: reviews, photos, info. | ||||
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New Smyrna Beach |
| New Smyrna Beach is one of the finest Atlantic
Coast Beaches. Below Daytona, and above Cocoa Beach, New Smyrna is
often overlooked in favor of the more heavily advertised beaches to
the north and south. But it is definitely worth a look, especially
if you are looking for something a little different. For beach and
nature lovers, surfers, and fishermen, Smyrna Dunes Park at the
north end of the island, on Ponce Inlet, is the place to be. Birding
is excellent in the park too. Cars are allowed to drive on much of New Smyrna Beach, like they are on Daytona. The wide, flat beaches, recently renourished with fresh sand are much whiter and finer than most Atlantic coast beaches. In fact, they can be blindingly white. One of the first things that I noticed about New Smyrna is that even though it has plenty of tall buildings on the beach, very few of them are hotels. I stayed at the Holiday Inn right on the beach and was quite pleased with it, but overall the selection is nothing like what you'll find in Daytona or Cocoa Beach. The Holiday Inn New Smyrna Beach is newly renovated. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite that was absolutely one of the most comfortable hotel rooms I've stayed in. Most of the available accommodations on the beach are condominiums with a few smaller motels thrown into the mix. The larger hotel chains with predictable levels of quality and service are not well represented.
Flagler Avenue is a focal point. The main public beach access is on Flagler and there are lots of small shops, boutiques, restaurants, and beach / surf shops in this historic district. It has a nice beach vibe. I like New Smyrna Beach. |
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| Above: A slide show of photos taken on the beach in front of the Holiday Inn New Smyrna Beach. I got up early to photograph the sunrise from our hotel room balcony, then went for a walk around 8 am. It was unmercifully hot once the sun was up, but lots of people were out for a morning walk. |
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| Above: Looking south on New Smyrna Beach with a zoom lens. |
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| Above: Looking north on New Smyrna Beach. Far in the distance you can see the dunes at Smyrna Dunes Park. |
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Above: A beach access ramp for cars on New Smyrna Beach. |
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| Above: The Holiday Inn New Smyrna Beach. It was under renovations during our stay, but we still were very comfortable in our two bedroom suite. |
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| Above: New Smyrna Beach, especially near the jetty at Ponce Inlet, is one of the top surfing spots in Florida. |
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| Above: The white dunes in a residential area in northern New Smyrna Beach. The black pipes on the ground are part of the beach renourishment project, and are not there permanently. Notice the cars on the beach. Driving on the beach is allowed in many areas of New Smyrna Beach. |
Copyright © 2009 David McRee, all rights reserved.