Postcards rarely show the closed shoreline sign, the pile of drying seaweed, or the curfew notice taped to a lamppost. Beach towns sell an idea of easy days, and most of the time they deliver. Sometimes a single recurring problem gets in the way of the whole trip.
The nine places below are a mix of Californian, Mexican, Floridian and Spanish resorts. Each one has had a documented problem in recent years, mostly between 2024 and 2026. Conditions change quickly, so treat this as a snapshot and check local updates before you book.
Imperial Beach, California
Imperial Beach is a small surf town at the southern edge of San Diego County, and it should be an easy sell. The trouble is the Tijuana River, where sewage pollution leads to unsafe bacteria levels most of the time near the border.[1] County figures reported in July 2025 showed that beaches there had been closed 861 days since the start of 2023, more than ninety percent of the time.[1]
Short openings do happen, though they don’t last. Border adjacent beaches that had been closed since December 2021 opened for the first time in over 1,400 days, then closed again the next day after sewage odor and discoloration were reported in October 2025.[2] By late September 2026, the Imperial Beach shoreline, Border Field State Park and the Tijuana Slough refuge were closed, with no reopening date announced.[3] That was despite Mexico finishing repairs on the Punta Bandera treatment plant in April 2025.[4]
Coronado, California
Coronado is a polished, well known beach city, which makes its water problems feel even more out of place. Around Labor Day weekend in 2025, county officials extended a closure to include the entire Coronado shoreline.[5] That is the kind of news nobody wants when they’ve already paid for a holiday weekend.
This wasn’t a one off. Pollution from the Tijuana River has led to years of beach closures in Imperial Beach and Coronado.[2] Reports describe decades of untreated sewage washing from Mexico across the border, allowed by broken sewer plants on both sides.[5]
A new plant in Tijuana offered some hope in 2025. Even so, communities north of the border saw little to no relief[6] while it was only partly operating, and closures in Imperial Beach and Coronado remained in effect.[6]
Tulum, Mexico
Tulum built its fame on turquoise water and white sand, with ruins sitting right above the shore. Seaweed has been testing that image. Local officials reported that sargassum collection in Tulum rose by just over fifty percent in the first two months of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier.[7] By late May 2025, twenty eight of one hundred monitored Quintana Roo beaches were under a red alert for excessive sargassum, with Tulum among the most affected.[8]
The problem continued into 2026. State figures published in July showed about 9,663 tonnes had been collected in the municipality during 2026.[9] One tourism report also found that Tulum’s hotel occupancy averaged below Playa del Carmen and Cancún between July 2025 and June 2026.[9] That doesn’t prove seaweed is the only reason, but it fits the picture.
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Playa del Carmen is one of the hardest hit stretches of the Mexican Caribbean. State environmental figures reported in 2026 showed roughly 31,413 tonnes collected there by 20 July, more than any other municipality in that update.[9] The scale is hard to picture until you read that a single cleanup on 6 June involved more than two thousand people and removed about seventy tonnes.[9]
Seaweed isn’t the only issue on this coast. One travel guide notes that the resort’s beaches are eroding, and seaweed tends to get trapped and decompose.[8] The wider context is sobering as well, since satellite tracking showed 2025 total Atlantic sargassum volume well above the previous 2022 peak.[10] The town has responded with marine barriers, daily satellite monitoring and beach level alerts.[11]
Puerto Morelos, Mexico
Puerto Morelos is a quieter fishing town between Cancún and Playa del Carmen, and many travelers pick it for that calm. Seaweed has followed it anyway. By July 2026, it had removed roughly 10,572 tonnes, making it another major pressure point.[9]
Local authorities say they’re fighting back. More than 4,000 tonnes were collected between January and May, and the destination uses marine barriers and equipment to reduce the impact.[11] A Navy installed barrier system also covers Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras and Tulum.[10]
Visitors who want guaranteed clear water have been pointed elsewhere. One 2026 update lists Holbox, Isla Mujeres, Costa Mujeres and Mahahual as the most reliably clear stretches of coast.[10]
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is one of the most famous beach destinations in the country, and spring break is where it often disappoints. The city imposed emergency curfews and restrictions in 2024 after violent incidents and large, uncontrollable crowds.[12] Officials said the rules were introduced after three consecutive years of spring break violence.[13]
The 2025 package was heavy. It included curfews, bag searches at the beach, early beach closures, a license plate reader, and arrests for drug possession and violence.[14] Visitors also faced $100 parking fees, sobriety checkpoints and doubled towing rates for nonresidents.[14] City leaders note that overall hotel occupancy actually increased in 2024 over 2023.[13]
For 2026, the city eased a few measures. Reporting said beaches would not close at 6 p.m., and there would be no midnight curfew unless serious incidents occur,[15] though a heavy police presence stayed in place.[15]
Magaluf, Mallorca
Magaluf has long been a party resort, and Spanish authorities have spent years trying to rein that in. The reputation had a backlash attached, since graffiti reading “Tourists go home” appeared in some areas[16] when the first law arrived in 2020. If you’re expecting a loose night out, the rules now say otherwise.
Under the revised framework, drinking in the street is illegal in the zones where restrictions apply.[17] Penalties can range from 500 to 1,500 euros[18] for drinking outside authorised areas, and can rise to 3,000 euros if behaviour is particularly disruptive.[19] There’s also a ban on shop alcohol sales between 9:30 p.m. and 8 a.m. in certain areas, including Magaluf.[18]
Party boats face limits too, with an exclusion zone of one nautical mile for boats hosting parties or large events with alcohol.[17] The restrictions are reported to be in place until at least December 2027.[18]
Sant Antoni, Ibiza
Sant Antoni de Portmany has a famous nightlife strip known as the West End. Visitors who arrive expecting an anything goes scene meet a different reality. The Balearic rules apply to the West End of San Antonio on Ibiza[20] alongside two Mallorcan areas.
The measures are practical rather than symbolic. Overnight alcohol sales between 9:30 p.m. and 8 a.m. are banned in shops, though bars, restaurants and clubs can still sell drinks.[19] Party boats can still run, but they can’t be advertised in the affected areas or pick up and drop off passengers in those resorts.[21]
Authorities say up to 16 million euros will be spent on improving tourist hotspots in the region.[18] The law also targets balcony jumping, a practice that has claimed dozens of lives of young British holidaymakers.[20]
El Arenal, Mallorca
El Arenal sits within the Playa de Palma strip and has been part of the same crackdown. Visitors booking an all inclusive package may be surprised by the limits. Hotels in designated party zones can serve a maximum of six alcoholic drinks per guest per day on all inclusive packages.[22]
The split is specific. Three drinks are allowed at lunch and three at the evening meal.[21] Public drinking is also restricted, and alcohol in streets, plazas and parks is prohibited in the designated zones of Magaluf, Playa de Palma and El Arenal.[22] The original 2020 law was aimed at curbing happy hours and offers of unlimited drinks at some of the most popular tourist resorts.[23]
Existing contracts were handled with some flexibility at the start. Tour operators that had already signed all inclusive deals with hotels were allowed to continue.[20]
