Locals hate South Beach. Social media thinks it’s the best beach in the country

Connie Ogle
·2 min read

Locals love to complain about South Beach and what trash it is. We whine about the bad behavior of visitors, the “Tokyo Drift”-style driving, the $40 pasta dishes, the giant $50 drinks that come with two Coronas stuck upside down in them.

But social media adores South Beach.

Holidu, the search engine for vacation rentals, decided it desperately needed to know which beaches were the most popular in the United States, presumably in order to steer travelers in the right direction.

The site turned to Instagram for help, examining hashtags and photos of more than 6,000 beaches to determine the 10 most Instagrammable beaches in the U.S.

South Beach was No. 1. Not St. Pete Beach, which Tripadvisor assured us was the best beach in the country earlier this year. Not Siesta Key Beach, which Holidu itself proclaimed the most popular beach in Florida just last month.

No. Instagram prefers South Beach.

Why?

“Its stunning turquoise waters and iconic white sand make the perfect backdrop for Instagram,” Holidu writes, adding that Miami Beach is called “the Art Deco Playground” and that photos with the iconic lifeguard stands are a must. It also suggests you could get lucky and get a photo with one of the “rich and famous that flock to South Beach” because as you know JLo, Shakira and Pitbull are hanging out at the bar at the Clevelander most nights.

The only other Florida beach in the top 10 was Palm Beach at No. 4, possibly because it is “home to an extensive, pristine coastline” and “screams luxury.” Palm Beach screams a lot of things and “luxury” is definitely one of them.

California dominated the top 10, with Long Beach, Venice Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Manhattan Beach all represented. Rounding out the top 10 are Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Palm Beach was the No. 4 most Instagrammable beach, according to a survey by Holidu. Tough luck for you, Maine.
Palm Beach was the No. 4 most Instagrammable beach, according to a survey by Holidu. Tough luck for you, Maine.

This spot in the Florida Keys was just named one of the best coastal cities in America

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