Most Family-Friendly Beach Vacation Destinations

Last updated on 01/19/2021

Best Family-Friend Beach Vacation Destinations

The University of Toronto found that taking a vacation as a family increases happiness in all members, particularly children.The shared experience promotes stronger family relationships, contributes to one's sense of self, and forms memories that are an ongoing source of happiness.

However, it’s challenging to find that perfect experience that allows the entire family to relax and enjoy. Special considerations need to be taken, particularly when traveling with young children. Is the area safe? Will they be able to swim in the water? Are there family-friendly activities and accommodation nearby?

The research team at InsureMyTrip set out to answer these questions and find the perfect destinations to consider for your next family vacation.

1. The Best Destinations for Family Beach Vacations 2. The Best US Destinations for Family Beach Vacations 3. Key Findings 4. Methodology 5. Sources

The Best Destinations for Family Beach Vacations

Rank
Destination
Country
1
Dubai
UAE
5.35
8.33
0.23
9.81
8.81
9.43
9.44
7.34
2
Corfu
Greece
9.04
7.32
1.12
5.64
8.02
10
9.46
7.23
3
Rhodes
Greece
8.92
6.32
0.53
6.54
8.77
9.66
9.24
7.14
4
Gozo
Malta
8.51
6.35
4.16
6.93
6.98
8.74
8.23
7.13
5
Crete
Greece
9
6.58
0.22
5.92
8.01
9.66
9.85
7.03
6
San Diego
USA
5.42
9.14
0.9
8.81
7.78
9.43
6.42
6.84
7
Bermuda
Bermuda
6.51
9.17
7.58
7.16
1.65
8.39
7.3
6.82
8
Gijón
Spain
6.43
6.02
10
3.82
2.94
8.85
9.61
6.81
9
Girona
Spain
7.13
6.77
3.95
4.38
8.7
9.2
6.95
6.73
10
Turks and Caicos
Turks and Caicos
7.81
9.83
0.63
8.61
5.67
10
4.29
6.69
11
Benidorm
Spain
2.83
6.35
6.44
5.65
7.16
9.2
7.76
6.49
12
Brac
Croatia
10
3.65
0.16
5.21
10
9.43
-
6.41
13
Antalya
Turkey
3.39
7.08
0.18
6.78
9.87
9.43
7.92
6.38
14
Reggio di Calabria
Italy
6.6
6.58
0.4
5.92
9.43
8.74
6.72
6.34
15
Cabo San Lucas
Mexico
6.19
8.33
0.56
8.22
6.7
8.74
5.48
6.32
16
Guanacaste Province
Costa Rica
7.41
8.61
0.03
9.71
4.84
9.89
3.3
6.26
17
Phuket
Thailand
4.56
5.68
1.73
10
9.38
7.47
4.87
6.24
18
Mérida
Mexico
3.68
6.77
0.23
8.88
7.06
8.85
7.9
6.2
19
Majorca
Spain
5.86
6.55
0.43
5.66
8.93
8.28
7.12
6.12
20
Gran Canaria
Spain
4.29
6.5
0.64
6.03
6.08
10
8.49
6.01
21
Havana
Cuba
-
6.83
0.56
9.02
7.21
4.37
7.95
5.99
22
Faro
Portugal
6.24
7.31
0.41
5.13
6.08
9.31
7.41
5.98
23
Colombo
Sri Lanka
2.43
5.83
6.23
9.55
4.16
7.47
5.98
5.95
24
Cagliari
Italy
7.14
0
2.89
6.58
9.36
8.97
6.34
5.9
25
Menorca
Spain
6.11
6.65
0.91
5.57
6.77
8.05
7.12
5.88
26
Bali
Indonesia
7.16
5.87
0.32
9.19
4.8
8.62
4.95
5.84
27
Palermo
Italy
6.16
4.58
2.87
5.92
8.78
8.39
4.14
5.83
28
Tenerife
Spain
6.22
5.36
0.54
6.07
5
9.08
8.19
5.78
29
Bournemouth
England
0.46
8.88
5.87
2.03
8.04
9.08
6.08
5.78
30
Perth
Australia
4.78
10
0.02
5.4
6.24
8.05
5.4
5.7
31
Galveston
USA
5.02
5.49
0.35
7.54
7.06
9.31
4.87
5.66
32
Brighton
England
2.04
7.5
3.55
2.13
8.86
9.08
6.33
5.64
33
Myrtle Beach
USA
1.56
4.92
8.12
6.69
4.79
7.59
-
5.61
34
Vancouver
Canada
6.49
7.58
4.38
0
-
8.74
6.43
5.6
35
Tulum
Mexico
5.04
6.25
0.08
9.14
3.3
7.47
7.91
5.6
36
Barbados
Barbados
5.47
7.63
1.12
9.34
2.94
6.55
5.21
5.47
37
Mauritius
Mauritius
6.08
7.08
0.29
8.31
2.47
8.51
-
5.46
38
San Francisco
USA
2.05
7.76
8.05
1.98
-
8.85
3.82
5.42
39
Auckland
New Zealand
1.66
7
1.03
4.44
8.69
9.89
5.04
5.39
40
French Polynesia
French Polynesia
5.21
8.33
0.26
9.22
1.6
9.54
3.49
5.38
41
Los Angeles
USA
1.89
8.33
0.7
4.07
7.16
9.89
5.47
5.36
42
Bahamas
Bahamas
4.78
7.75
0.04
8.71
7.78
6.32
2.04
5.35
43
Nice
France
3.05
3.77
4.52
4.99
9.22
8.39
2.87
5.26
44
Florida Keys
USA
4.77
3.33
2.41
8.85
7.63
5.75
3.89
5.23
45
Goa
India
5.18
4.21
0.26
9.62
6.8
5.75
4.8
5.23
46
Okinawa
Japan
6.93
2.5
0.03
8.08
0.57
8.39
10
5.21
47
Honolulu
USA
0.84
6.9
2.61
7.93
3.4
9.2
5.33
5.17
48
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
3.32
8.17
1.13
7.74
6.75
8.62
0
5.11
49
Melbourne
Australia
4.38
6.49
0.04
3.83
5.51
9.89
5.25
5.06
50
Cozumel
Mexico
3.37
5.83
0.5
8.93
3.3
6.21
7.18
5.05
51
Suva
Fiji
4.66
0.83
0
8.53
5.87
9.77
-
4.94
52
Shirahama
Japan
4.47
3.96
0.37
5.8
3.56
8.28
8.03
4.92
53
Gold Coast
Cuba
4.58
9.58
1.91
7.64
1.96
3.45
5.23
4.91
54
Cancún
Mexico
0.87
7.81
0.16
8.93
5.62
6.44
4.26
4.87
55
Punta Cana
Dominican Republic
0
7.79
0.31
9.07
2.89
7.82
5.45
4.76
56
Sydney
Australia
2.63
8.96
0.06
6.32
2.37
5.98
6.77
4.73
57
Corsica
France
6.13
6.15
0.07
4.26
7.41
1.03
7.88
4.7
58
Coney Island
USA
0.77
5.83
1.88
2.94
7.37
8.62
5.15
4.65
59
Miami
USA
3.94
9.58
3.02
4.19
7.37
0
3.89
4.57
60
São Paulo
Brazil
2.93
7.25
0.88
7.94
3.2
7.82
1.02
4.43
61
Ocean City
USA
2.24
5.83
1.8
2.88
5.05
8.74
-
4.42
62
Cape Town
South Africa
4.84
7.66
1.87
4.19
0
7.93
0.69
3.88

