Dr. Beach, a Florida-based researcher who compiles a list of the best beaches in the USA every year, has come out with his list of top beaches for 2025.
I’ll give him credit for not just including sun destinations, but I still take issue with some of his choices.
Here’s his top ten for 2025:
- Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York (Long Island)
- Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
- Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida
- Main Beach, East Hampton, New York (Long Island)
- Beachwater Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
- St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, Florida
- Kaunaoa Beach, Hawaii Big Island (also known as Mauna Kea Beach)
- Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
- Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. Josh Smith/Unsplash Photo
I love that he’s got four Hawaii beaches in the top ten, but I don’t think Poipu Beach deserves a spot on the list. I’ve been many times, and was there again in January. It’s a pretty spot, but I think Hanalei Bay on the north shore is much more nicer, as is Salt Pond Beach Park on the south shore (which hardly anyone seems to mention in these types of lists). Still, he’s bang on with Wailea and Lanikai, as well as Kaunaoa.
I don’t know Delnor Wiggins beach in Naples, but I heartily agree with his choice of St. Andrews in north Florida, which is super quiet and has lovely, fluffy, white sand.
I”ll give him credit for including two Long Island beaches, as well as one on Cape Cod. But there’s nothing here for Oregon, Washington or California, which I find baffling. Maybe Dr. Beach needs to explore a little more.
MOST INSTAGRAMMABLE BEACHES IN THE WORLD
A hammock at the Four Seasons Bora Bora. JIM BYERS PHOTO
A recent study by Heepsy analyzed global beach trends by calculating the number of Instagram hashtags per kilometer of shoreline to find the most Instagrammable beaches of 2025. The research looked at beach length, total hashtag count, and annual visitor estimates to see where people are most likely to post.
Here are the top ten in the world on their list:
- Maya Beach, Thailand
- Hidden Beach, Mexico
- Bondi Beach, Australia
- Copacabana, Brazil
- Surfer’s Paradise, Australia
- Bora Bora, Tahiti
- Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
- Praia de Sancho, Brazil
- Koh Tao, Thailand
- Ipanema, Brazil
WASAGA BEACH, ONTARIO HOTEL ON THE WAY
A $45 million premium Marriott hotel is set to anchor the new beachfront next to Wasaga Beach’s iconic Beach Drive.
CTV News says Sunray Group CEO Ray Gupta joined Mayor Brian Smith and members of city council to unveil the project last week.
“Today (Wednesday) Sunray Group has confirmed they will build a Marriott hotel next to our spectacular beachfront, including shops, cafés, restaurants, and more,” said Smith. “This historic $45 million investment will complement smaller, family-owned inns and cottages, and restaurants in our community. It represents local jobs, higher-value tourism, and multi-day visits to Wasaga Beach which will support our small businesses.”
The company will also invest $1.5 million to design and build a “Festival Square” next to the hotel, near the beachfront, which will be used by the municipality for outdoor entertainment and special events.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Gupta’s Sunray Group includes dozens of Ontario hotels, including the Bisha Hotel in Toronto, Bayview Wildwood Resort, Hockley Valley Resort, and also properties in Kingston, Niagara Falls, Windsor and other cities.
