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The 2020 rankings are out and Sarasota, Florida’s Siesta Key Beach has been named the #1 beach in America by Tripadvisor‘s annual Travelers’ Choice Awards. Siesta Key is no stranger to being named as the #1 beach in America. From the time you cross the bridge from mainland Sarasota onto Siesta Key you see signs about it being home to the nation’s best beach and I suspect some new signs will be going up after this year’s results.
Florida dominated this year’s ‘Best Beach in America‘ rankings with 6 of the top 10 spots. Those beaches include Siesta Key, Saint Pete Beach, Pensacola Beach, Clearwater Beach, Hollywood Beach, and Panama City Beach. What I appreciate most about these annual Tripadvisor beach rankings is they aren’t the result of some massive public relations campaign, this is all based on people who visited these beaches and were so impressed they felt compelled to leave positive reviews.
Siesta Key was ranked #11 in the world with Brazil’s Baia do Sancho taking home the #1 overall spot in the global rankings. Let’s check out the top 20 in the US followed by the global top 10:
1. Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, Florida
2. Saint Pete Beach, St. Pete Beach, Florida
3. Ka’anapali Beach, Lahaina, Hawaii
4. Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Beach, Florida
5. Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida
6. Cannon Beach, Cannon Beach, Oregon
7. Hollywood Beach, Hollywood Beach, Florida
8. Panama City Beach, Panama City Beach, Florida
9. Litchfield Beach, Pawleys Island, South Carolina
10. Napili Beach, Lahaina, Hawaii
11. St. Augustine Beach, Saint Augustine Beach, Florida
12. Lanikai Beach, Kailua, Hawaii
13. Santa Rosa Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
14. Wailea Beach, Wailea, Hawaii
15. Ogunquit Beach, Ogunquit, Maine
16. Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, Puako, Hawaii
17. Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
18. Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington
19. Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia
20. Cherry Grove Beach, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
And here’s what the top 10 beaches in the world for 2020 look like with Siesta Key, Florida ranking #11 globally in the Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice 2020 rankings:
1. Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
2. Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
3. Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo, Cuba
4. Spiaggia dei Conigli, Lampedusa, Islands of Sicily
5. Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia, Arraial do Cabo, Brazil
6. Seven Mile Beach, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
7. Eagle Beach, Palm – Eagle Beach, Aruba
8. Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico
9. Varadero Beach, Varadero, Cuba
10. Kleftiko Beach, Milos, Cyclades
I grew up on Siesta Key, Florida. As a little kid, I’d spend my Saturday and Sunday mornings snorkeling and spearfishing off Point of Rocks Beach. After school, my mom would take me to watch the sunset at Turtle Beach. I was literally baptized a quarter of a mile away from this beach. It’s wild how much it has changed throughout just the past decade but it does blow my mind how it continues to stay at or near the top of the rankings.
The sand is the best in the world. This is a fact. But the condos and hotels are ancient. There are plenty of AirBNBs in the area but there aren’t any proper (new) luxury resorts. Everything feels like it’s 5-10 years away from being ancient. There’s not even a SINGLE BAR on Siesta Key on the beach! The concessions at the beach and amenities there have certainly been updated throughout the years but unless the rest of Siesta Key catches up the tourism will definitely drop off in the coming years.
For a full rundown of this year’s Tripadvisor‘s Best Beaches you can follow that link and check out each of the individual beaches and the top amenities that each offers.