28 MAY 2019
OBSESSIONS
THE RIGHT KNIFE
“The beach is for having fun,
not preparing a Michelin-star
meal. Grill some split lobsters,
and shuck a few oysters. The
heavy-duty handle and rust-
resistant blade on this oyster
knife are worth the extra few
bucks.” —MICHAEL SERPA,
SELECT OYSTER BAR, BOSTON
BUY IT Toadfish Put ’Em Back
Oyster Knife ($38, toadfishout
fitters.com)
Beach, Eat, Repeat There’s only one way
to get to some of the world’s dreamiest
beaches: by boat. By Melanie Hansche
Coastal Cookout
Top gear picks
from some of our
fave chefs Produced
by Chris Hughes
A CAST-IRON POT
“Fighting wind, sand, and
seagulls, you can’t get too
cute. This sturdy Dutch oven
can go right on top of a wood
or coal fire and can handle
everything from burgers to
seared swordfish.” —CRAIG
LOVE, SURF HOUSE, CAROLINA
BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA
BUY IT Lodge 9 Quart Cast Iron
Dutch Oven ($120, lodgemfg
.com)
WHERE TO GO NEXT
CHEFS’ RECS
HEATPROOF TONGS
“My favorite thing to cook is
marinated fish wrapped in
banana leaves and ’uala
(sweet potatoes) thrown right
into the coals. So I always
remember to bring a good set
of tongs that can withstand
high heat.”
—LEE ANNE WONG, KOKO
HEAD CAFE, HONOLULU
BUY IT OXO Good Grips 12" Tongs
($13, oxo.com)
COOK ISLANDS
One Foot Island
There’s a darn good reason a season of
Survivor was filmed here: the solitude.
Paul Gauguin Cruises drops anchor
nearby on its Cook Islands and Society
Islands sailing. While not gawking at the
beach, you can expect elegant,
Polynesian-inflected food on board at
the La Veranda restaurant—quite unlike
the diet of a Survivor contestant. (From
$6,395; pgcruises.com)
SEYCHELLES
Anse Source d’Argent
With its curiously shaped boulders and
dense greenery, this beach would not
look out of place on a movie set (e.g., the
1986 film Castaway). Ponant’s intimate
yacht Le Bougainville stops nearby on its
The Essential Seychelles expedition.
Expect menus by Alain Ducasse’s
consulting firm, French wines, and all the
Ladurée macarons you can eat. (From
$5,230, all-inclusive; us.ponant.com)
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Trunk Bay, St. John
Trunk Bay is one of the Caribbean’s least-
crowded and best-managed beaches.
Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam
offers an excursion that takes in the
beach’s 225-yard-long underwater
snorkeling trail on its 7-Day Eastern
Caribbean cruise. A cocktail class in
partnership with Food & Wine is included
in the itinerary. (From $579, excursion
$80; hollandamerica.com)
WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS, AUSTRALIA
Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven’s powdered-sugar sand is the
stuff beach dreams are made of, thanks
to Mother Nature depositing thousands
of years of quartz here (and not on any of
the other 73 Whitsunday Islands). Sail
here on Viking’s Komodo and the
Australian Coast itinerary, which includes
cooking classes and market excursions,
and sails from Bali, Indonesia, to Sydney.
(From $4,999; vikingcruises.com)
An aerial view of
Australia's White-
haven Beach
PHOTOGRAPHY: TANYA PUNTTI. ILLUSTRATIONS: EMILY JOHNSON
