Caladesi Island is America’s top beach

CALADESI Island State Park in Florida’s St Petersburg/Clearwater area has been named America’s best beach for 2008 by the country’s most widely recognised beach guru.

Third-ranked Siesta Beach and ninth-ranked Cape Florida State Park were two other Florida beaches to make it into the top 10.

The annual ranking is compiled by ‘coastal expert’ Dr Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr Beach, who said: “Caladesi is my favourite getaway beach; the only mode of transportation on this lovely island, dominated by palm trees, is by foot. This is a great place to decompress while enjoying the powder white sand and warm, crystal clear water.”

Last year the beach doctor plumped for The Ocracoke Beach on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. The island, embraced by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, is known for its clean water, sand and unspoiled natural beauty. At 16 miles long and a half-mile wide, Ocracoke was once a favourite haunt of Blackbeard the Pirate and the place where he met his demise.

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