Florida’s Siesta Beach named best beach in the US by TripAdvisor – Orlando Sentinel

Florida is king of the beach again in the annual TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards with Siesta Beach on the Gulf Coast coming in at No. 1.

Overall, Florida landed seven of the top 10, and 10 of the top 25 in this year's awards, which honored 343 beaches across the world based on ratings on the travel site gathered over the last 12 months.

Siesta Beach, which is on Siesta Key, a barrier island on the Gulf Coast west of Sarasota, is no stranger to accolades. It was named best beach in the U.S. in 2011 on the annual Dr. Beach list, and was also named tops on TripAdvisor's rankings in 2015.

While the Dr. Beach list, which comes out ahead of Memorial Day, is based on criteria from Stephen Leatherman, the Director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research, the TripAdvisor list is based on the quantity and quality of reader reviews in the TripAdvisor community.

While several Florida beaches on the TripAdvisor list don't rate in Leatherman's list, at least on Siesta Beach, the two jibe. Leatherman had been ranking top beaches for 25 years, with the winners of previous years pulled from consideration until last year, when he reset everything. Even then, Siesta Beach came in at No. 2.

The beach, a massive stretch that is part of a county park with ample parking and facilities, is known for its sugar-white, nearly pure quartz crystal sand that doesn't really get hot on your feet.

"Siesta Beach in Sarasota boasts that it has the finest and whitest sand in the world, and I cannot argue with this claim," Leatherman said in 2011. "The beautiful blue-colored water is clean and clear, making it so inviting to bathers and swimmers."

The other Florida beaches making the TripAdvisor list are St. Pete Beach at No. 3, last year's top beach Clearwater Beach dropping to No. 4, the beach in Panama City Beach at No. 5, Hollywood Beach at No. 6, Pensacola Beach at No. 7, St. Augustine Beach at No. 8, Fort Lauderdale Beach at No. 11, South Beach at No. 12 and Henderson Beach State Park in Destin at No. 17.

Overall, Florida rated the most beaches in the U.S. top 25 with 10 followed by Hawaii with seven, California with three and one each from Maine, Maryland, Massachuestts, Georgia and Virginia.

Siesta Beach ranked No. 5 in the site's world rankings, the only U.S. beach in the top 25. The No. 1 beach in the world is Baia do Sancho in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil.

This is the fifth year of the TripAdvisor awards, and the third year in a row a Florida beach has topped the U.S. list. Siesta Beach has always been in the top 3.

As far as 2017 goes, here is TripAdvisor's rankings for the U.S. top 25:

1. Siesta Beach on Siesta Key near Sarasota, Florida

2. Ka'anapali Beach Lahaina, Hawaii

3. St. Pete Beach, Florida

4. Clearwater Beach Clearwater, Florida

5. Beach at Panama City Panama City Beach, Florida

6. Hollywood Beach, Hollywood, Florida

7. Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Beach, Florida

8. St. Augustine Beach Saint Augustine Beach, Florida

9. Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve Honolulu, Hawaii

10. Ocean City Beach Ocean City, Maryland

11. Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

12. South Beach Miami Beach, Florida

13. Wai'anapanapa State Park Hana, Hawaii

14. Ogunquit Beach Ogunquit, Maine

15. Wailea Beach, Wailea, Hawaii

16. Lanikai Beach, Kailua, Hawaii

17. Henderson Beach State Park, Destin, Florida

18. Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia

19. Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, Virginia

20. Santa Monica Beach, Santa Monica, California

21. La Jolla Shores Park, La Jolla, California

22. Hapuna Beach, Waimea, Hawaii

23. Race Point Beach, Provincetown, Massachusetts

24. Carlsbad State Beach, Carlsbad, California

25. Poipu Beach Park, Poipu, Hawaii

rtribou@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5134

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