In this paper we examine the usefulness of combining multivariate analysis and costs analysis in recreation planning. Although these approaches have sometimes been developed in previous recreation studies, they have never been combined in this way. We apply this approach to a regional beach planning policy called the “Beach Plan”, in Aquitaine, south-western France. A multivariate procedure is used to assess the current environmental and social conditions of the 91 beaches included in the Plan. It reveals some connections between the variables we selected at the inventory step and leads to the definition of four homogeneous clusters of sites. We also identify possible social inequities. We find that the partition obtained by the cluster analysis does not coincide with the classification defined in the Plan. This confirms the necessity of an iterative process between inventory and implementation steps. We then examine the cost consequences of the implementation of the Plan. To do so, we define “total incremental cost functions” which enable us to evaluate the cost impacts of introducing sites in the Plan. We show that the application of the strict efficiency criterion may lead to several socially undesirable effects. We therefore propose an alternative integration path, called the “no social cost” path, after combining results provided by the multivariate analysis and the cost analysis.