I bought my wife an Electra Townie a few weeks ago (the closest thing in my bunch to a beach cruiser), and I swear, after riding it for two minutes I wanted one of my own. Made me feel like a kid again.
The last time I rode at "the beach" -- actually it was the boardwalk at Ocean City -- my Cannondale road bike felt like the wrong thing to use. The deep saddle-to-bar drop negated most sightseeing, I didn't really have anything to carry stuff (not necessarily the bike's fault), and the clipless pedals weren't exactly boardwalk-friendly. But a Townie, with its laid-back posture and a rack or basket, would have been perfect for that kind of low-speed meandering.