

Ask HN: Best beach to work for a week? - chasb

I'm leaving my job in August and have been working night and weekends on a prototype for a few months now. I know I'm going to be busy starting a company after I quit, so I'd like to take a week to sit on a beach and code, swim, repeat.<p>So I'm looking for suggestions on where to go. Anywhere in the world is fine. I just need wifi, sand, and water.<p>(Or, if you want to tell me what else I should be doing instead, I'm open to that...)
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EvanKelly
I'm in Hawaii, and can give you some recommendations for out here.

Your best bet for a little bungalow is <http://www.vrbo.com>

On Oahu (main metropolitan island):

North Shore - Historic surf breaks, but summer is the off-season, so you might
find a good deal on a house. Not sure about grabbing WiFi from the beach, but
a hotspot would surely work.

Kailua - Quintessential beach town. Good food, a bit expensive and not
necessarily "authentic Hawaii". No waves, but lots of opportunity for kayaking
and swimming. You should probably be able to find a spot close to some wifi
depending on where you go. A computer on the beach would be pretty typical
here.

Waimanalo - This will give you a bit more of a secluded feel, but areas of it
can be fairly low income. You would be very out of place working on a computer
on the beach here. Hotspot will be necessary here.

Maui (more resorty, less metropolitan)

Paia - Awesome small town off the beaten path. Not sure what kind of wifi
you'll get from the beach. Really great small cafes and coffee shops all over
maui.

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gonzo
Good food in Kailua? Where? Buzz's, sure. Where else?

(There is free WiFi at Starbucks and Morning Brew in Kailua town, but that's a
3 mile walk from the beach.)

Waimanalo: there are sections of the beach where they'll steal your computer.
(Though Ewa is worse.)

No mention of 'da Big Island', or Kauai, eh?

~~~
EvanKelly
Breakfast in Kailua is awesome. I'm a Cinnamon's fan myself, but I know a lot
of people are Boots and Kimos guys.

I really love Kalapawai (both locations) and the morrocan place is a pretty
nice spot. Kailuans (?) seem to have a soft spot for Pizza Bob's too.

I've sadly (and shamefully) never been to the big island so I couldn't speak
to that. I've also only been to Kauai briefly to hike the Na Pali coast.

Are you talking about Ewa or just Ewa side? Ewa to me is just a bunch of
suburbs and military familys. Heading out to Maile/Nanakuli/Waianae is more
similar to some Waimanalo areas.

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lifeguard
1st place:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Beach%2C_San_Diego>

2nd place:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahaina,_Hawaii>

3rd place:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nice>

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chasb
Why Mission Beach over Hawaii?

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hkarthik
I will second Mission Beach.

We rented a beach house there and it had great high speed via Comcast and a
nice flat screen TV. Great coffee shops nearby if you want a change of scene.

One thing though, you will need a car to get around and parking is a total
bitch! Beyond that, I would go back anytime for a week of coding. My wife and
I were even contemplating getting a vacation home there if we ever strike it
rich.

~~~
lifeguard
Take a bus or cab to the Old Town Transit center. From there light rail,
trolley, and Amtrak are available. But the buses are not very nice.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Transit_Center_%28MTS...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Transit_Center_%28MTS_Transit_Center%29#Service)

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rdouble
I like South Beach in Miami as the beach is actually really great for just
chilling, there are a lot of attractive people there, the hotels are nice, you
can get pretty good food easily, there are usually inexpensive deals, etc.

Waikiki is similar but more a Japanese/Pacific Islander vibe instead of
latin/south american. I'm sure more savvy Hawaii promoters will LOL at me for
suggesting Waikiki, but I actually think it's nice to be able to go do
something else if you get bored of lounging at the beach.

Outside of the USA I've only been to beaches in Mexico, France and Australia.
I recommend Australian beaches but it's a long way to go and expensive to get
there and stay there. Mexico I'm not so sure about anymore as there's been a
lot of serious crime reported recently in the beach areas I'm familiar with.
Nice is great but I thought the available accommodation was either super
expensive or cheap, but disgusting.

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c0n5pir4cy
I'm stuck at WiFi,

I think it might be better to just get a portable hotspot or tether your phone
as most places offer cheap top up unlimited plans nowadays (Although they
don't usually offer tethering)

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chasb
Domestically, that's true. Globally, wifi is the deal-killer.

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dlf
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua is spectacular. For something a little more
remote, Cahuita, Costa Rica is great too and is not far from the surfing mecca
of Puerto Viejo. I bet you can find wifi in either spot, at least in San Juan
del Sur and Puerto Viejo. There's some beautiful spots in the Philippines as
well. Try El Nido or Dumaguete (great diving and both definitely have wifi).

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chasb
Awesome suggestions, thanks.

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dlf
Np. Would love to hear about your travels. Feel free to ping me for more
ideas/details. I've traveled pretty extensively in Central America and
Southeast Asia, and a bit in Europe.

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albahk
If Thailand is an option I would go for The Library at Koh Samui.
[http://www.thelibrary.co.th/](http://www.thelibrary.co.th/)

Just out of the way enough to avoid the drunk losers passed out on the beach
at patong etc

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munimkazia
I would have suggested some quiet beaches in the west coast of India, but
Internet connectivity can be a bit of an issue.

