25 Amazing Beach Destinations for Families

Being a parent is hard work, so when we go on a family vacation we want to relax and have fun with our kids. The best kind of family holiday to recharge and reconnect is a family beach vacation, but with so many choices, how do you decide where to go? In this post, we hope to inspire you with our list of 25 amazing beach destinations for families around the world.

This is not a researched post about family beach destinations, which are so common (and not useful) these days. We have personally been on a family vacation to each one of these beach destinations with our kids and are happy to share our experiences and opinions with you.

Our Favorite Family Beach Vacation Destinations

We have been very fortunate to travel with our kids to some of the best beach destinations in the world. To us, great beach destinations for families must not only include a world-class beach, but also a wealth of kid-friendly activities you can enjoy while away from the beach.

We hope that you will find some inspiration for your own family beach vacation in our list of our favorite beach destinations for families below:

1. Vieques, Puerto Rico

Region: Caribbean

Based on our family travels, Vieques, Puerto Rico is the best family beach destination in the world. Every element of our week in Vieques with kids was pure magic.

Vieques tops our list of the best beach destinations for families as the entire coastline of this Caribbean island is dotted with them. We spent our entire family beach vacation exploring the endless wonders of the idyllic, and sometimes deserted, beaches of Vieques in our rental 4×4. Vieques island is filled with wild horses, adding an extra layer of excitement on our trips to the beach.

In addition to some of the best beaches in the world, Vieques has another world-class attraction perfect for a family vacation. Vieques is home to the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world!

When you run your fingers through this magical bioluminescent water, it turns a brilliant blue. Trust me when I say that experiencing the Vieques Bioluminescent Bay in a glass bottom kayak is an experience you will not soon forget!

2. Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

Region: Central America

Costa Rica is one of the most family-friendly beach destinations around the world, and Manuel Antonio National Park is the crown jewel. When we decided to take a family trip to Costa Rica over Christmas break, we wanted to ensure we were somewhere special for Christmas Day – we chose Manuel Antonio National Park.

The beaches at Manuel Antonio are very unique and truly stunning. What makes the beaches here special is that there are two C-shaped beaches back-to-back, making a curved X shape if looked at overhead.

Each of these Manuel Antonio beaches are a tropical paradise, lined with pristine jungle and palm trees. Your chances of seeing tropical wildlife are very high here – making it one of the most exciting beach destinations for families anywhere in the world.

Of course, being a national park, there is a lot more to do in Manuel Antonio National Park with kids than just the beach. As one of the best places in Costa Rica to see wildlife, we spent Christmas morning on a private tour of the national park.

Manuel Antonio National Park was incredible with all sorts of exciting wildlife sightings, including monkeys, sloths and much more. Then, after a successful morning of wildlife sightings, we spent the rest of our Christmas Day enjoying quite possibly the best family beach in the world.

3. Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Region: Caribbean

We spent a magical month in Playa del Carmen with our kids when they were 2 & 4 years old. While most people think that Cancun is the best place for a beach vacation in Mexico, we think that it’s too one-dimensional, with very little to do outside the beach.

One of the reasons we love Playa del Carmen so much as a great Caribbean beach destination for families, is its central location within the Yucatan Peninsula. With our rental car, we were able to explore the area and enjoy not only some of the best beaches in the world, but also some world-class cultural attractions, like Chichen Itza (one of the 7 Modern Wonders of the World).

There are a tremendous amount of family-friendly beaches in and around Playa del Carmen, but our favorite was Xpu-ha. Located a short drive outside of Playa del Carmen, Xpu-Ha had the perfect combination for a kid-friendly beach.

It was stunningly beautiful, the water was calm, the sand was soft, there’s plenty to do and it was not busy at all – even over the peak Christmas season. Xpu-ha gives Manuel Antonio a good challenge for the best family beach in the world.

4. Ao Nang, Thailand

Region: Southeast Asia

It should come as no surprise that a beach resort in Thailand is near the top of our list of the best beach destinations for families. We have visited Thailand with our kids on two occasions now, and we have visited Ao Nang on both occasions. We are drawn back to Ao Nang due to the wide-variety of amazing sandy beaches, many of which are an adventure to go to.

Railay Beach is the most famous beach in the Ao Nang area, but in our opinion, it is one of the least enjoyable beaches in the area. Our favorite Ao Nang beach is Pai Plong Beach – an easy, yet adventurous 20 minute walk from Railay Beach. The walk to the beach is in the shadow of a massive limestone karst, and you have a good chance to see monkeys and monitor lizards on the way.

