Miami Beach is one of the best beaches in the U.S., says Condé Nast Traveler

Condé Nast Traveler says Miami Beach is one of the best beaches in the United States.

The luxury and lifestyle magazine praised Miami Beach — and three other beaches in Florida — in its 2021 “19 Best Beaches in the U.S.” rankings.

“The siren song of Miami’s South Beach is undeniable,” the magazine wrote. “Beautiful people, flashy cars, Art Deco architecture: It’s all here.”

Condé Nast Traveler went on to applaud even the liveliest parts of the beach, which sometimes earn the disdain of locals.

“The busiest — and most touristy — section runs parallel to Ocean Drive (between 5th and 15th Streets), so locals tend to hang around the quieter patches of SoFi (South of Fifth). But we say those famous white sands are worth bumping elbows with a few fellows.”

The magazine recommended that tourists stay at The Betsy South Beach, a boutique hotel on 15th Street. It didn’t recommend restaurants, but in July Tripadvisor praised several Miami Beach restaurants in its 2021 Travelers Choice Restaurants Awards, including Full Bloom Vegan, which it called the best vegan restaurant in the country.

Three other beaches in Florida made the list: Grayton Beach State Park between Panama City Beach and Destin; Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin; and Bowman’s Beach on Sanibel Island.

Last week, in a ranking of best “wild swimming spots,” British nutritional supplement retailer Myprotein claimed South Beach was the most polluted popular wild swimming spot in the U.S., citing an EPA report. Miami Beach director of Environment and Sustainability Elizabeth Wheaton said the data was not scientific, explaining that the EPA data was not “refined for specific water quality parameters or specific locations.”

This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 6:00 AM.