Those on Shackleford Banks have a special story, says Zelin: 'The origin of the Shackleford horses, according to my relatives in North Carolina, is a mystery-with the most common legend telling the story of Spanish mustangs swimming ashore from a wrecked ship.' Camping next to meandering horses, especially ones with such a backstory, makes for the most romantic and rustic of beach scenes. Plus, the textures and scents and sounds of the surf carry your mind away-you turn off your left brain and just start feeling.' Zelin's lifelong affinity for the beach stems from childhood summers on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where wild ponies roam on certain shores. 'You're on vacation, so there's no work to be done. 'For me, it's the freedom that comes with a coastal visit that's particularly appealing,' says Jeanna Zelin, founder of Retreats by the Sea, which organizes luxury wellness getaways to such beachside destinations as Portland, ME Santa Barbara, CA and Chatham, MA. Something as vast as the ocean just puts all of life's little worries into perspective. Whether you're reclining on windswept sands or trekking across dizzying bluffs, the ebb and flow of the water is hypnotic, and its sheer expanse grounding. 'That was almost four years ago, and we all agree it was the best thing we ever did as a family.' What is it about ocean shorelines that has such power? They touch every sense: the redolence of fresh sea breeze, the sand underfoot, the sparkling sunsets, and the white noise of crashing waves. We just did it,' says Mike Ragsdale, formerly of Birmingham, AL, now of Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Then there are those whom, well, it literally moves: 'Our family loved going to the beach so much that we spontaneously picked up and moved our family of six there! No job, no plan, no idea whether we'd truly like it or not. People often talk about how moving the shore is-a place that relaxes, awakens, and recharges.

Ocean view