I remember the original Sims 1 had about 9 vacation spots: 3 were snowy destinations, 3 were forest destinations (similar to Outdoor Retreat), and 3 were beach destinations.
Beaches can be either tropical or nontropical - in the Sims, whether or not they are tropical depends on (A) The weather chosen for the location, and (B) The type of trees and plants in the vicinity. My parents have a beach house on a nontropical beach - there are evergreen trees nearby, and blackberries and wild roses, and wetlands plants. No palm trees. There is a dock nearby, and it is mostly a rocky beach, with most of the rocks about the size of your fist, with barnacles on them, and a little bit of sand, just enough to make small sand castles. But when the tide is out, past the rocks is more sand. This is when people in the area go digging for clams.
I would certainly like to see beach destinations and at least one beach neighborhood, along with the return of hotels. I also miss the local dance, food, and gesture from the Sims 2 Bon Voyage. Sims 3 at least brought back the local food. I would love to see souvenirs return, and perhaps a gift shop location in a vacation neighborhood. Having vacation memories in a Sim's notebook would be great, for instance, a memory of watching a special destination dance or event (such as a ribbon-cutting), or visiting a specific special vacation location. Touring famous residences or famous landmarks might be a great new Simtourist activity.
