CapeTown isn't difficult to reach. Qantas has a JFK to Sydney flight with a refueling stop at LAX.

Agree about Cape Town but the beaches aren't the city's strongest suit, particularly those closest to the airport. East of Hermanus is a different story.

Surprised no one has mentioned Cannes or Nice, both with very particular charms.

And then I love most of the beaches around Padstow, very convenient for NQY.

How about nonstop to Barcelona? That's a great choice for beach + city. There are good urban beaches directly in the city, plus smaller towns up and down the coast, accessible by inexpensive local trains.

The weather will be nice, although I don't know how/if/when the water temperature changes throughout the year.

i mentioned places that have developed beach areas (with good beaches) rather than private islands

Aruba.

- Direct flights from both JFK and EWR.
- Only a 5 hour flight.
- They take American money, and even the ATM's dispense US dollars.
- Out of the hurricane zones.
- Beautiful beaches, and plenty of non-water activities.

I'm partial to Laguna Beach, CA. And it's easy for me to get there.

Isn't LAX right next to a beach? With FLL you can take the #1 bus to the #11, I think it is, though maybe the Zika has gotten there from Dade county.

I've about given up on the beach-chasing in Thailand, what with Phuket, Samui and Krabi so crowded and "newer" spots well on their way. Western Samoa was a good place for a less-crowded beach experience, as was Aitutaki in the Cook Islands and Anakena on Easter Island. Those places might give you immigration hassles if coming from the U.S., though, because of concerns over Zika.

Yeah, I kinda liked Aruba. The national park has a unique sort of parched landscape. And the divi trees make for good photos.

What's your definition for this case of not difficult to get to? You talking more along the lines of time to get there, or less connections?

Going JFK-LAX-HNL (or OGG) is extremely easy especially if you do J or F on NY-LAX transcon on AA. BUT, that's a good 11-12 hours of flt time there and 10-11 back.

For super easy, just fly down to the Caribbean nonstop from JFK. I personally would choose St Maarten.

Lots of beaches on lots of islands in Thailand.

Easier to get to than Bali.

Go to the Thailand forum for lots of advice. There are people there who live in Phuket, for example.

Fort Lauderdale or South Beach in Miami depending on your crowd. If you are not going in the middle of winter; Charleston, SC looks like a charming place as well, but it gets to the upper 50's in the winter.

Tel Aviv

There are many places in Spain and Portugal that have nice beaches as well as beautiful historical sites to visit. Fly to LIS and enjoy the beaches in nearby towns such as Cascais and Oeiras, for example.

I also really loved Croatia and Malta in terms of the combination of both beaches and lots of culture (Malta is better in the culture/historic sites aspect than croatia) but both are probably too hard to get to from NYC. Very easy from anywhere in Europe though.

And of course the obvious Rio de Janeiro. Classic, and of course rio has its downside (criminals) but it's still a great city with great beaches, both in the city and around it (a week trip to Búzios or Cabo Frio for example).

These threads unfortunately seem to go on forever until every beach in the world has been suggested!

phuket - surin for example
may vary dramatically by season

vs asia? or central/south america?

i enjoyed BVI

bahamas may have some places with lower prices and good values

although possible for there to be specific comparisons
if OPs give specific criteria, budget, activity interests