There are lots of articles and rankings on the world’s best beaches, famous beaches and the most popular beach destinations.
Places that make these lists judge the quality and softness of the sand (which is why the small town of Siesta Key, FL, always ranks so high) and privacy. Remoteness.
Well, those last two elements are certainly not what PubClub.com would use to judge a great beach. Well, those last two elements are certainly not what PubClub.com would use to judge a great beach.
We look, of course, first to the nightlife at a beach destination. You know, the hot spot with an ideal location for fun in the sun, cheap drinks (well, not always, ha), sunsets and party lovers.
The beach party scene, the bars, the beach clubs, full moon parties, night parties, raging nightclubs, loud music, water sports, sunsets and fire dancers, those kinds of things. Some even have live music. Foam parties are in some of the beach bars; Ibiza is famous for these nightly happenings.
And so with that in mind we present you with the world’s best beaches for nightlife. These are indeed the top beach party destinations.
1.) Paradise Beach, Mykonos, Greece
Wild, wet and dancing on a bar to thumping party music with people from all over the world – this is summertime scene at the properly-named Paradise Beach in Mykonos, Greece. There simply is nothing like it anywhere else on the planet. It’s simple and non-pretentious which is a top criteria for PubClub.com’s top beaches for nightlife and partying.
It starts in the late afternoon and goes on until you go; some people stay at the beach in little shacks and once a month there’s a full moon party with dancing under the stars.
For these (and more) reasons, Paradise Beach is the world’s #1 beach for nightlife and partying.
Link: More on the Paradise Beach party scene
2.) Playa d’en Bosa, Ibiza, Spain
Daylife and nightlife, this large and seemingly never-ending beach goes day and night with more than 50 bars in the vicinity. For sunsets, go to San Antonio Beach.
Link: A complete guide to Ibiza’s beaches
3.) Pacific Beach, CA
A wide beach, a bike path, bars, babes, bikinis, surfer dudes and board shorts. This, folks, is Pacific Beach in San Diego, a true “hey dude” Southern California beach. No need to dress up here so leave the slacks and cocktail dresses in your suitcase (save that for the Gaslamp Quarter or better yet, Little Italy) and instead head to the shore with a bathing suit, t-shirt and flip flops.
From a party scene standpoint well, wow! Drinking and singles mingling is what people do here after their beach time and on weekends it starts well before sunset. It goes until the last bar closes at 2 a.m. The super-smokin’ hotspots are Maverick’s, Duck Dive, PB Beach Club, Lahina Beach Bar and, on Sundays, the Firehouse. Note that these are not huge places and long lines form at them so get there just as the party is starting and you’ll be there when it’s raging at its full intensity.
Link: Pacific Beach guide
4.) Phi Phi Island, Thailand
You have no doubt heard of Patong Beach but there’s a better place to party in Thailand. It’s an hour boat ride away on Phi Phi Island which doesn’t have those “go go girls” but rather real girls and guys going to the countless fun bars in the tiny town and on the beach, where fire dancers put on a free nightly shows.
Link: Phi Phi Island bars & nightlife guide
5.) Baga Beach, Goa, India
This may be the last place on earth you would expect to find a party beach with great nightlife, but in fact it’s one of the best in the world. There are full moon parties, bars on the beach and thousands of people meeting and mingling in a very casual “come as you are” scene. Just off the the beach there’s a lineup of bars with a party scene so wild many people just spend the night on the sand.
Here’s a list of the most popular bars in Baga Beach: Seby Bar And Restaurant, Black Sheep Bistro, Bora BoraCafe, La Musica Mango Tree, Club Cubana, Jamies Restaurant, Royal Relish and J&A’s Little Italy.
Time your trip so you can attend one of Goa’s legendary full moon parties.
6.) Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL
This place became famous back in the 60s for its wild Spring Break scene, ignited by the Where The Boys Are movie. Well, it’s also where the girls are, along with a line of bars overlooking the ocean for miles and several more a bit inland on Los Olas Blvd., which connects to the beach at the famous dive bar the Elbo Room.
In the winter (hey it’s still warm; it’s Florida!) take in the huge Winterfest boat parade, one of the largest boat parades in the world.
Link: Ft. Lauderdale bars & nightlife guide
7.) South Padre Island, Texas
For starters, you can drink on the beach here. That’s a huge bonus. Secondly, it has raging nightlife, starting with Clayton’s Beach Bar which is the biggest bar in Texas and is packed with 20-and-up partiers who are entertained not just by each other but DJs and bands playing in this open-air hotspot overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
South Padre Island has all kinds of bars and nightlife ranging from dive bars to big-time party spots with DJs. Other hotspots are Louie’s Backyard, the Quarterdeck with live entertainment and Wanna Wanna Beach Bar & Grill which is right on the beach and was featured in Playboy as a top party spot in San Padre Island.
8.) Hermosa Beach, CA
Hermosa makes the top 10 because it’s home to the “we’re still in college” mentality party people of L.A. Small and busy bars are lined up on Pier Plaza by the pier – where you can go in with sandals shedding sand from the beach – and along Hermosa Ave., which forms a ‘T’ with Pier Plaza.
There are full-on party bars (Sharkeez, Patrick Molloy’s), a casual and classy beach lounge (Tower 12) and several places that feature live music, including the legendary Lighthouse Cafe which was featured in the movie LaLa Land. The music scene is incredible here with several local bands featuring loyal locals who gather to sing and dance to original and popular cover tunes.
Additionally there are several pub crawls, bachelor and bachlorette parties and fun events like Smackfest, which is a costumed beach volleyball tournament with some 2,000 participants and party observers.
Link: Hermosa Beach bars & nightlife guide
9.) Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
Ahh, Waikiki Beach. Party in paradise.
Make your way along the beach to hotspots, booze cruises and the legendary Duke’s Waikiki, which on Sundays fills up with locals who come to hear local music icon Henry Kapono. His “Duke’s On Sunday” is the signature song of not just Waikiki Beach but of all of Hawaii. The time to be there is 4-7.
Link: Why Duke’s is the best bar in the South Pacific On Sundays
10.) Daytona Beach, FL
This won’t make anyone’s list of best family beach or prettiest beach but it sure makes PubClub’s list, for it’s a beach party with a bit of a redneck and biker twist to it. In fact, Daytona is home of massive Bike Week in March, as well as NACAR’s biggest race the Daytona 500 and is a Spring Break mecca for college students.
At other times, Daytona Beach is where Southerners within driving distance go to hit the sand and the bars, one of the best of which is the double-deck Ocean Deck right off the sand.
Cars can also drive and park on the sand and drinking is legal on the beach. Just make sure your driver isn’t popping beers out of the cooler because you can’t park there overnight.
And here’s a coo fun fact about Daytona Beach: there are no seashells so you don’t have to worry about sharp and panful shells crunching under your tender feet while dashing into the warm 80-degree Atlantic Ocean.
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