Upon arrival at Pai Plong Beach beach, your kids can enjoy yet another beachside walk into a cave, or they can stay and watch the rock climbers scale their way up the vertical slopes of the limestone karst.

Once all the kid-friendly adventures are out of the way, you’ll be ready for some serious beach time. And lucky for you, Pai Plong Beach beach is one of the most stunning beaches I’ve ever seen, in Thailand or anywhere else in the world.

The turquoise water is crystal-clear and warm and the sand is soft. There’s a limestone karst exploding out of the eater just offshore, and a popular activity is to walk along a shallow sandbar to visit the island.

Perhaps the best part is a ban on motorized water sports and longtail boats, ensuring you’ll have a quiet and relaxing day at this incomparable beach destination in Thailand.

5. Rodadero, Colombia

Regions: Caribbean, South America

If you are looking for an exciting family beach vacation destination that is a little off the beaten track, check out Rodadero, Colombia. An emerging beach resort destination on the Caribbean coast, Rodadero has the perfect mix of easy access to amazing beaches and incredible family adventures.

We first visited Rodadero as a place to get acclimatized to Colombia before beginning our multi-day hike to the Lost City. It was during this stay that we got to know the beautiful sandy beaches in this small Colombian beach resort.

After a successful hike to the Lost City, we returned to Rodadero. This time we used it as a base to explore the incredible Tayrona National Park. There are many easy day tours from Rodadero to Tayrona National Park, many of which include an easy walk through the jungle to some incredibly beautiful beaches. We love visiting beaches where you don’t just drive up and park – having some family adventure on the way to the beach makes it 10x better!

6. Tofino, Canada

Region: North America

Wait…  what?? One of our best beach destinations for families is in Canada?!? Yes, it’s true! Despite not being in a tropical location, Tofino is one of the most beautiful, and most magical destinations for a family beach vacation anywhere on Earth.

Located on Vancouver Island, Tofino is the gateway to the Pacific Rim National Park, where you can explore some of the most incredible rainforest you’ve ever seen. Some of our family hikes through the rainforest are some of my favorite family travel memories of all time.

Of course, to be on this list, there are some amazing beaches in Tofino, British Columbia. The beaches in Tofino are fun in a traditional, play in the sand and water sense, but they also have another dimension. They are excellent for family walks, exploring and beachcombing. Your kids will love the beaches in Tofino, even if there are no palm trees in sight.

In addition to the beautiful beaches and rainforest hikes, there are some very fun things to do in Tofino with kids. We enjoyed our whale watching tour, but the best thing to do in Tofino with kids is to go on a bear watching boat cruise. The local bears have learned to find food along the shoreline at low tide. You can easily see them from the safety of a boat while they fill their bellies. It’s an incredible experience!

7. Jeju Island, South Korea

Region: Asia

Of all the family beach vacations we have taken around the world, the one that got away was Jeju Island in South Korea. With an abundance of beautiful beaches and fun things to do with kids, Jeju Island is the top vacation spot in South Korea.

Our problem was that we visited Jeju Island too early in the year and the weather wasn’t quite warm enough for the beach. But we could clearly see how beautiful the beaches were and how much fun the rest of the island was for a family vacation.

For non-beach activities, we loved all the volcanic-themed attractions on the island. The best was an exciting walk inside the Manjanggul Lava Tubes, which was such a unique and amazing experience for the whole family. Hiking around the volcanic summit of Hallasan Mountain was another amazing highlight.

It’s clear that we will have to return to Jeju Island for an amazing family beach holiday!

8. Isla d’Elba, Italy

Regions: Europe, Mediterranean

We spent an enjoyable week exploring the beautiful beaches of Isla d’Elba during our family trip to Italy when our kids were 2 and 4 years old. We based ourselves in Portoferraio and rented bikes with child seats, allowing us to venture out and explore all the best beaches this beautiful Italian island has to offer.

Being in the Mediterranean, most of the beaches have pebbles instead of sand. But that’s ok, as we’ve learned kids have just as much fun on a pebble beach as a sand beach. In fact, when we did find a sand beach on the island, we thought our kids would be excited, but they were actually disappointed as playing with the pebbles was one of their favorite things to do.

We spent most of our time at this Italian beach destination enjoying time near the water, but there are also some cultural things to enjoy as well. History buffs will enjoy knowing that Elba is where Napoleon lived out his days in exile – a fact nearly everyone seemed to know, except us!

9. Phuket, Thailand

Region: Southeast Asia

It’s no surprise that Phuket made our Top 10 best beach destinations for families as it is known the world-over for its idyllic family-friendly beaches. We spent a magical Christmas week in the tropical paradise of Phuket during our first family vacation to Thailand.

