SUMMERTIME OUT OF THE BOX
Surprising spots for sunny vacations
Fun in the sun needn’t mean just Florida, Hawaii or the Mexican Riviera. Our vast, diverse planet offers many lesscelebrated but equally alluring summer destinations where visitors can rejuvenate their spirits and tans alike. Here are five left-field locations, which can be surprisingly sunny. TOKYO, JAPAN
While Japan’s capital city may not be a first-thought summer destination for American travelers, Tokyo in fact offers an array of sunny-day attractions and average August high temperatures in the upper 80s. An exotic metropolis of 13 million people, Tokyo’s charms are both historic and futuristic, with storied shrines, palaces and markets rubbing shoulders with state-of-the-art theme parks and skyscrapers. The sprawling, manicured hilltop gardens of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace are perfect for an escapist summer stroll, while families will find something for everyone at the multithemed Disney Tokyo Resort. The city’s beaches can get crowded, but more secluded seafronts like Onjuku and Tatadohama are easy day trips by train.
CHANNEL ISLANDS, BRITISH ISLES
The British Isles are hardly synonymous with sunshine, but at least the Channel Islands — a 168,000-population archipelago which is actually closer to France than to Great Britain — can claim to be the sunniest of them. According to the Met Department of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, they recorded over 2,100 hours of sunshine in 2014 — more than anywhere else in the British Isles. And there’s plenty to do on these largely bucolic locales, where tourism ranks alongside offshore banking in economic significance. Summer activities include kayaking, coasteering, scuba diving, bird watching, and foraging with local guides. There are even castles and a World War II-era underground hospital to explore.
NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS
Summer fun doesn’t require beach or ocean, but water certainly helps. The historic Texas city of New Braunfels, straddling I-35 between San Antonio and Austin, might be the nearest thing to an inhabited inland water park, with the very tubing friendly Guadalupe and Comal rivers running right through town and the latter feeding the original Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort. With average summer high temperatures in the low 90s, New Braunfels offers months of “river weather” with the mild, clear Comal popular amongst scuba divers year-round. Founded by the German prince in 1845, the city’s distinctive EuroAmerican aura is evident in quaint local B&Bs like the Kuebler Waldrip Haus and Prince Solms Inn.
SUNNY BEACH, BULGARIA
Though obscure to most Americans, Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast is a subtropical magnet for sun seekers from all over Europe and neighboring regions. The Balkan country’s aptly named Sunny Beach mega-resort hugs a miles-long fine-sand crescent that consistently averages 12 hours of daily summer sunshine. Bulgaria’s most popular seaside destination, it comprises literally hundreds of hotels, bars, restaurants, shops and nightclubs between the towns of Nesebar and Sveti Vlas. The beach itself is a famously clean and safe, enabling worry-free sunbathing, swimming, surfing and volleyball. More teeming than tranquil, Sunny Beach welcomes holidaymakers of all ages and budgets, with accommodations ranging from five-star complexes to surprisingly affordable home rentals.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, CANADA
If Canada conjures only wintery mental images, consider the balmy summer delights of Prince Edward Island. The warm waters of the surrounding Gulf of St. Lawrence make the island’s climate milder than that of locations inland and, while certainly changeable, July and August temperatures can hit the mid 80s. Notable among the compact province’s 23 beaches are the so-called “singing sands” of Basin Head Provincial Park, which, due to the unique high silica content, appear to “sing” (or at least squeak) when walked on. But the island offers much more than just sun and sand, with deep-sea fishing, some of Canada’s best golf courses, and endless selfie-friendly scenic vistas.