Bondi might be the poster child for Australia’s beaches, but locals know our coastline is lined with thousands of gems that rival, if not outshine, this world-famous stretch of sand. In summer, Sydneysiders tend to steer clear of Bondi because the crowds are just too much to handle. And that’s just one of many reasons that saw Bondi land a spot in a new ranking of the ten most complained-about beaches on the planet.
To compile the list, Cloudwards trawled through Tripadvisor reviews for 200 of the world’s most popular beaches, tracking gripes about dirt, crowds, queues and noise. Those keywords were tallied into a ‘complaint score’ out of 100 – but in this case, a perfect score is a bad thing.
It’s honestly no surprise that Bondi Beach made the list, landing as the ninth-most complained-about beach of all time. It earned a complaint score of 57.1 – thankfully well below Waikiki Beach, which ranked first with a ‘perfect’ 100 (but not in a good way).
If you don’t like sunbaking like sardines, you’ll definitely want to avoid Bondi on a sunny day as it had the highest proportion of overcrowding complaints among the top ten beaches (75.9 per cent). However, this was balanced out by having only a third of the noise or disruption complaints (3.4 per cent) of Waikiki, and fewer 'dirty' reviews (13 per cent) than other high-ranking beaches.
One Tripadvisor reviewer said, “[Bondi] Beach is all the hype and show, but it’s like having a bath with your entire family and a dozen strangers. It’s packed on any normal day and should be regulated with a fence line and tickets, so it’s not like cramming sardines into a can. My advice, don’t bother wasting your time. You can’t sit anywhere, swim without your body rubbing against a stranger or eat across the road without queuing.”
Many other tourists also complained about how challenging it is to find parking, let alone that you could be coughing up $18 per hour for a spot.
Complaints aside, there's a lot to love about Bondi too. It's packed with trendy cafés, including The Shop and Wine Bar, where you can sip flat whites while people-watching, and Gertrude and Alice, where you can curl up with a book. If it's a long lunch you're after, head to Bondi stalwarts Sean’s Panorama and Bill’s, or keep it casual with affordably authentic tacos at Mami’s Casa Latina. Then there’s that pool – Icebergs – where you'll have one of the most scenic swims of your life. On weekends, head to the Bondi Markets to while away a few hours snacking and shopping. And if you’re up early, you can do the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk without the crowds. This jaw-droppingly beautiful cliffside trail skirts several beaches and inlets, so pack swimmers and look out for whales in winter.
Luckily, only one other Aussie beach made the top 100, with Sydney’s Manly Beach landing in 20th place. You can check out the full rankings here, or discover some other Australian beaches that are definitely worth your time in Australia here.
The 10 most complained-about beaches in the world
- Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
- Venice Beach, California
- Playa Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
- Clearwater Beach, Florida
- Bournemouth Beach, United Kingdom
- La Jolla Cove, California
- Elafonissi Beach, Greece
- Magens Bay Beach, USVI
- Bondi Beach, Australia
- Maho Beach, Sint Maarten