As you’ve seen elsewhere on our list, we prefer beach destinations which have more things to do with kids than just the beach. Phuket is no exception to this, as they have tons of fun family activities including water parks, animal sanctuaries and more.

But, in a rare occurrence, we were so drawn in by the beauty of the Phuket beaches, that we did nothing else during out stay.

10. Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Region: Central America

Rounding out our top 10 beach destinations for families is Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Located on the Pacific coast in the northwest corner of this lush Central American country, the Guanacaste Peninsula is known as one of the top beach destinations in Costa Rica.

This region of Costa Rica is home to many of the best family resorts in the country, which is what attracted us to the region. We began our recent family trip to Costa Rica at the Riu Guanacaste All-inclusive resort.

We had an amazing time at the Riu Guanacaste resort, in large part because of its amazing location. This 5-star all-inclusive resort not only sits on a long, golden sand beach, but it backs onto the jungle.

We spent most of our days on the sand, near a tranquil stream which flowed from the jungle, through the sand and into the ocean. Our kids had the option of playing in the ocean or the fresh water stream, while we often enjoyed the sounds of nearby howler monkeys.

11. Hvar, Croatia

Region: Europe

Croatia has a well deserved reputation for having some of the finest beaches in Europe. When choosing which beach towns to visit during our family vacation to Croatia, we were a little unsure about Hvar. Sure, it has amazing beaches, but it also has a reputation as a jet-setting party town. We decided to give Hvar a try and we’re glad we did!

If you’ve visited our family travel blog before, you’ll know we love outdoor activities, so you won’t be surprised when you discover that we found an amazing hike to an amazing Hvar beach!

In fact, the easy hike from Hvar to Milna Beach was one of the most beautiful hikes we’ve ever done, with most of it hugging the rugged Adriatic coastline. There are lots of ‘secret’ beaches along the way which turned out to be nicer than the more popular Milna Beach, so just pick one and have a great family day at the beach in near seclusion!

As for non-beach activities, the Hvar Fortress was super cool to visit. Towering over the beach resort, the Hvar Fortress will capture the imagination of every kid – young and old!

12. Koh Lanta, Thailand

We spent our first Christmas in Thailand enjoying the amazing sandy beaches around Phuket. For our second family vacation here, we chose to spend New Years at a more laid-back Thailand beach destination a little further down the coast… the amazing island of Koh Lanta.

We stayed at a beach resort on Khlong Dao Beach, which was perfect for our family. Our kids loved playing in the soft sand and the gentle waters, while we enjoyed long family walks up and down the beach every day.

We had previously taken our kids to an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, so we wanted to try it again with them five years later. It’s a close call, but I’d say we enjoyed our time at the Lanta elephant sanctuary even more than our Chiang Mai experience.

Our kids favorite part about our family trip to Koh Lanta? Watching the action packed fire shows on the beach! Many hotels put on fire shows on the beach several times a week. We let our kids stay up for one on New Years Eve, and I have to agree with them – it was pretty awesome!

13. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Region: Mexico

We snuck in a week at the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas all-inclusive resort as our very first post-Covid family trip. Given our nervousness about traveling with our kids during this tumultuous time, we did something we never, ever do… we went to the beach resort and stayed there.

To be fair, the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas all-inclusive beach resort is so amazing, that there is really no reason to leave. The beach was spectacular, and we enjoyed long family walks every day to a secret place we found at the far end. We were treated to watching humpback whales breaching in the water just offshore on many of these family walks – an experience we will remember forever.

Sadly, the ocean on the Pacific coast was a bit rough during our week in Cabo San Lucas, but our kids didn’t mind at all as the swimming pools at the resort met their need to get wet.

It’s been eating at me that Covid scared us into not seeing the towns around our Cabo beach resort, but that’s just a great reason for us to return!

14. La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain

Region: Europe

Tenerife may have all the theme parks and get all the attention as the most family-friendly of the Canary Islands, but after visiting them both, we declare that La Palma is better! One of the main reasons why is due to the fact that the entire island of La Palma is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – meaning the entire island is a magical outdoor wonderland!

La Palma has some amazing black sand beaches which our kids loved. Unlike many destinations that claim to have black sand beaches, the sand on the La Palma beaches are truly deep black. It’s such a cool experience for kids to build black sand castles, etc.

There are also many amazing natural swimming pools in La Palma. These swimming pools are adjacent to the ocean and use salt water. These pools give swimmers a chance to enjoy the fresh ocean water without the waves. Many of them are very beautifully designed and compliment the natural beauty of the area.

For non-beach family activities, La Palma has some incredible hiking. During our week in La Palma with kids, we enjoyed a wide variety of family hikes, on volcanos, in national parks, etc.

