West Palm Beach Travelogue- Part1 –Juno Beach

Well, I have definitely spent quite a lot of time (if I can say so), in the south eastern united state. I am not trying to make it sound like a riddle, but to put it simply, the state of Florida, The sunshine state. 

The state which has more water surroundings, more sun, Lamborghinis, rich and old people, vacation homes, swamps, crocodiles, beaches, bikinis and everything under the sun which a connoisseur would like to have. In Florida, West Palm Beach has been the place where I have spent all this time. Travelling on a work assignment, I have spent close to 6 months at this small city, if you will. I have travelled there twice, and the roads, restaurants and malls, now well known, feel like those of a second home to me. 

West Palm Beach is south of Tampa and just 70 miles north of Miami. The place is well centered from some of the most important tourist destinations, like Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and never too far from the southernmost tipping point of US, Key West, and hence enjoys its benefits. Great housing options, hotels, well connected, though a little expensive, but quite nice. The water is turquoise blue, the real estate market, has seen its worst, lot of business still to rev up to their golden best, the housing communities have some of the best landscapes, the car rentals  which never run out of business, and the summer break and Florida continue to be synonymous to the whole country.

I choose to start writing about West Palm Beach, and being by sharing my views on Juno beach. This is primarily, because Juno beach happened to be the first place as well, which I visited after getting there.  Find more about Juno beach location and geography details here. 

  The beach is definitely beautiful. Clean shores, turquoise bluish water, facing the Atlantic Ocean is majestic. The beach also paves way to the ocean drive, which serpents along the coast and houses some of the nicest houses, and good restaurants and pubs.

The entry points of the beach are also spread out, quite wide offering easy access to joggers and visitors. The main fishing pier attracts lot of people, who would spend some time fishing over the pier, and enjoy a beautiful view of the sea. There are few coast guard towers at the beach, who are vigilant, and they also methodically follow the flag method of alerting everyone about the conditions and the weather forecast of the sea waves, hence very useful for the ones who are planning to spend a day and venture into the sea.  Juno beach has also strict guidelines around the turtles and them by chance, getting hooked to one of your fishing hooks, hence be wary about the same, and exercise caution and be sensitive towards the turtles.

A yacht gushes through the calm sea waters, on a Saturday afternoon. Can you spot another big boat in the background.

A beautiful Sunday morning at the beach. you can see the sea weeds on the shores

A small board near a small entry to the beach, announcing the palm beach county and sea turtles at the beach.

The fishing pier is fascinating to me all the times. I have taken endless shots of this place, and always enjoy looking at its pictures.

A calm Sunday on the pier for fishing, reading or simply chit-chatting.

A shot from the pier, showing the nice shores and the coast line. Not to forget, the puffy clouds loom large.

Some other tips:

1. Carry your stuff. The beach, though beautiful doesn’t have any stalls or shops nearby, hence carry your own lotions, lots of water to save you from dehydration, eatables, chair, beach towels, your favorite book. Though there is small shop at the entry of the fishing pier, which has couple of drinks and few crackers available but I never relied on it.

2. The sections of the beach, as I found were quite lone. Though the whole area is calm, exercise caution while going too far from the pier, essentially where the whole activity is.

3. The weather can turn on your very fast, hence be cautious and take the warnings by the coast guards seriously. If not weather, at times sharks have been reported very close to the shores, so listen to the coast guards and act accordingly.

4. Do not miss out on the Loggerhead turtle Park, which is set just next to the beach. It’s a delight to visit, especially if you have kids with you.

5. There are some very nice restaurants, just off the A1A, so you can always plan your lunch nearby. We used to go to Lana Thai, Thirsty turtle which I can remember now.

6. For essentially, there is a big CVS pharmacy, just on the A1A, very close to the beach entrance. Though, if you are driving then there are numerous options available near-by.

Keep reading. I would be writing about other parts of west palm beach, and my experiences in the forthcoming posts.