As summer arrives and temperatures start to rise, millions of holidaymakers are gearing up for the perfect beach escape either at home or abroad.
But finding your own piece of paradise can be challenging when you’re sharing the beach with thousands of other visitors – and before you know it, a relaxing day at a coastal haven can quickly turn into a holiday hell.
Luckily, beachgoers far and wide can plan accordingly before visiting a picture-postcard destination this summer, as the world’s most complained about beaches have been revealed.
A new study has analysed TripAdvisor reviews from 200 of the world’s most popular beaches – uncovering the locations consistently disappointing tourists despite their exceptional reputations.
The research assessed negative keywords used in reviews, such as ‘overcrowded,’ ‘dirty,’ ‘long queues,’ ‘noise’ and ‘disruption’ to filter the reviews, then looked at how often they were applied to each beach to compute an overall complaint score.
European beaches dominated the overcrowding category, US hotspots were ranked least clean, Caribbean and North American beaches were found to be most noisy, while Island destinations were revealed to have some of the worst queues.
Scoring a perfect 100 out of 100 score, Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, US, topped the overall complaint list primary due to overcrowding, along with lack of cleanliness, noise and long queues.
Over two-thirds of negative reviews cited uncomfortable overcrowding that transforms the popular tourist spot into what one visitor dubbed ‘a human sardine can.’
Scoring a perfect 100 out of 100 score, Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, US, topped the overall complaint list primary due to overcrowding, along with lack of cleanliness, noise and long queues
Venice Beach in California followed closely behind in second place with an 89.7 out of 100 complaint score, driven primarily by cleanliness concerns (60.6 per cent)
Venice Beach in California followed closely behind in second place with an 89.7 out of 100 complaint score, driven primarily by cleanliness concerns (60.6 per cent).
One TripAdvisor reviewer at Venice Beach wrote that it ‘is dirty and some parts even smelled like urine.’
Coming in third place in the Cloudwards study, with a complaint score of 73.5, is Playa Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica, as over half of negative reviews cited overcrowding, while over a quarter complained of long queues.
Some visitors mentioned spending more time waiting than actually enjoying the beach, as one wrote: ‘The line to get in the park, where the beach is located, is crazy long, as not only beachgoers are waiting, but people interested in the park and tours.’
Clearwater Beach in the United States was ranked fourth with a complaint score of 65.5, as almost a fifth of negative reviews described the beach as ‘dirty,’ while a staggering 64 per cent of visitors specified overcrowding as a prevalent issue.
Popular British destinations also ranked highly in overall complaints, with Bournemouth Beach coming in fifth place with a score of 65.1.
Over a third of negative reviews complained of lack of cleanliness, while over half highlighted overcrowding as a persistent problem.
Two additional UK beaches made the top 100: Weymouth Beach ranked 30th with a complaint score of 39.5, while Gorleston-on-Sea Beach ranked 91st with a score of 19.8.
Coming in third with a complaint score of 73.5 is Playa Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica, as over half of negative reviews citing overcrowding, while over a quarter complained of long queues
Clearwater Beach in the United States was ranked fourth with a complaint score of 65.5, as almost a fifth of negative reviews described the beach as ‘dirty’
Leading the European destinations with the highest percentage of overcrowding complaints is La Pelosa in Italy, while Elafonissi Beach in Greece ranked seventh on overall complaints, with over 70 per cent of reviews citing overcrowding as an issue.
During peak season at La Pelosa, visitors reported having to arrive early to claim a prime spot, only to find themselves still touching shoulders with strangers.
One visitor to La Pelosa wrote: ‘It was a weekday morning in mid-September yet the crowds resembled central London/New York/Sydney on New Year’s Eve.’
Playa Delfines in Mexico earned the dubious honour of worst queues, with over half of visitors complaining of long wait times.
Sint Maarten’s Maho Beach ranked as the noisiest destination, with a large number of complaints mentioning excessive noise – unsurprising given that the beach is located directly under an airport flight path where planes pass just meters above.
A visitor to Maho Beach wrote: ‘The smell of jet fuel is sickening and the blast of sand in the face from the jets is painful and like standing in front of a sand blaster.’
Cloudwards CEO, Mauricio Preuss, said of the findings: ‘For travellers, this research underscores the importance of looking beyond the highlight reel.
‘The most rewarding beach experiences might be found at lesser-known destinations that haven’t yet been overwhelmed by mass tourism.
Popular British destinations also ranked highly in overall complaints, with Bournemouth Beach coming in fifth place with a score of 65.1
‘Sometimes the best paradise is the one that isn’t trending on TikTok.’
The full list of 100 most complained about beaches can be found here.
But if you’re looking at where to go instead, the best beaches in the world for 2025 have been ranked.
And it was a Greek beach dubbed ‘the Maldives of Europe’ that came out on top of the list.
