But that sumptuous vision can turn into a nightmare if the vaunted beachfront lodging — so idyllic-looking on the hotel website — turns out to be a room facing a concrete swath of furiously-trafficked roadway, with the ocean on the other side of the obstacle course.
So, how do unsuspecting travelers, who often pick vacation spots based on nothing more than enticing images on hotel websites and brochures, weed out the imposters from the real thing?
One answer might be The Beachfront Club, a newly-launched website that promises to help beach junkies avoid such marketing traps. The site, found at http://www.thebeachfrontclub.com/, provides lists, maps, photos, and descriptions of "hotels right on the beach. No exception."
To qualify for inclusion, hotels must pass the "no-traffic" test: no roads or vehicle traffic between guest rooms and the beach or the water. A hotel perched on a hillside bluff still aces the test; one with beach access blocked by buildings or busy roads would not.
Still in its beta stage, The Beachfront Club has listings for about 6,500 "true beachfront" hotels in every corner of the world, with another 1,000 mapped. The site's creators, former travel photographer John Everingham and veteran hotelier Chris Ryan, plan to eventually increase that number to 10,000.
The hotels, rated according to a four-star ranking and four-dollar-sign pricing system, range from exclusive luxury resorts to modest bungalows on the sand. Visitors to the site can browse hotels by continent, country, and region using drop-down "destinations lists" menus, locator maps, or simply by typing a location into the search engine. Clicking on the menu or a regional map zooms in further on the satellite map, allowing future travelers to compare each hotel's proximity to the water.
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