Jinzun (金樽)
The crown gem of east-coast beaches, Jinzun might just be the best beach in Taiwan. It's also an excellent example of how scenic areas can be developed without being overdeveloped. A cafe sits atop a 50m cliff that walls in the beach itself. The problem is that the sole wooden stairwell that leads down this cliff was destroyed in an earthquake months ago and has yet to be repaired. You can access the beach from behind the roadside binlang stand south of the cafe. Just off shore is an anchor-shaped coral formation that makes bringing a mask worthwhile. But be warned: As with much of the east coast, the sea bank falls off rapidly and swimming can be dangerous.
Jialeshui (佳樂水)
Leave the crowds at Kenting's Dawan Beach by driving around the southern tip of the island to Jialeshuei, a long stretch of sand that sits at the bottom of windswept cliffs. Make your way down the sand slopes from the road, but first make sure you have everything you need -- it's a lot further down than it looks from the top and a slog to walk back up. Perhaps that's one of the reasons there are rarely crowds here on weekends and during the week you may well have the place to yourself. There's good surfing, but most people that come seem content to contemplate the curve of the earth.
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