A "-" score indicates that data could not be obtained for this destination

The Best US Destinations for Family Beach Vacations

Rank
Destination
State
1
San Diego
California
5.42
9.14
0.9
8.81
7.78
9.43
6.42
6.84
2
Galveston
Texas
5.02
5.49
0.35
7.54
7.06
9.31
4.87
5.66
3
Myrtle Beach
South Carolina
1.56
4.92
8.12
6.69
4.79
7.59
-
5.61
4
San Francisco
California
2.05
7.76
8.05
1.98
-
8.85
3.82
5.42
5
Los Angeles
California
1.89
8.33
0.7
4.07
7.16
9.89
5.47
5.36
6
Florida Keys
Florida
4.77
3.33
2.41
8.85
7.63
5.75
3.89
5.23
7
Honolulu
Hawaii
0.84
6.9
2.61
7.93
3.4
9.2
5.33
5.17
8
Coney Island
New York
0.77
5.83
1.88
2.94
7.37
8.62
5.15
4.65
9
Miami
Florida
3.94
9.58
3.02
4.19
7.37
0
3.89
4.57
10
Ocean City
Maryland
2.24
5.83
1.8
2.88
5.05
8.74
-
4.42

A "-" score indicates that data could not be obtained for this destination

Key Findings

Dubai ranks as the most family-friendly beach vacation destination. In recent years it has become a haven for theme parks, encouraging family adventure. In addition to this, the water is perfect for swimming with small children. Not only are there stunning sandy beaches for all members of the family to enjoy, but the waves are very low and the ocean current is weak. This allows even novice swimmers to enjoy Dubai’s warm sea. The latest research by Numbeo also ranks it the 6th safest city in the world, according to its 2020 safety index.

San Diego, CA was a consistent performer across all categories, making “America's Finest City” the most family-friendly beach destination in the United States. There are various activities for children, including world-class zoos and theme parks. Families looking for relaxation have 70 miles of coastline to enjoy. Similar to Dubai, the waves are low and the current is calm, allowing small children to safely enjoy the warm waters. San Diego also ranks highly on the Numbeo Safety Index. And according to data from Booking.com, it also has the highest quality of family-friendly hotels for children ages 6-12 years old.

Notably, 50% of the top ten most family-friendly destinations are located adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. This sea is known for its brilliant blue color, calm nature, and warm temperature.

Data from the Google Places API also shows that Perth in Australia has the highest quality of beaches nearby.

Methodology

Each data point consists of the latest research available from reputable sources. All sources are destinations specific level data points. The data was standardized using minmax normalization. The minmax normalization value is multiplied by 10 to create a score (between 0-10). A score of 10 is always the best result, while a score of 0 is the worst. Each destination is then ranked on their overall rating across all family-friendly data points, to find which beach destination is the most family-friendly.

InsureMyTrip isolated each data point in addition to giving an overall category score. This will give families an opportunity to target destinations for individual points (e.g. quantity of family attractions, ocean current strength or area safety). Alternatively, the “Overall” category score gives a general view of which destinations will allow you and the rest of your family to create the perfect lifetime memories.

Sources

Quality of Family Hotels

Average rating of 60 hotels with “Top Family Picks” filter on Booking.com.
https://www.booking.com/

Quality of Nearby Beaches

According to the Google Places API, all data was collected using web scraping software.
https://www.google.com/maps

Quantity of Family Attractions

The total number of attractions that were “good for kids”, according to TripAdvisor, divided by the area size of the destinations (to give per sq mile data).
https://www.tripadvisor.com/

Sea Temperature

The average max sea temperature across a whole year.
https://www.seatemperature.org/

Lowest Wave Height

The mean significant wave height for each destination.
https://earth.nullschool.net/

Weakest Ocean Current Strength

The ocean current strength for each destination.
https://earth.nullschool.net/

Area Safety

All data was taken from the Numbeo Safety Index 2020, based on tourist surveys.
https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings.jsp