TAMPA, Fla. — If you're looking for the best beach in the United States, you don't have to go very far to get there.
TripAdvisor named Siesta Beach on Siesta Key as the top beach in the United States and number four overall in the world.
"Whether you want to relax or fill your day with activities, Siesta Beach delivers," TripAdvisor said of Siesta Beach. "Kick back on the white sand, go swimming in the clear water, or simply admire the sunset—it's up to you. It's easy to get to via public transportation, offers wheelchair access, and has plenty of shops and restaurants nearby.
ABC Action News asked visitors what makes Siesta Beach one of a kind.
“No matter how hot it is outside here, you have a nice cool breeze coming in," said Lou Perna.
“It’s quartz sand, and the beach is so clean," said Michelle Ackerman.
“It’s a very big beach," said Richard Ackerman. "There’s thousands of people here now, and there’s plenty of room.”
The designation means a lot after the area was hit hard by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“We’re 100 percent now," said Lee Jennings, the Operations Manager of Siesta Key Beach Resort and Suites. "It’s been a long trek, but we’re there now, you know.”
Just down the road from the beach's white sand, the Big Tiki Lounge and Siesta Key Beach Resort and Suites felt the pain.
“We were quite impacted because a lot of our rooms are first floor rooms, and so the water got inside of all of them, so we had to obviously do a lot of work on the inside," said Jennings.
Now with spring break season inching closer, getting back to business as usual is a big deal.
“Obviously up north as it’s cold right now, we have people booking to get down, but for us, everyone’s coming for this beach, and we’re first thing off the beach, so we need the beach to be nice, we need the weather to hold up, and we need to be open just to kind of collect all the business that’s coming in," said Jennings.
TripAdvisor's rankings come from travelers. The company said the rankings are awarded to those "who receive a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the TripAdvisor community over a 12-month period.
Top 10 US beaches according to Tripadvisor
- Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Florida
- Poipu Beach Park in Poipu, Koloa, Kauai, Hawaii
- Ka'anapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
- La Jolla Cove in La Jolla, San Diego, California
- Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
- Clearwater Beach in Clearwater, Florida
- Driftwood Beach in Jekyll Island, Georgia
- Punalu'u Black Sand Beach in Phala, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii
- Bahia Honda State Park in Big Pine Key, Florida
- Ho'okipa Beach Park in Paia, Maui, Hawaii
The title for the top beach in the world went to Elafonissi Beach on the Greek island of Crete, according to Tripadvisor. Siesta Beach was ranked by Tripadvisor as the number four best beach in the world.
Top 10 beaches in the world according to TripAdvisor
- Elafonissi Beach, Crete, Greece
- Banana Beach, Phuket, Thailand
- Eagle Beach, Oranjestad, Aruba
- Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, Florida
- Praia da Falésia, Algarve, Portugal
- Playa Varadero, Varadero, Cuba
- Bavaro Beach, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Playa de Muro Beach, Mallorca, Spain
- Kelingking Beach, Nusa Penida, Indonesia
- Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia Island, Greece
“We’re ready for our visitors.”
Spring break season is back across Tampa Bay, and businesses are relying on spring break now more than ever.
