Tropical islands or beaches for introverts?

Saipan. You will need some way of getting around: motorcycle or car. There are lots of places to hang out where you can be relatively alone.

This was one of the reasons I loved Belize. Yea there were the overly populated touristy islands but there were also a lot of cayes where you could just be a total recluse and enjoy nature. You could even hire a boat they’d drop you on an uninhabited caye and come back for you in a couple days or whenever you had it arranged so you could be totally alone if you wished.

Any particular country? Continent? Coast?

Dominican Republic. Third world but so beautiful.

Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles. Same island chain as Aruba and Curacao, but tiny and sparsely populated. Still enough amenities to make you comfortable. I recommend going in the North American summer months. Bonaire is popular with scuba divers, and the best diving season is winter.

There are long stretches of beach where you see no one in Florida. Lover’s Key State Park and Ft. DeSoto County Park can have a lot of people but it is so large, it is easy to find your own stretch of beach.

@marinelife So true. I especially like Honeymoon Island state park in Dunedin, FL for the same reason. It’s a great place to find sand dollars, too.

@marinelife, @Seek_Kolinahr I might check out Ft. DeSoto and Honeymoon Island when I go to Orlando in a few weeks for spring break – they look to be worth the two-hour drive, and I haven’t been to the West beaches yet. Thanks for the tips! Got any suggestions for lonesome stretches a tad further north on the West side (to make for a shorter drive), or around Merritt Island/Cape Canaveral on the East side? Nudie beaches included; we loved Playalinda.

I actually prefer a nice river to a beach, and there are some gorgeous ones in the middle of the state. I highly recommend the Rainbow River in Marion County. There’s nothing quite like a day canoeing down some crystal-clear, 73 degree water, waving to the alligators. ^_^

@wildpotato The West side Gulf beaches are wonderful—much better than the Atlantic beaches. You might try Venice (where you can hunt for fossilized megalodon, giant prehistoric shark, teeth) or Anna Maria Island (off the coast from Sarasota. Sarasota itself is well worth visiting.

If you are going to be in Orlando, a little closer to you would be Winter Park (great shopping, cute town, great restaurants, really cute canal tour by boat) or Blue Spring State Park which you could still possibly see manatees wintering depending on when you went. (One of the Florida underground springs which flows with great force and is year round 78 degrees.)

The Oregon Beach is rarely crowded but is more for looking at than soaking up the rays. Warm sunny days are few and far between.
There was a beach in Aruba called Baby Beach that had a lot of locals but not a lot of tourists. The water was warm and up to your waste for yards out. I found it really peaceful.
Some of the smaller Caribbean islands are less commercial. Little Caymen and Barbados come to mind.
Also Tahiti is not real commercial and there are a lot of quiet serene beaches there.
(This question made me realize all the beautiful places I’ve been.)

@JLeslie I had no particular country or continent in mind, although I would prefer somewhere along the equator (tropics).

But all answers so far were very helpful. Thanks guys (and girls)!

The island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Some beaches are packed and you have difficulty finding a parking place. Other beaches ( with a short to medium walk ) are empty and secluded with not a person to be seen, sometimes for the whole day.

@op Saw the headline and thought you were peddling some :P Oh well…

I said Barbados and I meant Bonaire. It is the southern most island in the Caribbean chain. Had a wonderful time there and felt like we were the only people on the island.

@Judi I loved Bonaire. So so much. When did you go? Is Le Ma Se – the bright orange milkshake stand in Rincon – still there?

Mauritius.
If you want to go third world and even lower than third world like if there were a thing fourth work Madagascar should work.

It isn’t a tropical Island, but I would recommend Moose Pass on the Kenai peninsula in Alaska.

I don’t remember the milkshake stand. We went about 5 years ago.

Flinders Island off the coast of Tasmania. There are only about 800 people on the whole island. Quite remote and very beautiful.

Just about any beach in Australia outside of the famous ones like Bondi. Most places you can go for miles and miles and not see another soul!

@Seek_Kolinahr Way ahead a ya, sister – we are passionate about paddling. I’m flying my (very portable) kayak down and we’ll find a little Oldtown Otter or something on craigslist for my fiance (cheaper than renting). We’re planning to hit the Rainbow, the St. Johns, and the Silver because they seem to be closest; if you know of any other rivers nearby I’d love to pick your brain about them and the best put-ins and parking and such. Question – looking at the area lakes on Google Maps, many appear to be connected by canals. In general, is it possible/allowed to paddle through these?

@marinelife Thank you very much for those suggestions – Venice especially sounds interesting.

@wildpotato The canals are all residential areas. You can get away with it, I’m sure.

I like Weekie Watchee and Homosassa Springs, too, but they were really local to me. They’re more crowded. The Rainbow is where it’s at. Do it on a weekday and you won’t have to mow through as many tubers.