The combination of the beaches and hiking, made our family trip to La Palma very memorable. If your family also loves enjoying the beauty of nature, you’ll love a beach vacation to La Palma with kids.

15. Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Region: East Coast USA

We visited Wilmington, NC on a family road trip through the southern east coast USA. To be very honest, we knew absolutely nothing about Wilmington, aside from the fact it broke up our drive between Charleston, NC and Shenandoah National Park.

We’re really glad that we accidentally discovered Wilmington – it was awesome! Not only does it have some spectacular beaches, it’s also the only native growing area in the world for Venus flytraps! In Wilmington! Who knew?!? What kid doesn’t love Venus flytraps?

As far as Wilmington beaches go, we enjoyed a great afternoon at the Fort Fisher Recreational Area. We also joined a fun family-friendly eco-tour to Masonboro Island, which included some fun time on the secluded sandy beach.

16. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Region: Europe

Tenerife is widely known as an amazing family-friendly beach destination in the Canary Islands. This is largely due to the theme parks found in Costa Adeje, but we spent an entire week enjoying the natural beauty of Tenerife with kids and didn’t step foot in a single theme park. Tenerife is such a beautiful and interesting beach vacation destination that we didn’t need theme parks to fill our time!

Tenerife is home to some amazing family-friendly beaches. One of our favorites was Las Teresitas beach, which had beautifully soft golden sand, and small waves due to an offshore wave break.

As far as non-beach activities, we loved our trip up the Mount Teide cable car to the highest point in Spain. The views from this massive volcano are epic and our kids loved feeling the thermal heat emanating from spots our guide showed us in the ground. There’s also some incredible family hikes just a short drive from the cable car.

We also had an amazing dolphin watching tour from a boat which had underwater viewing areas. Our kids were beyond excited to see a dolphin swim by underwater!

17. Split, Croatia

Region: Europe

A wonderful mix of culture, history and natural beauty, there is so much to enjoy on a family vacation to Split, Croatia. We spent 3 days in Split with kids and got to enjoy a little bit of everything.

For our beach day, we were excited to take the kids to Bacvice Beach, as it’s a rare Mediterranean beach with real sand (instead of pebbles which are much more common). Funny enough, our kids were upset about it being sand as they love throwing pebbles into the water, so we went to another nearby beach instead. Kids are so funny!

The old town of Split is incredible to explore, a fact recognized by the Game of Thrones producers who chose it as the location for many important locations in the iconic TV show. We got to visit many of these locations, which Celine and I thought was great, but our kids just loved exploring the many adventurous side streets etc. that hold so many surprises for them.

18. Busan, South Korea

Region: Asia

As with our trip to Jeju Island, we missed out on enjoying the amazing beaches in Busan, South Korea due to chilly weather. And that’s a real shame as the beaches here look amazing.

Backed by a shiny skyscrapers, trendy Haeundae Beach is a family-favorite beach in Busan, due to its soft sand and lively atmosphere. We spent some time around Songdo Beach, which has an amazing sculpture of a humpback whale in the water,  and it looked like it would be a great place for families in a warmer climate.

Due to the chilly weather during our trip, we got to enjoy the best things to do in Busan with kids. The walk through the colorful Gamcheon Culture Village was a highlight, as was our family hike around Beomeosa Temple, one of the most important temples in South Korea.

19. Isla Mucura, Colombia

Regions: Caribbean, South America

We have a tradition where we like to stay somewhere special over Christmas, preferably at one of the top beach destinations for families around the world. The winter when our kids were 6 & 4, we decided to spend our family Christmas beach holiday on a tiny Colombian tropical island in the Caribbean Sea.

Isla Mucura is not a tourism hotspot in Colombia, so the tourist infrastructure here is still developing. In many ways, this is a nice thing, as you really get the feeling of being away from it all.

We stayed at a quirky locals beach resort, as we were drawn in by the chance to stay in an elevated thatch hut right next to the ocean. Being a locals resort, it was to a different standard than a typical resort targeted at Westerners.

In some ways it was a wonderfully different experience – the free roaming goats throughout the beach resort, for example. In other ways, it was not. One thing for sure, it’s a family beach vacation we still talk about to this day!

There are many fun excursions from Isla Mucura, including the chance to snorkel in a bioluminescent bay. Here, the time sea life lights up when the water is disturbed, creating a brilliant blue water around you. It’s an amazing experience.

20. Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

Region: Central America

During our family vacation to Costa Rica, we needed a place to stop and break up the drive between our visit to Arenal Volcano with kids and our visit to Corcovado National Park with kids. We were lucky to find an all-inclusive resort to stay at in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica.

