It's been a pretty heavy news week, so I am thrilled that it's Friday and time for another travel article. This one is for those of us who love the beach.
For years, I kind of thought the beach experience was one size fits all, that everyone is looking for the same quiet, calm, and secluded place to relax, sunbathe, and swim. After all, that was how we spent most of my summer childhood vacations in Northeast Florida. The fewer people on the beach, the better, and the only thing you could see beyond what felt like a mile of white sand was a row of quiet old beach houses, waiting for their occupants to return from a day in the sun and surf. You couldn't convince me there was something better.
But as I grew older and began traveling on my own to beaches beyond those childhood vacations, I realized that there's so much more variety out there in the world and even here in the United States. I also learned that not everyone is looking for the same beach experience. For example, I have a friend who thinks a beach is worthless if a string of bars and restaurants doesn't sit opposite the ocean and there aren't approximately 8,000 people on the beach at any given time. I have a friend who surfs, and the more volatile the ocean, the better. I have an old coworker who lives on Puget Sound, and she prefers the rocky, gray, untouched sand the beach near her home offers to my beloved sunny, white sandy beaches in Florida.
When I heard that scientist Stephen Parker Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, came out with his annual list of the top beaches in the U.S. recently — he's been doing it every Memorial Day weekend since 1991 — I knew I'd probably write about it for one of these Friday travel articles, but I was curious about the criteria he uses, knowing that what he thinks is "best" may not be what you and I do.
Some of his disqualifiers are things I think we can all get behind — like the presence of pests (think mosquitoes), prevalence of crime, trash, and litter on the beach, noise from nearby highways and trains, and the presence of sewage and other human waste.
But some of them I don't necessarily agree with. For example, he sees the presence of dogs on the beach as a negative, and I love, love, love watching people play with their pets in the sand and water. He also counts the absence of lifeguards and amenities like showers and chairs as a bad thing, and I typically prefer the beaches that don't have those things myself. Your mileage my vary.
Anyway, here is Dr. Beach's top 10:
1. Cooper's Beach in Southampton, N.Y.
2. Wailea Beach in Maui, Hawaii
3. Poipu Beach in Kauai, Hawaii
4. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples, Fla.
5. Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y.
6. Beachwalker Park in Kiawah Island, S.C.
7. St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Fla.
8. Kaunaoa in Big Island, Hawaii
9. Lanikai Beach in Oahu, Hawaii
10. Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Mass.
I guess it's a good list if you spend a lot of time in Hawaii or the Hamptons. I don't, and I have never actually been to any of these beaches. U.S. News and World Report has also released a list of the top beaches in the U.S. It's not quite as specific. It's more about the best destinations for a beach trip in the U.S.
Here are the top 10 from U.S. News and World Report:
1. Siesta Key, Fla.
2. Maui, Hawaii
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
4. Kaua'i, Hawaii
5. Gulf Shores, Ala.
6. Clearwater Beach, Fla.
7. Destin, Fla.
8. Malibu, Calif.
9. Outer Banks, N.C.
10. Laguna Beach, Calif.
I have actually been to a few of those locations, like Malibu and Destin, but I think the lesson I've learned from these lists is that I really need to get to Hawaii. I wonder if I can spin that into a work trip and write it off on my taxes? Hmmm... where was I? Oh yes, Tripadvisor also names Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Fla., the top beach in the U.S., and it even considers it one of the top beaches in the world, which brings me to our international lists. For those of us who like to get outside of the U.S. from time to time, I have two lists of the best beaches in the world, and, spoiler alert: both are completely different.
Here's Tripadvisor's top ten:
1. Elafonissi Beach in Crete, Greece
2. Banana Beach in Phuket, Thailand
3. Eagle Beach and Palm-Eagle Beach, Aruba
4. Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Fla.
5. Praia da Falésia in Olhos de Agua, Portugal
6. Playa Veradero in Varadero, Cuba
7. Bavaro Beach in Bavaro, Dominican Republic
8. Platja de Muro in Majorca, Spain
9. Kelingking Beach in Nusa Penida, Indonesia
10. Myrtos Beach in Kefalonia, Greece
And here's the most recent top ten from the website World's 50 Best Beaches:
1. Cala Goloritze in Italy
2. Entalula Beach in the Philippines
3. Bang Bao Beach in Thailand
4. Fteri Beach in Greece
5. PK 9 Beach in French Polynesia
6. Canto De La Playa in Dominican Republic
7. Anse Source d'Argent in the Seychelles
8. Nosy Iranja in Madagascar
9. Ofu Beach in American Samoa
10. Grace Bay in Turks & Caicos
The only beach on either of those lists that I've been to is Grace Bay in Turks & Caicos, and while it was nice — the water is so crystal clear that it's like swimming in a pool — it wasn't my favorite for several reasons.
By the way, here are my personal favorites: In the United States, it's Crescent Beach, which is just outside of St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Fla. It's pretty much the beach I described in the intro — white sand, few people most days, etc. — where I spent a lot of my younger days.
Internationally, it's Punta Uva in Costa Rica (it's actually the beach in the image I used for this article — I took it myself). Punta Uva can get a little crowded, though it's not usually, and it's generally the most laid-back and friendly beach crowd I've ever been around. Plus, the Caribbean Sea in that area is ideal for swimming and snorkeling, and I'm one hundred percent a swimming and snorkeling kind of girl. You'll rarely find me just sitting on the beach for hours on end. But best of all, it's the most beautiful setting. You're surrounded by rainforests filled with interesting plants and wildlife. It's like sitting in a postcard.
Do you guys have any thoughts on these lists? Have you been to these beaches? Do you plan to visit them in the future? If not, tell us your favorite beaches. Share them in the comments, and let us know why you love them.
