# What's the best beach you've been to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511 "2007-08-22T16:00:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/1 "2007-08-22T16:00:47Z")
Best sand? Best sandy (not rocky or seaweedy) bottom? Best snorkelling? Best natural beauty? Best man-made beauty? Best beauty what belongs in a bikini? Best water temperature? Best waves? Best snack bar? Best parking? Best (fill in the blank)? ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/2 "2007-08-22T16:05:27Z")
Pick any beach in Anguilla and you’ve got your answer to all of the above (except snack bar - there aren’t many). That being said, the best beach for people watching is Haulover Beach just north of Miami. The nude section, not the prude section (which has no one on it to watch, not surprisingly). ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/3 "2007-08-22T16:08:50Z")
Best unnatural beauty in a bikini: Rio Best people watching: Jones Beach, NY or Venice Beach, CA ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/4 "2007-08-22T16:10:44Z")
My favorite: Coal Oil Point (sic), just west of Isla Vista, California. Nice dunes, no one around. (At least 30 years ago – don’t want to know if that’s changed, thanks in advance.) ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/5 "2007-08-22T16:11:44Z")
Best sand? Best sandy (not rocky or seaweedy) bottom? Best natural beauty? Best waves? Best parking? Best sunset? All on the Long Beach peninsula on the Washington coast. The sand is half a mile wide, over 28 miles long, you can park and drive on the beach and sunsets that go on forever. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/6 "2007-08-22T16:15:02Z")
St Maarten’s Friar’s Bay beach and Pinnel Island beach would be tied. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/7 "2007-08-22T16:19:18Z")
And hottest goddam beach on the planet: Siloso Beach, Singapore. ---
**Author:** ![MTRG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@MTRG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTRG)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/8 "2007-08-22T16:24:42Z")
Playa Tecolote [http://www.baja-web.com/la-paz/index.html](http://www.baja-web.com/la-paz/index.html) North of La Paz , Baja Sur , Mexico ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/9 "2007-08-22T16:35:04Z")
To answer my own questions, I’m going to disqualify that little beach in Nassau. Except for snorkelling. Damn fine snorkelling. And great water temperature, even in December. Best sand? Old Silver, on Cape Cod Best sandy (not rocky or seaweedy) bottom? Same answer Best snorkelling? Other than Nassau, State Beach on Martha’s Vineyard. I saw crabs mating! Best natural beauty? [Gay Head](http://www.webshots.com/g/33/616-sh/60208.html). Didn’t even have to think about that one. Best man-made beauty? [Gay Head](http://www.angelfire.com/va3/keepthelightsshining/Massachusetts/GayHeadLight.html) Best rock stacking? [Gay Head](http://home.comcast.net/~nealtodd/Balancing_Act_I.jpg) Best beauty what belongs in a bikini? [Gay Head](http://home.comcast.net/~nealtodd/I_bet_shes_got_a_good_personality.jpg) Best water temperature? Old Silver. It’s got that Gulf Stream thing going on, making it like bathwater. Best waves? Second Beach, Newport RI. Best snack bar? Naraganssett Beach. RI. Best parking? Anywhere on Amelia Island, FL. It’s free, unpaved, and uncrowded. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/10 "2007-08-22T16:50:58Z")
[QUOTE=racer72] Best sunset? [/QUOTE] Hey, I live on the East coast. No fair. But I have to say it’s a tie. Eastville Beach on Martha’s Vineyard. One sunset made me order my GF to “Stop the car!” Blue sky, pink clouds, violet water. Awesome. Front Beach in Rockport, MA. To my right, pinky purply sky. To my left, sailboats in a field of velvety blackness. In front of me, Venus. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/11 "2007-08-22T17:00:19Z")
I’m partial to Trunk Bay and a couple of others on St. John, USVI for nice sand and water and snorkeling. The sand on the Redneck Riviera (the FLA part, anyway) is the whitest I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/12 "2007-08-22T17:13:40Z")
What’s the Redneck Riviera? St. John river? I remember the sands of Cumberland Island being really white. That place is easily my runner-up for best natural beauty. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/13 "2007-08-22T17:16:27Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] What’s the Redneck Riviera? St. John river? I remember the sands of Cumberland Island being really white. That place is easily my runner-up for best natural beauty. [/QUOTE] Redneck Riviera runs from Pensacola to Destin (maybe even a little further east). Yes, the sand is beautiful. I used to visit Navarre Beach a bunch (and went to the clothing optional part near Eglin quite a bit. The Air Force was OK with it as long as you didn’t go near the radar installations). ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/14 "2007-08-22T17:19:21Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Best sand? [/quote] Ocean City Maryland > [@](#): > > Best sandy (not rocky or seaweedy) bottom? Ocean City Maryland > [@](#): > > Best snorkelling? Vieques Puerto Rico. Snorkeling over Unexploded ordinance is cool. 😉 > [@](#): > > Best natural beauty? Vieques Puerto Rico. You can see St. Thomas from there and it has a lot of need twists and turns. > [@](#): > > Best beauty what belongs in a bikini? Puerto Rico > [@](#): > > Best water temperature? Puerto Rico > [@](#): > > Best waves? Ocean City Maryland and Southern California > [@](#): > > Best snack bar? Vieques Puerto Rico, Sun Bay campground serves Pina Coladas and other frozen drinks. > [@](#): > > Best parking? Sun Bay in Vieques again, lots of parking, but you have to be careful about getting robbed by the locals, there’s a bit of a pirate culture around there. > [@](#): > > Best bioluminscent bay? Mosquito Bay in Vieques. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/15 "2007-08-22T17:20:37Z")
Best sand, sandy bottom, snorkelling, natural beauty, water temperature all to go Matamanoa, Fiji. Tiny little island which was just amazingly beautiful with reefs right off the beach absolutely chock full of tropical fish. I’m sure other islands in Fiji are comparable, but it’d be hard to do much better. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/16 "2007-08-22T17:21:43Z")
The beach around Basin Lake, Fraser Island, Australia. Absolutely stunning. [A photo that always makes me nostalgic](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Crusoe/19basin.lake.jpg). (and [the coastline](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Crusoe/18fraser.coast.jpg) wasn’t bad either) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/17 "2007-08-22T17:24:08Z")
Lake Michigan has some world class beaches. No really. At least as far as sand and sunsets go. And sometimes bikini beauty. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/18 "2007-08-22T17:25:04Z")
For almost all of those questions, it’s Ka’anapali Beach on Maui, it’s as great as the accolades it receives. The best snorkeling I’ve done off a beach was at a tiny little beach in South Maui whose name I’ve forgotten. The best natural beauty would be [Canon](http://www.oregonscenics.com/co-haystack-rock.jpg) [Beach](http://www.oregonscenics.com/co-ecola-old.jpg) in Oregon. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/19 "2007-08-22T17:28:29Z")
I’m not as much of a beach connoisseur as you are, so I don’t have answers for most of your questions. I’ll just say that the beach I liked the best was in North Carolina in the Outter Banks. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511/20 "2007-08-22T17:38:01Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] To answer my own questions, I’m going to disqualify that little beach in Nassau. [/quote] How come? I love the beaches in the Bahamas. > [@](#): > > Best beauty what belongs in a bikini? [Gay Head](http://home.comcast.net/~nealtodd/I_bet_shes_got_a_good_personality.jpg) With a filename like that, I was pretty underwhelmed by the photo. In the US, I’ve been to beaches in NC, SC, FL, MA, WA, and CA. NC is the best IME. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-beach-youve-been-to/416511.md?page=2)