These Florida beaches were ranked best in U.S. Two are in Broward, one in the Keys

Connie Ogle
·2 min read
13

You may find it hard to believe (or maybe not), but Miami Beach is apparently not home to one of the best beaches in the world.

But Hollywood — just up the road and so beautifully, wonderfully, desperately down-to-earth, at least for now — is. And so are Fort Lauderdale and Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys.

Tripadvisor has just released the second 2024 installment of its annual Travelers Choice Awards, and on its Best of the Best Beaches list, two Florida beaches were named among the top 10 in the country: Siesta Beach on Siesta Key near Sarasota (no. 2) and Hollywood Beach in Broward County (4).

Both beaches were praised for being family-friendly and for their sunbathing opportunities, while Hollywood was singled out for its boardwalk (we call it a Broadwalk here, guys). Last year, Condé Nast Traveler named Siesta Key one of the best beach towns in the country.

With Fort Lauderdale ranked at no. 15 and Bahia Honda State Park near Big Pine Key ranked 23, South Florida beaches got a little more attention this year. In 2023, Sombrero Beach in Marathon in the Florida Keys was the only South Florida beach to make the top 25.

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Siesta Key and other public beaches in Sarasota County will reopen Monday, with conditions, after a vote Wednesday by the Sarasota County Commission.
Siesta Key and other public beaches in Sarasota County will reopen Monday, with conditions, after a vote Wednesday by the Sarasota County Commission.

Several other beaches in Florida made the 2024 top 25 list: Clearwater Beach (12); Panama City Beach (13); St. Augustine (17); and Henderson Beach State Park in Destin (19).

The best beach in the U.S. was Ka’anapali Beach in Lahaina Hawaii, on the island of Maui. Other U.S. beaches in the top 10 are Poipu Beach Park on Oahu in Hawaii; La Jolla Cove in California; Cannon Beach in Oregon; Santa Monica State Beach in California; Driftwood Beach in Jekyll Island, Georgia; Coligny Beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Ocean City Beach in Maryland.

The best beach in the world, according to Tripadvisor, is Praia da Falésia in Olhos de Agua, Portugal. Varadero Beach in Cuba was no. 10 on the best beaches in the world list.

The ratings were created based on the quality and quantity of global reviews and ratings on Tripadvisor for beaches, gathered over a 12-month period from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023.

Sunset over Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys.
Sunset over Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys.

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