There’s no doubting Israel’s a beautiful country, but in Caesarea, the milk’s especially creamy and the honey’s just a tad sweeter. Ask an Israeli where to find the most gorgeous beaches in the country, and you’ll get Caesarea for an answer. Aside from the country’s largest power plant looming to the south, the crystal waters here don’t bother with such formalities as coastal urban grime, settling instead for sprawling ancient ruins. Herod the Great—yeah, the same one the New Testament mentions—established a port here, and huge entertainment complexes, including a circus and hippodrome, soon flanked his palace over the Mediterranean. The city seems to have maintained this character today as a playground for the rich and famous. The ancient port has largely retreated underwater, leaving ruins now sprinkled with spotless cobbled paths and fancy restaurants. Cobblestones? Fancy restaurants? Alarm bells are doubtlessly going off in the heads of seasoned backpackers. Yes, the place is expensive, but farther south around the mellow Kibbutz Sdot Yam, barefoot kibbutzniks and a clan of diehard windsurfers take over. Caesarea also seems to thrive off weddings; expect to see no less than three every night.