For the long weekend I spent more than one day at the beach, as the sun was shining and temperatures soared to nearly 97 degrees Fahrenheit. On one day, my friends and I ventured to Ponte Vedra Beach, where we spent the day soaking up the sun, lunching and sipping by the pool, and relaxing in the hot tub.

My best friend is a member of Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, which lets her bring guests to enjoy the club’s amenities and food and drink offerings. So we set up our chairs and umbrella, waded in the unusually calm waters and spent the entire day there.

I also went to Little Talbot Island for Memorial Day weekend. This beach sits farther north and lies within a state park. Just $5 to enter, this beach is one of my favorites, as it’s less crowded and still offers restroom and shower facilities. At this beach I went with my family. We packed lunches and snacks, brought our books and pitched our large canopy to enjoy the sea breeze. The waves were back this time, letting us bounce and dive beneath them.

Unlike Ponte Vedra, Little Talbot Island’s beach has no lifeguard, but state park workers often frequent some of the beach to keep an eye on things.

While there are plenty of other beaches in Jacksonville and up and down A1A in North Florida, Little Talbot Island has my heart, and both beaches made for a great weekend to get some sun and spent some much-needed time relaxing.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor