Just a few kilometers down the road from the spring break crowds of Wasaga Beach, Bluewater beach has all the Caribbean-like sand of its wilder neighbour—with the seclusion of the Cayman Islands.

Most of the towering sand hills behind the beach gave way to a hodge-podge of private cottages long ago, but in the 1940s the mounds were barren enough to be used as target practice for incoming WWII air force pilots.

The ecologically rare knolls, part of the Great Lakes coastal dune system, cut off the intrusion of million-dollar development enough that you can still get the deserted island feeling on the 530 feet of public beach wedged between rich-guy retreats.

The Toronto trust-fund set is there for a reason – this is one of the gems of Georgian Bay, and less than two hours from Younge and Bloor.

Photo: Michael Gil