The Best Western Jaco Beach All-Inclusive Resort is located right in the middle of Jaco Beach on the Pacific coast. You may not have heard of Jaco Beach, as it’s not one of the top beach destinations in Costa Rica, but it is an up-and-coming destination due to its proximity to Manuel Antonio National Park.

We spent a really fun afternoon at this basic all-inclusive resort, walking up and down the beach, and swimming in their pools. The sunset over the Pacific was pretty amazing too!

21. Los Angeles, California, USA

Region: South Western USA

It’s no secret that Los Angeles is one of the top family-friendly destinations in the United States. With a wonderful, sunny climate, beautiful sandy beaches and top theme parks, LA is a great place for a family beach vacation.

We’ve been to Los Angeles with our kids on two occasions now – primarily to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios. We were able to sneak in an afternoon at the Santa Monica beach on our most recent visit and had a great time. We’d love to come back to LA to enjoy more of their family-friendly beaches.

Best Inland Beach Destinations for Families

Not all family beach vacations need to be near an ocean! In fact, some of our favorite beach vacations have been to some really beautiful lakes. Here are three of our favorite family beach vacation destinations which are located on lakes.

22. 500 Rai Floating Resort, Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

Region: Asia

Full disclosure – this Thailand lake resort doesn’t even have a beach, but we included it because it is so awesome!

The 500 Rai Floating Resort is a luxury resort of floating bungalows in magical Khao Sok National Park in Thailand. This is where we chose to spend Christmas on our most recent family vacation to Thailand.

Khao Sok National Park is a magical place with jungle-covered karst mountains rising from the waters of the lake. The chance to stay in a floating bungalow here is something we’ll never forget.

Our kids spent nearly every minute of every day in the water at the 500 Rai resort. Either they’d just jump right in from our private dock, or take out one of our kayaks for a spin.

When we weren’t playing in the water, we were out enjoying some great family-friendly excursions. For example, we took a wildlife safari tour to look for the wild elephants which roam the national park. On another tour, we took a trip to the Crystal Cave, with some exciting hiking on the way.

The Thai and western food was amazing at the 500 Rai Floating Resort, as were their staff. They were all so welcoming to our kids, they really felt special during our Christmas beach vacation here.

23. Lake Bled, Slovenia

Region: Europe

Visiting Lake Bled has been on our family travel bucket list for so long, we were thrilled when we finally got a chance to visit with our kids one summer.

We actually visited Lake Bled on several occasions, as we used it as a base in-between a family-friendly hut-to-hut hiking tour through the Julian Alps and a family-friendly cycling tour around Lake Bled. Because of this, we got to know Lake Bled very well.

Lake Bled is every bit as beautiful as it is in the pictures. We loved that in order to get that iconic picture of the church on Lake Bled, it involved a fun family hike up a hill to a viewpoint.

The main swimming area in Lake Bled is immediately below the Bled Castle, which is perched way up high on a cliff above. The Lake Bled swimming area is amazing – they’ve created many different swimming pools using the natural lake water. There’s even a water slide and a diving board, which our kids used over and over.

24. Zell am See, Austria

Region: Europe

During a recent family road trip through Austria, we stopped at a beach resort town called Zell Am See. With the beautiful Austrian mountains as a backdrop, we loved our stay in Zell am See with kids.

Zell am See has an excellent beach facility right in the heart of town. In addition to a sandy beach for kids to play in, there are many Wibit inflatables for kids to climb on in the water, and a big swimming pool and water slide.

We were drawn to Austria for its amazing family-friendly outdoor activities, and there are an abundance of them in Zell am See. Some of our favorite activities included an amazing hike at the Krimml Waterfall (the highest in Europe), a hike to a glacier, and much more. .

25. Lake Annecy, France

Region: Europe

Our family visited this very popular French beach resort for all the same reasons as we visited Zell am See in Austria. We were drawn to this region of France by the Alps, and the chance to visit Chamonix with kids, and we couldn’t miss a chance to visit this popular beach vacation destination while we were in the area.

There are many fun beaches all around Lake Annecy. We chose to visit the Saint Jorioz beach as it is the only one on the lake which has a real sand beach. It had great sand for sandcastles, a playground and even a diving platform for older kids.

As usual, we enjoyed many amazing non-water activities during our family visit to Annecy. We enjoyed an incredible hike through a gorge, cycling around the lake, and much more!

Summary – Beach Destinations for Families

And that’s it! We hope you enjoyed reading about these amazing beach destinations for families. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in each of these amazing destinations and we hope that it inspires you to travel to one for your family beach vacation too!