America’s Best Beach Escapes
Image courtesy of Malibu Beach Inn
For those of you in the U.S., sticking closer to home has benefits beyond simplified logistics and lower costs. Every region offers something different in terms of scenery, vibe, and accommodations, and even the classics have something new to discover.
The West Coast
Image courtesy of Rosewood Miramar Beach
The best bases: Malibu, Montecito, Cannon Beach
The vibe: The West Coast operates on a different register entirely — cooler summer temperatures, dramatic Pacific scenery, and a character that shifts from the wild Oregon coast to the manicured luxury of Montecito to the barefoot surf culture of Malibu. These aren’t warm-water beach destinations; they’re destinations for the landscape, the light, and a more expansive sense of the coast. Coronado, just off San Diego, adds a gentler option at the southern end with some of the best weather on the Pacific.
The hotels: Stephanie Inn, an oceanfront inn in Cannon Beach, has sea stack views, a gas fireplace in every room, and an evening prix fixe restaurant worth the trip on its own. Hotel June Malibu’s 13 mid-century bungalows on Point Dume come with Dutch-door patios, vintage furnishings, and a creative history. Set on Malibu’s exclusive Carbon Beach, Malibu Beach Inn offers front-row views of the Pacific from every room, with private balconies, direct beach access, and an intimate, residential feel (it’s also only steps from Nobu!). Occupying prime beachfront real estate in Montecito, Rosewood Miramar Beach feels like a garden oasis on the American Riviera.
The Northeast
Image courtesy of The Wauwinet
The best bases: Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod
The vibe: From the cobblestone streets to the sailboats in the harbor, these options capture every facet of a quintessential New England summer and are ideal for families who want a classic East Coast beach trip without a long flight. Nantucket, the most polished of the three, has a compact, walkable downtown and an excellent restaurant scene. Martha’s Vineyard is a winner for its more varied landscapes and postcard-perfect architecture, with Edgartown’s white-clapboard elegance and the colorful Victorians of Oak Bluffs. Cape Cod, the peninsula that connects both islands to the mainland, is the most accessible and has a nice mix of artsy and all-American towns.
The hotels: The Nantucket Hotel & Resort, the island’s only year-round hotel, sits steps from downtown with two heated pools, a full spa, and a seasonal kids’ club. Winnetu Oceanside Resort, a family-owned property on 11 acres, fosters a social atmosphere with tennis and bocce courts and weekly summer clambakes. Chatham Bars Inn is notable for its working dock and full spa. For a quieter side of Nantucket, The Wauwinet sits between the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Bay on the island’s northeastern tip, pairing a secluded beachfront setting with an acclaimed restaurant, complimentary water activities, and easy access to some of Nantucket’s most pristine stretches of sand.
The Southeast
Image courtesy of Sanctuary at Kiawah Island
The best bases: Charleston, Kiawah Island, 30A, Naples, Palm Beach, Key West, Miami
The vibe: It often feels like an exaggeration when someone says a region “has something for everyone,” but the coastlines in this region make a convincing case. There’s the powdery white quartz of 30A, the jade-green Gulf at Naples, the golden Atlantic shore at Palm Beach, the marshes of Kiawah Island, and the tropical turquoise of the Keys, all of which look completely different to one another—and the towns feel just as distinct.
The hotels: The Charleston Place sits on Market Street, steps from the city’s best dining, shopping, and historic streets. The breadth of activities at Sanctuary at Kiawah Island draws families, who take full advantage of the five championship golf courses, ten miles of private beach, and robust nature program. One of the most striking hotels on the 30A corridor, Kaiya Beach Resort is well-suited for large groups who need the space of a villa, row house, or condo.
Surrounded by a protected mangrove estuary on the Gulf Coast, the Naples Grande Beach Resort is primed for longer stays that allow travelers to take full advantage of its 23 waterfront acres, three pools, an 18-hole golf course, 15 tennis courts, and five restaurants. Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa, a seven-acre oceanfront retreat, leans into its neighborhood’s preppy-posh sensibility with 309 rooms designed by Jonathan Adler, a 42,000-square-foot spa, and Nobu restaurant. Winslow’s Bungalows, a cluster of historic homes in the heart of Old Town, takes its name from landscape painter Winslow Homer, who wintered on the island in the late 1800s. The Perry Hotel & Marina, situated on Stock Island just off Key West proper, has a 288-slip marina, two waterfront pools, and three dockside restaurants.
