Independent beach intelligence
Choose the right beach. Know before you go.
Compare water, crowds, parking, access, seasons and nearby stays. Tell us who is going and what matters, and we’ll recommend the destination—and the exact beach stretch—that fits.
Current local guidance · Practical maps
Cristo Vlahos · CC BY-SA 3.0
Know the destination
Search or browse a beach guide
Type a place you already have in mind, or browse all guides. No long form.
Help me choose
Short matcher — city, who is going, calm or surf.
Tell us the trip. We’ll name the stretch — and the trade-off.
Partial answers are fine. You’ll get a named stretch, why it fits, and what you give up. Hilton Head, Siesta Key, Waikīkī, Tybee Island, the Outer Cape, Santa Monica–Venice, Los Cabos, and Gulf Shores.
Answer what you know — even a couple of answers — and we’ll name a stretch and the trade-off.
Explore destination guides
Destination guides
Each guide covers stretches, timing, and logistics — plus stay ideas and activities to help you plan with confidence.
Thierry Caro
Hilton Head Island, SC
Featured guide. Coligny for day one, mid-island for regulars, Sep–Feb for quieter sand and better rates.
Fred Hsu
Siesta Key, Florida
Quartz sand and a free main lot if you beat mid-morning — quieter at Crescent early or Turtle Beach.
Cristo Vlahos
Waikiki, Hawaii
Local swim vs surf zones, early-morning sand, Kapahulu eats, and nightlife a stroll from the strip.
Brian Stansberry
Tybee Island, Georgia
Pier or lighthouse — opposite ends. You pay to park. South Beach is day one; North Beach and Mid are the rest of the island.
Outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape Cod National Seashore’s Atlantic face — Nauset Light, Coast Guard via Little Creek, and Marconi.
Cayambe
Santa Monica–Venice, California
The pier is the postcard. Sit and swim on the state beach, north or south of it — Ocean Park for playground and picnic, Venice for the boardwalk.
A beach can look perfect online and still be wrong for your trip.
Mike’s Beach Guide looks beyond the photographs. The guide helps you understand the water, crowds, parking, access, timing, nearby lodging and local trade-offs before you commit.
Pick the right coast
Compare destinations using the things that actually affect your trip.
Pick the right stretch
Find the beach area that fits your group, routine and lodging.
Make the day work
Open current conditions, parking, events and nearby recommendations when you arrive.
From the journal
There is more to a beach than the beach.
The local things worth knowing before you pack.
MoodyGroove
Hilton Head
The lighthouse in the fairway
The candy-stripe tower is the photograph. The haunted story belongs to Leamington.
Justicemtran
Siesta Key
The mountains under your feet
Appalachian quartz — why the sand stays cool, squeaks, and keeps getting ranked.
eli fessler
Waikīkī
The stones Waikīkī walked on
Four pōhaku at Kūhiō Beach, and the story English signs flattened until the City said māhū.