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BEST Beach DESTINATIONS

Enjoy the best combinations of sun, sand, and surf with a beach vacation! Kick up your heels with a myriad of action-packed watersports, or kick back and relax to the gentle sounds of the breeze caressing the palms and waves gently breaking on the shore. Whether your activities are on, in, or along the water, Southwest Airlines Vacations has a beach vacation package perfect for you!

Our Top Beach Destinations

Ft. Myers/Naples/Marco Island/Sanibel Island | Los Angeles | Miami/Key West/Ft. Lauderdale | San Diego | Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg

Beach Destinations

Ft. Myers/Naples/Marco Island/Sanibel Island
Marco Island's primary attraction is its magnificent four mile long crescent-shaped beach and its easy access to the 10,000 Islands wilderness reserve. Sanibel Island is noted for their glorious beaches which are covered with an unbelievable assortment of shells. Visitors to the island quickly adopt the "Sanibel Stoop" in which they spend a considerable part of their day bent forward from the waist as they search out yet more shell treasures.

Destination Highlights

Marco Island is the largest of Southwest Florida's Ten Thousand Islands in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tigertail Beach Park has everything; including rental jet-skis, a children's playground, changing facilities, snack bar, and loads of private space only a short walk beyond the beach umbrellas clustering near the crosswalks.
Sanibel's beaches are justly famous. The coral sand is brilliant white and the wide beaches slope gently into the Gulf.
Neighboring Captiva Islands have several beach parks with differing topography and environments, all within an easy drive or bike ride.

Los Angeles
Los Angeles beaches may almost be as much of an icon as Disneyland or the Hollywood sign. With twenty-plus beaches in Los Angeles County to choose from, you may have a hard time picking one or two to visit during your vacation.

Destination Highlights

Los Angeles has beautiful white sandy beaches and offers surfing, scuba diving, swimming, volleyball courts, tennis courts, whale watching, rock climbing, fishing, restaurants, and shops.
Redondo Beach is the best choice for kids with lots of sand to play on, a pier full of amusements and a long, paved path for biking or skating make this a place you can take the kids to and let them run until they're exhausted.
One of the city's most popular surfing spots, Surfrider Beach, is located between the Malibu Pier and the lagoon.
Venice Beach is Los Angeles' quirkiest beach and can be its most interesting, attracting a cast of characters fit for any Hollywood movie.

Miami/Key West/Ft. Lauderdale
Located along the Atlantic (east) Coast of the South Florida region are the following can't miss beach locations, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and Key West. Fort Lauderdale is also known as the "Venice of America" for its many canals. In downtown Fort Lauderdale you can visit the enjoyable Museum of Discovery and Science or stroll along the beautiful and scenic Riverwalk. Miami Beach has been fully revitalized and has even been called the "American Riviera." A star attraction is the beach, which is many miles long facing the Atlantic Ocean. Other star attractions in the area include the Art Deco District in the South Beach (SoBe) neighborhood along famous Ocean Drive. Key West is the main attraction in the Lower Keys. To the north sits Bahia Honda State Park, which contains one of the best beaches in the whole country.

Destination Highlights

The award-winning Wave Wall and signature beachfront Promenade highlight Ft. Lauderdale’s coastline.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, located at the southern tip of Key Biscayne, has some of the most secluded beaches in Miami.
Among the famous attractions in Key West are Hemingway House, the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, and the Bahama Village neighborhood.

San Diego
Some of the best beaches in the world are in San Diego. Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Coronado, Del Mar, and North County beaches like Encinitas and Carlsbad are the most popular ones. What is exciting about San Diego is its year around weather - days full of sunshine and beaches that are ideal for your vacation. Every beach in San Diego has its own personality. The most popular is La Jolla Shores. If you want that big sand, big beach, sort of beach, then the Shores is for you.

Destination Highlights

Ride the Big Dipper Roller Coaster at Mission Beach.
The Hotel Del Coronado has one of the nicest family beaches.
A narrow boardwalk at Pacific Beach parallels the entire coastline making this beach ideal for a leisurely bike ride or sunset stroll.
Some of the best sand in the world resides at Imperial Beach which is also home to the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition held every summer.

Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg
A beautiful beach destination located on Florida's West coast, the area is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and by Tampa Bay to the east. Warm Gulf sunsets, unique cultural heritage, vast sporting and recreational activities, fresh seafood, and great shopping are all available. Summer and fall are popular times to visit the beach.

Destination Highlights

Caladesi Island State Park, located on a three and a half mile mile long island north of Clearwater Beach, has one of Florida's top beaches.
The beaches of St Petersburg stretch from Fort DeSoto on the south through numerous beach communities up the coast for almost 30 miles to Clearwater.
The stand-out attraction that brings most visitors to Tampa is Busch Gardens, a 300-acre entertainment park combining a world class zoo along with eye popping roller coaster rides.